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switch off stress

Hi everyone. Stress is a fact of life. We all have moments where we encounter stress, but it’s how we deal with it – you need to find good ways to take care of yourself during stressful times. Whether it’s work related, relationships, or a whole myriad of reasons, finding a good way to cope will be one of the best ways you can help yourself.

Stress is a killer. It can lead to inflammation throughout your body, triggering the onset of a number of less than desirable health conditions. It also attacks your emotions and mind, which can lead to neurological disorders, emotional eating, detachment from friends and family, anxiety and depression.

Unfortunately, stress happens to everyone. That means you need to know how to deal with stress effectively. Consider the following 5 practices the next time a stressful situation arises, and stress will have a minimal negative impact in your life.Continue reading

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self help

You’ve maybe heard the saying that you can’t help anyone until you help yourself first. And, that no one can change unless they are willing to and want to. If you have determined that there are things about yourself that you would like to improve, self-help might be just the thing that you need. I know over the years it has helped me grow into the person that I have become – not the finished article I want to be, but I am well on the road to achieving that.

If you have also found that some of the people in your life need some help too, the best thing you can do is improve those things about you, that you see wrong in them. After all, your example might be just what they need. Leading by example is a great asset to have, and maybe a more subtle way of helping your friends.

1. You Can Only Change One Person

The fact is we only have control over one person: ourselves. When you realize that, you’ll start taking more control over your own needs without worrying about how that affects everyone else. For example, if you need to lose weight, but your other half isn’t very supportive, even if they could stand to lose a few pounds too, putting yourself first in this case should inspire them. If you tend to do the shopping and/or cooking in the family then you will really be in control and not only help yourself but lead by example.Continue reading

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Early this morning I received the phone call that I knew was coming for the past 2 years – the news that my best man had passed away.

He had a stroke a couple of years ago, which unfortunately left him a shadow of the man he was, the man that I loved. After a few tears this morning, I knew that I had to spend the day doing what this post is all about – spending it with my girls having a great time. So off we went to Hastings for a day at the seaside, just enjoying life.
I know he won’t be frowning about this, he’s up there reunited with his other best mate, having a beer and chuckling over some silly jokes. Because they both lived their lives with smiles on their faces, and everyone loved them. They both were so friendly, so helpful to others, and had hearts of gold.Continue reading

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waiting time

We all have little pockets of time that we waste, that with a bit of forethought we could use much more productively.

Do you get impatient when you have to wait in a queue at the bank or at the doctor’s surgery when they are (always) running late? Instead of getting frustrated, put that time to good use by planning ahead. As you look over your daily to-do list, identify times that you are likely to have to wait.

Then you can go prepared with an easy to carry project or reading. You can keep something in your car or briefcase that you would enjoy doing while waiting. Perhaps it’s catching up on magazines or business journals. Personally I like to keep an eye on my social media accounts, such as Twitter or Pinterest. A few quick re-tweets or pins makes me look more productive in time that could be wasted.Continue reading

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If you have read my previous post which introduced reflective practice you may be eager to get started. If you haven’t yet read it, then a brief description is that reflective practice is another way of saying that you are able to learn from your experience in a structured way.

Here are some ways to help you get started with reflective practice  and make it a big part of your life and self improvement.

Start a Journal or Personal Blog

Your first step will be to create a place where you can keep your reflective practice work, so you can look back at it at the end of each week or month. A small notebook you can carry anywhere is a good start. You can also create a folder on your computer and create documents or a private blog for your reflective practice.Continue reading