What a Life Coach Can Do for you

Date: January 23, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Uncategorized
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As the New Year begins people all over the world are committing themselves to all sorts of resolutions to lead better lives. Every year millions of people (friends and family of mine included) commit themselves to such things as: quitting smoking, getting in shape, making more money, and spending more time with our family and friends, which are just a few of the resolutions we hear today. While some of us do join the gym, throw away cigarettes, start saving money, how long does it last? A month? Two months? Three, if we’re lucky? When the excitement of the New Year wears off and the old routine and demands of life set in, the same old patterns come back up and we tell ourselves “well maybe next year”, or “promises were made to be broken”. It doesn’t have to be that way this year. There are many people out there, besides personal trainers, whose job it is to ensure that we continue to reach our goals. They are called Life Coaches.

A life coach is someone who works with you to create the goals and outcomes we want for our life. Some areas they work with clients on are: creating a better balance between our personal and professional lives, improving our ability to communicate our ideas and thoughts in public, and developing strategies for us to earn more money.

After attending a self-development seminar by Tony Robbins late last year, I decided to hire my own life coach. You see, for many years I‘d read numerous books on how to be a better person and leader. I watched DVDs and listened to CDs on spirituality and finding the inner wisdom, so that I could find my true purpose. I will admit that a lot of what I read stuck with me and I was happy to share that knowledge; I just found that I didn’t apply much of it consistently. I don’t think I am alone on this. I believe we all want to have a great life with financial security, time with our family and friends, and a career where we’re making a positive difference that provides us with a level of deep satisfaction.

Yet we never have someone committed to working with us to achieve those goals. While you may have family, friends and colleagues interested in seeing live a better life, they aren’t necessarily going to put their time and energy into helping. Why? Because they are just as focused on their goals and outcomes for their life. I can tell you that I have already seen results in two of three outcomes I have set to achieve over the next three months, and it is empowering. The final outcome will be realized within the next two weeks. When I am finished achieving these outcomes I will work with my coach to push my self into new adventures, opportunities and areas of life that will create more passion and zest for life.

A life coach steps in to provide many levels of support; acts as a sounding board, works to create action-oriented techniques, and provides thought provoking questions. Growing in popularity and use all over the world, in 2004, according to MarketData Enterprise, there were 25,000 life coaches in the U.S, and in 2005 the amount of coaches grew to 40,000. Canada, Japan, the U.K, and Australia are also growing markets for coaching.

Some of the most successful athletes, CEOs, musical artists in the world have their own life coaches. These coaches are not counselors, therapists, mentors, or consultants. Counselors and therapists focus on your past, mentors and consultants give you their opinion and how you should proceed and offer solutions. A personal coach will bring the solution out of you, and that is a very empowering tool for clients. The ability to talk out the process that will create the desired result or the optimal solution to the challenge their facing will propel them forward at an exciting rate.

Many people who hire a personal trainer are often the most successful at losing weight, staying in shape and eating healthy. When the commitment is made to pay a personal trainer, show up at a specific time to train, and complete the amount of work they require you do you get results. Why? Well for one thing you have vested financial interest in the sessions. Secondly, you are now accountable to another person; you told them you would show up at a particular time to train and you don’t want to disappoint them. Finally, as strange as this may seem, the vast majority of us will do more for others than we will do for ourselves. So when the trainer tells you that you’re going to do fifteen sit-ups and as you get to the fifteenth they tell you, “ok now ten more”, and you push yourself. If you were training alone you would have stopped at ten. Make sense? Now is the time to hire a life coach to push you to your “10” in life, and then help create a “15” to reach for.

Think yourself Thin

Date: January 22, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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In this celebrity obsessed world, our quest for perfection has never been greater.  Trying to live up to how we think we should look can govern an enormous part of our everyday lives.  So wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could find a way to enjoy natural weight loss by using an easy and highly effective method that puts an end to fad dieting and constant self-doubt?

 

The Technique in a Nutshell

It’s called the mind-body technique and has been used for centuries in various forms to cure all types of ailments and to promote a stronger, fitter and healthier body. This particular method also combines some basic Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) exercises that can actually stop cravings and feelings of self-doubt before they take hold and eventually destroy your personal goals for weight loss.  Above all, this incredible method for weight loss requires nothing more than the power of your mind and a willingness to believe that it will work for you.  It has been shown to be extremely effective in procuring a positive attitude towards yourself that can make a big change to both your figure and your self esteem.

The two-part technique is very easy to master and, if adhered to, it’s benefits can be seen within two to three weeks.  Practice this initial visualization exercise every day until you achieve your ideal weight and combine it with the EFT integration method, described later on, for maximum results.  Keep using the technique to maintain your ideal weight once you achieve it.

 

Visualization Toning

 Find a time in the day when you won’t be disturbed and strip down to your underwear.  Now stand in front of a mirror (full length is best), relax your body and your mind as you take a good look at yourself.  Breath in and out slowly as you focus on your body.

Now take a slow, deep breath in and slowly allow your eyes to close whilst mentally holding onto the image of your body.

Continue holding your breath as you begin to individually visualize those areas of your body that you are unhappy with.  Your stomach perhaps, or maybe your upper arms or thighs.  Now, as you exhale slowly, see those areas start to change,  See them become smaller, tighter, more ton ed and defined.  

Keep your eyes closed as you continue to slowly and deeply breathe in and out now, visualizing your body becoming thinner, more toned and more defined with every breath you take.  

Now take a mental snapshot of your new improved body.  Visualize a dial at the bottom of your image and, in your minds eye, mentally turn it until the image becomes sharper, more colourful and so bright that it glows.   

Open your eyes again and look at your body in the mirror.  You’ll notice how your physical reflection has faded slightly.  Now allow your eyes to close again and feel yourself relaxing more with every breath you take.

With your eyes still closed, visualize your new and improved body again.  Take a very deep breath and turn the dial again to intensify it’s color, sharpness and brightness even more. 

Repeat this process at least ten times during each daily session.

 

EFT Integration

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) was developed in the mid 1990s by Gary Craig who was inspired by the benefits produced by the earlier Thought Field Therapy (TFT).  The technique focuses quite simply on applying acupressure to certain parts of the body through tapping key points which correspond to the Meridians used in Chinese Medicine.  It’s really a very simple and effective technique and can relieve many physical and psychological conditions.  When used in conjunction with the Think Yourself Thin Visualization Toning exercises, it can be particularly effective in battling against food cravings and addiction.  

 

EFT Points

Please note that the Think Yourself Thin plan doesn’t use every single EFT point in its exercises.  For simplicity and ease of adoption, we have found that the following eight points, when tapped as shown below, are the most effective in combating cravings when used in conjunction with the visualization toning exercises.

The Sore Spot – This is found on your chest in the area where you would  pin a badge. Gently tap with your fingertips until you locate an area that feels tender.

The Bridge of the Eyebrow – This is the point where the bone of your eyebrow turns into the bridge of your nose.

The Inside Corner of the Eye – On the bone in the inside corner of your eye.

Under The Eye – On the bone just below and in line with the centre of your eye.

Under The Nose – The space between your nose and upper lip

Under The Mouth – In the indentation between your chin and your lower lip

The Karate Chop Point – on the side of your hand, roughly in line with your life line.

When you’ve located each point, try tapping each one ten times and see what kind of feelings it produces.  If you’re feeling stressed, you’ll probably notice that you feel a lot more relaxed afterwards.  Try scoring the feelings you have before and after each tapping session between one and ten (one being the most relaxed and ten being the most stressed).

 

Controlling those cravings with EFT

So you’re desperately craving that chocolate bar in the cupboard and you know that you really don’t need it as you’ve just enjoyed a nice healthy lunch.  Here’s how to use EFT to rid yourself of the craving and get back on track.

 Tap your EFT points ten times whilst focuses on the object you crave (e.g. chocolate).  Say to yourself (either silently or aloud) “even though I crave this (say whatever it is you crave) I am still a wonderful person and I deserve to lose weight”.  

It may sound terribly corny, but keep repeating this mantra as you tap each point until you start to feel your craving diminish.  Eventually, after several minutes, you’ll feel a lot less like eating that chocolate bar and, hopefully, extremely proud of yourself for not yielding to the temptation. This method is so simple and it really does work. 

 

Making it Work for You

By integrating the simple EFT methods shown above into your Think Yourself Thin schedule, you will, with the self-belief and confidence that comes from your visualization toning, achieve the body you deserve.  Don’t expect miracles overnight but, day by day, see the difference that a positive and guided mind can make to your body size and self-image and start being the person you’ve always wanted to be.

 

The Impact Of Stress

Date: January 22, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Acute or chronic stress can have a serious impact on a person’s emotional or physical wellbeing and can be a significant contributor to mental illness.
Stress is a term that refers to the sum of the physical, mental, and emotional strains or tensions on a person. A stressor is defined as a stimulus or event that provokes a stress response in an organism. Stressors can be categorized as acute or chronic.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) defines a psychosocial stressor as “any life event or life change that may be associated temporally (and perhaps causally) with the onset, occurrence, or exacerbation (worsening) of a mental disorder”.
Hans Selye (1907-1982), a Canadian researcher was a pioneer in studying stress. Selye defined stress, in essence, as the rate of wear and tear on the body. He observed that an increasing number of people, particularly in the developed countries, die of so-called diseases of civilization, or degenerative diseases primarily caused by stress.
In humans, the biochemical response to acute stress is known as the “fight-or-flight”activation of a section of the brain called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system, or HPA activates the release of steroid hormones which include cortisol, the primary stress hormone in humans. Neurotransmitters known as catecholamines are released which have three effects:
1. They activate the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the limbic system that triggers an emotional response to fear.
2. They signal the hippocampus, another part of the limbic system, to store the emotional experience in longterm memory.
3. They suppress activity in parts of the brain associated with short-term memory, concentration, and rational thinking. This suppression allows a human to react quickly to a stressful situation, but it also lowers the ability to deal with complex social or intellectual tasks that may be part of the situation.
The body’s physical reaction to stress can cause heart rate and blood pressure to rise, the person breathes more rapidly allowing the lungs to take in more oxygen. Blood flow to the muscles, lungs, and brain may increase by 300-400%. The spleen releases more blood cells which increases the blood’s ability to transport oxygen. The immune system redirects white blood cells to the skin, bone marrow and lymph nodes; these are areas where injury or infection is most likely to occur. In chronic stress, the organ systems of the body do not have the opportunity to return fully to normal levels. Different organs become under or over activated on a long-term basis. In time, these abnormal levels of activity can damage an organ or organ system. Stress has negative effects on the Cardiovascular system, the Gastrointestinal system, the Reproductive system and the Musculoskeletal system.
The physical effects of stress on the brain include interference with memory and learning. Acute stress interferes with short-term memory, although this effect goes away after the stress is resolved. People who are under severe stress become unable to concentrate; they may become physically inefficient, clumsy, and accident-prone. Chronic stress is a reaction to a situation that is stressful but ongoing. Chronic stress affects the human immune system and increases a person’s risk of getting an infectious illness. Several research studies have shown that people under chronic stress have lower than normal white blood cell counts and are more vulnerable to colds and influenza.
There are 2 major categories of mental disorders directly related to stress-the-post-traumatic syndromes and adjustment disorders. Stress is, however, also closely associated with depression, and can worsen the symptoms of most other disorders. Post traumatic stress disorder and Acute Stress Disorder are defined by their temporal connection to a traumatic event in the individual’s life.
Stress is related to substance abuse disorders in that chronic stress frequently leads people to self-medicate with drugs of abuse or alcohol. Substance abuse disorders are associated with a specific type of strategy for dealing with stress called emotion-focused coping. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines adjustment disorders as psychological responses to stressors that are excessive given the nature of the stressor; or result in impairment of the person’s academic, occupational, or social functioning. The causes of stress may include any event or situation that a person considers a threat to his or her resources or coping strategies.
Acute stress is defined as a reaction to something perceived as an immediate threat. Acute stress reactions can occur to a falsely perceived danger as well as to a genuine threat; they can also occur in response to memories. Social isolation and loneliness can produce chronic stress. A study done in Norway between 1987 and 1993 found that social support networks mad a significant difference in lowering the impact of both acute and chronic stress on mental health.
Another stress factor is sleep deprivation. Many people get only six or less hours of sleep each night even though the National Sleep Foundation estimates that most adults need 8-8-1/2 hours per night for good health. Fatigue due to sleep deprivation causes additional stress.
Lastly, economic trends have produced a “Winner-take-all” economy in which the gap between the well-off and the average family is constantly widening. Socioeconomic status (SES) affects health in a number of ways. Persons of higher SES can afford better health care, are less likely to suffer from exposure to environmental toxins, and generally lead healthier lifestyles. In addition, chronic stress associated with low SES appears to increase morbidity and mortality among persons in these income groups.

Stress Relief

Date: January 18, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Stress relief can be as complex as you allow it.

Stress relief can come in many applications. It can be a drug, an exercise, an herb, a ball, a game or even a food supplement. Every option has its own positives and negatives. One technique will work for one person while the same technique will confound another adding to the stress.

Some of the deciding factors of relieving stress is to determine what kind of stress you are dealing with and how long a duration it has been. Is this something that has been there forever or is this a new, out-of-the-blue issue?

The kinds of stress come in three broad categories: physical, nutritional, and emotional. We are going to deal with emotional stress but be aware that physical and nutritional stress can affect the mind, and in turn, cause emotional stress.

Emotional stress is the stress we think about the most when we talk about stress. Stress and stress related disorders are on the rise. Though the number is rising there is no specific stress reliever which can work on all the effects of stress. This is the reason why different stress management programs come up with different kinds of stress reducers.

Some stress management programs are kind and minimal; they make you feel good while you are practicing the stress management technique but in reality they are time wasters when it comes to addressing a correction for the stress.

But if there was one stress reliever you could carry around with you and you could use it anytime you needed, what would it be?

You already have it. It is sitting on top of your shoulders — your mind.

Your mind can cause more stress than you can imagine or can eliminate more stress than you thought possible.

Inside your mind you hold the key to life-long stress management. How it is unlocked and used for your benefit is what a course in the ultimate natural stress management course is all about.

Think for a moment about a point of stress in your life. What kind of reaction do you have? Do you feel a pit in your stomach? Does your head get full of noise? Do you get an impending doom feeling?

The stress you are thinking about is creating an energy in your body. It is a literal energy pocket that is creating chaos inside you. If you could take this energy and re-organize it, your thinking about it would be completely different. It may not even cause a reaction in you at all.

Now, let’s do something about this stress. Take the image of this stress and hold it in your mind’s eye. Look at it and see it clearly. Bring the image into focus. Is that it? Is that the stress in your life?

Now as you hold that image in your mind, take your finger pads of both hands and place them on your forehead an inch above your eyes. These are your emotional centers and you’re going to reset them while holding that image in your mind.

You’re going to hold your finger pads on your emotional centers as you hold the image of your stress in your mind. Hold these two for 30 to 45 seconds completely focusing on your stress.

As you continue the image of your stress will fade and its intensity will drop significantly. You are literally resetting your emotional reaction to this particular stress. How amazing is that?

Whatever stress you have make an image and reset it. This is a technique you can do all the time and you will make incredible changes in your stress and your life.

Run this process and use it for good.

Weight Loss – Shed Pounds with Emotional Release

Date: January 18, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Weight loss has been achieved using EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques.  EFT was coined by Gary Craig as a variant of Thought Field Therapy (TFT).  TFT taught specific protocols for specific problems, such as weight loss.  EFT, however, covered all the target areas figuring that by default you would cover the specific ones needed for the unique problem at hand.EFT is an easy method to learn to eliminate or interrupt blocked emotional and habitual thought patterns.  Overeating, for example, is a habit that is acquired and is connected to both your emotions and your thought processes.  EFT has been shown to be effective in just a few sessions – and, since you are doing it to yourself, you can perform EFT any time you need to in the future.EFT and AcupunctureEFT combines acupuncture without needles with mind-body medicine.  It is essentially an emotional adaptation of acupuncture.  Acupuncture stimulates certain meridian points with needles.  The same result can be achieved by tapping (with you fingers) the same meridian points on your body.  Weight gain, along with a lot of other physical ailments, disease and pain can be traced back to emotional stress.  EFT is a fantastic tool to eliminate or mitigate emotional stress.Ease of UseThere are three things I really like about EFT.  The first is that you do it by yourself – therefore it is free.  The second thing is that there is so much information available to help you begin using the EFT process.  Most of that information is also free.  I suggest using You Tube as your initial search.  The third thing is the rapid results.  EFT TestimonialsTestimonials abound where results have been seen in a few days.  Does that mean you will lose weight in a few days?  No, you can’t lose weight that quickly, but you can change habits and notice a difference almost immediately.  Severe cases of pain – those lasting for decades – have been eliminated so quickly it seems like magic.  Physical problems begin to fade as emotional issues are resolved.EFT ResultsDo you get 100% results every time it is tried?  NO.  But it works much better than any competing option or alternative, and in many cases, the results are astonishing.  A very small percentage of our population suffers from very severe emotional and physical disabilities.  Consult your doctor if you deem your situation to be extreme.EFT is physically done with no pain or discomfort.  Sessions directed specifically at weight loss have found that using EFT for one or two minutes can prevent cravings in 80% of the cases.  In many cases people eat when they are not hungry.  EFT surprises new users to eat when they are really hungry, not when their habit tells them to eat.Some people use food unknowingly as an anesthetic to blunt emotional problems.  EFT calms emotional stressors and leads to more sensible eating habits resulting in weight loss.  Will power is not required when using EFT primarily since you can see your habits changing almost over night.  You look forward to eating, but you eat the right foods in the proper amounts.EFT and Weight LossResearch has found that the real emotional stress issues associated with weight loss are self worth and anxiety.  These two issues are not eliminated, but bought into proper perspective and balance with your other emotions and needs.  Further research has shown the effectiveness of EFT for weight loss is between 50 and 80%.  Do you lose just a few pounds, or is this effective for a large weight loss?  It is reported that it is not uncommon for people to lose over 100 pounds with EFT.  With weight loss and emotional balance, the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other health problems is reduced significantly.  People look better and feel better and begin better programs of exercise and eating – and they see and feel their self-esteem skyrocketing.EFT ProcessSo, how do I use EFT?  The first thing is to choose an issue or problem that you want to correct.  Since this article is focused on weight loss, I will give examples towards that objective.  My objective – I want to lose weight!  Next assess your feeling towards your weight problem.  If it really bothers you, maybe on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest discomfort level, you might rate yourself an 8 or a 9.  Here’s the important part – write it down on a piece of paper.Now you can begin the actual physical process of EFT.  Begin tapping the Karate Chop area on your hand – the soft area between your wrist and the knuckle by your little finger on the side of your hand.  As you tap this area you begin saying out loud a phrase to set up your weight loss for emotional release.  “Even though I am overweight, I deeply and completely love and accept myself!”  Say this set up phrase at least three times as you are tapping your Karate Chop area.Now you begin tapping other acupressure points on your body with a reminder phrase to complement your set up phrase.  Begin by saying something like, “I choose to be thin and fit!”  Focus all your thoughts on the phrase you are saying.  Begin tapping with two to four fingers around three or four times on the following areas of your body:  1.) Inside your eyebrows – right on the bone where your eyebrow hair disappears.  2.) On the outside corner of each eye – again on the bone at the edge of your eye socket.  Tap lightly; you do not want to hurt yourself.  3.) Below each eye centered on the bone at the bottom of the eye socket.  4.) Under you nose half-way between the bottom on your nose and the top of your lip.  5.) In the cleft of your chin – the area where your chin makes an indentation.  6.) Now change to tapping using your fist or open hand – tap gently on your collarbone.  Imagine that you are wearing a man’s tie around your neck with a large knot.  Tap on that area on each side of the large knot.  7.) Continue using your fist or open hand to tap gently where your breast muscles join your chest – centered about a fist width apart from the center of your chest.  8.) Tap under your arm pit level with your nipple (for men) and at the bra strap level (for women).  9.) Return to using your fingers and tap on the top center of your head even with your ears.  Once you have completed the entire routine, think about your problem and reassess your concern.  Has it gone down from an 8-9 to a 4-5?  Most people see results on the first of second series of performing EFT.If you watch the various videos on You Tube you will see the exact locations for each of these acupressure points.  You may also see a different sequence being used – some start with the top of your head.The steps listed above are the basics for using EFT to lose weight.  Think about the set up statement and your reminder phrase.  You can change them each time you go through an EFT routine.  Assess your emotional feeling and write it down each time you perform EFT and reassess it afterwards.  This is easier than dieting and can work for a lot of people who want to lose weight.

How Does Stress Affect Health?

Date: January 18, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Stress is a psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance in some way. When faced with a threat, whether to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” response. We all know what this stress response feels like: hearts pounding in the chest, muscles tensing up breathe coming faster, every sense on red alert.

Chronic stress can be the result of a host of irritating hassles or a long-term life condition, such as a difficult job situation or living with a chronic disease. In people who have higher levels of chronic stress, the stress response lasts longer. Over time, chronic stress can have an effect on: The immune system. Under stress, the body becomes more vulnerable to illnesses, from colds and minor infections to major diseases. If you have a chronic illness such as AIDS, stress can make the symptoms worse.

Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress — a negative stress reaction. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases. Stress also becomes harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try to relieve their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems.

Stress can cause headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorder, allergies, insomnia, backaches, frequent cold and fatigue to diseases such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes, heart ailments and even cancer. In fact, Sanjay Chugh, a leading Indian psychologist, says that 70 per cent to 90 per cent of adults visit primary care physicians for stress-related problems. Scary enough.

But where do we err?

Stress is difficult for scientists to define because it is a highly subjective phenomenon that differs for each of us. Things that are distressful for some individuals can be pleasurable for others. We also respond to stress differently. Some people blush, some eat more while others grow pale or eat less.

Also, the effects of stress include the body’s tendency to break down white blood cells when it is stressed. Unfortunately, white blood cells are used to fight disease and breaking them down cause immune system depletion and make people more vulnerable to disease. Thus, if you do not slow down, your body will be slowed down for you with a cold or a bout of the flu. This explains why many people tend to become ill when they are under pressure for long periods of time.

You have some control over your reaction to stress. You can learn to relax and reverse the body’s hormonal response to stress. And, of course, you may be able to change your life to relieve sources of stress.

Something else that affects people’s responses to stress is coping style. Coping style is how a person deals with stress. For example, some people have a problem-solving attitude. They say to them, “What can I do about this problem?” They try to change their situation to get rid of the stress.

General Anxiety Disorder

Date: January 17, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
Comments: Leave a reply

 

General anxiety disorder or GAD is a condition where the sufferer has excessive anxiety on most days. Traditional treatment is initially the prescription of buspirone or another anti depressant. Long term general anxiety disorder sufferers are often given cognitive therapy, which until recently was regarded as the number one method of dealing with the condition.

 

General anxiety disorder affects about 2% of the population at some time or other, being more prevalent in women than men the onset most often being before sufferers hit the age of 30 and is characterised by anxiety that is widespread rather than targeted as in a phobia.

 

People with general anxiety disorder experience a lot of anxiety, feeling fearful, tense or worried most if not every day and is most often a condition which lasts for years and becomes a way of life. Other symptoms of general anxiety disorder are a feeling of vulnerability causing the sufferer to feel on edge, people often describing it as feeling wired up. This heightened state of tension, leads to excessive tiredness, with concentration lapses commonplace, however this is often coupled with difficulty sleeping and insomnia, because the condition keeps your mind racing making it difficult to relax.

 

Whilst some people are more anxious than others, stress of one type or another is often instrumental in general anxiety disorder and often times acts as a catalyst in triggering the condition. Most often though, its past events, that play the major part in laying the conditions foundations, abuse, loss of a loved one through separation or death, broken family life in childhood or any other stressful event or series of events being typical examples.

 

Modern therapies such as Thought Field Therapy are now highly regarded as treatments for this condition, with companies such as BeOnForm specialising in treating general anxiety disorder, panic attacks and agoraphobia.

 

Stress Balls and Their Benefits

Date: January 17, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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A stress ball can be defined as a malleable toy. It is about seven centimeters in diameter. It is squeezed in the hand and then manipulated by the fingers. This exercise helps a lot in relieving stress as well as the muscle tension. This is also a good exercise for hand muscles.

Many types of stress balls are available on the market, these days. Some of them are available in the form of a closed-cell polyurethane foam rubber. This kind of stress ball is created by injecting liquid components of a foam into a mold. The chemical reaction that results forms bubbles of carbon dioxide and ultimately comes out in the form of a foam.

Stress ball recommended for physical therapy contain gel of various densities. The gel is placed inside a cloth or rubber skin. There is another type of stress ball that is made via using a thin rubber membrane that surrounds a fine powder.

A stress ball can also be made at home via filling a balloon with baking soda. Some balls look like foot bag and are marketed and used widely as stress balls.

The name ‘Stress ball’ may indicate that the shape of this substance is spherical. However, these are available in various amusing shapes, spot printed or screen printed. Some are also available with corporate logos. These make great gifts to clients and employees.

Stress balls can play a major role in decreasing stress injuries. Due to the shape these balls are available in; they are known as stress relievers and also make a great corporate promotional product.

Stress balls are wonderful options to relieve stress. Whenever the hand is turned in to a fist, you would notice certain muscle tension. This muscle tension may also be experienced if you don’t have anything in the palm. As soon as the grip of fist is released the muscle tension eases.

The cycle of creating a muscular tension and thereafter releasing it is the basic principle that works with stress balls.

It is better to have something in hand instead of making an empty fist and releasing it frequently. These days, stress balls are very famous with computer professionals.

You can also make your own stress balls at home. The activity will be fun and help you to reduce a lot of stress.

Balloon Stress Ball – Instruction

i) Blow a small thick balloon half way.

ii) Pinch and hold the balloon tight about one inch from the hole.

iii) Place a small funnel inside the opening of the balloon.

iv) Now pour cornstarch in to the funnel.

v) Now gradually release the top of the balloon so that the cornstarch slides in to balloon

vi) Keep adding cornstarch until the balloon is 3 inches in diameter.

vii) Now tighter the end of the balloon and let the air come out slowly.

viii) Tie the balloon tightly near the cornstarch.

A stress ball is a great tool to manage stress. Buy one for yourself now or make one on your own.

Keep Your Sanity With A Mindful Life Coach

Date: January 17, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Uncategorized
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We should always keep in mind who helped us get to where we are. All of us can probably remember a teacher or coach in our lives who made a huge impact on our youth. Perhaps it was a football coach who spent an hour after practice helping you learn how to tackle, or the English teacher who worked with you after class to get your college admission essays right.
No matter what you do or your fields of interest, you need a coach. Yes, everyone needs a mentor, although many people see life coaches as a negative thing. They have too much pride and feel that they need to portray the “I don’t need any help I can do it on my own attitude.” That attitude will lead anyone that harbors it to failure.
I don’t care what you do or how you do it, there is someone out there who is better or can think of better ways to do what you do. What I mean is that everyone can improve any aspect of their life.
No matter what it is there are always negatives to work on and positive things to focus on. That is what mindful life coaches are there for, to offer advice and support in areas that need improving.
Mindful Coaching?
If your objective is to get your professional and personal life in order, then you should hire a life coach. An ideal skilled and professional coach will give you the self-esteem needed to achieve peace of mind and your goals. Ingredients for success require:
* The ideal amounts of finances
* Career
* Relationships
* Emotions
* Spirituality
Be Mindful of Mindfulness
You might be wondering exactly what mindfulness is and how a mindful life coach can help to achieve that state. The strength in life exists at this exact moment.
Taking clear action at this immediate point in time can empower you to achieve your goals in life. A mindful life coach helps you to achieve mindfulness or being more attentive of every single moment in life.
When you are able to achieve this goal, then you can enjoy several benefits. For instance:
* You can better handle emotional and mental hardships
* Enjoy more appreciation and serenity in your life
* You can be linked to your personal essence
According to mindfulness, life includes numerous paths. A mindful life coach can help us to avoid the poor choices that would disturb our human spirit.
These problematic paths can cause us to feel uncertain, helpless, or baffled. However, with a mindful life coach, travelers can have a better knowledge of their self concept, or who they are, allowing their instincts to guide them along the right path.

Stress at Work and Its Symptoms

Date: January 17, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
Comments: Leave a reply

Stress at work is not a new phenomenon. These days, in modern lifestyles, the nature of work has gone really stressful. One needs to do a lot in order to stay ahead in competition.

Most people don’t even realize that they are undergoing a lot of stress in their life. They don’t have time to realize that they are under stress.

Work stress is a type of chronic disease. It is caused by different conditions in the workplace that negatively affect an individual’s performance. This also affect overall well being of body and mind of the person.

In certain cases, job stress can even be quite disabling. According to a study, one must go for psychiatric consultation. This will let him or her validate the reason and degree of stress related to work.

Sometimes working on a project also causes a lot of stress. The early stages of job stress are not much irritating as it can enhance the performance due to the efforts put in to the whole thing.

However, in case, the condition goes unchecked the body faces stress on a regular basis the body tends to get affected adversely.

If you want to know whether you suffer from work stress, here are certain symptoms you need to look for:

• Insomnia or sleeplessness

• Family conflict or constant dispute

• Lack of mental concentration

• Anxiety; Depression; Extreme anger

• Frustration

• Physical illnesses such as migraine, stomach problems, headaches, heart disease and back problems.

• Substance abuse

• Absenteeism on a frequent basis without any regular reason

There are several causes of work stress. Here are some of the visible ones that would let you know how to handle work stress.

1) Insecurity at work place

These days, one requires to do a lot at job in order to survive the tough competition. There is a lot of reorganization, mergers, takeovers, and downsizing. All these situations lead to stress for employees. They need to work hard to survive and let their organization survive the competition.

2) Demand for performance

Today, employers, managers and team leaders keep unrealistic expectations and set unrealistic goals for their employees. This results in unhealthy and unreasonable pressures on the employee.

Now, this can be really tremendous and the person may suffer from serious depression. Big targets make employees work for long hours and physically stressed out. They may also require to travel a lot and too much time away from family results in emotional stress.

3) Balance

For woman, it becomes really difficult to strike a balance between work and home. After spending stressful work hours, it becomes difficult to work at home. There may be situations where women face sexual harassment at work place.

It is easy to cope up with stress at work if you want to. You can do a lot of things to keep yourself away from stress. Here are some tips:

• Don’t give in to alcohol

• Don’t cheat on your spouse

• Develop positive attitude towards stress

• Find time to refresh yourself whenever you get time

• Take a short leave and enjoy with your family.