Financial difficulties are one of the leading problems related to stress.  It is hard not to feel stressed when we are experiencing the worst global financial downfall in over 20 years.  Not only that, but the holidays have come!  So, while it may be easier to give in to your feelings of hopelessness and hide in a corner, it is more important than ever to pick yourself up and work twice as hard.  Whether you have a family to support or your rent is do at the end of the month, learning how to cope with financial stress in a smart and safe way can truly change your life.

 

Try not to panic. It may be hard to do this when you just got laid off from your job, but being able to think clearly and rationally can do a lot of good and can ultimately help you think of new ways to get out of your financial crisis.  Carefully and rationally plan out your next moves and in time, things will smooth over.  Just be patient!  If you have a family who is depending on you, make an effort to be calm and in control.  Make sure to talk to them about what is going on and what you plan to do.  If you have kids, ask them to help out more around the house with cleaning and cooking.  This can really take a load off your back.

 

Be prepared to cut things out of your lifestyle you are usually used to having.  Instead of going to the movies on a Friday night, stay home and watch TV with your family.  Cut back on using your heater or air conditioner along with any other costly appliances.  Buy groceries and eat at home instead of going to costly restaurants or fast food joints.  If you feel it is necessary, leave your car at home sometimes and use public transportation.  Do your research online to find out plenty of more ways to save money.

 

Do not default on your due payments.  It can be overwhelming to get a load of bills in the mail when you can’t pay them all back but stuffing them in a drawer and forgetting about them will only make things worse.  Contact your creditors and try to work out a payment plan.  Most likely, they will be more than happy to come to an agreement with you.  Remember, it is YOUR money they want so be firm yet polite when discussing your situation with them. 

 

Have faith in your abilities to get out of a troubling situation such as this.  It is important to be positive and to surround yourself by positivity.  Spend more time with your family.  This can prove psychologically nurturing to everyone involved.  Focus on what you CAN control as opposed to what you have little control over, such as what is going on in Washington DC.  Keep your head level and concentrate on what needs to be done in YOUR life.  If you need additional support, join an online chat that deals with your issues and talk to people going through the same thing as you.  If it helps, use creative outlets to express what you are feeling.  This financial downfall will not last forever and it is important to remind yourself of that.

It is true that self-help seminars and workshops can do a lot to help you get a better self esteem. It is also true that going to a life coach or a counselor or psychologist for training can work well for some.
However, the only thing that can accompany you wherever you go is self-help books, and there are many available on the market by renowned authors. Since the problems of low self esteem are not predominant in America alone, but all around the world, it should not be too hard for you to get your hands on a good self-help book, wherever you may be.
Self-help books need not always be on increasing self esteem directly. One look through a book shop’s self-help section will show that you can buy books on hobbies like photography and cooking, and on personal help like doing better at relationships and at work. All these will however help you with better self esteem in the long run. So, there is a self-help book for you, whatever the goals that you set for your self may be.
As human beings, we are superior to all other living things on the planet and one of the things that prove this is our ability to effect change on our surroundings. So do get a self-help book on whatever it is that you would like to change, and put what you learn from these books into affect.
Soon you will see a positive change in your life, and the feelings of accomplishment that come with this can work wonders for your self-image. So many self-help books have been published to date that it is not a problem finding one on whatever topic you may have in mind. In fact you may face a bigger problem selecting one or two books out of the dozens to choose from.
Self-help books are a great thing to carry if you travel a lot. Not only do they help you pass your time constructively they are easy to carry and store. As sophisticated and miniature that palmtop computers have gotten today, the feel of a good book in your hands can never be replaced by a computer, and any one accustomed to handling books will confirm that.
We may get so preoccupied in our day to day problems that it is not always easy to take out the time to attend a self improvement seminar or lecture. But we can all at least take out the time and money to get a good self-help book. After all, it is for our own improvement that we do this, so do take the time and effort to get your hands on a book of this sort.

Stress is a concept borrowed from mechanics: if too much stress (that is pressure or force) is placed on part of a machine, then the part is weakened and may even break, and the machine no longer functions at maximum efficiency.

It is not so different from a psychological point of view – if you are subject to continual stress (unmanageable forces in your life) then your ability to cope is undermined, and you can no longer perform at your best.

The mind affects the body, and stress boosts production of the two hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. In the short term these chemicals, together with others called corticosteroids, are responsible for an increase in breathing and heart rates, tensed muscles and queasiness.

This is the so-called “fight or flight response”, which was useful in stressful situations in the dim evolutionary past – when we needed to flee predators.

But nowadays, the fight or flight response is frequently produced in inappropriate, evolutionary unimportant circumstances, such as a traffic jam, or a business meeting.

Prolonged exposure to the chemicals produced under stress can lead to a range of physical symptoms – anything from allergies to impotence, or insomnia to muscle pains.

This is not to say that stress is necessarily a bad thing. Stress is a natural part of life and we all need a little of it to provide us with the motivation to challenge our limits, overcome obstacles or aim for the top.

Positive stress offers us healthy stimulation, and life would be dull without it.

Problems arise only when stress levels exceed an individual’s ability to cope, and begin to have a negative impact on life.

The trick with stress is to learn how to manage it, not to try to banish it altogether.

Although midlife is generally defined as the years between 40 and 60, just as with any other maturing stage of life, there are those who start sooner and those who start later.
It is not your chronological age that indicates you are entering your second adulthood. It is the feeling that something is missing in your life; a feeling that you want your life to be different, but you aren’t certain what you do want. There becomes a strong inner desire to take charge of your own life-to become your own authority.
Did you Know 50% of Women 50 and Older are Single?
The current generation of women, sometimes referred to as Baby Bloomers, are the first group of women that encompass a big percentage who have the financial capacity to be on their own. Many find that being able to run their lives as they see fit, without butting up against the “man is head of the household” mentality is truly liberating.
Studies show that during a woman’s midlife, changes take place in brain chemistry which cause her to view her life very differently. What was OK before is no longer OK . . . just because it isn’t! Feeling the need to rationally defend her shift in perspective can sometimes create unnecessary anguish.
Some Questions That Pop Up as You are Entering Second Adulthood.
• When is it my turn?
• When do I get to live my life?
• Is this all there is?
• What’s the point?
• Why am I here?
• I don’t know what I want, but I know what I have isn’t it!
• Why am I feeling so unhappy when I “have it all?”
I met an 80 year old women in a class I was teaching at the local community college. She had been married for 62 years, raised 8 children, one of whom had come back home to live. Her husband was ill and she was feeling guilty because she had been wishing her child would move out, and that her husband would die so she could finally have her own life. (It is never necessary for someone to die in order for you to live the life you are meant to live. There is always a way to liberate yourself.)
She raised her hand to ask a question. “Is it really OK for me to think about what I want for myself?” With that question, at age 80, her “midlife” transition had begun.
It’s Normal
The good news: whether you are 30 or 80, if you are having these type of thoughts, you are experiencing the kinds of thoughts and feelings that are a normal part of entering the stage of growth that Gail Sheehy, author of New Passages, calls your Second Adulthood.
The bad news: because this generation of women is the first to tackle this transition head on (rather than fade into the background as many of our mothers and grandmothers did) there are not many role models to rely on as you face what feel like sink holes, sheer cliffs, dense fog and intense feelings of confusion that often lead to feeling STUCK!
Help is Available
Because of the huge population of baby boomers entering midlife, there are books, workshops, life coaches, women’s groups, etc., focused solely on the midlife woman’s transition.
Here are some books I recommend to my clients:
Navigating Midlife: Women Becoming Themselves, Robyn Vickers-Willis
Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood, Suzanne Braun Levine
Not Your Mother’s Midlife: A Ten-Step Guide to Fearless Aging, Nancy Alspaugh and Marilyn Kentz
Bring it On! Women Embracing Midlife, Christine Carter Schaap
Dance of the Dissident Daughter, Sue Monk Kidd
Awakening at Midlife, Kathleen A. Brehony
If Not Now, When? Reclaiming Ourselves at Midlife, Stephanie Marston
Facing the Challenge of Transition
Although the midlife transition is normal, it is still a challenging chapter in a woman’s life. If you have a few close women friends to talk to, and you begin discussing the distressing thoughts and feelings that you are experiencing you will find you are not alone (that is, if your friends are honest!).
A women who faces the midlife transition with an attitude of daring adventure, a confident attitude, and a belief that the best is yet to come may find the journey daunting, yet worth it when she experiences the deep satisfaction of coming into her own Authentic Self.

How to cure anxiety should be our focus. Obesity is reaching huge proportions as a health issue, both within Australia and America. With rising stress levels in society, there appears to be a rise in obesity. People are resorting to food to comfort themselves, as their lives spiral out of control.

However, reliance on food alone to deal with the underlying anxiety, will only lead to a bigger waisline and long-term health issues, as we are witnessing. Not only does it just mask the continuing stress in our lives, it also creates another addiction we are loathe to give up. One way to eliminate obesity is to get to the underlying cause and learn how to cure anxiety easily and permanently.

How do you know whether your anxiety is causing your obesity? Anxiety can be insidious. It can parade as overeating or constantly needing to put something into your mouth, be it tea, chewing gum, salty or sugary snacks,cigarettes etc, without even knowing why. Ask yourself if these are relevant to you:

Has food become your constant companion?

Are you craving chocolate like there’s no tomorrow?

Has your mouth become a bottomless pit for endless cups of tea or coffee?

Has nail-biting become your latest hobby?

Do you feel like Attila The Hun, getting angry at the drop of a hat?

Have negative thoughts made a nest in your head?

Do you feel as if you are on high alert waiting for some unknown thing to happen?

Are you constantly in busy mode, eating on the run and filling all of your time with tasks in order not to sit still?

If you can relate to any of the above then ask yourself if you are now ready to face the real cause of your obesity. Isn’t it time to face the issues in your life rather than run from them? Don’t you think it’s time to learn how to cure your anxiety and begin enjoying life?

The first step to getting a handle on your obesity is to recognise how anxiety manifests in your life. In order to deal with a problem you first need to get to the real issue.

There is no need to feel bad or guilty just because you are trying to quell your anxiety in the only way you know how! Instead, congratulate yourself for unearthing the real cause of your obesity. It is time to move forward and take steps to quickly, easily and permanently cure the anxiety and help yourself return to a healthy weight.

Would you like to know how to create a breakthrough in your life? Do you feel discouraged, stuck, frustrated, disappointed or angry at what you are facing and don’t know how to shift it? The first thing to realize is that there is an internal block or conflict taking place between your desire –what you want- and your belief system, your conditioning.Suppose your desire is to find a better job. Your mind will come up with reasons why you can’t have that better job. Your desire is to move into a different direction, and your fear- your belief system- is telling you why you aren’t able to do this so this causes a conflict in you.Notice that this is not happening just on an intellectual level. These thoughts and beliefs are creating a feeling. You are feeling fear on one hand and desire on the other hand. It’s like you are on a teeter totter – You want this but you believe you can’t have it.Take a second now and rate your desire for what it is that you want to manifest on a scale from 1-10, 10 being the strongest, and 1 being the weakest. Connect not intellectually but to how you are feeling.Second, examine your belief. What are the feelings that are surfacing? You don’t deserve it, not good enough, it will take a long time or show up easily, or if what you have asked for will be good or even better? Remember to connect to your feeling.Let’s pretend that your desire is at 10, and your belief is at a 4.For manifestation to occur there has to be a match between what you want and the belief that you can have it or this will prevent you from attracting what you want. When there is a discrepancy between the energy of your desire and the energy of your belief (or conditioning) you cannot attract what it is that you want into your life.When your desire is at a 10 and your belief is at a 10 you come into vibrational resonance and it will show up for you.Even though you may now understand this concept of resonance, it hasn’t resolved the issue that you feel discouraged, stuck, frustrated, disappointed or angry. That energy that you are experiencing needs to be dissipated or that vibration will continue to be sent out into the field.Even if you suppress it, vent it (gives short term relief) or cope with it using different escape options, like watching TV, going to a movie, having a drink, smoking, it doesn’t go away….it’s still there. It just goes underground, taking its toll on you even though you are not aware of it.So if you want to know how to  create a breakthrough in your life I would highly recommend learning and using a release technique and coaching from a transitional life coach so that you can change your not feeling good state to a feeling good state and  creating from a place of joy, and excitement.

How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? No, it’s not your imagination. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting. When you experience sudden danger, your brain instantly signals your body to turn out a hormone called Cortisol. It in turn relays the message throughout the body to mobilize you for a life-saving response. Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion to fast-acting muscles. Metabolism shifts too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.

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How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? No, it’s not your imagination. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting.

When you experience sudden danger, your brain instantly signals your body to turn out a hormone called Cortisol. It in turn relays the message throughout the body to mobilize you for a life-saving response. Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion to fast-acting muscles. Metabolism shifts too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.

Why is it that whenever we overcome incredible stress, we want to reach for something to binge on and engage in over eating? We tend to overeat when faced with stress. So what are we left with here? There is no way to avoid stress, so are we doomed by the influence of stress on our eating habits? Is it possible to make some healthy changes even though you may be eating for reasons other than hunger?

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Stress – Tackling Stress in the Modern World

In the fast-paced world nearly everyone lives in today, stress is an ever-present possibility. Just-in-time manufacturing, instant news from around the world, computers and a host of other modern technologies are a great benefit. But along with them comes quicker deadlines, instant notification of bad news and more communication to deal with.

But no one is going to slow down the world, nor would many of us want to. At the same time, it’s helpful to realize that with more technology comes more options. Some of those options allow us to find new ways to deal with the internal and external factors that can form the basis of stress.

You may be unlucky enough to have a boss who imposes unreasonable deadlines to meet pointless work milestones. But many have the option now to telecommute, work flexible hours and take extended leave for pregnancy and other family situations.

There may be myriad challenges in the modern world, but there are a variety of new tools to deal with them. Computers can pile up work faster, but they also allow us to get more done with less labor. They also enable us to find those with similar interests who may live thousands of miles away. In decades past, that would have been nearly impossible, except for the occasional convention in a distant city.

Psychology, though still in its infancy as a science, is starting to compile a set of good data on neurobiology, nutrition and a host of other factors relevant to stress. Figuring out useful treatments from this bewildering array of studies will take time, but progress is being made.

Sports and diet have become much more scientific than they were a generation or two ago. As tools to fight stress, exercise and a proper diet are now recognized as twins in one of the most effective strategies for combating stress.

While millions still work hard, basics like housing and food, transportation and medical treatment constitute a smaller percentage of income for most than they did in generations past. It’s not uncommon for two-driver families to have more than two vehicles today.

Certainly there is no shortage of potential stressors. To listen to the nightly newscast is to see a picture of a world about to come apart at the seams. And, yet, we endure. It may be that there is more to the lives most people live than we see on the TV.

Dealing with difficult problems is, well, difficult. But that need not lead to stress. That results from a viewpoint that sees the dilemma between “I must” and “I can’t” as unsolvable. But there are many more methods available today to overcome “I can’t” and much more freedom to deny that “I must.” Toss the dilemma aside and declare your independence from stress.