Everyone knows breathing is essential for life - we do it without any thought. However, breath is not only important to the physical functioning of our bodies, but it is also vital to our emotional and spiritual well being. During times of tension or anxiety, oftentimes people will hold their breath (think about watching a suspenseful part of a movie.) Remember the sigh that usual comes after such moments? We feel relieved, our heart starts to slow down and there is a sense of peace and relaxation.

Why not harness this power of relaxation at will?

During times of stress or when you need to take a moment to relax, help yourself by “taking a breather,” literally! Consciously make a decision to BREATHE and utilize your bodyʼs natural ability to relieve stress - it is free, fast and you can do it anywhere! AND breathing will clear your mind so you can accomplish more! Try these:

At Your Desk (1 minute): Sit up straight (at the edge of your chair) with both feet firmly on the ground. With your hands on your thighs, take a deep breath. Pause. Now take in just a little more breath. Pause. Exhale.

On The Floor (3 minutes): Lie on your back with your legs stretched out. Lower your chin slightly so that your nose is pointing to the ceiling. Put your palms on the lower part of your rib cage. Breathe in and notice your rib cage expanding. Pause. Breathe in a litte more, your ribs expand even more. Pause. Exhale fully, and notice your abdomen moving toward the floor. Repeat.

Anywhere (30 seconds): Yawn. It sounds a little funny, but most people can make themselves yawn. Try it and use your whole body - stretch your arms, stretch your legs out and really FEEL the yawn. Itʼs an amazing relaxer.

Technorati Tags: Stress and Overwhelm, Relaxation, Self Care, Personal Development

Trap #5. GAINING WEIGHT
Yes, we all like to eat and we all know that the holidays will fill our every carbo-craving from mashed potatoes to pumpkin pie, fromcandy corn to stuffing. It’s not just the carbo-loading. . . it’s also the AMOUNT of food we tend to eat.

TIP: Eat, then exercise. Go ahead and eat that second dessert or have the extra helping of potatoes, but then make up for it by going for a long evening walk (at least an hour) or start a football game with your family. You’ll find the exercise refreshing and perhaps be able to spend a little more quality time with friends and family instead of rushing to the next holiday obligation!

Trap #4. TOO MANY OBLIGATIONS
It wouldn’t be the holidays without parties, events, shows, fundraisers - the busy lifestyle. Some people thrive on the pace,
so to those people I say, HAVE FUN! But others may wear themselves down. . .

TIP: It’s okay to say no. If you’re finding that you are spinning your wheels and you’re just not having any fun with the obligations, say no. Skip one event that you really do NOT want to go to and do something you KNOW you enjoy – whether it’s watching a movie, gardening, spending time with your own family or staying at home. What’s the point of ringing holiday cheer with people if you’re not enjoying the moment or the company?

Trap #3. SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY
The holidays leave you with a full stomach and an empty wallet. You don’t have to stress about finances every time the holidays roll around – you can start planning today for this year AND next!

TIP: Organize all your holiday spending lists - gifts, events, fundraising events, etc. – figure out the cost for each item and then a total. Determine a budget for how much you are ABLE to spend. If they match or you have more in your budget than you want to spend, you’re golden! However, if your budget falls short of what you need there are two things you can do:
1) change your budget and allot more money or
2) cut something(s) out.
Either way it’s up to you and you have to make a decision and accept it. The added benefit of knowing what you want to spend now is that you can plan for next year and reduce potential stress.

Trap #2. FORGETTING YOUR SELF
Buy gifts for everyone, check.
Send holiday cards out, check.
Plan and invite everyone to holiday party, check.
You’ve taken care of everyone and everything else, now it’s time to put your feet up and relax. Pamper your self a little.

TIP: Do something for yourself. Buy yourself a present. Reward yourself with that extra sugary, creamy pumpkin spice
latte with whipped cream (and then take that walk) Or simply, spend 10 minutes with yourself, relaxing, taking a nap, soaking your feet. Remember yourself and give your Self a little bit of that holiday cheer that you’re spreading to everyone else.

Trap #1. GETTING THE HOLIDAY BLUES
Amidst all of the holiday festivities and gatherings of the Holiday Hurricane, sometimes, the whirlwind brings about
the Holiday Blues – missing people, regretting what we have not accomplished in this last year, getting older, and the natural change that comes with the new year. Sometimes it might be a short riff, but for others it may a long improvised Blues solo that lasts through to the new year. Unfortunately it’s human nature to focus on what is “lacking.”

TIP: Focus on what you HAVE and not on what you do NOT have. Focus on who is with you NOW, instead of thinking of those that can’t be with you. Think back to the beginning of the year and think of all the things that you HAVE accomplished this year – recall where you started and how far you’ve come. Sometimes we find ourselves in a place where we begin to focus on what we lack. Instead of singing the blues about the things that “have not,” be thankful for EVERYTHING that “IS.”

Technorati Tags: Stress and Overwhelm, Balance, Organization, Self Care, Holiday, Appreciation

Work/life balance is an issue that has been around for years. We often hear of juggling five balls as an analogy to balancing life. The five balls represent work, family, health, friends and spirit. Work is described as rubber and will always bounce back. However, the other four “balls of life” are made of glass and if dropped, will get nicked, damaged or completely shatter.

This view is commonly accepted and the analogy, widely used.  Although I believe this is a great visual analogy, I have one major problem with it. . . . the five balls are separate entities. Our life is one whole.

Many separate the different roles and the different characteristics of their life from each other - work, family, health, friends and spirit - but is any one of these any less important to LIFE and WHO we are? I say no.

Life is made up of all of these components, but each of these components are a piece of the whole.  The way I see balance is not through juggling, but rather through fitting in all of the appropriate pieces to fit in a puzzle that make up who you are - one whole Life.

Society and culture break apart our whole self by giving us “labels’ and “roles” so that we can easily and neatly fit into the compartments of our environment:
At work, you’re a technician.
At home, you’re a mother.
With friends, you’re a jokester.
You get the idea. . . “labels” and “roles” are given to distinguish between each setting or situation.  Often times we buy into these compartments and separate our work life from our home life from our life with friends. This is why there is a need for balance with work and life.

But in reality, you are one entity.
You are you all the time.
There is One Life.
How do you balance that?

Ultimately it IS one life, one entity, so the balance comes by breaking down the walls that separate and divide the whole part of Life. Pulling away from the labels and roles and just “being” who you are. . . . With this concept, if you are “being” you all the time, then work, family, health, friends and spirit would fit into a package that is called YOU, there would be no need for “balancing” and “juggling.”

Life is in balance when every moment of every day you can be fully YOU.

Discovery Tip: Balancing Work and Life

Some ideas and thoughts on how to achieve true balance in your life.

• Give yourself time.
  Achieving “balance” in your life is an on-going process that takes time and many shifts. The way we work, think, behave are all habits, even if they don’t always work well in our life. It takes time to first realize the habits that
  have been formed, figure out what habits would work better and then to re-form those habits in our lives.

• Know what is important in your life.
  The easiest way to know what is balance in your life, is to know who you are.
  The first step to knowing your true self is to ask yourself honestly, “What is important in my life?”

• Look at the “labels” and “roles” you hold in your life now- are they you?
  Perhaps some of the “un-balanced” feelings come from your intuition and doing something you know is “off” for you. Listen to your intuition and your gut feelings for yourself. Are you forcing yourself to be and do things that are just not you? Going against your natural grain will almost always cause a feeling of imbalance. Unfortunately people do not rely enough on that natural “feeling” and intuition we were all born with.

Technorati Tags: Stress and Overwhelm, Balance, Self Care, Priorities, Decision Making, Law of Attraction, Action

How do you feel as the new year approaches?
Do you feel overwhelmed and tired?
Do you dread the new goals and resolutions that the new year has in store.. . . .
Or are you still struggling to accomplish this year’s goals and resolutions?

As they would say in New York, fuhgehdaboudit!

Throw out those “goals” and “resolutions”. . . especially if they’re weighing you down!

SOAR into the New Year!

Focus on what matters to you and how you want your life to look in the new year. When I say “soar” I mean SOAR! Raise yourself to a higher level. Don’t just coast, fly upward. Get motivated now and stay motivated throughout the year.

How do you to start SOARing?
Stretch - Organize - Act - Rejuvenate

Stretching is important in any sport, but when we’re playing the game of life, it’s critical. As you think of the new year ahead, think about what matters most to you and stretch your thinking.

Challenge yourself to think beyond what you’ve known and expand further into that dream that’s been out of your reach - but take small steps. Just like with your muscles, gradual stretching will show results over time. You will live up to the standards that you set.

Write down how you want to successfully stretch yourself next year with work, family, and life. Then ask yourself - Why is this important to my life now? (Example: Spend more time with family)

Organizing your path prepares you to SOAR with meaning and intent. When there is direction and a map, it’s a lot easier to get to where you’re going. Map out your SOARing path, keeping in mind that it’s important to think of a path that’s right for you. Think of things you will need along the way, ie tools, resources, emergency kit.

With each of the items you want to stretch, organize the “essentials” you will need. (Example, “ To spend more time with family, I need to set some boundaries at work, prioritize my time and be able to say “no.”)

Act TODAY! The game of life doesn’t wait until you’re ready, it doesn’t wait til the first of the year. It’s Game On! You’ve already started the action by spending some time stretching and organizing, but now it’s time to take off and SOAR!

Write down things you can do today and during the next few weeks. (Example, Have dinner with the family every evening, starting tonight.)

Rejuvenation is important toward any progress - it’s the process of refueling and taking care of the “engine.” When stretching it’s important to let your muscles rest. If the muscle is constantly being stretched further and further without being able to stabilize with a rest period, it is like a rubber band that will eventually snap - not good in the middle of SOARing!

Write down ways you can rejuvenate, refuel, take care of your “engine.” (Example - Take a mid-day walk. Soak my feet at the end of the day.)

Discovery Tip: SOAR into the New Year!

The important thing is to concentrate on what matters to you.
Let go of the “goals” and “resolutions” that have been weighing you down.
Stop doing what does NOT work and start doing what DOES work!

Practice one or all of the steps above.
Get SOARing!

Technorati Tags: Stress and Overwhelm, Vision, Reflection, Goals, Strategy, Motivation, Challenge, Action

During times of stress and overwhelm, your body and mind go into survival mode - you forget about everything else but “getting the job done.” That means diet, health, relationships, spiritual well-being, etc are all compromised - they all go out the window. When I used to work 10 or more hours in day, I neglected my health and instead focused on the project at hand. I wouldn’t exercise, I ate out at “fast food” places a lot more and I wasn’t getting enough rest. I was causing further stress to my body with a poor diet!

However, this is the best time to practice self-care. By taking time out to do something for yourself, one is able to re-focus, re-align and re-balance. Once we get into the habit of self-care, our bodies and minds are better prepared for these stressful times and we’re less likely to get out of balance. Now when I know I’m going to be working on a big project or I know that I will be working more, I make sure to schedule in a workout and eat in a more balanced way - I find I have more energy to get the job done quicker and better!

The Body’s Reaction To Stress
One way of explaining this reaction is through the “fight or flight” response theory. When an organism experiences stress, it will usually release hormones to help it survive. These hormones aid in survival by enabling people to run faster, fight harder, they increase heart rate and blood pressure to deliver more oxygen and sugar to the muscles, and they focus our attention to the specific threat. However, these hormones can also make people excitable, anxious, jumpy, and irritable.

What Leads To Burnout
In the modern world, usually the stresses people face come from work, home, relationships - non-physical threats. So, if you take out the physical “survival” skills of elevated muscle efficiency, running faster, and fighting harder, you’re left with an excitable, anxious, jumpy, irritable human with increased heart rate and high blood pressure. This pattern goes on and on until a wall is hit and there’s burnout.

When we are able to control this “fight or flight” response to stress and balance our lives so that we do not get into survival mode, we can be more effective at our jobs. In the long term, we will avoid problems of poor health and mental burnout.

FREE and Easy Self Improvement

Self-Care Tip: Create Some Wonderful Daily Habits for Your Self

These daily habits are things that are fun, easy and just for you. These are things that will revitalize you or just make you go “ahhh!”

Some examples might be:

• Use a great smelling shampoo
• Put fresh cut flowers on your desk
• Take a 5 minute walk
• Stretch

Everyone is different and no one has to know what your daily habits are - they are for YOU.

1. Start by making a list of 10-15 things you’d like to do for yourself.
2. Then work at least 2-3 into your daily routine - notice how it makes you feel when you do something for yourself.
3. After you do 10 things for yourself in one day, do it again and again for a week, for a month!
4. Really “get” that these daily habits are for your self-care.

In time, you’ll notice a balance and may find a shift in dealing with stress.

Technorati Tags: Stress and Overwhelm, Balance, Relaxation, Self Care