Archive for the ‘Self-Help’ Category:
For a control freak like me, having anxieties every now and then are very common. However, I have learned to master the art of controlling this emotion but then when some major events happen in my life and I cannot seem to have control of anything, I find it very difficult to handle anxiety.
Just yesterday, I have felt some of the major symptoms of anxiety and it scared the hell out of me. My heart was pounding, my body was sweating, excruciating headache and nausea. When I try to vomit, I felt as if my jaws are about to lock like my whole body was crumbling. It was then I realized that my body was talking to me and I had to succumb to it. I turned on the air conditioning unit, lied down on my bed and emptied myself out – tried not to think of anything.
Men, did it scare me! I am fine now but the feeling has left a scar. I promised myself I had to let go. Anxiety for me is more than just emotions, it is my body’s defense mechanism against stress.
I guess I have to learn more on controlling these emotions. Now, I understand why a person who goes through these attacks end up in depression. I have felt it and if you do not recognize the symptoms, the fear can be paralyzing which may turn into a serious medical condition or a mental disorder.
The following day, I heard mass and asked for guidance and of course, forgiveness. Forgiveness because I have failed once again to let go and let GOD. I am only human and I cannot control everything that comes my way and I admit that. Accepting your weaknesses may seem very hard but it’s the first step to realizing there is something wrong and find a way to fight and turn these weaknesses into a strength. This way you let it work for you and not against you
On the other hand, nothing can beat retail therapy to fight any amount of stress 
. I just can’t help but visit my favourite department store and check out the latest in their women’s apparel section.
I remember my son telling me to withdraw in my ATM every time he asks for money. For him my bank was a bottomless pit that I could get whenever I want. With a smile, it was then that I realized I had to teach my kids the value of saving up.
From then on I started, to give them their own piggy bank so they can put in their extra allowance with the promise that I would double up their saving come December. It was something they look forward to.
Growing up I was never really educated on the value of saving up. Probably because family was not that well-off and the money coming in was just enough for our daily expenses however, I came to realize that a person do not need to be rich to save up. In fact, your investment will bring you more cash flow than your regular income.
Cash flow and income may be profound terminologies for my children to understand so a simple piggy bank is the best way to start. I am a believer that children who learn to save at an early age will have a greater advantage in managing their finances when they grow up.
Aside from saving up, I also try to teach them to look for ways to get a good bargain when they buy their stuff. Like when they need to purchase a new pair of shoes, we try to look for scheduled “sale” or even gather coupons that offer a percentage off on any purchase.
It is never too early to teach kids the value of saving up, I know this will greatly help them when they grow up.
Skipping meals is probably one of the most common diet faux pas. Depriving yourself of food when you want to lose weight is one strategy that is guaranteed to fail. I know this from experience.
Here’s one reason why you should not starve yourself when you want to lose weight: When you skip a meal, your body will starve and the tendency is to eat more than what you need on your next meal. So instead of doing yourself a favor, it has gotten you into a lot more trouble. The solution is to eat small servings at an interval of time. It is much better to eat small healthy servings rather than totally depriving yourself. In between meals prevents hunger pangs and gives you consistent amount of energy during the day.
When you want to lose weight, you need to find ways of promoting faster metabolism. This is the chemical process in which our body converts the calories that we eat into energy. And skipping meals or crash dieting will not boost metabolism, in fact, it even slows it down. Why?
When you’re body does not get the right amount of food at a certain time, it is threatened and goes into survival mode. It struggles to keep the calories and stores the fat, which means it tries to slow down your metabolism which is what you do not what to happen when you’re trying to lose weight. Many believe that they still have lost weight using this approach but any weight loss during these times would mostly come from decreased water retention and most often than not, you will not be able to sustain it due to loss of energy.
There are a lot of diet solutions out there but if you are trying to lose those excess baggages or just want maintain good health, the best way is to have healthy diet and fitness routine.
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We often hear the old adage, “Life is not a bed of roses.” True. As much as we want to celebrate life to the fullest, a person has to face the fact that with it comes life’s misfortune.
Just last night, I was awed when I heard the news about a dentist falling off from the 6th floor of Shangri-la Plaza Mall. The dentist, Dr. Mary Anne Magtoto, landed on the second floor of the said mall face down and was rushed to the Medical City but was apparently declared dead on arrival. A lot of speculations are growing regarding the death of this lady but I could only pray for her soul. Visions of her relatives and friends are entering my mind; I can only imagine how this tragic, sudden death would affect the whole family.
Confronted with life’s adversity especially the loss of a loved one can truly be devastating. It is during these times that we really need to strengthen our faith and call on to our different support groups such as friends and family.
Every day we are confronted with different tragedies, as we scan the newspaper, listen to the radio and watch the television. This is a reality. These adversities are attached to our very existence; it’s a matter of how a person would deal with. I personally believe that in our lives, these adversities produce a more resilient person.
Of course, no one could ever wish for any misfortune to happen in his life but we need to understand that no matter what, life will continue its course. Even as we grieve, it will not pause. We may never fully understand the rationale behind our own personal hardships, even as we try to make sense out of it, we can never be prepared once it hits us.
I can only pray for strength…
Dear Lord, You are my refuge and my strength. Give me the grace to always fight all temptations and do your Holy Will. Help me to find strength in the midst of trials and comfort that that you have carried the cross for all my sins. Accept my weakness, O Lord and give me the strength to trust You and put my life in Your Hands. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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Funeral planning is a very unpleasant endeavour especially if it’s for a loved one. However, we need to brace ourselves for life’s uncertainties, even funeral cost is not going anywhere but up. It’s better to be prepared.
Last weekend we were chatting with new found friends who lived in the US and have now decided to settle here in the Philippines. The discussion went around with how the economic crisis affected the lives of so many Americans and how they are dealing with it. We cannot help but compare how we, Filipinos would have done it … we’ll just laugh our way through life.
Even as I watch US TV series, I seem to notice how Americans deal with problems. How common do they go to a “shrink” every time they have a hard time coping with some setbacks? Or have medications for depression? In the Phils., no matter how hard life may be, you can still see people relaxing specially during the weekends. Maybe because being a Third World country, we’re used to it or perhaps because we have strong faith and support system.
Faith is a big aspect in our lives, whatever religion you belong to – the belief that there is a higher power you can call on to, is enough to keep you going. Plus, the strong bonds of our family and friends, that whatever we are dealing, we know that we have friends and family to lean on. Even in other countries, Filipinos manifest this quality. You can see how Filipino communities abroad gather up and stay in touch with each other. It’s amazing how this trait can help you go along way, most especially when you’re abroad.
I can speak for me and my hubby who have gone through the ups and downs of life and we have managed to stay together and be strong. Laughter is a big factor in our marriage — Hubs has a very good sense of humor and that’s one thing I love about him.
Laughter has a lot of benefits. It’s a therapeutic, relieves us of stress and even healthy for our skin. At least you won’t have to waste your money on adult acne treatments, just have a dose of laughter everyday.
Every day I wake up and wish that I could stay longer in bed. Who wouldn’t want to? The idea of just lazily lying around and relax instead of getting up and doing the things that you have to do. But that’s not what we are designed for besides I could not live like that my whole life. I have always believed that everyone has a purpose in life and one has to work for it.
What motivates me to get up?
The driving force behind my will to pull myself up and get things done would be my family, most especially my kids. To achieve the goal of giving them a better future is reason enough to push me to work and achieve this goal. Simply put, to go after the life you want cannot be achieved by just lazily lying around your house. Even though, I am a stay at home mom, I find opportunities to earn. Right now, aside from my online earning opportunities, I am taking care of our small business that will hopefully expand soon.
Opportunities do not come easy, so sometimes you need to create them. Staying inside the house will definitely not give you opportunity, so I try to expand my network and together with my hubby we try to make the best out of the resources laid upon us. My husband and I are firm believers that nothing happens by accident, everything has its reason. So if you meet someone, maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something. Open your heart and mind, so you can hear the message.
I wouldn’t want to sound preachy but it’s my personal relationship with the Lord motivates me to become a better person and achieve the goals that I have set in life.
Have faith, believe in yourself and you can do everything that you mind has set out to do. You may stumble upon a lot of obstacles along the way but if you are focused, you will succeed. Wouldn’t victory be sweeter if you know that you have worked hard for it?
Just like losing weight…. No pain, no gain!
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Photo: “Jah’s Rays” by C-Ali on Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.
Being a stay-at-home mom, I have discovered that you can have a lot of earning opportunities online which is definitely a great way to help augment our single income family.
I know a lot of bloggers like me are faced with the problem of staying focus online. There are a lot of distractions that facing online people such as social networking sites, online games, chat rooms and a lot of other things at home. These are the things that hinder one’s productivity.
Allot a time to work. It’s easier said than done especially if you’re a mom. Kids will keep bugging for questions and it’s difficult to shoo them away. What I do is to let them know that I am on “work mode” so the kids will stop bugging you, if not lessen it a bit. I remember my son branding this as “DNDM” or “Do Not Disturb Mom”, it’s a cute term and at least I know that he understands what mom has to do.
Stay focus is the key. Most people while working have the habit of checking their emails, instant messaging and social networking sites before they do their online tasks and by the time they know it, they have wasted valuable time checking out updates and chatting with friends. It may be hard but you need to avoid doing so. While working, “stay offline” or “Be invisible” to your online friends in order to avoid those instant messaging that keeps popping out.
Focus on the task on hand and perhaps when you’re all done, you can do your updates and chatting. Slowly, I am teaching myself to do the same. Although I am not so much into instant messaging but I easily fall into the trap of surfing other unimportant stuff online. Like if I am tasked to look at an insurance quote, I would find myself searching for camera gadgets or anything that interests me, which totally wastes so much of my time which will lead up to cramming.
Avoid procrastination. Do your assignments way ahead of your deadline. Avoid cramming especially when writing an article that needs lots of research. It pays to do it ahead of time so you’ll have time to proof read your work and edit, if necessary.
In all the things that we need to accomplish in life, focusing on your goal will always keep you on track and regain perspective. So control those unnecessary distractions to have a more productive life online.
After giving up my career in the corporate world, I am now trying to embrace the virtues of a single income family which is Simplicity, Sacrifice and above all Humility. Which are excellent virtues and I believe everyone should practice.
The joys of a stay-at-home mom cannot be compared to anything material. Please do not take this any other way especially the working moms, I grew up with one and I was once a working mom, juggling my life in the office and my responsibilities at home and I commend the moms who can successfully balance work and home. On my end, I believe that I need to learn more on how to do that balancing act. Now that I am a budding entrepremom, I am once again faced with the challenges of living a well-balanced life.
I believe I can do this! At the end of the day, even if I am caught up with my hectic daily activities, I always take a pause and reflect on the real reason why I am doing these things – for my loved ones especially for my children. Knowing that, I regain my perspective and know that whatever I set out to accomplish each and every day has a purpose.
While there are a lot of fad diets available nowadays, the question is whether dieting is beneficial or not? Most diets may look effective at a quick glance but a lot of studies have revealed that it may not be helpful in the long run.
Although going on a diet may help you shed off those few pounds quickly but it’s maintaining the weight that becomes a challenge. Most people (myself included) gain more weight after three to six months of going back to their old routine of feasting.
Additionally, experts say that excessive dieting can cause a lot of health problems such as dizziness, diabetes, stroke and weak immune system.
Some diets also include supplements to help people lose weight a lot faster. There are a lot of safe diet pills offered in the market, they can help but the safest way to lose weight is still proper diet and regular exercise. Nothing can beat that!
Let go and focus on the present.
That’s what I keep telling myself nowadays. With all the things happening around me and the people around me, there is a tendency for me to become plagued with emotional baggage. I need to learn how to let go, it’s much easier said than done. Letting go is one of the hardest things to do however it’s the right thing to do and I know that for a fact.
When you hold on to the ugliness of the past, we become plagued with guilt and it only hardens our heart. However small it is, it will still a burden and soon it will become a hindrance to our success.
We cannot change what has occurred in the past but we can definitely change and do the right thing now. We should not feel that our mistakes will be a permanent reality, instead learn from it and move forward.
This is me talking to myself… pushing myself forward so I can focus on the present moment. I may have failed to appreciate how beautiful life is but now I am reminding myself.
I think I need to release this stress and pamper myself a little bit. I can see some signs of adult acne on my face and I don’t want that to happen.
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