Friday, November 16, 2007

What is Achievement Motivation?

In general, motivation is defined as a force that generates energy to drive a person to do or accomplish something. There are three aspects of motivation and they are the following:

· Stimulation of behavior (what triggers a person)
· Course of behavior (what directs the person towards a goal)
· Determination of behavior (how behavior is being continued)

According to behavioral experts and scientists, there are different types of motivation, one of which is achievement motivation. Achievement motivation is something that causes a person to make an effort to become successful and be goal oriented. Obviously, it is what people need to achieve a “good life”.

Staying motivated keeps a person active and gives a feeling of being in control. People who are motivated by achievement often set fairly difficult but realistic targets, which ensure that they achieve their goals. Achievement-motivated persons typically do not set goals that are that too easy because they look forward to challenges and overcoming them. Nor do they aim for goals that are too difficult because they want to make sure that they only perform tasks that they can honestly handle.

In addition, achievement motivation also makes people work on a specific problem rather than just wait for results. This is a very positive way to handle difficult situations especially in reaching your goals. Furthermore, achievement motivated persons are a lot more interested in their actual accomplishments rather than whatever incentive they get from their success. To them, the accomplishment itself is the reward.

It is seen in general that people who are achievement motivated have a significantly higher chances of progressing in their work compared to other people. Behavioral experts have developed courses and programs that are designed to help people become achievement motivated. Most of these training programs involve seven steps, which are the following:

Step One: Educate people what achievement motivation is all about.
Step Two: Help participants realize their individual goals in life.
Step Three: Help participants to associate achievement-related activities in real life (activities like role-plays are done).
Step Four: Practice achievement-related activities in business and in games.
Step Five: Encourage participants to relate an achievement motivation behavior model with their own goals and attitude towards their targets.
Step Six: Encourage participants to come up with a personal action plan on how to achieve success.
Step Seven: Provide participants feedbacks on how they progressed towards accomplishing their personal goals and objectives.

Achievement motivation can help people accomplish their goals in their lives whether at work or in their personal life and this is the reason why a lot of companies train their employees on it. Needless to say, people who are highly-motivated to achieve are those that become significant contributors to an organization’s success.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Stress Management Workshops for Teachers

It has been said many times, and perhaps all would agree, that teaching is the noblest profession of all. Teachers have been given the challenging responsibility to educate and mold young minds to become a worthy citizen of any country. Teaching is truly a profession that calls for passion and the will to serve but never without a stress.

With all the challenges that teachers have to go through everyday, it is no wonder then that they too are prone to burnouts and persistent absenteeism in the workplace. Hence the ability of teachers to impart knowledge and become efficient and effective in their profession is affected to the detriment of their students’ welfare.

In order to maximize their potential, teachers should minimize the tolls of stress that are overtaking them. Hence it is just but appropriate for them to attend stress management workshops for teachers. Total Management Behavior, a subsidiary company of Phillips Associate is offering stress management workshops for teachers. It is dedicated to help people in the teaching profession to cope with stress.

The stress management workshops for teachers are aimed at identifying the different sources of stress that emphasize on how they affect the individual; the type of personality that an individual has which has a bearing on how each personality type can address certain kind of stress; and familiarizing with the proven relaxation techniques that can be helpful in the workplace.

In every session of the stress management workshops for teachers, participants will first get to know each other before they will proceed to the other activities prepared for them. In order to help the participants identify their own sources of stress they are given ample time to reflect and chart their own stress matrix. Pinpointing the participants’ different defense mechanism to stress will follow it. Some of the stress could be physical or health-related, mental, work, or relational.

Participants are provided an opportunity to strike a balance in their chosen careers. In this case the teacher participants will be taught how to exert assertiveness and proactivity in the workplace or in cases where stress is about to set in.

Laughter is still the one of the best medicines, no doubt. Part of the workshop is shedding light on the importance of humor in addressing stress and how to harness the much-needed energy to replenish the lost one. Moreover, other important coping mechanisms are highlighted. These coping mechanisms are leisure, nutrition, and exercise. Each of these mechanisms has a very important role to play in minimizing the ill effects of stress to teachers. At the end of the workshop teachers are made to make their own action plan based on the lessons that they learned from all the activities.

The workshop will hopefully help teachers cope with stress before it eats them alive. At the very least affecting their performance in the workplace.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Stress Management Workshops

Life is what we make it as the cliché often goes without failing. With the goal to make the most out of life, we are all confronted with all sorts of stress that can hamper our way to achieving the success we have always wanted. If this stress is not addressed to immediately it will take its toll on us, thus eventually giving us all sorts of health problems.

There are many kinds of sources of stress. These are physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial among other things. The question as to which one is most prominent greatly depends on the person who is affected and how the individual is coping with the stress.

Hence some companies offer stress management workshops to individuals or groups to help them how to manage stress that will soon affect them at one time or the other. However, the way each one of use cope with stress is also greatly determined by the stress itself. If the stress is positive in nature, the stress management workshops will tell us that such stress can generate energy that will propel us to pursue projects that we get so excited about. It goes without saying that our adrenalin is telling us that we have to do something before that level of anticipation starts to wane thus ripping us our interest to proceed.

If the stress has a possible negative effect or coming from a negative source then obviously all that we have to learn from the many stress management workshops available for us today is how to handle them without fear, instead with confidence. This sort of stress can give us feeling of frustrations, anger, low self-esteem, and thus making us unproductive, tired and totally drained in all aspects---physical, mental, financial, spiritual, and emotional.

If a negative stress is not managed immediately and appropriately it may well affect our immune system making us prone to simple cases of headaches, olds, coughs, and stomach upset. Back pains and muscle pains are also some of the physical effects of stress. Moreover, stress can also strain our relationship with our family, friends and the people in the workplace and if not managed accordingly can very well affect our performance of duties and responsibilities both at home and at work.

Stress management workshops should not only give us information on the different sources of stress and their corresponding effects on us. More importantly they should be able to provide us with a doable solution and the one that are not hard to follow that might give us another stress in the long run. More anything else what we need is the assurance that all sort of stress can be remedied and are not totally destructive.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Diane De Anda Stress Management Curriculum

Among the many experts of issues regarding stress Diane De Anda surely rings a bell. In fact Diane De Anda stress management curriculum is as famous as the author herself. With her extensive experience in the field of stress management, many would go for her to seek for assistance.

Diane de Anda is presently working in the Department of Social Welfare of the UCLA’s School of Public Policy and Social Research. She has worked for 25 years with community organizations that are focusing on population and adult related concerns such as coping with stress, juvenile violence, teenage pregnancy, and other multicultural issues. She has also published several articles fictional stories both children and young adults. Hence, the Diane De Anda Stress Management Curriculum is a program that is a product of immersion from the field and extensive researches.

The stress management curriculum offered by Diane De Anda is geared towards the improvement of mid and high school youths’ ability in reduction the effects of stress and likewise coping with stressful events. This stress management curriculum is useful in classroom setting as well as fit for small group activities.

The stress management curriculum as espoused by De Anda provides scripts for sessions and instructions. It also includes worksheets for self-assessment, visual aids for better discussion, and other motivational activities. Likewise additional materials are also added like the pretest and posttest tools for better understanding and utilization of the curriculum. These tools are appropriate in determining the stress levels, coping skills to manage stress, and the to determine the effectiveness of the proposed coping strategies.

Diane de Anda stress management curriculum has been widely hailed by those who have attended the program. Its positive reviews from participants are keeping more people especially those that are involved in social welfare to join the program. Diane de Anda stress management curriculum is taught in a systematic manner and well executed.

According to some of the participants, the Diane de Anda stress management curriculum provides new insights not just on the relaxation techniques and regulatory proficiency but also among other things, strategies on problem-solving and mindfulness.

A book on stress management by Diane de Anda can also help to those who want to know more on the subject. Readers will also be provided with additional insights on the identification of stress, and familiarizing with the early signs of stress and how the body reacts to certain type of stress.

The connection between the body and the mind is also highlighted, as well as the technique in self-talk. Moreover, strategies on how to calm the mind the body and ways to clear the mind are well discussed.

The Diane de Anda stress management curriculum is really a big help for those who want to know more about stress management. No wonder, in his field, de Anda’s name surely rings a bell.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Laughter and Stress Management

Laughter is still the best medicine, and the only one perhaps that has no side effects, at least as far as addressing stress is concerned. Laughter is free and contagious. It connects us closer to the people we hold dear. Likewise provides us the means to see the other side of a person. Just hearing people laughing at about anything can certainly bring us to burst of laughter too.

Though, it has not been proven by western medicine yet about the scientific aspect of laughing as a healing technique, still many believe and would agree that to a certain extent laughter is as good a therapy in relieving stress as those recommended by the experts.

Some doctors believe that laughing is not a way of coping but rather a defense mechanism in given stress. They posed their argument as to how can a person possibly laugh at something when in a state of being sad, which according to them very impossible to do. However some still believe that when we laugh, the process can make our stomach and our lungs expand, which also improves our blood circulation, boost the immune system, strengthen the heart, lowers the blood pressure, and give the nervous system a good stimulant.

The creator of a Robin Williams starrer, Patch Adams, a movie about a doctor who believes that making people laugh can somehow alleviate their present health condition, must have been a staunch supporter of the healing power of laughter. True enough just watching the so-called flick can help us understand also the connection of laughter and stress management.

Today with the aim to immediately respond to stress before it wears us down, we are bombarded with so many mechanisms as to how to cope with stress, let alone manage it. Seldom do we hear about laughter and stress management being talked about together, though there already exist groups that purvey the essence of laughter and stress management.

Laughing can release a chemical in our body known as endorphin, which is a proven natural high stimulant. In like manner it decreases the cortisol level in the body, which is a chemical that tell us the level of stress a person is going through. Understandably laughter and stress management can complement the lack of each other. Laughter many not be the ultimate answer in addressing stress but it has proven its use in many stress management courses as one of the better alternative.

No one can ever question the benefits of laughter to a person. It has been proven that laughter can surely help us feel better when we are sad and down. Truly laughter is still the best medicine for stress.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Citizen Watches: A Retentive Product Resting on its Laurels?

Citizen Watches: A Retentive Product Resting on its Laurels? - A Japanese global corporate group (headquarters based in Tokyo, Japan), Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. was originally known as the Shokosha Watch Research Institute as it was founded in 1918. The change of name came from a popular pocket watch type released in 1924.

The pocket watch model was called Citizen, thus the trade name (the name change eventually happened in 1930). Currently, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. is the well known manufacturer of Citizen Watches as well as CINCOM precision lathe machine tools.

Wherever you are in the world, you’re bound to know about Citizen watches. Over the years Citizen has become a household name for watches, giving it the edge over other watch brands. But for some time though, since its inception, Citizen watches have somewhat been labeled as “retentive products”. All this changed in 1995 when Citizen came out with the revolutionary Eco-Drive Collection. The world of Citizen watches went far beyond it ever had thought.

Eco-Drive Collection Citizen watches come light-powered (solar power). This particular Citizen watch harnesses the sun’s power (or any light source, for that matter), converting it for its successful operation. It still maintains a reserve power source (180-day automatic quartz power source) so the watch could run even in the dark. Hidden under the face of the watch are solar receptors from which the watch harnesses its power. A classy blue color scheme could be met when talking of the Eco-Drive Collection.

As Citizen watches have proven durability, the Eco-Drive Collection is no different from its predecessors (or peers). Water resistant and water depth (with certain limitations) resistant, the Eco-Drive could last a lifetime without having to change its batteries.

Of course Citizen watches aren’t just limited to the Eco-Drive Collection. The same technology running behind the Eco-Drive Collection of Citizen watches can be found in other product lines.

Citizen watches’ Calibre Collection include chronograph watches, as well as light powered watches and moon phase watches. Oftentimes these truly give one something to sparkle at.

Citizen’s Diving Watches have somewhat become a standard in watches of this type. Highly regarded all over the world, Citizen’s Diving Watches truly are just what their namesake makes them.

For those occasions requiring the look of elegance and style, Citizen’s Corso Watches are around to play (and marvelously play) the part. And these don’t exactly cost an arm and leg.

Given all that, it’d be truly a big understatement to say that Citizen’s now a retentive product/brand. If you believe that it is, you certainly got the wrong Citizen.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Prepaid Legal Membership Program

The purpose of the Prepaid Legal Membership Program is to defray legal costs using information and forms provided by Global Wills.

Pros: With a Prepaid Legal Membership Program at Global Wills.com you have access to a huge array of legal document forms as well as to legal information that you would pay many thousands of dollars to an attorney to acquire. For those who need to make a will, make a durable power-of-attorney, make a living will, create a revocable trust, administer, probate or settle and estate or protect assets the Prepaid Legal Membership Program at Global Wills can save thousands and thousands of dollars in legal fees while giving the peace-of-mind that comes with having a financial house in order.

The annual membership fee of $247 works out to only $0.68 a day. Where could you hire an attorney for 68 cents? The answer to that rhetorical question is nowhere on this planet but with the Prepaid Legal Membership Program at Global Wills you have one at that price…you.

Cons: Prepaying could be a waste of money if no legal services are required.

Guarantee: There is no guarantee offered but membership can be cancelled.

Value for money: A Prepaid Legal Membership Program is a good value.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Building Millions on Forex

Time is money. And money is important. So how do I make money? Let me show you this:

The "Building Millions on Forex" program by 5EMAS Forex Trading System.com...

The purpose of the 5EMAS Forex Trading System is to inform and instruct forex traders how to become a millionaire in only 2 years and starting with only $1,000.

Pros: Adam Burgoyne is the author of the Building Million on Forex - 5EMAS Forex Trading System. *Note: EMAs are Exponential Moving Averages. According to Mr. Burgoyne, "Building Millions on FOREX" covers the basics of the FOREX Market and explains, in detail, how to use this amazing system!”

The course lets you follow, in detail, the author's 5 EMAs FOREX trading system that will allow you to identify both entry and exit points with incredible accuracy. You will see the Money Management techniques that were developed especially for this system and how they will allow to you to earn millions on Forex.
This system has only recently been revealed! Screenshots illustrating actual trades prove this fact as almost all the example trades are recent. Depending upon the exit strategy selected, the system generates monthly returns of between 30% and 55%.

Cons: Is un-guarantee a word? According to the disclaimer posted on the website, “The fundamental concept is that you should NOT rely solely upon the information or opinions you read. Rather, you should use what you read as a starting point for doing independent research on market analysis, and trading methods. Then judge for yourself the merits of the material that has been shared in Building Millions on FOREX.”

Guarantee: The guarantee posted on the website reads in part, “If, after taking your time to study, digest and at least paper trade the amazing 5 EMAs FOREX SYSTEM™, you do not increase your ratio of winning trades, improve your market timing and make double the cost of this system in extra profits within the 8 week trial period, simply provide copies of your trading records (live or demo account) covering a minimum of 4 active weeks that prove the system hasn't worked and you may return the full system and bonuses for a full and courteous refund of every penny you paid to purchase the course.”

Value for money: The 5EMAS Forex Trading System appears to be a good value.

Price: $97.00

Consumer: Forex Traders

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Mens Clive Workaholic Backpack from Bags Buy.com

Mens Clive Workaholic Backpack from Bags Buy.com - Consumer: Men who are working even when they are not supposed to be working.

The purpose of the Men's Clive Workaholic Backpack is to provide an easy way to carry all of the necessary work equipment (i.e. computer, cell phone, pencils, pens, PDA, paper, etc.) securely and safely.

Pros: The Men's Clive Workaholic Backpack is a really terrific product! It has an inside 17” sleeve to hold a laptop computer, multiple outside organizer pockets, and a divided main compartment. A guy can pack for a fishing trip and take his work with him if he is a true workaholic.

The padded adjustable shoulder straps makes it very comfortable to carry and the padded back and lumbar pad makes it easy on the back, as well.

Cons: There are no cons associated with the Men's Clive Workaholic Backpack. It is an excellent product that delivers what is promised.

Guarantee: Bags Buy offers a 100% guarantee of satisfaction for merchandise purchased on the Bags Buy website. In part their statement of guarantee and return reads, “If you are not happy with your order, we are happy to accept a return or an exchange at no cost to you.” Shipping for returns is paid by Bags Buy and additionally there is a 110% guarantee of the best price. If a better price for an identical item is found on the Internet, Bags Buy will return the 110% of the sale price.

Value for money: The Men's Clive Workaholic Backpack is an excellent value...sturdy, compact and convenient.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Save Time with the MONSTER CABLE RED MBLLCUNMED Grab-N-Go Executive Cell Phone Holster With Bonus Car Mount


The purpose of the MONSTER CABLE RED MBLLCUNMED Grab-N-Go Executive Cell Phone Holster With Bonus Car Mount is to provide a stylish and functional carrying case for cell phones.

Pros: Cell phones are one of the necessities of life in our modern day world. We couldn’t function efficiently or effectively without them. We need them with us at all times and we need them to be easily accessible. The MONSTER CABLE RED MBLLCUNMED Grab-N-Go Executive Cell Phone Holster With Bonus Car Mount solves the accessibility problem very effectively and it does it in style.

The MONSTER CABLE RED MBLLCUNMED Grab-N-Go Executive Cell Phone Holster With Bonus Car Mount is a heavy duty expandable cell phone holster. The belt clip rotates 360 degrees giving it greater flexibility and it eliminates the added bulk of other cell phone cases when it is in use.

The thermoplastic shell helps protect phone and the self-adhesive car mount will attach to any smooth surface. This helps to keep the phone easily accessible and in place.

Cons: It may take some getting used to the expandable holster, and this is definitely designed to be worn with slacks or jeans.

Guarantee: The Shoppers Choice guarantee reads in part: "Our ShoppersChoice.com 100% Satisfaction Guarantee allows you to return any product within 90 days from date of shipment for a full refund of the purchase price (this does not include your original shipping fees)."

Value for money: MONSTER CABLE RED MBLLCUNMED Grab-N-Go Executive Cell Phone Holster With Bonus Car Mount is an excellent value

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Management

In today’s hectic world of fast paced living and competitive work arena, it’s no longer a wonder that a lot of people suffer from the negative effects of depression, anxiety, and stress. These three issues have seemed to become a part of daily life for millions of people around the world –every day they deal with shallow breathing, rapid heartbeats, and the “feeling” of suffocation from the “choking fog” that surrounds them all through their normal daily activities.

Let’s take a closer look at what depression, anxiety, and stress really are, and what they do to the body. Depression is that emotion of being hopeless, “down”, or losing interest in doing things or activities. It may last for a short time such as several weeks, or last longer like months or even years; it may be triggered by significant events or biological reasons. It may disrupt one’s family life, as well as lead to alcohol and drug abuse, and affect one’s ability to work.

Anxiety disorders on the other hand, are disorders that entail apprehension and fear about future happenings. This can result to excessive worrying and can disrupt the life of a person –irritability, fatigue, restlessness, muscle tension, and impaired sleep and concentration.

Stress is the body’s reaction to events that confront it; on the whole, stress can be connected with anxiety and depression at times. When depression, anxiety, and stress unite overwhelmingly, it becomes a form of overstress. Overstress will take its toll on the body, both physically and mentally, and so it is essential that one takes action to manage overstress.

Depression, anxiety, and stress management is an important step to reducing or eradicating the negative effects that these three factors can give the body. There are various options for depression, anxiety, and stress management, and its effectiveness will depend on what works best for the individual’s need. Generally, the aim of depression, anxiety, and stress management, is to lessen the pressure load, help the individual to cope with their depression, anxiety, and stress, at the same time as helping the person get back to being “healthy” again.

Some helpful tips for reducing one’s pressure load includes: lessening the “pace of change” in one’s life; reducing school or work obligations; diminishing social obligations; saying “no” more often; reducing environmental toxins; postponing changes in one’s living situation; and eliminating possible environmental or food allergens. Keep in mind that the initial step to an effective depression, anxiety, and stress management is taking action before it starts to “take action on you”.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Stress Management Advice

Not until recently, there has been a growing interest in stress research when it was proven that stress are precursors to just any kind of diseases. And this has led to the development of several stress management advice and strategies.

Why is there so much fuss over stress and its management? Researches on stress had shown that stress is a chief reason for many illnesses and disease. It doesn’t cause directly these illnesses and disease but the way it promotes general ill feeling is one major contributor.

Not all stress management advice and strategies are effective by the way, but most are fairly effective in helping people cope up during this stress period.

Here are some of the highly effective stress management advice and strategies. You’d be surprised how routine some of them are.

Feeling Your Emotions
Stress is literally a nervous system response of the body. If you have read and made research about stress, you’d know that stress is one describe as the “fight or flight” response of the body. In itself it isn’t harmful, but these unused energies over time can create a physical degradation of the body. So if you’re happy, laugh it at. Dance and skip. That’s one way in releasing that energy. If you’re angry, then be angry. Do not bottle emotions up.

Exercise is the best way in channeling energy. If you’re angry, go to a gym and practice your punches. Your body, when you’re angry, gets primed up for a fight. One way of releasing emotions is doing motorized self defense of the body. That is boxing.

Control Your Anger
Did I just say “feel your emotions”? Negative emotions, like anger, should not be easily entertained though. That’s why establishing a strong patient attitude gets you stressed less. If your can control your anger, there’s no way the “fight or flight” response of the body can take place.

Time Management = Stress Management
One of the timeless stress management advices is time management. Yes this is another side of stress, what we call business stress. And this kind of stress is more often than not caused by time, or its lack. Effective time management always equate to effective stress management.

Live Your Life Happy
General feeling of well being is of utmost important. And this is purely psychological. So treat it that way and be very happy. Take time to ask yourself: What can I do now to be happy? If your psyche tells you to watch a movie with a friend, then by all means arrange it on the next Friday night.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Time Management = Stress Management

How do you say that Time Management = Stress Management?

Though stress can be of different origins, the most common stressing factor by far is time, or the lack of it. Looming deadlines, unfinished tasks by the end of the week, projects approaching completion, mounting work, all these contribute to stress in the workplace.

Though time management isn’t that unheard of, it surely is one of the implementations many find very hard to follow. I find time management real pain to follow, especially if I see a mile long list and I’m still checking the uppermost part. That’s why I make my plans of time management in a non conforming way.

Really, the real root of the problem of compliance lies in the disheartening arrangement, as all lists of “to do” is always regarded a chore. But there are ways to make time management less upsetting and more positive. Here are some of my recommendations for a Time Management = Stress Management plan:

The Action List
The action list is always indispensable to any sort of planning. Even lawyers jot down their time, and for me they are the least kind of persons that need time management = stress management. The only thing is that, making a list you seem to avoid later won’t do any help to you. And trust me, after you finish writing that action list of two pages, you will feel like avoiding it.

It doesn’t have to be a list. For me, stickies function as my action list. No more seeing what goes next; I won’t be bothered by the next subject until I finish what’s on top. You can do it this way too. Write each entry on one Post-It pad, arrange it according to the level of necessitate. Bind them together with a clip.

So what’s the merit of this? You won’t be constantly reminded of how many tasks you need to do.

The Routine
One of the more enjoyable techniques of time management is the setting of routine. Arrange something on your head, say you wake up at 7am, shower and breakfast until 7:30am, and enjoy your news until 8am. You leave the door at 8am and take a brisk walk to the office. This works for everyone, and yes once you get a system running, it’s hard to deviate on what you get used to.

It is really Time Management = Stress Management, the only obstacle is enforcing your lifestyle to follow a routine, and follow your stickies.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Stress Management

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy originally surfaced as a psychotherapy treatment aiming for influencing positive emotions. Acronym as CBT, it is a modification treatment on everyday behavior and thoughts that would generate an ‘artificial’ (if such is the case) positive emotions that would also precedent several positive aspects, e.g. like inner healing, survival desire, and general well being and positive life outlook.

That being said, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy makes better use too, as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Stress Management.

During the advent of mass researches to stress and its treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy was then seen as one of the cost effective but evidence based treatment. It was used then primarily for several mental disorders, but such same treatment that produces inspiring solution to mental disorders looks splendidly inspiring also on stress and its management. Cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management became then one of the most prescribed treatments.

The Basics
Cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management can be said as an act of rebooting emotions. From the word cognition (think) and behavioral, the therapy aims to rebuild the body physically by psychologically exerting positive thoughts, emotions and behavior to the individual. So for one suffering depressing stress, the normal output would be inactivity, and several health debilitating factors: no sleep pattern, no cohesive diet management, no proper hygiene; cognitive behavioral therapy inclines to change such outlook until the depression state passes away. No, it does not let the sufferer avoid the depression; rather the treatment helps the sufferer deal and copes with it without succumbing to the effects of stress.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is seen as cost effective and evidence based treatment. That is because it’s healing mechanism deals more on the person’s psyche, which does not need anything really for treatment. There are several guiding principles for cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management. They are:

Identifying the Activating Event – or in short, the stress trigger. For cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management to be effective, the trigger must be identified.

Identifying the Negative Outputs – these includes the emotions, thoughts, withdrawals…etc.

Identifying the Consequence – many people take for granted the consequence. But once the consequence is deliberated over and over, comprehension takes place. Then follow the motivation.

Reframing – after the identification of the negative beliefs and its consequences, Reframing happens when the patient takes the challenge of reframing. This is usually the actual modification treatment on everyday behavior and thoughts that should generate those positive emotions and also begin the healing.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

7 Solutions to Practical Stress Management

7 Solutions to Practical Stress Management - “Your direct perception of higher truth sets you free” is what Tom Russell points out with his 7 Solutions to Practical Stress Management. Discovering how to make use of daily life experiences to shake awake the natural wisdom that lies within, will help an individual to break free from the daily stress of life.

Stress is astonishingly unrelenting, sometimes it’s even seductive –one gets used to the feeling of being tense and tight. Although positive thinking have its “piece of say”, unless it’s supported by practical wisdom, it will be inclined to get overpowered and weaken away. Here are the 7 Solutions to Practical Stress Management for a better and proven stress handling approach:

“Control your Reaction with these 7simple words”
This first step of the 7 Solutions to Practical Stress Management involves remaining watchful when people attempt to put you down with anxious attitudes and comments. Replying with seven simple words “I have nothing to say to that” cuts off any infectious effect of a stressful assault.

These simple words obstructs the tendency of accepting and imitating depressing words, and not falling down to the point of nervous remarks, but instead let’s you remain higher than it. Remember, negative people will want you to be involved in their defeat, saying simply “I have nothing to say to that” stops them from luring you in to be their victims –“a silent refusal to enter the battlefield is a perfect reply”.

“Let go of painful grudges by living in the present moment”
Hate is similar to poison that eats one up inside and kills any possibility of renewal. One must give others the equal chance to change or it’s like shutting one’s own development. The clandestine to stress-free success is realizing one’s own newness many times every day.

“Observe negative thoughts with the aim of understanding them, instead of trying to suppress them”
Self-observation plays a major role in stress-free living; don’t claim stressful feelings and thoughts, instead understand them.

“Pause often and enjoy a deep breath”
Breathing away the tension helps remove habitual resentful and anxious attitudes, and restores a clear mind to reveal what’s good for you.



“Realize you have far better things to think about”
Negative images in the mind often claim one’s energy; snapping out of these spells can lessen stress and provide a new vitality.

“Stay clear of negative zones of influence”
Widespread negative influences are always on the loose; staying clear of these stressful zones and living in peace with the heart will create a better stress-free environment for you.

“Refuse to make stressful or angry comments”
This last step in the 7 Solutions to Practical Stress Management involves keeping in mind that stress starts small, and if indulged in becomes bigger and bigger –stop it at its infancy. The best place to get rid of stress is “before it leaves the mouth”.

These 7 Solutions to Practical Stress Management is a very good way to follow to help melt stress in one’s life. Being aware of one’s innate ability for wisdom and doing things according to this rightful wisdom will ensure happiness and eliminate stress.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Blessings

Life. What is yours like? Are you blessed? Even a better question may be are you a blessing?

Not trying to be cute. Just a thought provoking question.
This is the time of the year that a lot people are thinking about how they can serve others. Some are thinking about how they can be served. Those people are mostly children.

But that's okay. Children are such a blessing in our lives, we tend to shower them with an abundance of unnecessary stuff.
But the look on their faces is priceless when they open that widget. We would not trade that moment for all the money in the world. (figuratively speaking of course)

More blessings in our lives are our elderly. They have blessed us with wisdom far beyond our years. A lot of times we don't take advantage of the time we have with them.
If you think about it, we could learn a lot and be a blessing to them at the same time.
I think of the elderly in my world and I know that they would love to spend time with me. A lot of times I dismiss and have to turn down the invitations due to my incredibly hectic schedule.

What a price. While writing this I realize that I have so much to learn from my elderly friends and relatives. What a shame for me to give a pass on the wisdom.

Who in your life can you be a blessing to? Who in your life can be a blessing to you? Perhaps this is the best time to pick up the phone and make a call to an elderly friend.

Maybe you should stop what you are doing now and go pick up a book and read a story with your child.

Take advantage of this moment right now and share, talk, listen, and yes, bless someone in your life.

Talk to you later. I am going to go find my children.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Time Management Tip: How to Write a Paper in Two Days

So it has happened. You had put your homework off for two weeks now and you find that you have only two days to turn it in. The thought of calling in sick at the day of the deadline crossed your mind but you knew your professor will not buy it. You have also considered saying your computer crashed, but, hey, it's probably the oldest late excuse in the book. You're actually left with no choice but to write that blasted paper in so short a time.

Let's leave the lecture about time management for later and focus on the issue at hand. You have an 8-page reaction paper about a novel that you need to submit in two days and you have not read the book. You have three choices. You can either speed read the book (lucky you, if it's short and interesting), scour the Internet for reviews and papers written about it in the past, or consult a Barron's or Cliff's Notes summary. For the purpose of this article, let's talk about the Internet option.

There is a wealth of information available about anything and everything on the Internet, so you will not have a hard time looking for resources. It is advisable to read reviews and summaries from three or more Web sites for you to get a thorough understanding of the novel, and to make sure you have the right information. Remember that not all Internet sources are reliable, so this multiple-source strategy will set things straight.

You can do that in the first half of day one. Of course, since these already are summaries, it won't take you long to read them and list down the pertinent data. And since you are required to write a reaction about the novel, it really won't take genius to form an opinion.

Talk about the characters' attitudes toward the challenges they faced and how they were able rise above them. Talk about the nature of the time the novel is set and relate it with the protagonists' responses to the conflicts. List down what lessons might be inferred from their experiences. Finally, talk about the human condition or the human-ness of the characters and say something about the author's effectiveness in bringout out the fallibility of man. This you can do in the morning of day two.

By the afternoon, you'll be sitting in front of the computer terminal and writing your paper. You might even be able to submit it hours before the deadline, leaving you enough time for a short coffee shop celebration with a friend or by yourself for this major feat. Why, if you're really bent on making it happen, you can even complete the entire thing in a day.

This all sounds so easy. It really is. The most difficult part in writing a paper is having the courage to actually start. Conquer your demons and accept the fact that you have made a mistake of procrastinating, stop dwelling on the tight schedule and start working, all these while vowing never to make the same error ever again. Of course, common sense will tell you that during these two days of cramming you have to focus only on activities related to your paper. Lay off the party mode first and celebrate later.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

How to Manage Your Problems

For every action, there’s an equal reaction. If there’s a left, there’s a right. If there’s a north, there’s a south. Similarly, you can’t see the good side of a person until you come across his bad side.

Problems and solutions are no exceptions to this natural phenomenon. Life is never free of problems. Life came to existence with problems on its tail. Imagine a life with no problems. It would be a dull life. Imagine a life without struggling. With only good things dominating the earth, it would result to laziness.

This is the reason why a problem has its good side also. It makes you strive to look for solutions and ultimately makes you a better person. The only time a problem becomes bad is if you allow it to dominate or overwhelm you, or if you don’t do anything to correct it. And this is where your attitude towards it is put to the test. How you treat problems - how you solve or manage them - can spell all the difference. If you approach a problem the negative way, you can expect negative results. A positive approach will result to positive solutions.

What’s the point of this discussion? You hear that everywhere, every time, people are complaining of problems. You’ll often hear statements such as: “I’m never out of problems. What have I done to deserve such a fate?” In some, the existence of problems in a person’s life is viewed as a punishment, which is a wrong perception. You need to accept the fact that problems are a part of life. Accepting this fact frees you from unnecessary waste of time and energy in trying to discover a problem-free life. Nobody is spared from having problems. If you think reaching retirement age is the solution to attain a problem-free life, wait till you reach that age and you’ll know for yourself how wrong you are. Just when you think you have solved a problem, another one comes along. So accept this fact and live on.

The single most important thing relevant to problems is how you must handle them. As stated earlier, your attitude determines the outcome. View each problem on a wide scope. Look at the possibilities. The problem could be a blessing in disguise - an opportunity might be awaiting you. Take this simple example. A toothache is a problem for someone, but an opportunity for a dentist. Take another example. You have to be terminated from a job to get mad enough to start your own business and be gainfully self-sufficient.

You may ask, “What if my problem defies solution?” There are instances when some problems seem immune to solutions. Let’s be realistic, there’s only one way to solve it - manage it. Take a pro-active stance. Here are some ways to manage or solve your problems:

• Never underestimate nor overestimate a problem. Don’t take a problem for granted when there is a tendency for it to worsen. Likewise, don’t panic at the presence of a problem that may just about require a simple solution.

• Solve your problem pronto. If you are financially distressed, don’t wait for money to drop from the sky. Get a move on to correct this.

• View the problem realistically in a positive light to come up with the best possible solution. Don’t go out blaming other people. Blaming won’t solve the problem; on the contrary, it will create more.

• Dare yourself to take positive action even if it entails hurting your own pride. A slight misunderstanding with your spouse, even if it isn’t your fault, can be corrected by your initiative to return things to normal.

• Get yourself into the action. If you are jobless, go where the jobs are. Find ways to let people know your qualifications and your intention. If you want to be a recording artist and have the potential to be one, audition yourself.

• Don’t belittle your potential. “I don’t stand a chance, so why bother?” Well, if you don’t bother, definitely you don’t stand a chance. But if you bother, chances abound.

• Expose yourself to calculated risks. If you fail the first time, you’ll learn from it. The next time will be “I made it.”

Keep in mind that there is always a solution to every problem. A lot has to do with the way you handle and manage it.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

How to Make Your Time Golden

Time is gold

This simple ageless adage is true today as the first day it came to existence. But what do time and gold have in common?

Both time and gold have a factor common to each other. They sport the number twenty-four - hours for time, carats for gold.

Time wisely spent in pursuit of your aim will lead you to succeed in life. Time is intangible yet valuable. When lost, there is no way it can be retrieved. The only way to ensure time passes you by with utmost value is through self-discipline.

Self-discipline is avoiding time wastage. When you kill time, you are also killing your chances to a fruitful life. Maximizing time usage is important. Make every moment of your day golden by following these techniques:

1. Be your own architect in life. Write down your plans on a blueprint. Design it the way you want it to be. Keep your efforts focused on time efficiency and self-discipline.

Acquire the knowledge you need to materialize your plan. Adjust your habits and behavior pattern whenever necessary. Be willing to revise your plan to keep up with developments around you. Refer to your plan more often than enough. Soon, you will see the foundation of your goal in place. At about this time, the development of your goal has taken a gigantic leap, the kind of head start you need to set your goal on the right course.

2. Start each day with a six-pack. Sorry, it’s not beer. This six-pack consists of goal-oriented, time saving questions that will guide you through the day.

Ask yourself:
• What is the best thing to do today?
• How can I maximize my usage of time today?
• Will my actions bring me closer to my goal?
• Do I need to change some of my habits to hasten goal attainment? Do I need to make revisions in my plan?
• Am I on schedule?

These six-pack questions must be answered in a manner that will accelerate you towards fulfillment of your aspirations.

3. Seek valuable lessons. Do not wait to be educated. Make an active effort to educate yourself.

Learn from people who have experiences on similar interests as yours. This is one way to save time. This is the way to avoid the same mistakes, by learning from the mistakes of others in the past. Similarly, you get to know the right solutions to handle obstacles that others have encountered before.

Experience is your best teacher. It is also a time saver. Three persons with near similar goals will require the experience of only one and still get three times the value of goal achievement.

4. Hasten self-discipline by eliminating hindrances. There is no denying that each individual has unpleasant but otherwise necessary things waiting to be done.

Start working on them. These may take some time but just the same, get them done. Their presence adds burden to your shoulders. Relieve this burden and you lessen anxiety. This paves the way for you to move on with important tasks geared towards your aspirations.

Truly, the essence of using time in charting your pursuit in life is through self-discipline.

For some, self-discipline might mean being controlled and imposing limitations on oneself. What seems to be is not what it is. Actually, these acts of self-discipline or so-called ‘limiting acts’ are imposed to be part of your habit that will set your potentials into the freedom of success you’ve always longed for. And ultimately, you are the beneficiary.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Ways To Keep Your Vision Sharp

The question is, how To Keep Your Vision Sharp!

In a world where people are concerned with major health scares like diabetes, cardiac problems, anemia, and the like, it's all easy for us to forget the simple but important things. Keeping your senses fully functional makes a great difference in your life. Losing even one sense can have a tremendous impact on your latter years if you ignore it in lieu of the "bigger" health threats.

In line with this, you can do three things that can help you keep your eyesight sharp. These three tips are simple enough to follow and will help you keep your vision from deteriorating. These tips will help improve your current visual acuity as well.

1) Eye Health Maintenance
There are two major things to consider when you want to keep your eyeballs healthy. First, you have to maintain a proper diet. Vegetables, especially carrots and squashes, are very good for maintaining your eyesight. Taking Vitamin A supplements also helps the eyes.

Next, try to avoid excessive eyestrain. If you like to read books, for example, don't read while riding a moving vehicle or stare too long at a TV or computer monitor. If you're a movie buff, couch potato, video game jockey, or work with computers for long periods, remember to rest your eyes every hour or so.

2) Medical Stuff
There are two things you can do to maintain your eyesight and these involve working with an optometrist. The first is pretty simple. Have regular eye check ups every six months with an optometrist. This is about the same frequency that you do for regular cardio-vascular and dental checkups. So, it's a good idea to add your eye doctors to the bi-annual agenda.

Secondly, there are medicines that help ease eyestrain. These usually come in the form of eye drops. While most people think that eye drops are simply meant to clean out eyeballs, these drops actually help soothe tired eyes and also act as moisturizers to keep the eyeballs from drying up. Allowing your eyeballs to dry up is actually one of the fastest ways that can lead to the deterioration of vision.

3) Eye Exercises
Lastly, try out a few eye exercises. Like muscles or any other part in the body, eyeballs actually get stronger when used and exercised properly. One common but very effective eye exercise is to randomly pick out a leaf on a tree and then to focus your gaze exclusively on that leaf, try to tune out all the surrounding leaves. This exercise helps focus the retina and makes you see things with greater clarity.

A second eye exercise is speed-reading. Read a short paragraph written anywhere. Start by reading at your normal pace. Then try to re-read the same passage but pick up the speed at which you go, until you can literally skim over the entire paragraph yet still absorb it's contents. This increases the "reflexes" of your eyes. This also increases the rate at which your eyes send and receive signals from your brain.
There you go, these are three simple to follow. Do these and keep your vision from deteriorating.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Overcome Procrastination: Helpful Tips

Here are very helpful tips to overcome procrastination:

Procrastination is one habit that is hard to beat. We
procrastinate for various reasons:

1. When we think that the work that needs to be done can
afford to wait or be delayed.

2. When we are busy with something else we think is more
important.

3. When we do not like the work involved or when it is
difficult to do.

4. When we are not sure if the work that needs to be done
will be effective.

5. When the things needed in the work are not yet available
or incomplete.

6. When we forget about it.

And many other reasons like laziness or a combination of the
above.

Hard to beat as it is, we stand to gain more and virtually
loose nothing if we overturn this habit.

Check out these helpful tips:

1. When we think that a work can afford to be delayed, it can
also afford not to be delayed. By having the work done without
further delay, we feel a sigh of relief making the load of work
on our back lesser or lighter, which eventually makes us feel
better.

2. After being busy with something more important and you have
time to spare, this spare time can be used to attend to the
things on the pending list.

3. Delaying work that is difficult makes the work even more
difficult. A leak on the roof may not be harmful if it doesn't
rain; but once it rains, water goes into the house resulting
in wet floors and carpets and eventually, the extent of
damage could be more than can be imagined.

4. When we are not sure if work that needs to be done will be
effective, we must seek advice from people who are more
knowledgeable on this field. Procrastinating won't help.

5. Delayed work due to incomplete materials will remain delayed
unless we fill in the incomplete items. Again, procrastinating
won't help.

6. Make a list of all pending work in the house and post it on
the refrigerator door to constantly remind us about them.

The bottom-line is:

We may feel lazy at times and tend to delay some work that
needs our attention.
It's understandable that 'starting' to
get a job done is the most difficult part, but once you have
started, half of the job is already done and the second half
will be easy.

Every time you feel like procrastinating, picture yourself as
the job that needs to be done - like a prisoner wherein
justice being delayed results to justice being denied.