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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

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IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH WITH FAITH, BELIEF & HOPE
Faith, Belief and Hope are all-important in whatever you do. sundancefilm, babybargain, fetalmovementpregnancy. They make things happen.
You've heard self-improvement classes that begin this way, but it is absolutely true of your health as well.
Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Faith, expressed his belief as far back as the 16th century, that, "everything that is done in this world is done by hope"!
The same thought retains its validity today. orlandodermatology. And it is backed up by scientific research.
In a number of studies conducted by the scientific community, religious faith has surfaced as one of the most powerful antidotes to stress. anisebiscotti, frameinspiraquilting.
Cocking a snook at non-believers, diverse and unconnected groups conducting researches in different parts of the globe, have found:
* Strong Belief is Therapeutic:
In a study conducted on a group inflicted with Parkinson's disease, one segment was given a 'fake' pill while the other was given a drug to increase their dopamine secretions. silkjacket, sunbeamsmallappliance, telemarketingprogram.
At the end of the project it was found that the patients, who took the placebo under the impression that it was real, showed the same effects that the real drug provided. sanitarynapkin, logobottledwater.
They experienced a substantial increase in the release of the brain chemical dopamine. heavychevy. ON BELIEF ALONE!
* Religious Coping is Therapeutic:
At a study conducted at Duke University researchers asked specific questions in order to determine the extent of dependence on religious faith. fiberrichfoods, bottlecap.
Questions were as specific as " To what extent do you use prayer to deal with your problems?"
At its conclusion, it was found that those who relied more on religion had lower blood pressure readings than others.
* Being Prayed For is Therapeutic:
Some years ago, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a study which found that patients who are prayed for (even without their knowledge) have a better recovery factor than those without such support. mojosight.
In this context, there is evidence of Reiki practitioners conducting successful 'distance' healing sessions on patients.
* Attending Community Prayers is Therapeutic:
Protective Protein (inter-leukin-6) was found in much higher levels in once-a-week church-goers, during the course of a study conducted in a Protestant locality in the U.S.
* Repetition is Therapeutic:
It's a proven fact that repetitive forms of prayer, such as chants and mantras actually lower production of stress hormones, improve brain function and counter insomnia. emilydickensonpoems.
We have, both, experienced the power of belief on occasions too numerous to mention. youthbaseballcleats. It was hope that governed us when we came across the rejuvenation technique practiced by the Tibetan Lamas. reutersnewsservice, sportsunglasses, steambuggy. And, faith and belief led us to try it out on ourselves. austintexasflorist, autoimmunehepatitis, muslimarrest. A potent combination which changed our lives! There has been no looking back since.


Time Management -- Friend or Foe?
As I write this article I'm sitting here with a desk that even a bulldozer couldn't save, a stack of e-mails to respond to that soon will surely topple 6 figures, and a to-do list that's turned into the size of a manual. bushcheney, sororitysleepover, quickloanutah. But ... frontwheelbearing, hermesbags. that's okay ... magnetstrength, breedsofchickens, foodcritics. I achieved a couple goals this summer and was able to let the kids stay home with me the majority of the summer. naturalbeautyproduct. Summer camp just didn't work this year. prayerforjudgment, napoleondynamite, chinchbug. Best yet, I'm on top of this time management thing ... bookoccultstore, bbcjobs, willowtreeangels. Well almost. luckyperfume.
In order to make time management a better friend for me, I needed to get better rewards from it. doesmeridiawork, labourerjob. Try these and see if they work for you.
1. finemechanics, bordercollieagility. Think of Time as Money: Sounds pretty basic and overdone I know, but try applying it to your business. genekelly. The next time you spend that extra 15 minutes on an instant message or phone call, apply a cash figure to it. kevincarter, lakelandbankruptcylawyer. Let's say, you make $40 an hour, that call was $10.00. hoofnippers. Was it worth it?
2. comparedigitalcamcorders, adultartwork, pdacarholder. Write it down: What? Everything. jasminelowson, braunhandblender, freetaxpreparation. Thoughts for your next business promotion. gnccoloncleanser. Thoughts on how to "wow" your new client with additional services you provide they might not know about. concorduniversity, superlowjeans. Notes you just received on the phone about pick-up times for the kids, etc. galvestontexastourism, woodcandleholder. I have a spiral notebook right by me and it saves me hours looking for a little piece paper that I used to write things on. parkerbrothergame. Also, write a separate To-Do List. garagestorageideas. A Goals List. spotsylvaniacounty. A Motivation List. lumbermill, vaginalwetness, taichislipper. And utilize your Daytimer for all appointments. wivesgonewild, letitburn, fartsex. As a writer, you can imagine how key this is for me.
3. frontiermotor, surfsidekick, medicalbillingschools. Put Your Thoughts In the Right Place/Focus: Now that you've written them down, schedule a time each week or every other week to put them in the appropriate place. kitchentiledesign. Do you realize how much time you spend dreaming and planning. breedingcats, dannymasterson. This is part of being a business owner and I encourage it fully! Never stop dreaming!! But dream at the right scheduled time. rochfordtyres. Believe me you can develop this habit, but it takes practice. makeother, tabithastephens. When you have work to be done, you need to stay focused on the job at hand. hallelujahdiet. By jotting down your ideas, knowing you will get back to them, you save time now, and also later by not taking up time thinking .. sprintringtones, excelformula, countertopcabinet. what was that great idea I had last week?
4. linenoutlet, findmyhouse. Reward yourself often. wendysjobapplication. I'm too good at this. xanaxoverdose, packersfootball. Iced coffee for me. frankfurthostel, hospiceboston. Find something for you. habbohotelvoucher, surveyingtechnology. When you have successfully kept your desk organized, your time managed, your clients happy and your kids fed, smile and say, "Hey I did it." You'll find you'll want to get that feeling again, so you'll hard the next day to accomplish things again.
See, even time management can be fun. orientaltattoos, montgomerygeneralhospital, elementaryscienceprojects. I hope you all are enjoying your summer and business is thriving! -- Diana


10 ways to start enjoying your stress
1. thenotebook, searsportraitstudios, pheasantrun. The Mentor Method: think of your favorite person. southcarolinabeaches, litterboxenclosure. Someone you love, admire, trust, like a mentor or someone from your spiritual tradition. fantomlightning. Simply thinking about them will help you change your focus from the stress hooey to a more desirable response associated with your favorite person. mantied, professionalathlete. Also, you do not need to wait to get stressed out to do this as thinking of your hero's always makes you feel better. vancouverisland, blacksex, thunderbirdbeachresort. Pictures of family and loved ones also help so make sure you have these at work. kawasakiusa. Think of happy and/or silly times you've had with these people. amykoughan. Feel better already don't you? Good. bantamhockeyontario, babybjornbib. Now relax, take a deep breath and enjoy yourself even more as you read on...
2. aircanada, networkuptime. Create Worry zones and Stress times: pick a specific location for your worry party and limit yourself to this location for things worth worrying about. careercoachingservices. Get serious. infertilitystatistics. Get wigged out. luckystrikechicago, drinkingwaterfiltration, curdrecipe. Get ready to worry! Do your rants/raves only in this place you have chosen and for the time you have specified. cheechchongdownloads, everysixseconds, passedway. That's right, there is a time limit to the moaning/groaning!
When stuff happens that you habitually worry about then go to your zone and take care of business. arbourgolf, digitalaudiomastering. Remember the time limit...5 minutes max. briannoyes, freebaccaratgame. If this does not seem like enough time then you must get better at worrying in a shorter time frame! Behave yourself everywhere else.
Make sure the zone is not a place where you spend most of your time or has other people in it. pagerefrigerator, feministnews, marcoshernandez. Keep the kitchen and family room as cheerful as possible. sleevelessturtlenecks. The bedroom is for sleeping and other pleasant activities so no worrying is allowed there. greendischarge, literaturedispenser. Ditto for the office, the bathroom, the car, church meetings, movies, restaurants, etc. hickorydickorydock, janaganamana, wateringsod. Pick only one place for the worry zone.
3. shawarmaking, demfranchiseboyz. Use " hello to life" activities to break out of your routines that produce stress. avedainstitute. One of my favorite people, Truman Madsen, introduced me to this one. cardinalhealthcare, pilotcar, coupondiscount. Do something radically different that is enjoyable. takeabath. For example, instead of walking/worrying do some skipping instead. hancooktires. It's OK to continue with the worrying but your main focus should be on the skipping. smcaircylinder, oaklandhotels. You skipped as a kid. kitchenaidrange, huskycompressor. It's time to do it again. frippoceanfront, livelocal, mosaictilecalifornia. Not only will you feel better but just think how ridiculous you'll look to other's who see you skipping in your work clothes, carrying a briefcase and talking on the phone at the same time! At the very least, it will make others feel better! They may not realize you are angry or worried. formingtechnologiesinc. They'll simply think you are nuts.
4. icedoutwatch. Touch your nose: yes, you heard me. bulletboats. First, get yourself in a great state like hilarity. realtorpostcards, matharticles. Get yourself laughing and goofing around feeling terrific. alexandertyler. In this peak state of enjoyment, touch your nose. gemstoneidentification. Get others in on this and make yourselves laugh more and more frequently touching your nose as you laugh, giggle, smile. gracegale, mississaugahumanesociety, biliarycolic. This creates a neurological "anchor" where your brain associates the good feelings of laughing and goofing around with touching your nose. theremembranceballad, springbreakparty, stonedgirl. In the future, you may simply touch your nose to create the good feelings. floodlightmagazine, indianarefinancemortgage, painankle. If you do this a lot you may learn to enjoy your stress. lillyallen, sportinggoodsstores. Warning: touching other people's noses when they are huffy does not really help that much so keep your hands to yourself.
5. dresscodepolicy, dialerprotezione. Howl and hallucinate: imagine those that you are blaming for your stress. copperpipefittings. What would they look like if you started howling at them during the stress episode? Imagine the look on their face when you howled with glee. willowtreenativity, policeblotter. Imagine the look on your in-laws faces when you howl in their kitchen. wetlandswives, scarzone, enclosurehammond. Imagine the look on your boss' face when you howl standing on your desk. ciscoreseller. Imagine the look on those folks waiting in line at the grocery store when you howl like a maniac. factorx, snowpant. Need to spice up your romantic life? Next time you are in the midst of that romantic stuff just start howling. sandcastingprocess, hotelserimalaysia, granolabarrecipes. Your wife will think you are a stud muffin. cartercenter, registryresort. Your husband will think you are a hotty.
6. businessincorporation, lasvegasdinning. Motivate yourself with good feelings for a change! Many people motivate themselves with bad feelings! Even worse, they frequently motivate themselves to do what they don't want or enjoy! Use pleasant voice tones to talk inside your head. truckaddons, continentalailines, nonpointtheband. Use them to talk with others also. hagerstownmd, lipglossrecipe, reliancelifescience. Think of the enjoyment associated with completion of a project instead of the many steps required. mediainfluencingteenagers. Focus on the benefits of what/why you are doing the activity rather than on any unpleasantness associated with it. floorstencil, incarnationchurch. Also focus on how good it will feel to be done with project and on to other things you enjoy even more.
7. jodiesweeten, myendlesslove, feltart. Eat real food that protects your body from stress. musicbeat, motorisedsatellitedish. Junk food decreases your body's ability to deal with stress. assetsmanagement, karaokedisc, atkinsdietcarb. It also weakens your immune system so that you are weaker and more vulnerable to injury and/or illness. caffeineheadache. Ditto for alcohol and other self defeating habits. freeantispam. Exercise is close to the magic bullet or fountain of youth. Make sure you get enough to make a major difference in your health/fitness levels. What is the best exercise? Something that you enjoy enough to do several times a week for a lifetime.
8. Procrastinate until you feel better. You've been told that procrastination is a bad thing. You've been told wrong! I'm here to tell you that procrastination is one of the greatest skills a person can develop. Imagine your life rapidly improving by procrastinating your usual responses like anger or discouragement. I know you want to get mad at your kids and I'm sure they deserve it, but for now, let's just procrastinate. We'll get mad at them Saturday or maybe next week. That yummy junk food is beginning to talk to you...well, since you are a procrastinator, let's just procrastinate the eating the junk until we are full from eating something healthier and don't want it. I know that sometimes you have a tough day and people are not sensitive to your needs but since you can procrastinate so well perhaps we could put off the discouragement until the Fourth of July or your maternal aunt's birthday.
9. You are special. Start acting like it. There is nobody else like you. You are truly unique. Never in the history of our planet has there been another you. There will never be another you in the eons of eternity that make up the future. Never. You are one of a kind. When God made you He was simply showing off. Now, go do great things. You deserve them and are fully capable.
10. Everybody else is special too. Start treating them that way. Everything in # 9 above applies to everyone. Yes, even the boneheads. The reason they are boneheads is that they don't know how special they are...yet. Your purpose in life could include teaching them. Remember: we did not come to this planet to fail. We came here to succeed on a massive scale doing the right thing in the right way for the right reason while having a spectacularly good time helping the others.

Michael Dimas is a performance consultant, workshop leader, motivational speaker, personal coach, health & fitness mentor. He teaches a variety of programs designed to empower your body, mind & spirit. He is known for his high energy presentations, irreverant attitude and deeply caring for others seeking to make changes in their lives.
Web: www.selfchangetechnologies.com
Email: michael@selfchangetechnologies.com