Monday 29 October 2007

Secret #98 Repent of the Pride of Busyness



"Driven people operate on the precept that a reputation for busyness is a sign of success and personal importance. Thus they attempt to impress people with the fullness of their schedule. They may even express a high level of self-pity, bemoaning the 'trap' of responsibility they claim to be in, wishing aloud that there was some possible release from all they have to live with. But just try to suggest a way out!"
--Gordon MacDonald, Ordering Your Private World

Do YOU need to repent of the pride of busyness?

Sunday 28 October 2007

Alternate Nostral Breathing - A Relaxation Technique Revisted..


Since I am out injured - here is an article from the archives that you might find useful.

be well...

Allen


About ten years ago I went on a Yoga course at the Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School and was taught this relaxation technique.

I was a little skeptical at first but its a really effective way to calm frazzled nerves! I find it effective in that you are actually DOING something PHYSICAL rather than just some form of MENTAL relaxation. Meditation etc. can be very hard to do when you are feeling stressed and it is more something to do on a regular basis as a preventative measure against stress. I view Alternate Nostril Breathing as a first aid technique for a person who is ALREADY stressed. So look beyond the yogic mysticism and see a very effective relaxation technique.

This is what Holistic Online has to say about it:

If you don't do anything else, this is a simple yoga breathing exercise that can be done virtually anywhere, anyplace. You will be glad you did.!

With this exercise, we breathe through only one nostril at a time. The logic behind this exercise is that normal breathing does alternate from one nostril to the other at various times during the day.

Benefits

- The exercise produces optimum function to both sides of the brain: that is optimum creativity and optimum logical verbal activity. This also creates a more balanced person, since both halves of the brain are functioning property.

- The yogis consider this to be the best technique to calm the mind and the nervous system.


1. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Do this to the count of four seconds.
2. Immediately close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger, and at the same time remove your thumb from the right nostril, and exhale through this nostril. Do this slowly and in a relaxed manner. This completes a half round.
3. Inhale through the right nostril to the count of four seconds. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left nostril slowly and in a relaxed manner. This completes one full round.

Start by doing three rounds, adding one per week until you are doing seven rounds.

Alternate nostril breathing should not be practiced if you have a cold or if your nasal passages are blocked in any way.

For details on this exercise please visit HERE.

Good Luck!,
Allen

Alternate Nostral Breathing - A Relaxation Technique Revisted..


Since I am out injured - here is an article from the archives that you might find useful.

be well...

Allen


About ten years ago I went on a Yoga course at the Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School and was taught this relaxation technique.

I was a little skeptical at first but its a really effective way to calm frazzled nerves! I find it effective in that you are actually DOING something PHYSICAL rather than just some form of MENTAL relaxation. Meditation etc. can be very hard to do when you are feeling stressed and it is more something to do on a regular basis as a preventative measure against stress. I view Alternate Nostril Breathing as a first aid technique for a person who is ALREADY stressed. So look beyond the yogic mysticism and see a very effective relaxation technique.

This is what Holistic Online has to say about it:

If you don't do anything else, this is a simple yoga breathing exercise that can be done virtually anywhere, anyplace. You will be glad you did.!

With this exercise, we breathe through only one nostril at a time. The logic behind this exercise is that normal breathing does alternate from one nostril to the other at various times during the day.

Benefits

- The exercise produces optimum function to both sides of the brain: that is optimum creativity and optimum logical verbal activity. This also creates a more balanced person, since both halves of the brain are functioning property.

- The yogis consider this to be the best technique to calm the mind and the nervous system.


1. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Do this to the count of four seconds.
2. Immediately close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger, and at the same time remove your thumb from the right nostril, and exhale through this nostril. Do this slowly and in a relaxed manner. This completes a half round.
3. Inhale through the right nostril to the count of four seconds. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left nostril slowly and in a relaxed manner. This completes one full round.

Start by doing three rounds, adding one per week until you are doing seven rounds.

Alternate nostril breathing should not be practiced if you have a cold or if your nasal passages are blocked in any way.

For details on this exercise please visit HERE.

Good Luck!,
Allen

Friday 26 October 2007

Frozen Shoulder ....

Hello all..

A very quick apology for lack of posts. I have been off work with a frozen shoulder and I have not been able to blog either.


As soon as I am well I will upload a lot of posts. I have a lot of (I hope) useful articles for you all.

Be well...

Allen

Frozen Shoulder ....

Hello all..

A very quick apology for lack of posts. I have been off work with a frozen shoulder and I have not been able to blog either.


As soon as I am well I will upload a lot of posts. I have a lot of (I hope) useful articles for you all.

Be well...

Allen

Monday 22 October 2007

Secret #97 Dare to Discipline... Yourself

In the spiritual life, the word discipline means 'the effort to create some space in which God can act.' Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn't planned or counted on.
--Henri Nouwen

Monday 15 October 2007

Secret #96 The First Spiritual Flaw

You may have heard of the first spiritual law: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

I would like to introduce you to the first spiritual FLAW: God loves you… and PEOPLE have a wonderful plan for your life!

If you are going to intentionally and proactively take charge of your life and time, not only must you learn to say no to obvious time stealers in your life, but you must also learn to say no to people who will try to get you involved in many different GOOD activities. To develop the inner fortitude to say no to people, you must:

1. Clearly identify what God’s priorities are for your time at this season of your life.

2. Figure out the difference between a good opportunity and a God opportunity.

3. Say no to doing mere good things.

4. Say yes to doing God things.

Why do you have to learn to say no to good things? Good is the worst enemy of God’s best! If you refuse to learn to say no to good activities, you will never be able to strategically invest your life in what God’s best is for you. It is possible to be so involved in good activities—even church activities—and miss God’s best for your life!

If you need permission from someone to say no—listen up: I HEREBY GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SAY NO! Dr. Richard Swenson says, “Saying no is not just a good idea—it is an absolute necessity. If there are one hundred good things to do and you can only do ten of them, you will have to say no ninety times.”

Make no mistake about it: We must get used to saying no if we are going to take control of our time—and use it to honor God.

* In what ways are YOU suffering from the disease to please?
* With whom?
* What do you think God wants you to do about it?




Note: This blog entry was taken from the workbook and audio CD, Time Management for Painfully Pooped-Out People: Ten Biblical Principles for Taking Control of Your Life and Time

Saturday 13 October 2007

FAMILY visits can be Fun and not Stressful!

We recently had a family of five stay with us for almost three weeks. The guest room was used and the office was full of children on the floor. The small kitchen was always fragrant with something cooking, and the table squeezed us all in for meals. Every chair was used in the living room, and someone usually was patiently waiting for a shower or to use the toilet.

We had a ball! Would you like to know how? We were as polite to each other as we would have been to strangers. We picked up our own messes and helped share in the responsibility of cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. No one took advantage of anyone else, and when the children began to squabble - the parents / or grandparents attended to resolve the problem instead of ignoring because of adult conversation.

No one drank alcohol. Let me repeat that: NO ONE DRANK ALCOHOL! No I am not a prude and yes I do have a glass or wine or a drink once in a while. But this is what I've learned over the years:

If no one drinks while at a family gathering, misunderstandings WILL NOT happen. Children will not be left on their own. Arguments will NOT happen.

I've seen it so many times in "past" days. Keep in mind. Alcohol is a drug and if affects everyone differently. Most can handle a drink or two, but many simply cannot.
There is always (guaranteed) one who gets mad or upset or just plain drunk and stupid.

Don't take that chance with your family - or anyone else's for that matter. You will remember the gathering with love and joy. Keep in mind also - children LEARN what they see and hear - and they see and hear MUCH MORE than you will ever know....until perhaps it's too late.

Have fun. Stay away from alcohol at your next family visit and you will be part of the pleasure, not the problem!

Honest!

Friday 12 October 2007

True Love

True Love

Wednesday 10 October 2007

Monday 8 October 2007

Secret #95 Lost Things = Lost Time

Over the course of a lifetime, the average person spends one year looking for misplaced things.

* Source: Harper Index

Wonderful Quotes

Wonderful Quotes

Saturday 6 October 2007

Thursday 4 October 2007

Wednesday 3 October 2007

Problogger Has Prize Birthday Bash

One of my favorite sites is holding a birthday party with loads of prizes. So dear readers please visit:
Problogger.

Happy net birthday Darren and long may your blogging infuse the blogsphere with blog :-)


Allen

Problogger Has Prize Birthday Bash

One of my favorite sites is holding a birthday party with loads of prizes. So dear readers please visit:
Problogger.

Happy net birthday Darren and long may your blogging infuse the blogsphere with blog :-)


Allen

Some Great Inspiring Thoughts

Some Great Inspiring Thoughts

Monday 1 October 2007

5 Ways to Calm Down in an Emergency or When Having a Panic Attack

5 Ways to Calm Down in an Emergency or When Having a Panic Attack


Sometimes, despite all our best efforts, we can suffer from the symptoms of panic or as they used to call it "bad nerves". The symptoms of panic can be:

* Rapid heart beat, pounding heart or palpitations
* Sweating
* Shaking visibly or inside
* Choking sensations or lump in throat
* Smothering or shortness of breath sensations
* Chest pain or discomfort
* Nausea, bloating, indigestion or abdominal discomfort
* Dizziness or unsteadiness
* Feeling light-headed
* Derealisation (feeling unreal or dreamy)
* Depersonalisation (feeling outside yourself or like you don't exist)
* Fear of losing control or going crazy
* Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) in face, extremities or body
* Chills or hot flushes
* Skin losing colour
* Blushing or skin blotches
* Urgently needing to urinate or defecate

When you are panicking - the body releases adrenaline into your blood and this puts you on a high state of alert. Your fight or flight system triggers. The fight or flight system harkens back to the day when we were all living in caves and hunting for food. Perhaps we might get attacked by a saber tooth tiger and then we have a choice - we can either fight the beast or run away. In both cases we need a boost of adrenaline to help us fight or run. In today's culture, we don't get attacked by many saber tooth tigers but we do experience mental and emotional stress. This mental and emotional stress still triggers the fight or flight system except we usually don't do either. If the boss is giving you a hard time it wouldn't pay to start punching him in the head or running away!

When this panic reaction happens we need a little "first aid" to break the cycle of panic before ever addressing the cause of what brought you to feeling like this in the first place. If you are unable to break the cycle of panic and anxiety then this is classified as a panic disorder and you should seek medical help. Panic disorder is very common and it is not dangerous in itself although the symptoms can be extremely unpleasant. I could write pages on my experiences with Panic Disorder but I will leave that for another day but suffice to say I view panic attacks as your mind and body's way of telling you something about the way you think has to change.

So when you feel the symptoms of panic what can you do? Well here are five suggestions (that have worked for me) on how to calm down in an emergency:

1) Abdominal Breathing.

When you feel panic your breathing becomes faster and shallower. Abdominal breathing is the exact opposite of this and is the best way I have found to calm down. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that the diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of the lungs. After exhaling through the mouth, take a slow deep breath in through your nose to the count of 5. Hold it for 3 seconds and then breath out to count of 5. Repeat this cycle until you feel you have calmed down.

2) Distract Yourself.

When you feel panic it is your thoughts that actually cause the panic. A cycle of scary thoughts but only thoughts. These thoughts trigger the fight or flight system in the body which triggers the symptoms of panic. What you could do when you are trapped in this cycle is distract yourself thus, breaking the cycle of thoughts. This can be done by picking up the phone and talking to someone, playing a video game, watching a favorite movie or TV show, going for a brisk walk, writing about your feelings in a journal - anything that will distract your mind from the panic thoughts.


3) Face/Accept, Float and let time pass.
This is the famous technique created by Dr. Claire Weekes on how to deal with being trapped in a cycle of panic. The more you "fight" your panic symptoms, the more adrenaline your body releases and the worse you will feel. Its like picking at wound - it just wont heal! So this technique is more about changing your attitude to the symptoms. You need to face and accept that because of the adrenaline in your system you will be feeling the symptoms of panic for the next while. In the mean time you need to carry out your daily activities while having the symptoms but the key here is to accept the symptoms not just "put up with them". The less you fight with yourself the more relaxed you will become. This brings us to floating. You can imagine yourself floating as you move and live with the symptoms. Relax yourself and go with the flow. Float don't fight! And finally you need to let time pass. Frayed nerves take time to heal and it doesn't pay to keep obsessing about how long you have been feeling this way. Live in the moment. If you are feeling panicky say to yourself "this is only adrenaline in my system and time will heal my frazzled nerves". For more on this technique please check out the book "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes.

4) Do something physical.

This is not always possible and is similar to point number 2 in that you will be distracting yourself but it is still very important. Remember your system is full of adrenaline and so you need to burn this off. Your fight or flight system is triggered so we are not going to fight but we are going to take flight. Go for a brisk walk or run to burn off that adrenaline. Go and do some work in the garden. Do some of those chores you keep putting off. Do some housework, wash dishes - anything that will get you moving. I realize if you are taking an exam or test you can't just get up and run off - as much as you would like to - but you could apply one of the other techniques and then go and burn off the stress chemicals later. Exercise is important.

5) Comfort yourself.

While applying the other techniques also try and comfort yourself. Have a long hot soak in the bath, eat your favorite food, drink some warm milk. Don't drink alcohol this will put your body under more stress. Ask for a hug from someone you love, go for a long leisurely walk or a swim. Do something you enjoy that will bring a smile to your face and comfort your soul.


Know that in time these feelings will pass.

These symptoms are nothing more than feelings and feelings no matter how unpleasant cannot hurt you.

For more information check out these wonderful sites (they are still worth checking out even if you don't have panic DISORDER but just feel panicky).

Panic disorder at about .com
TAPIR: The Anxiety Panic Internet Resource


Good Luck,
Allen

5 Ways to Calm Down in an Emergency or When Having a Panic Attack

5 Ways to Calm Down in an Emergency or When Having a Panic Attack


Sometimes, despite all our best efforts, we can suffer from the symptoms of panic or as they used to call it "bad nerves". The symptoms of panic can be:

* Rapid heart beat, pounding heart or palpitations
* Sweating
* Shaking visibly or inside
* Choking sensations or lump in throat
* Smothering or shortness of breath sensations
* Chest pain or discomfort
* Nausea, bloating, indigestion or abdominal discomfort
* Dizziness or unsteadiness
* Feeling light-headed
* Derealisation (feeling unreal or dreamy)
* Depersonalisation (feeling outside yourself or like you don't exist)
* Fear of losing control or going crazy
* Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) in face, extremities or body
* Chills or hot flushes
* Skin losing colour
* Blushing or skin blotches
* Urgently needing to urinate or defecate

When you are panicking - the body releases adrenaline into your blood and this puts you on a high state of alert. Your fight or flight system triggers. The fight or flight system harkens back to the day when we were all living in caves and hunting for food. Perhaps we might get attacked by a saber tooth tiger and then we have a choice - we can either fight the beast or run away. In both cases we need a boost of adrenaline to help us fight or run. In today's culture, we don't get attacked by many saber tooth tigers but we do experience mental and emotional stress. This mental and emotional stress still triggers the fight or flight system except we usually don't do either. If the boss is giving you a hard time it wouldn't pay to start punching him in the head or running away!

When this panic reaction happens we need a little "first aid" to break the cycle of panic before ever addressing the cause of what brought you to feeling like this in the first place. If you are unable to break the cycle of panic and anxiety then this is classified as a panic disorder and you should seek medical help. Panic disorder is very common and it is not dangerous in itself although the symptoms can be extremely unpleasant. I could write pages on my experiences with Panic Disorder but I will leave that for another day but suffice to say I view panic attacks as your mind and body's way of telling you something about the way you think has to change.

So when you feel the symptoms of panic what can you do? Well here are five suggestions (that have worked for me) on how to calm down in an emergency:

1) Abdominal Breathing.

When you feel panic your breathing becomes faster and shallower. Abdominal breathing is the exact opposite of this and is the best way I have found to calm down. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that the diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of the lungs. After exhaling through the mouth, take a slow deep breath in through your nose to the count of 5. Hold it for 3 seconds and then breath out to count of 5. Repeat this cycle until you feel you have calmed down.

2) Distract Yourself.

When you feel panic it is your thoughts that actually cause the panic. A cycle of scary thoughts but only thoughts. These thoughts trigger the fight or flight system in the body which triggers the symptoms of panic. What you could do when you are trapped in this cycle is distract yourself thus, breaking the cycle of thoughts. This can be done by picking up the phone and talking to someone, playing a video game, watching a favorite movie or TV show, going for a brisk walk, writing about your feelings in a journal - anything that will distract your mind from the panic thoughts.


3) Face/Accept, Float and let time pass.
This is the famous technique created by Dr. Claire Weekes on how to deal with being trapped in a cycle of panic. The more you "fight" your panic symptoms, the more adrenaline your body releases and the worse you will feel. Its like picking at wound - it just wont heal! So this technique is more about changing your attitude to the symptoms. You need to face and accept that because of the adrenaline in your system you will be feeling the symptoms of panic for the next while. In the mean time you need to carry out your daily activities while having the symptoms but the key here is to accept the symptoms not just "put up with them". The less you fight with yourself the more relaxed you will become. This brings us to floating. You can imagine yourself floating as you move and live with the symptoms. Relax yourself and go with the flow. Float don't fight! And finally you need to let time pass. Frayed nerves take time to heal and it doesn't pay to keep obsessing about how long you have been feeling this way. Live in the moment. If you are feeling panicky say to yourself "this is only adrenaline in my system and time will heal my frazzled nerves". For more on this technique please check out the book "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes.

4) Do something physical.

This is not always possible and is similar to point number 2 in that you will be distracting yourself but it is still very important. Remember your system is full of adrenaline and so you need to burn this off. Your fight or flight system is triggered so we are not going to fight but we are going to take flight. Go for a brisk walk or run to burn off that adrenaline. Go and do some work in the garden. Do some of those chores you keep putting off. Do some housework, wash dishes - anything that will get you moving. I realize if you are taking an exam or test you can't just get up and run off - as much as you would like to - but you could apply one of the other techniques and then go and burn off the stress chemicals later. Exercise is important.

5) Comfort yourself.

While applying the other techniques also try and comfort yourself. Have a long hot soak in the bath, eat your favorite food, drink some warm milk. Don't drink alcohol this will put your body under more stress. Ask for a hug from someone you love, go for a long leisurely walk or a swim. Do something you enjoy that will bring a smile to your face and comfort your soul.


Know that in time these feelings will pass.

These symptoms are nothing more than feelings and feelings no matter how unpleasant cannot hurt you.

For more information check out these wonderful sites (they are still worth checking out even if you don't have panic DISORDER but just feel panicky).

Panic disorder at about .com
TAPIR: The Anxiety Panic Internet Resource


Good Luck,
Allen