How to manage stress?

Stress is experienced when there is an imbalance between the demands being made on us and our resources or ability to cope with those demands.

The level and extent of stress a person may feel depends a great deal on their attitude to a particular situation. An event which may be extremely stressful for one person, may not be for another person, we are all different and cope differently.

Stress is everywhere and so many of us get stressed, which is why I am writing this post to hopefully help someone get tips on how to manage stress.

A variety of factors can contribute to a person feeling stressed. This may include:  environment, lifestyle or emotional and personal style issues. An individual person’s attitude, personality and approach to life will influence how they respond to stress.

The following factors all play a part:

• How a person thinks about a problem
• The different ways a person copes with difficult situations
• Life experiences and life history
• A person’s self-esteem
• Whether they have people around who can provide support.

Here are some tips on how to manage stress:

Exercise regularly – regular exercise is a great way to manage stress.  At least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week.

Avoid conflict – avoid situations that make you feel stressed as much as you can.
Relax – make sure you give yourself some time to relax each day and try to spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself.
Eat well – a nutritious diet is important. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Sleep – getting a good nights sleep is important, at least 8 hours sleep.
Enjoy your life – it’s important to make time to have some fun and to get a balance in your life.

If you dont rethink what is stressing you out and manage it, it can lead to anxiety and depression. I hope we can all take some time out to ensure we don't get stressed!

How do you manage your stress?

Can you leave the past behind?

This is a Pocket Inspirations card that I keep in my study. I've had it for years, I picked it up from a Christian store, not sure if they still sell it, but there are many great inspirational cards you can buy.

I really like this one and find it inspirational, so I wanted to share it with you all.

I love how it says that you can use your past to 'highlight a point then leave it behind'. I find it so true that even though not everything goes to plan, if there are times when things have gone wrong, we can learn from it and move on.
We need to live in the moment, for today and live it to the fullest. Everyday is another day and what we do with our day, depends on us.

I strive to live everyday positively, knowing that I only get one chance to live this day, today. I want to be 'filled with love and understanding', ready for anything life throws at me!

Hope this has brightened your day! How are you inspired?

Do you get enough sleep?

In the last few weeks I haven't had much sleep. I'm too busy to sleep!  I get most things done in the evenings and most nights end up going to bed after midnight. I know its not good for my body, because I feel fatigued, the next day and dont have much energy.

Sleep gives the brain a chance to reorganize information to find answers to problems, to process new information, and to organize and archive memories.  Sleep is such an important bodily function, and even though we might put off going to sleep, eventually sleep will take over, as I have discovered! 

Sleep has a healing effect in that it gives our bodies and minds time to rejuvenate, reenergize, and restore. Sleep is a type of unconsciousness and is a state of being unaware of the world. How much sleep should a person get each night? Depends. Some people need a great deal of sleep, while others require only a minimum of sleep. We need to get the amount of sleep necessary to feel alert, healthy, and  fit. The average person maintains his health with about eight hours of sleep. Having dreams while you are sleeping  is actually good for your health too.

Not enough sleep can cause a drop in performance, lack of concentration, lapses in memory, accidents and injuries, behavior and mood problems.

The benefits of sleep are that sleep helps to repair your body, keep your heart healthy, keeps your skin looking refreshed, reduces stress, improves your memory, can help you to control your body weight.

Sleep is essential to good health as it refreshes the body and the mind. If you get enough sleep regularly every night you will feel and also be able to work better.


Do you get enough sleep?

How to find the right work/life balance?

Everyone is always busy! There are not enough hours in the day to get things day. Yet it is really important to rethink the balance in our life. I think I am in need of rebalancing at the moment!

Here are a few tips that might  help you find balance between work and life.

1. Move away from your work environment. So if your working at your computer, actually move away and have your lunch outside or in another room. Its even better to take a small walk, whether that be in your backyard or around your work building.

2. Take time out.  Actually schedule it in your phone, diary or whereever it is that you organise your day. For example 8pm to 9pm hang out with my family, or help kids with their reading etc....If you actually have times set to do things your more likely to stick to it.

3. Have something visual around you of someone or something you love. Put a picture of your favorite holiday destination, or inspirational picture or picture of your loved ones around your computer, or on your desk. This will remind you of the things in your life you really enjoy. Its gives you some perspective and helps you think about the balance you need.

4. Take holiday breaks. Yes taking holidays is a good way to relax, but not always possible. Try taking day trips and spend a few hours enjoying the scenery, area or activities at your day trip. It makes a difference being away from your day to day environment.

What do you do to get the right balance between work and family life?

What is your favourite colour?

My favourite colors are blue and purple. I love colours! There are so many beautiful colours, they just brighten up my day. Colours can also mean a lot of different things to different people.
We were told that yellow is a happy color and promotes happiness, because its so bright, so when we built our house we painted our walls in yellow and we love it, it really does give a feeling of warmness and brightness to the day.

What is your favourite color?

Book Review: Naturally Better by Kristen Morrison

I came across a fantastic book titled Naturally Better by Kristen Morrison. This book is about Kristen and her family, their ongoing battles that they face in finding natural ways to help her son who has Down Syndrome.

It is such a inspirational, heartfelt and empowering story that you will just keep on reading and won't be able to put it down. Kristen has written this book that is easy to read in much detail about her feelings and experiences she faced whilst doing a lot of research and therapies for her son. This book shows every parent that with courage and determination,  there is a lot that can be done ourselves to help the health of all children and create the best future for them. Kristen only wants what is best for her son, and so she has used every resource she could in finding how to best help her son without drugs but rather with natural methods.

I highly recommend this book to ALL parents - a must read, a beautiful story about a mothers love for her child, the lengths she has gone to get help and find what is best. This book is about her personal opinions, research, findings and thoughts that she has written and expressed. She is a mother who is a warrior and advocate for natural therapies, that have helped her son.
To buy her book check her website: http://www.naturallybetterkids.com/

Your ONE years old baby girl !

This week was my daughters first birthday! Can't believe how quickly the first year has gone. I remember when I was pregnant and getting ready to start my maternity leave, I couldn't wait. Mainly because I was so tired and sore all the time!

The day came for my baby girl to be born, the most miraculous feeling ever, and even better was when she met her big brother. Its so beautiful to see them bonding, playing and looking out for each other.

Everyday is the most beautiful day, to watch her grow, develop and learn something new each day.

I cried the day of her birthday! (course I did) They were happy tears knowing my baby girl has made it through her first year.... and yes I will cry on all her birthdays, tears of happiness!

Such a great joy, knowing that I can love my two children so much, protect them and learn along with them!

What do you cherish the most about your childrens birthdays?

Life is a adventure!

'One way to get the most out of life is

to look upon it as an adventure'

William Feather

When I found this quote, I thought about what it actually meant. Life is an adventure, we need to embrace it and give it our best. Life is too short, to let things get in the way, so lets be motivated and confident to achieve what we want out of life!

What are you thankful for?

As I sit here thinking about where I am in my life, I realise that there are so many things that I have achieved and should be thankful for. No not everything has gone to plan, there are things I would have wanted done differently, but when I think about it, its actually better this way.

Life is a journey and not everything will turn out the way we want it, but we can try and then make the most of what we have and got.

I am thankful for my loving husband, and for my two beautiful children, who complete me in so many ways. I couldn't live without them.

I am thankful for my abilities and strengths god gave me, and the things I have learned and developed myself. I love life and enjoying life is something I always remind myself to do. Life is and has been  hard and unexpected things do happen, but I keep on going. I draw on my strength and positiveness to get me through and see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I am thankful for the experiences in my life. I like to make things happen. I strive to achieve what I set out as my goal. I have learnt so much from all influences in my life. I have learnt from both mistakes and successes. My experiences have helped shape who I am today, a woman, wife, mother, friend, and workmate.
There are so many things, that I still strive to achieve, and with motivation and positiveness I know I will get there, and always be thankful.

What are you thankful for?

How to be happy?

I love butterflies -they are beautiful and delicate!

Do you ever feel low or down? There are simple things to do to make you feel happy.

1. Exercise  - some light exercise as simple as a walk can give you a boost.
2. Music - listening to some music can help put some energy back in your body and get you moving.

3. Be positive - Think of all the great things in your life, children, family, home etc dont dwell on the past.

4. Visualize - Seeing a picture of a great holiday destination, or a picture of your favorite animal.

5. Talk to someone - talk to a friend, collegue, online friends anyone that can cheer you up.

Its so easy to feel unhappy, but dont let this happen to you. Life is so full of surprises that we just need to keep on going and be positive!

What makes you SMILE?

Its so good to sit back and really think about what makes you smile. For me I smiled when I saw the sun come out this morning, its been rather cold lately, a little sunshine is very welcome! My kids are growing up so quickly and its so beautiful to see them achieve things in their lives, that makes me smile! I love seeing and hearing new things, like blogs I like to read, a new plant has grown in the backyard or books that are being released or movies, that makes me smile! Knowing that life is what you make of it and I am trying my hardest to enjoy it, makes me smile!

Its definitely worth taking the time to think of the great things in your life no matter how big or small. They all count and make a difference.

So tell me what makes you smile?

My passion! Where will my blog take me.........

I love to write and read. Since high school I was interested in reading books, mostly fiction books, but I just loved that someone could put all their thoughts on paper and create it into a story. I read a lot of books. It took me about a week to read one book, usually in the evenings before going to bed. I loved that I could be immersed in another world, the books world. I loved going to the library, surrounded by so much story telling.

I also like writing. I loved the subject English, my favorite was writing essays. Once the teacher would set us a topic, ideas just fluttered around in my head. I couldn't wait to put it all down on paper. Mainly it was being able to tell my story, my ideas, my views that intrigued me the most about writing. As a teenager, I kept a journal. I loved it, I wrote in it everyday. I wrote about everything, what I thought, what I was feeling, what I liked and disliked. There were times where I thought that I would one day want to write a book. This can still be achieved.

I love researching and writing about what I find. I have a little 'journalist me', in me and I like to think that through my blog I get to use that. After getting married, buying a house and having kids, all my passions, have been placed on standstill.

But through my blog I feel that I am igniting what I have always wanted to do. Write, research, read, tell the world what I think. The opportunities are endless from here, my blog is my first step..... from here I am meeting a lot of inspirational people and learning so much.

One day wherever this blog may take me, I will know that I did my best!

You CAN do it!

It so easy in life to start something and never finish it. Why? Because once we start its all too hard or not what we expected and then we just give up. But there is so much that you can miss if you do this.
Job opportunities, time spent with someone, dreams that you wanted to follow and more, can all be missed if we just give up. So get back up and do not give up, you can do it.

1. Make a list of things you are good at  and go through it, acknowledge to yourself that you are good.

2.Stand up for yourself dont let others tell you what to do or decide things for you. You can do it, show people that you are a confident person and can think for yourself.

3. Look after yourself and your body. Do something like walking or light exercise of any kind to keep in shape. It will boost your confidence very quickly and give you more energy.

4. Choose a role model, someone you admire and think of what their confidence is like and mimic it.

5. Be yourself. We are all unique in our own ways and working on finding yourself and who you are, you will find a lot that you didn't know and if you just let it go and be yourself - you will find that you can do it.

Dont let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do, and know that you CAN do it!

How to de-stress? Its time to de - stress!

We all stress  - some more and others less. But there are things that can be done to help de-stress. Here are a few things that have worked for me, so I want to share them with you.

1. Find a hobby - This will  allow you to learn and apply your skills in a relaxed way. Be creative and  express yourself! Take classes to increase your knowledge in whatever interests you, eg cooking, writing, sewing etc. This will increase your enjoyment of life and reduce your feelings of stress.

2. Have a routine - Have a peaceful start to the day. The morning is great for some light exercise, or quite reading. Set the tone for the day with time for yourself. Make the beginning and end of your day relaxing. ( no loud music or strenuous work)

3. Plug into a support network - I love the internet and am so glad that we have it available to us these days.
There are many forums that you can join and be part of the community. Wellbeing and happiness come from good relationships so make the time to develop them with friends ( online or real )

4. Be positive -  Many people conduct a constant mental commentary on themselves and their actions. This needs to be positive and acknowledge what you have done. ie if you cooked a meal, tell yourself how great you are at cooking such a great dish.

5. Eat well and do some exercise - We all know that this is a must for all of us. A balanced healthy diet is always good for your body. Be sure to include fruit, vegetables, cereals, lots of water, and some meat.
Moderate, regular physical exercise such as walking, swimming, bike riding of 20mins three times a week is ideal. Any exercise at all is good for the body. Exercise triggers the release of a brain chemical called serotonin, which boosts your mood, and reduces feelings of stress or anxiety. You can buy exercise dvds and do them at home.

Whenever you are feeling stressed, take the time to breathe.  Slowly breathe in through your nose. Feel the air moving in through your nose and down into the bottom your abdomen. Hold briefly and then exhale your breath and feel your stomach muscles squeeze all the air out. Deep breathing exercises are a simple and effective way to reduce stress and relax your mind and body.

So the next time you are stressed try some of these tips and remember that things will work out in the end!

What do you do to de-stress?

How to be more passionate!

Passion is what drives us in every aspect of our lives. Passion is an intense emotion, compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something.  You can have passion for the people in your life, for a job and for having fun.
 
How can you become passionate about life? Here are a few points I have come up with after researching.

1. Search out what you are good at.  Be optimistic. Optimism is an indicator of passion and believe that you can succeed at anything you try.

2. Make goals for every aspect of health, family, relationships, work and hobbies.
Striving to achieve short term goals, will drive you toward further successes when trying to reach your long-term goals.

3. Appreciate what and whom you have every single day. Be passionate about the people around you by refusing to take them for granted and being grateful for every day you have with them.

4. Control what you can in life. Make your own decisions and take responsibility for all of your successes and mistakes. Learn from your experiences and be confident that you will succeed. Believe that you can make a difference.

5. Move outside of your comfort zone, and discover new things you are good at and can be passionate about. Now is the time to pursue your dreams.

For me passion is about being happy in every moment. I am a passionate person, always looking to live my life to the fullest and make decisions that are going to make me happy. I have passion to do well in my job, to raise my kids in a loving and caring home and to have a successful marriage.

I love having passion for life, its the way god made us and intended it to be. Whether you have passion or not, we all have that emotion within us, its now up to us to bring it out and let passion drive us to do wonderful and amazing things.

Do you have passion and what are you passionate about? leave a comment

Find YOUR Inspiration!

Where do you get your inspiration from?  It could be anyone or anything that inspires you. Your parents, siblings, children, authors, teachers, co - workers, or a book you read, a quote, a blog, a story etc............

The most influential and inspirational people in our lives will affect and shape the way we live and think. I get inspired by others who make great achievements as it helps me know that if they can do it, then I can do it.

I love  inspirational quotes of the day books, that give you something to think about each day. If you need it buy one. They will help you to focus on something different everyday.
The best motivation comes from within us. You must motivate yourself everyday.

True happiness comes from within YOU.  As in any situation, your reaction determines whether the event is stressful for you or not. It is the same with happiness.

Every morning, say to yourself, "I am happy today", then you will be. Whenever you get stressed, just mentally tell yourself"I am happy today", the stress will be there, but your reaction will be minimal.
That person who always has a smile and goes about his day happily, wont experience stress the same way that a stressed person does. He is happy, and being happy allows the stress make less of a impact on you.

So, make your determination every morning. Remind yourself with sticky notes all over the house and at work ' I AM HAPPY TODAY'
Say it aloud to yourself often throughout the day, especially on those days where there may be stress. If you keep on saying it, you will believe it.
Then, put a smile on your face and confront the world. When you are happy, you have the world in your hands and can achieve anything YOU want to!

Take some time out for YOU!

It so important to have some time for YOU. We get caught up in day to day life so much that we forget how to have some down time, relax and just enjoy.

As a mother its so easy to keep on going and doing the things that have to be done for others, and forget about yourself. I always make a conscious decision to do things for me. No matter how little, I do it. It helps me feel that I am worth it and important, and I am!

Usually the evenings when the kids are asleep and hubby is home, I do my shopping, or catch up with a friend for coffee, or go get a massage or a haircut. Sometimes its just watching a movie or reading a book, but its MY time.

No matter who you are or what your responsibilities are, you still need to take time out, to rejuvenate.

Do you take some time out for you? leave a comment

Be Confident and Be Yourself!

Its so easy to lose confidence these days. Self confidence is about believing in what you can do, and having a positive impression of yourself. Its all about how you think of yourself.  Positive self talk is a great way to build confidence.

No matter what you look like or who you are, you must be confident in who YOU are, the things you like, the things you dream of and definitely dont change for anyone!

You are who you are, and you can only learn and get better for yourself!  Be surrounded by positive people, get rid of any negativity in your life, and live life confidently!

Keep on telling yourself that you are confident and it will grow on you and you will be really be confident. Keep on telling yourself that you are beautiful and talented and amazing and a great person and you will believe it. Once its in your head, you will have the self confidence you need.

Dont let anyone or anything put you down. Dont worry about what other people think of you. Its all about you and what you want. When you start feeling self conscious or critical of yourself, think of the positive aspects, and focus on positivity.

Do things to make you feel confident. Exercise a little every day or a few times a week. It will boost your energy. Dress the way that you want to dress, it doesn't matter what others think.

The key to building self confidence is making yourself feel good about yourself.

What do you do to boost your confidence? leave a comment