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Emotions, the Mind-Body Connection

January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Janie Behr -

“A feeling sparked in your mind will translate as a peptide being released somewhere (in your body). Peptides regulate every aspect of your body, from whether you’re going to digest your food properly to whether you’re going to destroy a tumor cell.” – Dr. Candace Pert, internationally recognized pharmacologist, prolific speaker, and author, from her book Molecules of Emotion: the Scientific Basis behind Mind Body Medicine.

As the quote above describes, the human brain produces biochemicals that are received by every cell throughout the body. The mind-the thinking part of the brain-interprets the process as “emotions.” Dr. Candace Pert’s research began with her study of the way our brains, minds, and bodies respond to the drug morphine. When patients are in pain, they will experience not just their physical pain, but their emotional state or how they are “feeling.” The emotional state of the patient will probably be anxious, irritable, maybe hopeless, and possibly even angry. However, once morphine is administered to the patient and the cells begin to receive the molecules of the chemical through the bloodstream, the pain subsides and the patient begins to feel, among other things, euphoria-a medically recognized state of emotionally intense pleasure and happiness.

Importantly, Dr. Pert’s research discovered that molecules of a biochemical substance altered the patient’s emotional state. Dr. Pert went on to discover that the human brain produces opiate‐like molecules similar to morphine, called endorphins, which are the body’s own natural mood enhancers and/or painkillers. As her research developed further, she discovered that every single human emotion corresponds to a biochemical substance that is produced by the brain and spread throughout every single cell in the body.

According to Dr. Pert’s research, the chemical seeds of happiness and unhappiness are actually produced within each of us. Yes, the production of the chemical substances our body interprets as “happiness” can be triggered on or off by an external event or words spoken, but we can also control the internal production of happiness regardless of the circumstances. We can literally choose happiness and produce the feeling in spite of what is going on around us.So by this we can safely establish that a thing or an event is not happiness. Happiness is not a new home or new car. Happiness is not a new relationship. There are many people that are miserable with all of the same things or events that someone else is miserable without.

Check in tomorrow to see why people are waiting for happiness and what we can do to change it!

Janie Behr is a qualified life coach specializing in helping people find their purpose, achieve their goals, and explore all the possibilities that life has to offer. She is available for private individual coaching, group coaching and public speaking engagements. She runs frequent teleseminars dedicated to helping people find and live their most positive lives! For more information please visit http://www.janiebehr.com.

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Improve Your Well-Being – How Your Attitude to Health Can Help

September 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

By William Newart -

What is Health?

How do you define health? Is it a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being? Is it merely the absence of disease or infirmity? Or is health a resource for everyday life, rather than the objective of living; a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities?

Good health is harder to define than bad health (which can be equated with the presence of disease), because it must convey a concept more positive than mere absence of disease, and there is a variable area between health and disease. Health is clearly a complex, multidimensional concept. Health is, ultimately, poorly defined and difficult to measure, despite impressive efforts by epidemiologists, vital statisticians, social scientists and political economists. Each individual’s health is shaped by many factors, including medical care, social circumstances, and behavioral choices.

Health Care

While it is true to say that health care is the prevention, treatment and management of illness, and the preservation of mental and physical well-being, through the services offered by the medical, nursing and allied health professions, health-related behavior is influenced by our own values, which are determined by upbringing, by example, by experience, by the company one keeps, by the persuasive power of advertising (often a force of behavior that can harm health), and by effective health education. Healthy individuals are able to mobilize all their physical, mental, and spiritual resources to improve their chances of survival, to live happy and fulfilling lives, and to be of benefit to their defendants and society.

Achieving health, and remaining healthy, is an active process. Natural health is based on prevention, and on keeping our bodies and minds in good shape. Health lies in balancing these aspects within the body through a regimen consisting of diet, exercise, and regulation of the emotions. The last of these is too often ignored when health advice is dispensed, but can have a pronounced effect on physical well-being.

Diet

Every day, or so it seems, new research shows that some aspect of lifestyle – physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and so on – affects health and longevity. Physical fitness is good bodily health, and is the result of regular exercise, proper diet and nutrition, and proper rest for physical recovery. The field of nutrition also studies foods and dietary supplements that improve performance, promote health, and cure or prevent disease, such as fibrous foods to reduce the risk of colon cancer, or supplements with vitamin C to strengthen teeth and gums and to improve the immune system. When exercising, it becomes even more important to have a good diet to ensure that the body has the correct ratio of macro nutrients whilst providing ample micro nutrients; this is to aid the body in the recovery process following strenuous exercise.

If you’re trying to lose weight by “dieting”, don’t call it a diet, first of all – successful dieters don’t call what they do a “diet”. A healthy diet and regular physical activity are both important for maintaining a healthy weight. Even literate, well-educated people sometimes have misguided views about what makes or keeps them healthy, often believing that regular daily exercise, regular bowel movements, or a specific dietary regime will alone suffice to preserve their good health. Despite the ever-changing, ever-conflicting opinions of the medical experts as to what is good for us, one aspect of what we eat and drink has remained constantly agreed by all: a balanced diet.

A balanced diet comprises a mixture of the main varieties of nutriments (protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins). Proper nutrition is just as, if not more, important to health as exercise. If you’re concerned about being overweight, you don’t need to add the extra stress of “dieting”. No “low-fat this” or “low-carb that”; just healthful eating of smaller portions, with weight loss being a satisfying side effect. Improve health by eating real food in moderation. (For many reasons, not everyone has easy access to or incentives to eat a balanced diet. Nevertheless, those who eat a well-balanced diet are healthier than those who do not.)

Exercise

Physical exercise is considered important for maintaining physical fitness and overall health (including healthy weight), building and maintaining healthy bones, muscles and joints, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system. Aerobic exercises, such as walking, running and swimming, focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance and muscle density. Anaerobic exercises, such as weight training or sprinting, increase muscle mass and strength. Proper rest and recovery are also as important to health as exercise, otherwise the body exists in a permanently injured state and will not improve or adapt adequately to the exercise. The above two factors can be compromised by psychological compulsions (eating disorders, such as exercise bulimia, anorexia, and other bulimias), misinformation, a lack of organization, or a lack of motivation.

Ask your doctor or physical therapist what exercises are best for you. Your doctor and/or physical therapist can recommend specific types of exercise, depending on your particular situation. You can use exercises to keep strong and limber, improve cardiovascular fitness, extend your joints’ range of motion, and reduce your weight. You should never be too busy to exercise. There’s always a way to squeeze in a little exercise, no matter where you are. Eliminate one or maybe even two items from your busy schedule to free up time to fit in some exercise and some “YOU” time. Finding an exercise partner is a common workout strategy.

Emotions

You may have heard about the benefits of diet and exercise ad nauseam, but may be unaware of the effect that your emotions can have on your physical well-being and, indeed, your longevity. Like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life. Mental health is how we think, feel, and act in order to face life’s situations. Prolonged psychological stress may have a negative impact on health, such as weakening the immune system.

Children are particularly vulnerable. Caring for and protecting a child’s mental health is a major part of helping that child to grow into a normal adult, accepted into society. Mental health problems are not just a passing phase. Children are at greater risk for developing mental health problems when certain factors occur in their lives or environments. Mental health problems include depression, bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia and conduct disorder. Do your best to provide a safe and loving home and community for your child, as well as nutritious meals, regular health check-ups, immunisations and exercise. Many children experience mental health problems that are real and painful, and they can be severe. Mental health problems affect at least one in every five young people at any given time. Tragically, an estimated two-thirds of all young people with mental health problems are not getting the help they need. Mental health problems can lead to school failure, alcohol or other drug abuse, family discord, violence, or even suicide. A variety of signs may point to a possible mental health problem in a child or teenager. Talk to your doctor, a school counselor, or other mental health professionals who are trained to assess whether your child has a mental health problem.

Control your emotions. If a driver overtakes you on the wrong side, or pulls out of a side road in front of you, don’t seethe with rage and honk your horn; You’re hurting no one but yourself by raising your blood pressure. Anger has been linked to heart disease, and research has suggested that hardening of the arteries occurs faster in people who score highly in hostility and anger tests. Stay calm in such situations, and feel proud of yourself for doing so. Take comfort in the knowledge that such aggressive drivers only increase their own blood pressure. Your passengers will be more impressed with your “cool” than with your irascibility.

If you are in a constant rush, feeling that every second of your life counts, just slow down a little. Yes, every second does count, but consider the concept of quality of life. Compare how you feel when you’re in a hurry with how you feel when you’re not. Which feels better? Rushing everywhere increases your stress level. The body tries to overcome stress by making certain physiological adjustments. Some time after you slow down, the physiological adjustments and the stress symptoms revert to normal. If you don’t ever slow down, the physiological adjustments and the stress symptoms persist. It is this persistence of the body’s response that matters. You may develop physical, physiological or psychological problems, and may not be able to lead a normal life. Many cases of stress are somehow connected with money, or rather the lack of it. Such people struggle to make ends meet or to acquire more material possessions. This brings us to our final discussion: attitude.

Attitude

It is always pleasant to enjoy the fruits of our labors, of course. Sometimes, however, it seems that whatever we do, it’s just not enough to be able to afford that new car or that foreign holiday. So, what do we usually do then? We work harder, longer; we increase the stress on our minds and bodies; we spend less time with our families and friends; we become more irascible and less likeable people. If you find yourself in this situation, just stop for a moment, and consider: Is it all worth it? What is the purpose of life? Surely it is to be happy. You’ll probably be happier if you adopt the philosophy that true quality of life is not to be found in material things. If you convince yourself that you want less, you’ll need less. If you need less, you’ll cope with life more easily, and the happier, and therefore healthier, you’ll be. Buddha called this “enlightenment”. Enjoy a “good-health attitude”. Focus on your abilities instead of disabilities. Be satisfied with what you have, rather than be dissatisfied about what you don’t have and probably never will have.

If you simply cannot cope with a healthy diet, exercise and emotional control, but genuinely prefer to eat junk food, be permanently drunk, be under constant stress, and be disliked by others, then enjoy your life while it lasts, but understand that the trade-off is that it will probably not last long. If you accept this willingly, you’ll be happy. There is some merit in the philosophy that it is better to live a short, happy life than a long, miserable one.

Conclusion

Personal or individual health is largely subjective. For most individuals and for many cultures, however, health is a philosophical and subjective concept, associated with contentment, and often taken for granted when all is going well. The evidence that behavioral factors such as diet, physical activity, smoking and stress influence health is overwhelming. Thus, health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society. Perhaps the best thing you can do for your health is to keep a positive attitude. Optimal health can be defined as a balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual health. Maintain a positive attitude!

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April 9, 2011 – Emotions

April 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf.

~ Jonatan Mårtensson

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Release Stress and Anxiety – Learn to Breathe Fully to Live Fully!

December 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

By Donna Packard -

Do you know that most people are breathing barely enough to be alive? Most people breathe in a shallow manner, just bringing the breath barely into the chest. We have been conditioned to hold in our stomachs, and to wear tight clothing, inhibiting our ability to breathe fully. Have you watched a new baby breathing? The baby’s belly rises with the inhale and falls gently with the exhale. It’s kind of like watching the ocean waves rising and falling in a natural rhythm. There is no pause between the inhale and the exhale. This is our natural breathing rhythm.

Many of us have shut down our breathing, and no longer breathe in this natural rhythm due to stressors, repressed emotions, fears, anxiety, etc. that we have experienced throughout our lifetimes. Think of what happens when you get anxious in traffic, for instance. Chances are you are holding your breath.

Our culture has taught us to repress many of our emotions and feelings. If someone is crying, what do we do? We try to get them to stop, where, if we simply allowed them this space to feel, they would move through the feelings, or ‘storm’, clearing them from their emotional and physical bodies. It’s like the ocean that has storms and clears to peaceful sea. Unfortunately, when we repress feelings, they are held in the body’s memory and we begin to breathe in a more shallow way to hold the feelings in.

Additionally, we carry a lot of stress in our bodies. If we are breathing fully, we cannot hold stress in the body. Yet, most of us carry stressors around for many years! For instance, let’s say you have an argument with a loved one or a boss or friend. Your stress level goes way up, and, ideally, it would be best to find a way to relax and bring it back down as soon as possible. Instead, you carry it with you.You think about it later in the day and your stress level rises again. You may think about it the next day and the same thing happens, or months later. Sometimes years later, you are still carrying that residual tension around with you. And, chances are, you are not breathing as fully because of it. This is where we get into trouble, for carrying this stress around with us leads to dis-ease. Most diseases are related to stress in one form or another. I have heard that cancer cannot live in cells that are oxygenated and there are studies that show that heart patients have not had reoccurence of their problems once they learned to breathe fully.

It’s also fascinating how when we learn to breathe fully, not only do we learn ways to relax and relieve stress, we begin to live more fully. It is as if we get back in touch with what is in our hearts, our True Selves, and, often, we also reconnect with our Source, in whatever form and way we each view that. In working with hundreds of people over the years, teaching them how to repattern their breathing, I have witnessed many many people finding a place of inner serenity, of peace. Oftentimes, they were embraced by the consciousness of pure Love.

So, I ask you, in this moment, to take a breath in and out. Does your breathing feel restricted? Ideally, a full breath fills your belly like it is filling a balloon, then rises up through your chest and then releases freely. It may be likened to the ocean waves, where the wave rises in the belly, flows into the shore (the chest) and then flows back out, as the exhale. And, then flows in again, with no pause between the inhale and exhale, in a perfect circle of breathing, flowing in and out freely.

It may be helpful to imagine you are filling a jug with your breath. You fill all the way to the bottom when inhaling, the bottom being the top of your pubic bone, and then filling the jug with the air all the way to the top, which you may imagine as the throat area or even to the top of your head.

I invite you, in this moment, to practice breathing fully and freely.

Exercises:

1. Lie down and place one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest. Breathe in your normal fashion. Which hand rises as you inhale? Since many people are shallow breathers, breathing only into the chest. You may find that the hand on the chest raises up with the inhale. Practice bringing the inhale deep into your belly and fill your belly with the air, like you are filling a balloon. You may want to place a small pillow on your abdomen to see if it is rising as you inhale. (One woman I worked with would have her small dog lie on her belly to watch to see if it she was raising him up and down as the breath moved into her belly:-) ) This type of breathing may take practice and, at first, may seem like a lot of work. Yet, in the end, you will be happy you learned to breathe deeply. Getting the breath into your belly is the first step.

2. Once you are able to breathe deeply into your belly, as in step 1. above, next you want to practice bringing the breath into your belly, as above, and then continue to bring it from there up through your chest and heart, and then release it. Breathe in, pull up and release. Do not force the exhale, let it fall like a sigh. Then breathe in again, with no pause between the exhale and inhale and breathe again deeply into your belly. Practice for 5 minutes to start.

3. Begin to notice throughout the day whether you are breathing or not. You may find various times you are holding your breath or not breathing fully. Remind yourself from time to time to take a deep breath! The more fully you breathe, the more fully alive you will be.

When you begin breathing more fully, at first, you may experience different sensations in your body which may not be used to getting as much oxygen. You may feeling tingling in your hands, or face, or feet, or other places. You may feel uncomfortable feelings in various parts of your body at first. You may feel feelings! Just feel what you feel and keep breathing through it! Know it is safe to breathe! The breath carries what gives you life.

Breathe Fully and Live Fully!

Many blessings and remember to Breathe Peace in each moment, Donna Packard, M.Ed., “The Inspirer” http://www.BreathePeace.com

Copyright 2009 Donna Packard. All rights reserved. Please feel free to pass this lesson along, or reprint it, and invite/encourage others to be a part of the Breathe Peace movement. Just be sure to include my name as the author and the website contact information as listed above.

I invite you, in this moment, to Breathe Peace, Donna L. Packard, M.Ed., “The Inspirer”
http://www.BreathePeace.com
E-mail: info@breathepeace.com

Relax, reconnect, move into a consciousness of Love. Learn to Breathe Peace.http://www.breathepeace.com for free mini-lesson series, information, resources,
and more!

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Happiness Is A Choice – 3 Keys To Choosing Happiness

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

By Jason Osborn -

Did you know that happiness is a choice? I know it doesn’t always seem like it but it is. Just think about it. How can someone who has everything in life be miserable and yet someone that hardly has anything can be amazingly happy? It comes down to what they choose. Happiness is a choice that you must make. Here are 3 keys to help you choose happiness.

1. Don’t be led by emotions.

Emotions are very powerful but can be dangerous if you don’t control them. If you are led by your emotions it will be difficult to continually be happy. You see, emotions change with every little thing that happens if you let them. Happiness is a choice you have to make regardless of what outside circumstances are. The better control you have of your emotions the more you will be able to choose to be happy.

2. Set yourself up to be happy.

Most people actually set themselves up to be unhappy. They set the rules to be happy so high that it’s practically impossible to be happy. Are the rules that you have set to be happy to hard? For instance, are one of your rules for happiness that you feel happy when you successful? If so, being successful all the time is hard to do. The odds are that you will be unhappy more then you will be happy if this is your rule. Make you rules easier and you will be happier.

3. Choose your thoughts wisely.

Happiness is a choice and therefore starts in your mind. If you think on things that are unhappy you will be unhappy. Begin the process of being happy by changing what you think on. You have a choice of what you are going to dwell on so make the choice to think about happy things.

Is there greatness on the inside of you but you don’t know how to achieve it? Jason has just completed his brand new 7 part e-course, ‘Find Your Greatness’

Get it free here: Find Your Greatness

Do you want to learn how to create successful habits and goals? Download Jason’s new FREE ebook here: Goal Setting

Jason Osborn has dedicated himself to changing thousands of lives by helping people find their greatness and true potential through his Find Your Greatness Newsletter.

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2 Ways to Increase Your Productivity and Well Being by a Factor of Four Now

July 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

working woman2 (2)By Dave C Hawkins -

Parkinson’s Law:

“Parkinson’s law states that a job expands to fill the time available to accomplish the task.”

If you have two weeks to finish a 2000 word report, (providing all the information is in your head) what is the argument that having two days to finish the report will produce an inferior result?

There is no rational answer to having an extended period of time to finish the report. But crucially, having two weeks to finish it is less stressful, and this is the first message to zap our minds – on a basic level, its fear. And that’s why most people would opt for two weeks. (If we were rational creatures surely we would opt for two days and take it easy for the next 12 days…).

Parkinson’s Law is a perfect example of stage two in my system which I detail at end of the book.

So, Parkinson’s Law dictates that you would produce a better result after 2 days, rather than 14, because the information is fresher in your mind. If we can overcome instinctive decisions and understand we can ‘get 12 days off’, the benefits are clearly seen.

Eustress:

The word ‘distress’ is one that we are all familiar. So what is eustress? It’s the opposite of distress – its ‘good stress’. Is there such a thing?

Believe it or not, stress is good for us. It builds up our internal bar for appreciation, it forces growth, and it gives us a sense of achievement. In a nutshell, stress is imperative to happiness.

“Without the downs, you can’t truly appreciate the ups”

I always thought that some stress was good for us, and then I was fortunate enough to come across this term. To make it easy to understand I’ve written some real-world examples of eustress and distress below:

Eustress — running a marathon and beating your personal record.

Distress- having to perform a in a theatre production you don’t know the lines to

Eustress- stepping up to take a penalty kick in the World Cup final of football

Distress-…and missing

What distinguishes the two is how you feel after the stressful activity. In eustress you feel relief and happiness afterward. In distress you are still suffering.

Does this make sense?

Action Steps…

Can you see how Parkinson’s law would make you more effective and productive?

Can you see how an understanding of eustress would make you more effective and healthier?

Do you have a greater understand of what stress is now?

Do you think that in the future you can now identify whether stress is eustress or distress, and act accordingly?

Do you agree that by understanding these concepts you can increase your productivity NOW?

This is a chapter from my free 130 page eBook on emotional intelligence. You can get the free eBook, 17 Reasons Why You Need Emotional Intelligence at http://www.emotionali.com/

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Gold from Google

June 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

mind

By Irene Conlan -

The video today is a “must see” for those of  you who are interested in the brain, how to think more positively or how emotions organize the brain either positively or negatively.

It is a video of a talk given by Dr. Rick Hanson, author of Buddha Brain, to the employees of Google.The talk is titled, “Neuroscience of Happiness Love and Wisdom.” The talk is a mixture of brain anatomy and physiology (briefly), how the brain is affected by certain emotions and how it is prone to take in anything negative rather than those things that are  positive. In short, his talk is a combination of psychology, neurology and contemplation.

Isn’t that what we all want? Isn’t that why you read the Self Improvement Blog – because you’re seeking:

  • Happiness
  • Love, and
  • Wisdom?

I am not going to try to reproduce it here or paraphrase it. I am simply going to urge you to click the picture of Dr. Rich  Hanson in the lower right corner of  this page and watch it for yourself. It’s an hour long and well worth spending the time for.

To visit his website go to http://www.rickhanson.net/

Enjoy.

 

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A Weight Loss Update

March 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

scalesBy Irene Conlan -

For those of you who have been following this blog for a while, you may know that I have been on a very restricted food program to lose weight. I was in trouble. Serious trouble. I had a minor stroke and was having heart problems. Something had to be done.

I had gained the weight after a bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Even though I had not changed my eating patterns, I started gaining and went from a size 6 to 18 in a very short period of time. This continued for several years. I tried diet after diet and nothing worked. I even had a doctor tell me to forget it because people “my age” can’t l ose weight. I exercised and I starved but the weight didn’t move. Finally, I decided to take the doctor’s advice and forget it.

I must confess that, even though I didn’t overeat – and my friends and family will attest to that – I ate the wrong things. But eating the right things didn’t work, either. I gave up.

When I started having some health challenges I changed doctors. The first thing the new doctor asked me is, “What are you doing about your weight?” I told her my story. She gave me the card of an internist who specialized in weight loss and this time it is working. I can’t discuss the diet because 1) it is individualized for me and 2) it needs strict supervision by a doctor.

To date I have lost 90 (yes, ninety) pounds.

I have tried to be very aware of the changes that are taking place physically and emotionally and it is interesting being a witness to my own changes.

The physical changes are becoming more and more apparent. But for starters I feel better. My blood pressure is down to an average of 130/80 from an average of 180/110. What a relief that is. My knees no longer hurt all the time nor does my back. The one and a half block walk to the grocery store used to be more than I could handle and now I walk a mile daily without getting winded. I increase the distance and pace on a regular basis and it is exhilarating to be out in the fresh air and sunshine again. I can reach my feet and tie my shoes and my balance has improved. Everything about my body seems to be better and I am deeply grateful.

The emotional side is very interesting  to me. While the diet is very limited I haven’t minded it. It has been exciting to step on the scale every day and see that it has gone down another mark. This has been consistent since I started last July.  And each time I reach what I consider a major milestone I have my own little foodless celebration that spurs me on.

I hadn’t realized  that being that heavy had taken its toll on my self esteem but it had – big time. I was staying home most of the time because I didn’t want to be seen and I literally had nothing to wear. Fashion for fat ladies in virtually non existent and there is little selection. I had stopped thinking about ever having a relationship and had capitulated to the thought of being alone for the rest of my life. I considered my situation hopeless. After 15 years nothing had helped and I thought I had tried everything. I wan’t depressed but you could see depression from there. I was very unhappy with how I felt and how I looked.

I’m not finished yet. I go on vacation from the diet for three weeks beginning Monday and during that time I’m going on vacation, literally.  My brother has a condo in La Paz and I’m going to spend a couple of weeks with him enjoying the beaches of the Baja peninsula. When I return  I go back on the diet  for the last leg of my weight loss journey.  I will be finished by summer.

I am already able to buy clothes in regular sizes and what a joy that is. No more “fat ladies’ catalog” shopping for me. I will have a great shopping trip when I get back to a size 6 or even 8. (Hey, I’m thrilled to have a size that doesn’t have an X in it).

My point in telling you all these details is this: If you have a serious weight problem, there is hope for you. If you absolutely hate being in large sizes and having your health suffer from the excess weight you carry, don’t give up. I am in my “older years” and if I can do it, you can, too. The first step is to make a commitment to yourself to do it no matter what it takes. Find a doctor in your area who can help you. There are bariatric physicians now who specialize in weight loss. Find several and find out what their program is. Pick one and do it.

Your body will thank you.

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Focus on Joy to Manifest Happiness

October 24, 2009 By 1 Comment

blue-butterflyBy Ali Bierman –

Whatever you focus on expands. To feel joy think thoughts that let you feel joyful. Simple, yes? Ah, here comes the challenge-you cannot think joyous thoughts now and then during the day. You must think joyous thoughts most of the day to live in a joyful state.

You want to continue this new behavior until you establish the habit of feeling joyful. Yes, living in joy is a habit you can create. What is so good about habits? You do them without thinking. They become automatic–operating out of your awareness.

Think about learning to drive a car. You had to learn how to start the car, shift gears, use the brake and accelerator, etc. You focused your mind continually, monitoring every aspect of making that car move and stop safely. You paid attention at 100%–no cell phone conversation, etc.

In time your driving became automatic. Now you just get in, start the motor and off you go. You can talk with others (cell phones still pose safety questions for drivers) and eat and still drive safely, right?

The same holds true for creating a new behavior. First you repeat it over and over until it becomes a habit.

The more you think and therefore feel joy in your life, the easier it becomes to stay in those thoughts and produce that kind of energy. Your emotions and muscles wire together. In fact, neural networks form “tying” together joyful feelings with joyful thoughts. Your physical body will also assume certain postures that get wired into those Joy Networks.

Every time you think, feel or perform an action that triggers part of that network, guess what-the entire Joy Network kicks into action! Soon (for most people that period is about 28 days) joyful thinking replaces your old habits that left you feeling crummy at worst and ho hum at best.

Twenty-eight days. Hmm. is your well being worth making a concentrated effort for twenty-eight days? You see, you will not have to wait twenty-eight days for your world to look different or for good things to happen regularly. In fact, that shift will happen the very first day you apply attention to how you feel and shift into joy whenever you slip away from it.

Ali Bierman is an expert at showing people how to get unstuck. Want to learn more about what keeps you from being happier? Download her free ebook NOW at: http://www.creatingthelife.com/ebook2.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Bierman

Filed Under: Habit management, Self Esteem, Self Improvement Tagged With: , , , , ,

Your Emotional Health Affects Your Heart Health

October 1, 2009 By 1 Comment

man-in-mirrorBy Lori Lowe -

Since heart disease is the #1 killer of both men and women in this country, you should be very concerned about the health of your heart and your partner’s heart. Barbara Bush is recovering from heart surgery, and Robin Williams is about to have the same surgery. Former President George Bush nearly broke down providing an update, showing his deep care and concern for wife of 65 years. Most families have some history with the disease.

In a just-released research report, researchers from the University of Utah show that in addition to known risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, the quality of emotional lives impacts our risk of heart disease.

One fact suggested by the data is that a history of divorce is linked to heart disease. Another is that an unhappy or strained marriage can lead to high blood pressure, obesity and high blood sugar, particularly in women. This can put them at higher risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Hormonal affects of stress appear to contribute to health problems.

The researchers say that “women appear to be more sensitive and responsive to relationship problems than men” … and that “those problems could harm their health.” The fact that women are more sensitive shouldn’t come as a surprise to us, but I do wonder if more sensitive men are equally affected. In any case, here are some conclusions we should have known all along:

News flash to all husbands: Your wives are sensitive and should be treated with care.
News flash to all couples: harboring anger and frequently arguing is bad for your health.

A study released last year seems to show the flip side of this, that daily cortisol patterns (an indicator of stress) are linked to marital satisfaction for women but not men,” said co-author Rena Repetti, a UCLA professor in the department of psychology.

Men showed their cortisol levels drop dramatically after a busy day. Happily married women saw this benefit, but unhappily married women did not.

“Past research has found that men appear to get a health and longevity boost from marriage, while for women, being married is only beneficial insofar as the marriage is high-quality,” Repetti said. “This study is the first to point to daily cortisol fluctuations as a specific pathway through which marital quality affects health for women but not men.”

Repetti explains, “It may be that a chronically unhappy marriage creates multiple occasions everyday when the wife needs to mount a stress response, putting her cortisol levels on a kind of roller coaster ride. The system is under more wear and tear. It’s like driving a car in traffic conditions that are constantly stop and go. You need to repeatedly step on the gas and apply the brakes, step on the gas, apply the breaks. Over time, you create a less reliable system. You don’t stop and re-accelerate as quickly. You don’t recover as quickly.”

My thought is that women frequently care for those around them and don’t prioritize their own needs. Don’t let a heart attack be the first sign that you need to take better care of yourself and your emotional health. If you feel you have an unhappy marriage, please seek out a good marriage counselor.

You’ve heard of people who died of a broken heart-is your emotional heart closely connected with your heart health? What do you need to do to improve your emotional health and reduce stress levels?

Sources: News reports at CBC News, MSNBC.com and Scientific Blogging.

Lori Lowe is a writer and communications consultant from Indianapolis. Her blog http://www.lorilowe.wordpress.com encourages couples in their marriages and family relationships. Subscribe today to read a positive voice in your inbox.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Lowe

Filed Under: Emotional Health, Health, Intellectual Health, Physical Health Tagged With: , ,
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