Relax & Detress.

Hello, my name is Shawn and I’m a thrifty thrift store lover. I can think of no better way to spend an afternoon than getting amongst the treasures of a great second hand store! Thankfully, I have a family that loves the same thing!

Whilst thrift store shopping, I found a great book titled, ‘1001 Ways to Relax’ by Susannah Marriott. I am all for relaxing and never used to be able to do it.

So, every now and then I’ll grab a hint from her book and let you know what I’ve discovered. Her first suggestion in the book??

De-stress. Sounds great!

Find a way to quelch the chaos – even if it means telling others that you need to pull back on the hectic schedules and re-establish some structure instead of feeling like the roller coaster is heading off of the rails. We all have to do it – but once we do, when the dust settles, we are better for it – and far less stressed.

 

 

In love with the tub pictured? I am too! I found it here.

Some suggestion to deal with stress include;

1.> Think positive – if our attitude is positive, the day will be too. Things won’t get to us the way they do when we always think they will. Practice this! If you find negative thoughts creeping in – get rid of em!

2.> Rearrange your day – to ensure everything you intend to do in a day gets accomplished, rearranging a few things makes a huge difference. Learning to eliminate the things you feel you must do versus what you have to do and want to do takes a bit of time, practice and awareness.

3.> Take a meditation class. This is a great idea – and if you are like my family, where a mediation class would be a 2 ½ hour drive, you use YouTube. It’s there for a reason.

4.> Morning meditation. Imagine your thoughts as a projection on a screen, then imagine a blank screen. This allows us to reconnect with our positive side, brushing away the useless thoughts and focusing on the true intentions of the day.

 

Taking time for ourselves isn’t something we can shrug off – it is a necessity.

I used to be the type of person who would arrive home with a headache after work, have a nap after eating a heaping helping of some sort of micro-waved garbage and then lay around all night, miserable and in physical pain. I thought taking a day off from life and getting some ‘me time’ wasn’t deserved or warranted. I had a lot of confused thinking about stress and how to deal with it – especially since I didn’t believe I had any in my life.

There are so many wonderful ways to relax in this book – 1001 to be exact!

More to come soon!

Something to Ponder - Volume I

I have lists - files and folders filling with tidbits of information that I want to share with the world. Instead, I intend to get it posted here, in whatever format I can muster, for your learning enjoyment.

Thing #1: "Eating: The Movie" is a must see so be sure to add it to your list of DVD's to watch soon!

This movie really helped me to understand how deluded my thinking about food had gotten.  I recommend it!

Thing #2:  Silicone Gel Implants cause autoimmune diseases. 

Seriously. 

Ask Pamela Anderson.

Thing #3: Positive Thinking can heal.  I know this to be 100% true. Interested? Email me, we'll chat.

Thing #4: Cancer thrives in a low oxygen environment. Lack of fresh air causes low oxygen in the body - so get out there and move yours!

Thing #5: Prednizone: This is the latest drug of choice. It causes autoimmune disease, peptic ulcers, mental psychosis, bone softening, easy fractures, excessive facial hair, acne, metabolic disturbances and an inability to process fats. 

Thing #6: The ALUMINUM in antacids seems to lead to ALS.

Thing #7: Multiple Sclerosis sufferers experienced great success by increasing water intake and eliminating dairy, meat and sugars.

Thing #8: Alzheimer's. The adult human brain weighs 3.5 pounds when hydrated properly. Our brains are made up of 85% water. When we neglect ourselves and do not take in sufficient water, our brains can weigh as little as 10 ounces. 

Alzheimers is said to be caused by an extreme lack of hydration, yet patients are given diuretics, removing the much needed water.

Thing #9: When we don't drink enough water, our body can't make enough serum to produce blood volume. 

We all need blood, so getting enough water is something to be sure we do!

Thing #10: You're awesome - thanks for stopping by today!

The Non-Existence of Stress

What is the number one thing that 'gets to people?' If you answered 'stress' - you're right! Stress is the number one killer of human beings as far as any stats person can figure out to date. Over and above every single other thing in our lives, stress is the first 'danger area' we need to worry about when it comes to health.

People take pills for it, others carry it between their shoulder blades for years and then become ill, and there are still others that talk about how busy they are constantly and always look like they just drank six pots of coffee.

Yet 'stress' doesn't exist.

Did you catch that? It DOES NOT EXIST.

Wayne Dyer, self development guru said it best, "If I asked you to go out and bring me back a bucket of stress, you couldn't do it."

Think about that.......we couldn't even bring back a handful of stress. Why not?

Stress is something that is only created out of thinking about it. It isn't something we can hold in our hands or load into the car on the way to work, yet it kills more of us than anything else?

We need to re-think stress - and I mean that literally. When we begin to create hurt in our own lives through simple thoughts repeated and believed constantly - we're going in the wrong direction. 

There are tonnes of ways to de-stress, de-compress and relax after a long productive day. The catch is that if we aren't having a productive day, that may very well be the reason we're feeling stress..

We thrive on doing, creating, interacting. When we don't do those things, we start to fade. Fears climb aboard and then we're really in for a ride!

We get so 'busy' working on other projects that we forget the most important one - ourselves. There will be no projects to do if we aren't there to do them, so focusing on ensuring we are all in a place where we can function and still feel good is crucial.

I mentioned the many ways of releasing stress. Some really simple, cost-free examples are listening to your favorite music (crank it!), going for a walk (force yourself), talking to a confidante, writing, painting, playing with our pets (this is a great one!) or reading and learning something new.

I've asked others why it is so difficult for us to do these things when it is so important to our wellness. The one answer I got the most was, 'because no one will pay you to do those things.' This being true doesn't change the fact that it is crucial for well being. One evening without a television, surrounded by paints or loved ones and a board games is going to change minds if we just try it. 

Unpack the stress suitcases and let's get moving forward!