Adapting to Stress

 By: Erica Eddleman

 Photo: 3.bp.blogspot.com

"Where do I start?"

That’s the same question I asked myself over 11 years ago.  As a sophomore in college, I anxiously questioned the direction of my life.  There are many transitional moments in the course of our lifetimes that spark similar questions. "What do I want now?" "Why am I in this situation?" "How can I change things?" From such introspective moments we can often obtain the right answers.  And sometimes those answers may lead to an inspired life, which is exactly what happened to me.

After much study and practice in holistic health and wellness, I came to believe that in order to build an ideal life we must build a solid foundation, and the foundation we must invest in is in our health. I’m referring to our whole health, or wholeness, as the origin of the word denotes. The online etymology dictionary defines health as, "wholeness, a being whole, sound or well."

(http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=health )

Whole health or wholeness is more encompassing than what’s practiced in allopathic medicine. Wholeness is even more engaging than what an acupuncturist or naturopath can treat. True whole health requires the highest level of personal responsibility. It incorporates all of the dimensions of our being: physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual. Whole health is the result of embodying whole consciousness, and that is a whole lot.

There are many systems that outline a path toward wholeness and you may already have a routine that works for you. Likely it may include exercise, meditation and a nutrition regimen, and, when followed diligently, it works.  However there are times when we are unable to apply our routine and there are times when maintaining healthful habits seem impractical.

Why? What happens then? Why are those times tougher than others? Does something get in our way?

That something is known as stress. It sounds like a mischievous goblin looking to sabotage everything that hard work builds. Think about it. When someone describes an obstacle, more often than not, stress is the culprit. Call it an invisible sidekick to adversity. Fortunately, stress isn’t a masked bandit running amuck, and we can better manage its impact on our lives.

For many of us, the word stress is somewhat ambiguous. Wikipedia states, "stress is how the body reacts to a stressor, real or imagined, a stimulus that causes stress."  According to another definition, stress relates to the pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another. The source of the tension is a stressor, and the quantity, quality and duration of the tension helps to categorize it as a specific type of stressor. To better understand stress, we need to take a closer look at the types of stressors:

• Mental stressors—all mental illness, chronic unresolved issues, major life changes, overburdened with responsibility, self-image issues, and obsessive thinking

• Emotional stressors—anger, rage, irritability, worry, anxiety, fear, fright, terror, depression, desire, lust, sadness, grief, and over-excitement

• Physical stressors—too much strenuous activity such as overwork and too much exercise, physical trauma, starvation, medical issues, suffocation, alcohol and drug use, lack of sleep, illness, and child-birth

• Environmental stressors—sudden changes in climate or exposure to severe climate conditions, electromagnetic waves (Wi-Fi networks), excessive exposure to sun, exposure to harmful microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, molds, and parasites), exposure to chemical toxins (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, heavy metals, households and industrial chemicals); also, consumption of nutritionally deficient foods such as refined foods, irradiated foods, trans fats, caffeine and other stimulants

• Spiritual stressors—loss of direction and life purpose

As we can see there are many kinds of stressors. Certainly, it is important to minimize our exposure to unnecessary stressors even though stressors are a part of life. Therefore our focus should be on how we process stress.  Our bodies metabolize stress in two different ways; either as helpful eustress, which is anabolic in nature (meaning it builds us up) or as destructive distress, which is catabolic (meaning it breaks us down). The old saying is true, "what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger."

Hans Selye outlined our stress response in more detail, and earned the nickname "the father of stress research." In his General Adaptation Syndrome, Selye delineates a sequence of reactions the body goes through when responding to a given stressor. First, in the alarm stage, we experience an internal alert where the body prepares for action with adrenaline and cortisol. This is commonly known as a fight-or-flight response. Next if the stressor persists, the body goes into the resistance stage. Here the body reallocates its primary force to deal with the stressor. This is the "cope and adapt…or else" stage. If the tension persists, then the body will fall into the exhaustion phase. This is the danger zone. In the exhaustion phase we are vulnerable to illness and weakness. Selye’s research proves that the key factor to our body’s survival is its ability to adapt. Our ability to adapt depends on our adaptive energy. He coined that phrase because in situations when our adaptive energy is high, we move through stress unscathed. But when our adaptive energy is low, all things can go wrong and likely do.

Bravo Hans! Good job.

The importance of adaptive energy has been a part of ancient wisdom for centuries. Adaptive energy is the same force that mystics and scholars realized is the foundation for spiritual growth, as well as physical health and well-being. They called it prana, ki or qi (sounds like chi). Because of its vital significance, sages of antiquity sought out ways of enhancing qi.  They found help through Mother Nature. There’s an actual solution—a group of rare botanicals that enhances adaptive energy more than anything else. These plants cultivated strong adaptive power because they grow and thrive in harsh conditions. When consumed, the body absorbs their extra adaptive power. In Chinese Medicine these plants are called tonic herbs for their tonifying effects. This group of herbs is also found within Ayurveda’s rasayan formulas for spiritual alchemy.  As fate would have it, these botanicals were rediscovered in the West in the 1940’s when Russian scientists unlocked their secret and named them adaptogens.  The Russians used adaptogens to help alleviate the distress their Olympic athletes experienced from over-training and they were also used as healing aids after the nuclear accident in Chernobyl. Their modern research proves that adaptogens have a unique ability to bring the body to homeostasis and lessen the effects of stress on a person, be it physical, emotional, mental or environmental stress.

These herbs are amazing.  Just take a look at some of these herbs and their benefits!

American Ginseng

By far the most popular adaptogen, Ginseng (pronounced "gin-sing") is considered the most lucrative legal crop in the world. Ginseng has been used for thousands of years to prevent an extraordinary amount of problems, from premature aging, to low libido, low energy and cancer. It can, to a certain extent, be supported with scientific research regarding its anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant properties. American Ginseng is the best variety of the ginsengs because of its neutral healing properties.

Astragalus

Astragalus has been considered one of the most potent immune tonics by ancient physicians and modern researchers alike. For over 2,000 years, it has been used for lifting the mood, strengthening muscles, increasing metabolism, reducing stress, and strengthening the body as a whole.

Atractylodes

Atractylodes is a powerful energy tonic. Also, it is well-known for balancing the digestive system. It is widely used by athletes and those interested in weight loss because of its mild diuretic action, and ability to increase metabolism and vitality.

Cordyceps

Cordyceps is renowned as a powerful energy and endurance tonic, because, it increases oxygen capacity, battles weakness and fatigue, and boosts lung function and capacity. Also, it strengthens the immune system and improves sexual vitality. Cordyceps is a superstar among the longevity tonics!

Gynostemma

Gynostemma is the all-time stress-fighting botanical. Gynostemma calms the mind, eases tension in the body, and increases vitality and energy; plus, it acts as an anti-inflammatory and powerful immune tonic.

Licorice

Licorice root has been used for thousands of years to rid the body of unwanted toxins, increase energy, and harmonize herbal formulations. It is one of the most commonly used adaptogens.

Fo Ti

Also called Polygonum Multiflorum Root, it has incredible rejuvenative effects. It is often used to bring about mental clarity and to invigorate the brain. However, its real claim to fame is its ability to restore youth to a tired, old body! In China, it is said to help return an aged person to youthfulness.

Reishi Mushroom

Reishi is one of the most powerful, potent tonic herbs known to man. It is an immune booster as well as a mood regulator. It is widely used among meditators for calming the mind and inducing expanded states of consciousness.

Shiitake Mushroom

Shiitake mushroom, one of the most highly prized botanicals of Chinese and Japanese herbalism, is used to improve energy, blood circulation, and strengthen the body as a whole.

Ashwagandha

Ancient physicians have used ashwagandha for everything from hiccups to cancer. No doubt it has impressive adaptogenic properties. This powerful herb is one of the best adaptogenic herbs for restoring homeostasis!

Lycium

It is said that Lycium will brighten the eyes, promote happiness, and strengthen vitality, plus, it is a strong sexual tonic! In essence, it restores and builds the hormones that keep us vital and youthful!

Rhodiola

The story goes that those who regularly took Rhodiola lived to see 100 years. Science has now proven this herb to have powerful longevity attributes, and helps control stressful situations that lead to chronic diseases. Rhodiola also has been observed by researchers to have a potent detoxing effect on the body’s systems.

Gotu Kola

Gotu Kola boosts the body’s energy reserves, thus strengthening the brain. This is why it is referred to as a brain tonic. This action of boosting the brain by revitalizing the body’s energy is known as the "secret of immortality."

Siberian Ginseng

Siberian Ginseng strengthens sexual performance, builds energy and stamina, and improves mental abilities. It was given its fame by Russian Olympians who used it to expedite the recovery process from over-training.





Adaptogens are my safety net or insurance policy. They help me stay in control of my reaction to stress and with their help I avoid the desperate choices that I could make because of exhaustion. And most often they provide a boost of energy and mental clarity.

We are fortunate to have access to these herbs with the click of a mouse. In the book, Adaptogens; Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief, by Winston and Maimes, multi-herb formulas are recommended for the harmonizing and boosting effects. Though single herb preparations are fine, a wide array of adaptogens in a single combination prove to be more powerful and balanced. Because these herbs primarily restore balance in the body they are safe to take on a regular, long-term basis, unlike treatment-oriented formulas.

Supplementing with adaptogens is the easiest step I’ve taken to build an ideal life. Of the many choices available, my personal favorite adaptogenic product is ShenTrition. I think it is the most powerful and effective.

Do yourself a favor and take these herbs regularly! Safeguard your health and growth with adaptogens.

From her background as a dancer, qi gong and martial arts practitioner, Erica is a natural movement therapist. She built on her bachelors in health science by studying personal training, massage therapy, energy medicine, general nutrition and wellness therapies. Her goal is to empower others with the know-how and passion to live life whole.
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Simple Ways To Ensure Stress Relief

 By: Shelley Lewis

Photo:images.marthastewart.com

If you’ve been doing an internet search on stress relief, then you might have already discovered that there are more techniques and pills you could try out for every day of the year, and then some more. And many of them require you to learn a new way of breathing or spend a couple of hours doing some form of exercise, or even invest in some state of the art healing pyramid. And if this does not sound too appealing to you, then read on to find out ways in which you can get stress relief without making any drastic changes to your life as you already lead it. After all, stress is just a state of mind and by changing the way you think, you can continue in the same manner as before but with a dramatic difference to the way your mental and physical health are affected.

*Self Hypnosis

This is one of the best ways to get you to relax while heightening your sense of awareness of how your body reacts to stress. It will not only calm you down but is guaranteed to give you quick stress relief once you start practicing it regularly. And the technique is simple enough for you to teach yourself from a manual.

*How To Say ‘No’

Very often we take on more than we can chew and this is in most cases the primary reason for stress. Which is why stress relief becomes immediate if we start to change these faulty patterns of behaviour. Accepting that saying ‘no’ is the first and most necessary step towards turning your life around will help set you on the right track and bring you immediate relief.

*How To Relax At Work

Work is another reason for stress related health problems. Therefore learning how to relax at work and channelizing worry and pressure into increased levels of productivity will not only benefit you but also your projects. Immediate results are most certainly guaranteed if you start working on learning relaxation techniques immediately.

*Ways To Take A Break To Rejuvenate Your Spirit

It always helps to take a break once in a while. The most important part of this is knowing when and how to do this. And while there are different aids to help you learn this, implementing it can only come from an experiential realization that there is only so much stress your body can take.

Small positive changes that you make to your life will eventually result in significant improvements and most certainly in providing you with some stress relief. Therefore, the sooner you implement some of these ideas, the greater the likelihood of your stress dissipating without leaving behind any negative impact. There are a number of self help books available on the subject to help you with this and many of them can be purchased online. With 100% money back guarantees, you can be sure that you will get either immediate relief or be given a full refund of your investment. Buying into one of these gives you nothing to lose except the delay if you continue to remain undecided. So book your copy now to avoid disappointment on your favourite relief guide. You don’t want to be left regretting your missed opportunity, do you?

Goodbye Stress Forever is an e-book helping people learn about the ways to eliminate anxiety and stress from their daily lives.
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Do Not Suffer In Silence, Depression Is Treatable

 By: Andy Guides Jr

Photo: profile.ak.fbcdn.net

Did you know that women experience depression at a rate of 2:1 as compared to men? The reason for this, at least in part, is the large hormonal fluctuations women have throughout their lives. Men can become depressed, too, but it tends to look differently. Men usually become hostile and angry, not withdrawn and inward. They also are prone to avoiding treatment. Men commit suicide at a rate of 4:1 compared to women. The elderly also fall ill and often fail to get treatment. Well-meaning family members may think that the behavior of their elderly relative is just due to the aging process. This is not necessarily the case.

Despite common belief that someone with this illness can just snap out of it at will, this is not true. There is no one thing that is responsible for this disease. It can be genetic and run in families. People with a trauma history and people in chronic pain are susceptible to depression. Other causes include medication and thyroid disease.

Depression is a mood disorder in which signals are not passed between neurons normally. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that are in charge of passing the signals between neurons. Neurotransmitter signals may be too weak or there may not be enough of a particular neurotransmitter, similar to a phone line with a bad connection.

Lack of energy, isolation, headaches, digestive problems, generalized pain, inability to concentrate, over-sleeping or not being able to sleep, general restlessness, weight loss or weight gain, feeling hopeless, irritable and having thoughts of death and suicide are all common symptoms of this common illness. Medical attention should be sought out if symptoms last two weeks or more. It is better to begin treatment as soon as possible so you can get back to enjoying life.

Other forms of the disorder include postpartum and childhood depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder. Postpartum depression can be confusing to new mothers because they feel that they should be happy for having a new baby. In reality, they feel horrible and like they are walking through sludge just to meet the needs of the baby. Children often show that they are depressed through behavior. It is very important to notice and act on any changes in the behavior of children. Children do not usually express how they are feeling verbally because they have not developed the vocabulary to do so. Bipolar disorder runs in families and has periods of elation and dark moods. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is caused by lack of exposure to sunlight. Most people with SAD live in the northern latitudes and experience it during the long, dark winters.

Light therapy is used to treat seasonal affective disorder. Cognitive therapy and medication have been found to be most successful at treating depression when used together. It is important to take care of your body - eat right, exercise, take time to play, particularly when you are starting to feel symptoms beginning. Stress management techniques, such as meditation have been shown to help ease symptoms of this illness.

Depression can lead to death by suicide if left untreated. If symptoms are particularly severe or have lasted more than two weeks, see a doctor. There is no need to suffer. Medications and therapy are available to help you. It is a biological issue like type I diabetes and can be treated, but you have to make the first step to get help.

Depression is a real illness. It's not just a state of mind or something that you can think yourself out of. If you want to know more about menopause and depression or healing anxiety and depression, visit our website for all the free resources you will need.
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The First Step to Accomplishing Any Dream

 By Tobin Crenshaw

Photo: i2.squidoocdn.com

Alfred Nobel was the man who invented dynamite and various explosives. The Swedish chemist made a fortune due to his ingenuity.
When his brother died a newspaper inadvertently said it was Alfred who had died. It described Nobel as a man who became rich by making it possible to kill large numbers of people with bombs.
Nobel was stricken by this assessment of his life and decided to spend the rest of his days living for peace and awarding others who did so as well. Thus today most people know his name from the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in his honor.
Alfred Nobel was given a chance to evaluate his life before it was too late. In turn he made a decision to change and follow through on his commitment to leave the world a better place.
As Anthony Robbins shares, "It's in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped."
Indeed, the ability to make a congruent decision that is aligned with our deepest passion is where true power lies.
It is common to hear people grumble in our society. They talk about the thing they have to do, such as work at a certain job or please certain people. But this is a misnomer, in reality there is very little one has to do, especially in democratic nations like America.
At any moment you can exercise the power of decision and choose a new career, a different path, or standard for your relationships.
The bottom line is that January 1st has no power to move you closer to where you want to be. It is the power of making a decision, regardless of the date on the calendar that makes all the difference.
As Anthony Robbins shares, when a woman stands up and refuses to go to the back of a bus she is making a decision that changes the world. When Holocaust survivors and an entire nation rise up and say, "Never again," all of history is moved.
The reality is that when we see where we are and compare it to where we want to be the only thing that will move us closer to our dream is making a decision to never settle again.
In fact the very meaning of the word "decide" is "to cut off." When you decide to follow your dream you cut off all other possibilities and with determination and focus move toward your goal.
Want to see real change in 2011? Making more pointless resolutions you don't plan to keep will only condition you to give up too soon. Instead take an hour and with a pen and paper list the things you will no longer settle for in life.
Once you see what you don't want you will have greater clarity about what you in turn do want. Then you can exercise your true freedom, the ability to decide to make a change and live the life you were born to live.

A former pastor who is now a full time writer and an all the time theologian who is amazed at the grace and love of God and believes that every heart can find fulfillment, peace and joy in the mystery revealed in Christ, all apart from religion. His site is http://twominutesermon.com.

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Paying For Your Mistakes

 By Al Peasland

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Sir Winston Churchill said
"All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from them"
Alfred Adler said
"When you first learn to swim, you make mistakes. So what do you do? You continue to learn to swim and you continue to make mistakes. When you've made all of the mistakes you possibly can without drowning - then you can swim"
I wanted to share these two quotes because they sum up everything I believe in with regards training and learning. In martial arts we seem to make the most progress forwards when we make mistakes. Usually, we are aware of our mistake instantly, when our opponent hits us, or applies a hold that forces us to tap-out and submit.
We get immediate feedback for any mistake we make, which is why I always consider it to be feedback and not failure. If we treat our martial arts as a lab test, the moment we get feedback for any action, we are blessed with an opportunity to analyse those results, ascertain why we got the results we did and then consider an alternative course of action for next time.
When we are training in a high paced environment such as sparring, we often carry out this process in the blink of an eye, learning very quickly what works and what doesn't against the opponent in front of us.
It's a classic irony that we often learn less from our successes than from our mistakes as we are usually too busy celebrating to go back to the lab and analyse how we managed to win; but this is something we too should always do if we are to learn and grow rather than simply win.
The pivotal factor in this whole process however, is that we have to be allowed to make those mistakes without paying too high a price.
For example, if I am sparring at full force, without any restriction in the power both my opponent I and are using, then the punishment I will receive for making a mistake may be too high a price for me to pay. I will be massively reluctant to take any chances or experiment with my techniques as I know, any mistake will cost me dearly, and usually in pain.
So, instead, I will opt for the safe techniques. Those that I've tried and tested many times and sometimes, I opt for no techniques at all, rather to simply defend and reduce the damage I receive from my opponent.
Therefore, we need to be allowed to make mistakes and in a sparring scenario, this is why we reduce the force and power of the spar. We turn the percentage down so that we can experiment, try new things and take risks in order to gain precious feedback that we can then evaluate. Without this experimentation we will not grow, our repertoire will remain constant and we will become frozen in our skillset.
So, we need to understand when we are making mistakes. We need to gather feedback, whether that be from an instructor showing us how we could move differently in order to improve our technique, or whether it be a partner who lets us know with a measured knock on the head or safely applied finish on the floor.
The moment we make it live and increase the intensity of our feedback, is the moment we go into our shell and stop trying new things.
Consider the Karate Instructor who walks up and down the line of students, kicking any that are not in a perfectly correct stance; or the school teacher who wraps you over the knuckles with a ruler whenever you answer a question wrong.
How keen are you to experiment and make mistakes in these environments?
My final thought is this.
When you stop paying too high a price for your mistakes, you can start to afford to make a few more.
And when mistakes become more affordable, you stop seeing them as failures and treat them only as feedback. The result is, you stop beating yourself up about them, you stop getting frustrated because of them and you start experimenting more.
Stay Safe and Have Fun
(c) Copyright - Al Peasland. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Al Peasland is a Personal Safety Consultant and one of the UK's leading Self Defence Instructors.
Focusing on the latest techniques and concepts, Al's Company, Complete Self Protection, provides a fun and efficient way of learning effective skills that can better equip you to protect yourself and your loved ones.
You can visit his website at http://www.completeselfprotection.com
Please feel free to contact Al Peasland via his website.
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To Act Or Not To Act On Guilt: That Is the Problem

 By Stephen RussellLacy

Photo: solidgroundblog.files.wordpress.com

A couple had fallen in love and got married. They were sublimely happy. But tragically within weeks of the wedding, the woman was given a diagnosis of cancer and soon found herself needing a mastectomy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She became bald due to hair loss, developed mouth sores and painful bowel movements and had to face the devastating likelihood of an early death with no chance of having a child.
In order to be with his wife through her ordeal, her husband, who was a writer of world renown in his field -- his name is Ken Wilber -- chose to stop writing and generally turned his life over to her fight against cancer. This was an emotionally draining responsibility. He assumed he could not voice his own needs because of her suffering. Not surprisingly she came to take his support for granted.
In the middle of this, he himself went down with a medium-term debilitating illness of unknown origin. Due to exhaustion he even stopped his daily meditation - a spiritual practice that had previously given him huge benefit. For over a year he completely submerged his own interests, his own work, his own life. Up to that period, writing had been his life-blood. He defined himself by his writing and when that suddenly stopped he was suspended in mid-air, so to speak. In other words, his mistaken conscience was dictating altruistic but psychologically unhealthy behaviour that could not last indefinitely.
He was to say that he would have done all this again unhesitatingly under the same circumstances but would have done it differently with more of a support system for himself in place. The grinding role of a full-time carer takes a devastating toll unless this is available.
Some of us need to remember that looking after oneself does not necessarily make us selfish. If we do not look after ourselves how can we expect to look after anyone else? We can start to feel a little less uptight about our behaviour when we see the unreasonableness of some of our guilt-laden habits of thought and learn how to face up to them.
The need for one to find a balance between one's own needs and the needs of one's family or one's work is quite a challenge these days with so many pressures to withstand - let alone the extra pressure of being a full-time carer. It is a mistaken conscience that gets us to perform our useful caring roles without setting aside any time for ourselves - for our recreation and other personal needs.
Mistaken Conscience
Another example of a mistaken conscience is when people find themselves on a guilt trip. Even if we have a sound mind, we may sometimes feel guilty over the smallest thing - without rhyme or reason painstakingly worried about something we have done that really is unimportant. For example saying `sorry' a lot of the time over trivia and being unfair on ourselves.
Many hopelessly sick people feel constantly guilty. This may result from the suspicion that their sickness and fate are self-inflicted and their own fault. Some are always apologizing for the trouble and fuss they are causing. Western culture fosters a sense of guilt when illness places people in the dependent role.
Does feeling frequently guilt-ridden come about from wanting to be well thought of and desiring popularity? Some of us since childhood even have a sense of badness and secretly assume we might deserve punishment..
Accepting oneself for what one is - warts and all - means being less concerned about how we are looked upon by those who know us. If we can learn to notice our strengths as well as our failings, we will feel less bad about our mistakes.
Is all guilt mistaken?
Counselling psychologists tend to see guilt as a personal problem whereas religious people say it is useful for it can lead to repentance. But this disagreement vanishes when we distinguish between mistaken guilt and realistic guilt. Sometimes we act against a heartfelt and deep awareness of what we feel to be right - against a true conscience. We rightly feel bad about it even if sometimes we act in error on impulse without thinking.
"Anger, intoxication, obstinacy, bigotry, deceit, envy, grandiloquence, pride and conceit, intimacy with the unjust, this is what defiles one." (Sutta-Nipata, ii, 2,7. - Buddhist tradition)
Sooner or later we all do foolish things. The existential psychotherapists have pointed out that one cannot reason away those guilt feelings which come from an awareness of actual transgressions against true conscience and unfulfilled potentials.
How to reduce guilt
If we wish to rid ourselves of guilt then we should try to disentangle feelings of guilt arising because of a true and mistaken conscience. This means noticing the avoidable bad things that we have done and no longer relying on such comfortable alibis as `I didn't mean it', or `I followed an irresistible impulse.' Guilt arising from a true conscience is helpful if it can lead to a change of behaviour. It is easier to feel a sense of being forgiven when we change our actions for the better.
At the same time we can distinguish between urges and actions. Some of us tend to feel guilty believing all the bad things we think come from ourselves. Yet, only extremely vain conceited individuals make a mistake in claiming credit for every good idea they happen to have.
Surely if it is mistaken to attribute all virtuous impulses to oneself it is also an error to believe that we are responsible for all bad things we think? Can we really be blamed for all the shameful desires that pop into our hearts if we neither entertain them for long nor fall for their tempting allure?
Copyright 2010 Stephen Russell-Lacy

Stephen Russell-Lacy edits Spiritual Questions a free eZine that explores links between spiritual philosophy and the comments and questions of spiritual seekers.
Sign up to share your views and find out more about spiritual healing.

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Strike While The Iron Is Hot

 By: Roseanna Leaton

Photo: mychinaconnection.com

This saying derives from the blacksmiths workshops but is used in every environment to mean that one should get on with things and get them done whilst the time is right. There is, in most things, a perfect moment in which to complete a task. Sometimes the opportunity to do so will never return, at other times it may well come around again, although whether or not the task will be as easy or as effective may be uncertain.

We all procrastinate from time to time, and most often this does not cause us any major issues. Does it make much difference if you go to the market in the morning or the afternoon, or if you file your taxes at the first or the last opportunity? Usually the answer is "no", but sometimes it does have a very big impact; if you leave something to the last minute you can put yourself under a huge amount of pressure, and may not in the end have sufficient time available to do the job justice.

Not only that, if you procrastinate, you can find that you live with a constant feeling of being under pressure. You never feel that you can relax and sit back in your chair with your feel up; there is always that other job which you know you SHOULD do, but you simply do not WANT to tackle. When you do finally get around to doing whatever it is that you have been putting off, it is usually easier than you had originally thought.

Everybody who suffers from procrastination knows that they would probably be better off if they changed their habits and started to "strike whilst the iron is hot" - to do it now. The cure for procrastination comes from within. You have to decide that you are, once and for all, totally fed up with this constant feeling of pressure. You have to make the decision to do something about it. This is the first step.

But most people find that it is easier said than done to stop procrastinating, because it is a HABIT. It has become instinctive and automatic to simply put things off. It is for this reason that hypnosis is so effective in helping you to stop procrastinating. Hypnosis allows you to access your subconscious mind which is the part of your mind where habitual thoughts and behaviors are stored and triggered.

Simply by listening to a hypnosis download designed to get you to stop procrastinating you can retrain your mind to respond in a different way; you can learn to respond to things at the right time, to "do it now" instead of putting it off, and to strike whilst the iron is hot.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis downloads for success.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy and NLP, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading practitioners of self-improvement. You can get a free hypnosis mp3 from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and find out how to stop procrastinating and discover the secret of success .
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