Negative thinking is the reason that you don’t have what you want in your life right now. You may not realize this but everything that you have or don’t have today is a result of your previous thinking. You have limited yourself through your thoughts and if you truly want to get what you want then you have to change this.
We all experience negative thoughts from time to time. Some people experience them a lot. We all know people that seem to spend their lives complaining about everything. The world is against them and the reason they are in this position is always someone else’s fault.
If you have thoughts like this then you must change them immediately. It is not the government’s fault that you do not have a big house. Other people have big houses and are under the same government. The difference between you and them is the way that you think.
Optimism versus Pessimism
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Here is a test for you. How do you feel when Monday morning comes around each week? Do you feel inspired and ready to go or have feelings of dread that the work week has started again?
Or how about this – someone that you know is making some money on the side through a business opportunity that they are involved in. They offer you the chance to get involved with the same opportunity. How do you react to this? Do you tell them that you are not interested right away or do you ask them to tell you more about it?
Optimism is the way to go in life. Being pessimistic about everything will just make you stand still and feel bad about the world. Your negativity will become your reality. This is a life law.
How do you feel about yourself?
When you think about what you have to offer the world how do you feel about this? Are you a confident person? Do you love yourself? If you are asked to do something that you would not normally be comfortable doing how do you feel about this? Do you see it as a challenge that you happily accept or do you want to run and hide?
Having high self esteem is very important on your journey to getting what you really want. You need to be prepared to move out of your comfort zone and take on new things that you have not done before.
Positive Affirmations
One of the most effective ways to change how you think about yourself is to use positive affirmations. If you don’t know what these are then they are just statements that you read out loud or in your head about yourself every day.
So for example you can say “each day and in every way I am getting better and better” or “I believe in myself and I can achieve anything”. The best way to create a positive affirmation list is to write down the negative feelings that you have about yourself and then turn these into positive statements.
So for example if you do not like the idea of public speaking then your thoughts are going to be along the lines of “I will never be good at public speaking”. You can change this to “I am going to be one of the best public speakers in the world”.
Positive affirmations have a major impact on your subconscious mind. The more that you repeat them and take action against them the more your subconscious will believe and support the change that you want to make.
As a parent we want to make sure our children are doing well in school. One way to make sure is to help them with their homework. Now, you may be chuckling to yourself remembering how long ago it was that you were in school. Some of the learning styles have changed since then but the basics of the materials remains the same. By helping your kids with their homework you can improve your cognitive abilities.
At first you may feel completely out of the loop. For example your child may be taking an algebra class. There are many rules to follow for it and most of us don’t remember them. Take the time to follow the examples in the book to see what you can figure out. A great way to help your child to check their math homework is to do several of the problems on your own sheet of paper. Have your child do the same thing and then compare answers. If you find that some of them are different work those problems together to find the right answer.
English is another course where you can improve your cognitive abilities when helping your kids with homework. Do you readily recall all of those rules relating to the different parts of speech? Don’t worry if you don’t off hand because most adults will have to say that they don’t either. As you relearn this material you will be able to help your child with his or her homework. You will also be able to enhance your own skills.
When your children discover you have a vested interest in their school work they will be more motivated to complete it. They will feel confident coming to you for help with it as well. You can use that time together to bond in a way that you haven’t been able to before. Many children are intimidated to ask their teachers for help. Yet they don’t mind asking their parents.
Too often though as parents we don’t have the right information to help them learn it. By keeping on top of what your children are learning you can help them do their very best in school. At the same time you will be exercising your own brain and improving your cognitive abilities. If you have several children make sure you learn what they are doing at the various levels.
If you aren’t able to learn what you need to from your child’s school books, look around online. There are plenty of sites dedicated to helping parent’s learn such information. You can also contact the school and ask the teacher to help you if you are puzzled by certain formulas or information that your child is being asked to use for their homework.
You will be surprised by how much of the information you retain learning it this second time around. Then as your younger children move up to more advanced work you will already have the skills you need to complete it. Another benefit of all of this is that it gives you a new way to look at things. Instead of just telling your children to go do their homework you have a first hand understanding of what they need to accomplish as well as the time it takes to do it.
One of the best ways to learn how to become more accomplished is to look at the people in life who have accomplished the most and to try and emulate them. What are the secrets to their success?
Usually you’ll find that there are many answers to this question and many things you can learn. But one of the most consistent things you’ll find is that the successful individual has a morning routine.
This is what you will do first thing in the day when you wake up. It’s the perfect time to focus on yourself before life gets in the way and it’s the perfect way to ensure your day gets off to the right start. So, what does the ideal morning routine look like? Here are some ideas to start you off…
Exercise
Working out first thing in the morning will help to get the blood circulating and will release hormones that wakes you up. If you train before breakfast, you’ll burn more calories by training in a ‘fasted state’.
Meditation
Another thing you’ll find that many very successful people do is to start their day with meditation. Meditation is a fantastic tool for combating stress and helping yourself to cope better with the challenges that life faces you with. What’s more, is that meditation can help to boost your concentration and create more grey matter to improve your reasoning skills and working memory!
Gratitude
Gratitude exercises are very valuable for being happier and more effective. The problem is that many driven people forget to stop and take stock of what they’ve already accomplished or how good their lives are already. Instead, they only ever think about the things they have yet to accomplish and what they want next.
Spend five minutes in the morning then and write down three things that you are thankful for. These can be big things or small things. But simply by focussing on them, you will feel more content and happier and your work will be more fruitful.
To-Do List
Starting the day with a to-do list is an excellent way to enhance your productivity. It’s also a very good way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the volume of things you need to do. Make a list of all the things that you absolutely must prioritize and then the things you’ll do if you can. Split your day into segments and then just work through each job one at a time!
Have you ever noticed that arguments are rarely “won?” Even if you think you won an argument, what did you win? If there really is a loser, he at least learned something, right? What did you get? Ego satisfaction, debating practice, and diminished mind power.
Arguing Diminishes Mind Power?
There are times when things need to be debated, but most of the time, it really isn’t productive. Do you want to argue the point? What do you get from a useless debate, and more importantly, what do you lose?
One thing is certain. A person listening to arguments can learn something from both sides, but what about the participants? If your opponent makes a really good point, do you say, “Hey, you’re right!” or do you more often just look for a better argument?
Arguing too much gets you in the habit of looking for arguments more than for truth. You also get deeper into your thinking ruts the more you defend a position. In a rut and ignoring the truth? If that doesn’t sound like it’s good for mind power, it’s because it isn’t.
Mind Power From Listening
If you say the moon is closer, and I say the sun is, one of us has to be right. If you say nurture is more important, and I say nature is, we’re both right. The first argument has clearly defined terms. This isn’t common, and even here, what’s the point of arguing?
In the second example, our arguments have to do with values and experiences. We’ve seen different things in life, and we could spend a lifetime defining “important,” or I could shut up and listen. My mind becomes more powerful with the addition of your ideas and knowledge. Listening is the better way.
To break the habit of arguing, purposely ask for peoples opinions, and listen without saying anything. You can ask them to clarify, but don’t offer one contrary idea. Do this enough, and you’ll be surprized how much you learn. Some of us are also surprized by how difficult this simple technique can be, but it works.
In this article, I’m going to cover a handful of tips and methods that you can implement into your every day life which will help you better deal with stress and even prevent stress from invading into your happiness.
1. Breathe Deeply. Practice Breathing Techniques Regularly.
A lot of people seem to overlook how easy and useful this tactic can be for relieving stress, especially in the heat of the moment. I know, the advice “take a deep breath” may seem cliché. But it really does hold true when it comes to stress. Take a minute or two break from life to focus on your breathing. Sit up straight and close your eyes if possible, and put your hand on your belly.
Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling the breath of air start in your abdomen and progress it’s way to the top of your head. Next, reverse the process as you exhale through your mouth. It’s been said that deep breathing counters the effects of stress by slowing the heart rate and lowering the body’s blood pressure. Buddhist monks have been known to be very conscious of deliberate breathing during meditation because of this.
Another method you can use it to sit up in your chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands on top of your knees. Breathe in and out slowly, with deep full breaths while also concentrating on your lungs as they expand and contract in your chest. Many doctors and researchers have actually found that shallow breathing is consistent with increased stress and deep breathing fills your blood with oxygen and in turn helps to center your body and clear your mind.
2. Meditate For A Period Of Time In The Morning And Evening
It should come as no surprise to you that meditation is an excellent way to help relieve your stress. When performed correctly, it should release your mind and allow you to focus on peace. Many people struggle with meditation at first, because it can be a little tricky. And in all honesty, it does take a little bit of time to learn.
There’s many great articles and even courses on how to meditate, but you can easily get started by simply sitting in the corner or somewhere peace, closing your eyes and listening to music or soaking in the sounds around you. Some meditation guru’s will even encourage you to listen to those natural sounds during the process, and to even burn some sort of incense to help break the stress that’s present in your body.
3. Listen To Music That Promotes Your Chilled Out Mood
Listening to the right music is super important when you’re trying to reduce stress in your life and find your inner balance. Some music can in fact heighten your stress levels when you listen to it. One type of music that researchers have proven to help stress levels is “baroque” music. This music is based around a tempo of 60 beats per minute, which coincidentally is about the rate that our heart should be.
Baroque music has actually been shown to increase the alpha waves in both the left and right sides of your brain which assist in improving your learning ability, calmness and even your creativity. Because of this, many corporate trainers have now incorporated this style of music during memory training sessions to better assist their students in improving both their comprehension and their memory.
Of course, you should focus on the kind of music that you like and which brings comfort to you. So this point will different depending on who you are and what your tastes are.
4. Exercise, Even If It’s Just For A Minute Or Two Each Day
Listen, exercising doesn’t have to be power lifting at the gym or training for some sort of marathon event. A simple short stroll around the office or block, or even just standing up to stretch during a break at work can often times be just the immediate stress relief you need in some situations. Getting your blood flowing releases endorphin’s and can actually improve your mood almost instantaneously. If you find that you have more time to exercise, that’s even better.
They say that exercising for 30 minutes per day is one of the best things you can do for both your mind and your body. Not only does it help you keep fit, but it also gets the blood pumping around in your body. While you’re doing exercises, there’s chemicals being released from your brain that can elevate your mood.
5. Make It A Point To Eat Right With A Healthy Diet
Studies have linked that stress levels are directly impacted by a proper diet. The problem is that when we’re overwhelmed and stressed out, we often ignore healthy eating habits. This results in eating sugary, fatty snack foods as a quick pick-me-up to satisfy our hunger and even our mood. Try to avoid sugary snacks and plan ahead if possible.
Fruits and vegetables are obviously a great choice, and fish with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to help reduce the symptoms and levels of stress. This means that a tuna sandwich is truly beneficial to both your mood and your brain as well.
6. Try To Drink At Least Eight Glass of Water Per Day
I’m sure you know this already, but without water, humans and most living things can’t survive. After all, it’s been said to be one of the most precious resources that we possess on the planet. With that said, to maintain your health, most doctors and medical professionals will recommend a MINIMUM of eight glasses of water per day. This means PLAIN WATER.
As in flavored water or coffee certainly does not count towards that goal. You’ll truly be amazed at how much better you feel and less stress you become as you hydrate more every day.
7. Limit Both Alcohol AND Coffee Consumption
Alcohol and coffee are both considered great sources of stress, seeing as they both increase the heart rate and make us more prone to stress situations. If you can, try to limit the amount of coffee and alcohol that you consume each day, and you will almost certainly notice that your level of stress will decrease. Some researchers say that consuming one to two glasses of alcohol like a red wine, per day, can be a healthy choice.
But since we’re focused on reducing stress, it’s a good idea to consult with your doctor or physician to check if this is the best decision for you. Another thing to be cautious about is that caffeine can often give you a “high” which you will become dependent on over time. This certainly won’t be beneficial towards reducing the amount of stress that’s present in your life.
8. Schedule Breaks Throughout Your Day
We all know how stressful work can be, whether it’s the environment, the coworkers, or the tasks at hand – it can all add up rather quickly. One of the biggest blunders that people make in their work life is to neglect taking breaks throughout the day to refresh the mind. In actuality, there’s no real legal business on the planet that will require anybody to work 24 hours per day non-stop.
Researchers have actually proven that if you don’t schedule at least 1 hour for a break every day, you’re far more likely to have health issues over a prolonged period of time. Always remember that life is truly short in the grand scheme of things. Don’t waste all of your time on work. Take the time to go out and enjoy your day regardless of where you are. Make sure that you schedule a number of (short) breaks during the work day.
Even if you just take that time to go outside for 5 minutes to get some fresh air and a drink. That sort of break will help you to clear your mind and allow you to prepare yourself to tackle the rest of the work for the day.
9. Identify At Least One Good Thing That Happened Today
This will definitely sound a bit generic in terms of advice and tips, but it’s such solid advice that if you haven’t started doing this, you really should consider it. Every evening all over the world, families and / or friends congregate in the evenings or after work and vent about their day and the events that it was made up of. However, instead of creating a negative atmosphere from the moment you walk in the door and sit down, try starting off on a different note.
Do this by exchanging good news and things that were positive about your day. It’s really not difficult at all to address the good things that happened in life, and as a result, you’ll find yourself more grateful for the things you have. You’ll also find that you’re better able to face stressors and other unfortunate occurrences in your day.
10. Be Prepared (Prepare For Tomorrow And The Future)
It’s true that nothing can be more stressful than walking into a situation being completely unprepared. That’s why you should invest some time every day towards getting ready for the following day. This could be as simple as drafting up a short to-do list and even cleaning up your environment and living area before you settle down for the evening.
Knowing that you have all of the different bases covered means that you’ll be far less likely to fret about things that need to get done in the evenings or when you’re not busy with work and other stuff. By better preparing yourself and organizing your life, you’ll give yourself a better sense that you’re fully in control of the situation and can handle it. This truly does set a positive tone for the day, evening, and future days, which in turn can help you to get far more accomplished.
Healthy Lifestyle 