Do You Smell the Roses?

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

-Frederick Keonig

Do you take the time to smell the roses in your life? Or, are you so caught up in work, worry, family, and fear that you simply don't have time to smell them? When you don't take time, not even 1 minute out of your day, to breath in the beauty of life, you end up with the dank, musty, moldy smell that can choke the life out of you.

The beauty I'm talking about are all of the blessing that are in and around your life. Unless you live in a cell with no windows and never set foot outside you can't escape the incredible work of art that is nature. The colors of the sky, the trees, the flowers, the leaves; just take a minute and look at it.

And are you missing out on the never ending symphony of the sounds of nature? The wind blowing through the trees, the music of the birds, the sounds of silence. If you are lucky enough to live near the ocean, people pay money for CD's with the sounds of waves and you get it for free. Just take a minute and listen.

Don't be so caught up in your problems and the stresses of life that you miss out on enjoying the gifts you've been given that are free. Don't be one of those people that forgets to appreciate what you DO have in your life instead of focusing on what you DON'T have.

Your parents, children, family and friends are the icing on your cake. If they had a smell it would be that delicious aroma that emanates from inside a bakery. Savor the joy they bring to you and it doesn't cost a thing to say, "I love you." It makes them feel good and you too.

Through all of your ups and downs, good times and bad there is always a place that will soothe your soul and calm your storm if you take the time to stop and listen. Take the time to say, "Thank You" to the world. And take just one minute of your day to appreciate your blessings; they are the fragrance of your life.

When you learn to live in the present moment you will be amazed how insignificant everything else seems. All we really have is "the moment". The past is gone even though many of us try and relive it daily. And the future is what we create by what we think right now.

So open your heart, open your eyes and open your ears and breathe in the pleasures of life.

You are the only one who can take notice of all that is good. You are the only one who can acknowledge your blessings. You are the only one who can choose whether to walk through life smelling the roses or not.

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

Treating Depression and Anxiety the Natural Way

Prescription Anti-Depressants, Tranquillizers and Sleeping Tablets are regularly prescribed by doctors to treat anything from bereavement to postnatal depression. While there are many responsible and caring doctors out there, there are also many who over prescribe.

This may sometimes be due to lack of time, lack of adequate training in emotional problems and mood disorders or sometimes just pure indifference towards the patient's problems! Sad, but unfortunately true!

In my opinion, the above drugs should only be used as a very last resort to treat depression, anxiety, or insomnia which is severe and chronic, i.e. when the person's day to day functioning is badly affected and where the problem is not responsive to any other forms of treatment.

Many times, however, prescription drugs are the first line of treatment and this often becomes an obstacle in the patient's road to health and empowerment. In the extreme, it can lead to addiction and more problems than the patient started out with.

As for prescription sleeping tablets, the majority are addictive if used for longer than two weeks. After a while, more and stronger medication is needed, as the body gets "used" to the drug and "forgets" how to go to sleep by itself.

This sets up a cycle of insomnia and dependence which is very difficult to break - and which would have been entirely avoidable if the health practitioner had spent some time listening to the patient and helping him or her to overcome problems, rather than resorting to prescription drugs.

The good news is that there are usually many healthier alternatives which really work well. They are not always the "quick fix', but most are a more permanent and certainly healthier alternative, leaving YOU in control!

Here are a few:

Exercise

I know, I know - you've heard this before and it IS hard to start! But if every client followed this advice, I would go out of business! Regular exercise helps you to feel healthier, increases the production of natural "feel good" chemicals in the body, boosts self-esteem and significantly reduces the symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety.

It also helps those struggling to lose weight or fight addictions. The keyword is "regular"! At least half an hour of brisk exercise three times a week. Daily is better if you are trying to beat depression.

Walk, swim, jog, dance, do aerobics, whatever - so long as it results in a bit of sweat and an increased heart rate. Believe it or not - if you persevere, you will begin to enjoy it!

Social Support

When you are depressed, you usually isolate yourself and avoid company. Mixing with people is not always what you feel like doing, but loneliness is one of the major causes of depression.

Get out there and join the world! You may hate it at first, but do it anyway! It will ultimately help to uplift your spirits and you will not feel so alone. If you don't have a social circle, join one!

Volunteer organizations, mothers' groups, churches, sports clubs, hobbies and crafts are all good ideas. Be creative! Try out different alternatives until you find something that you like. Don't give up!

See the Discussion Forum Notice Boards for free support groups and topics of Inspiration. Join an online support group or start one of your own. Go to www.feelgoodcounseling.com/FeelGoodCommunity.htm

Talk About It

This is the most effective way of relieving depression and anxiety. Share your problems and "externalize" them, rather than bottling them up. You will be amazed at how relieved you feel and how you are able to begin to get things into perspective.

Speak to friends, family or to a professional person like a licensed counselor. Writing about your feelings is also therapeutic, so keep a journal, write a book or consult a professional online at Native Remedies

Do Nice Things For Yourself

Nurture and spoil yourself. You deserve it too! So have a bubble bath, buy that special something you've been wanting, play your favorite music and SING, have an aromatherapy massage or relax and soak in your bathtub after adding a few drops of soothing lavender oil to the water. - and do it because YOU ARE SPECIAL!

Learn how to say 'No' to others when it is appropriate and 'Yes' to yourself when you need it. If you tell yourself "I don't have enough time to do that for myself', ask whether you would make the time if it was someone else's need.

You will probably find that, while you have the time to see to the needs of others, you have 'no time' for yourself! Turn this around and see to your needs too. They are just as important! Don't be a martyr and deny yourself and then resent other people for not caring about you!

Diet

No, not the starvation kind! Enjoy your food and eat healthily. Some foods help to fight depression and anxiety. A carbohydrate rich diet helps the body produce serotonin - the 'feelgood' chemical.

Special serotonin foods are oats, whole wheat, bananas and other carbohydrate rich foods. Make sure you are having a full supplement of Vitamin B, magnesium, zinc and iron - a deficiency in any of these can lead to depression and anxiety-type symptoms and insomnia.

Natural Alternatives

There are many natural alternatives to prescription antidepressants, anxiolytics, and sleeping tablets. Research suggests that St John's Wort is as effective, but has far fewer side effects, than many of the commonly used prescription antidepressants. Passiflora, Melissa, and Lavender are other natural remedies to relieve anxiety and, in sufficient dosage, may also help to induce sleep.

To ensure therapeutic dosages and correct manufacturing processes, Feelgood Health has formulated a number of natural remedies to promote emotional and psychological health.

Becalm (adults) and KiddieCalmer (children) are specifically formulated to soothe the symptoms of anxiety and stress, while MindSoothe (adults) and MindSoothe Jr. (children) will assist with anxiety as well as depression. Serenite (capsules or drops for adults) and Serenite Jr. (drops for children) help to promote natural sleep.

All of these, and other natural remedies, can be ordered at Native Remedies. Consult a health practitioner before changing or stopping prescription medication!

Learn to Relax or Meditate

Relaxation techniques and meditation are easy to learn and are so effective in relieving stress, anxiety, and depression that I wonder why they are not routinely prescribed or even taught as a life skill at school! There are some excellent books on meditation and relaxation reviewed at www.feelgoodcounseling.com/AngelBooks.htm

Understand Your Symptoms

Why are you feeling depressed? What is bothering you? What needs to change to help you to feel better? Is it something in your present, or are there unresolved issues in your past or in your childhood that you still need to deal with and which are affecting your life and your relationships?

Are your anxiety symptoms realistic or do they subconsciously mask other issues in your life which need dealing with like low self esteem, relationship problems or problems from your childhood?

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are very troublesome, but they are also an 'early warning' signal from your body that something is not right and needs to change. Listen to your body and work on your problems to prevent further ill health.

If you need professional help in any of these areas, you are welcome to consult a professional online at Native Remedies

Here are some other useful eBooklets on the topic of Anxiety, panic attacks and Depression.

* Understanding And Treating Anxiety
* Help Yourself Overcome panic attacks
* Help Yourself Overcome Insomnia
* Understanding And Treating Depression

Feelgood Tip

Here's a private game to play, guaranteed to warm your heart! See how many people you can get to return a smile! Without looking loony, make eye contact, smile and greet each person you meet or pass (as long as it's not in a dark alley!). Count how many return your smile.

Not only does it feel good to have people smile at you, the facial muscles involved in smiling send messages to the brain, causing an increase in production of natural feelgood brain chemicals! Try it - you'll be surprised!

STRESS RELIEF HYPNOSIS PANIC ATTACK ANXIETY RELIEF CURE HYPNOSIS NLP

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

Compartmentalize-How do you do it?

Let's look at a very simple strategy to understand. It's quite difficult for most of us to accomplish; it's called compartmentalization. I think that it's safe to say that we all face tough times in today's financial market place. Personally and professionally, we are all faced with certain decisions that we simply just don't want to deal with each and every day.



So what do you do? I got nothing, right? Wrong! We have to act. We have to make something happen or the problem will never go away. So how do you do that? How do you deal with something that you can't do anything about? I bet that some of you out there right now reading this have faced certain depression, feeling that things just can't get any worse, that the world is closing in on you; especially when it comes to your financial lives. You probably have wondered how you got to this place while feeling hopeless. DON'T! It always gets better! Yes, it may get a little worse, but it can always be worse. Something I know for a fact is that it always gets better. You just have to move the ball along and make something happen.



So how do you do that? Well it's no secret you have to look at life as a series of events. Each event has to be dealt with to the best of your ability. What you do is create a space in your mind filled with tiny compartments, boxes so to speak. Each thing that you have to deal with goes in one of those boxes. You simply open the box and put the problem in it. You have to do this subconsciously but if you write it down you will help commit it to your subconscious. Once there it stays there in that tiny compartment until opened so you can deal with it.



So let's say you owe a bunch of money to your creditors. Well, that one is easy. You don't deal with any of them until you need to. So as I always say, you have to have a plan and then work the plan of the day. That helps with your compartmentalization of the problem. Each Monday you open the tiny box in your mind that deals with these creditors and give them all a call. Pay the ones you can work out payment arrangements with and tell the ones you can't pay you are still thinking about them. Then CLOSE the tiny box in your mind and move on! Seriously, close it and don't look back until next Monday. You don't need to deal with it anymore this week. You don't need to stress about it, get anxiety, or have another sleepless night.



You see if you can't do anything about it then you don't need to deal with it, at all. This doesn't mean go to sleep depressed wake up a week later only to find that you still have the problem but bigger. What this means is that when you go to bed, close all the tiny little boxes in your mind because there is nothing you can do about it until morning.



When all else fails, go to my number one rule - Communication. Communicate with whoever can to help solve your problem. That way you don't have to have anxiety build up to a boiling point only to lead you back to the mere fact that you still have to communicate. Open the compartment in your mind that "stores" the problem, communicate and deal with it, then close it and move on. Don't reopen it or think about the problem until you can do something about it.



This is very hard to do, but if you practice you can master it and once you have done that your life will be so much easier that you simply can't believe it. You see we all try to solve problems that aren't ready to be solved, meaning that with faith that the good Lord will provide you simply have to be ready and act when the time is right. So, if today is not right and you can't do anything to fix the problem yet and you have already communicated as best you can simply move on to the next compartment and deal with that situation. You will find that you will have the best sleep you have had in years.



So open up your mind and accept the fact that you can't solve all your problems at one time, create a space in your mind that will compartmentalize all your problems and then leave them there until you are ready to solve them.

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

Panic Attacks ~ Stress Relief Anxiety Relief Music... Mind Tricks ?

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

How to Turn Fear Into Excitement

Can we turn anxiety and panic into a positive experience? Can we turn fear into excitement?

I believe we can and I am going to explain briefly how it is done.

Anxiety/panic is an experience everyone tries to avoid and run from. Our instinct is to fight against the feeling and find some way to end it quickly so that we can return to feeling calm and safe.

I believe however, that it’s a lot easier to turn anxiety into excitement, rather than turning anxiety into a state of calm. The reason for this is because being anxious and excited are actually the same physiological states for your body (the aroused state), it’s just how your mind reacts to this state that determines the emotion you feel. I am going to show you how you can quickly train your mind to respond with excitement to anxiety/panic rather than fear.

Let’s use the example of a panic attack. A panic attack is almost always triggered by bodily sensations. Maybe your heart starts pounding or your chest feels tight. Maybe you feel dizzy or your body shakes. You know very well when its about to kick off and in a split second your mind reacts with fear to these bodily sensations. “Oh no here we go again, I am going to have a panic attack, -I might lose control, -I might die”.

That initial reaction is so split second it is almost impossible to control but at least now you are aware of what is happening and NOW is your moment to stop reacting and to choose a new response. Instead of reacting with resistance and fear to the sensations, you are going to respond with curiosity and excitement.

Here are the actual steps you need to take so that you can quickly move from fear to excitement:

1. Do not fight or resist the bodily sensations. (Remember, you are safe these sensations will not harm you)

2. Befriend the sensations and anxiety you feel, -do not see it as your enemy, it is your guide.

3. Embrace the sensations fully and observe them with a compassionate curiosity.

4. Now PLAY with the sensations. Encourage the bodily sensations to intensify. Get excited by this heightened state of arousal. Push the energy out and run with it. Let your heart pound, let your chest feel tight, let your mind race, let your body shake. Do not try and control it, experience it fully and feel really excited and alive because of it.

By taking the above steps you are doing something radically different. You are no longer resisting but embracing and moving with the experience. This movement is one of pure excitement as you ride the wave of fear instead of letting it toss you around.

Enjoy it, be excited by it , do not resist it.

That is how you turn fear into excitement.

5 Proven Steps to Relieve Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Stress with Mark Sing

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

An Overview of Ophidiophobia and Anxiety Disorder

I believe most people, if not all, are afraid of snakes. Unless one is a snake charmer, the sight of a snake would instinctively bring terror in our hearts. Though some would even make a pet out of these reptiles, most of us would still find it hard to get near tamed or caged snakes. But what I cannot understand is why even just the mere mention of "snake" would make my 31-year old buddy scream the hell out of his lungs. I found it a bit amusing at first. But when he kept being unreasonably afraid about it, it was then that I knew it was a serious source of fear, for him at least. Seeing his flushed face, goosebumps, and the uncontrolled shivering made me look for more information about what was exactly causing his extraordinary fear of snakes..

Ophidiophobia or the fear of snakes does not only refer to the fear of actual contact with live snakes but also even without live encounter such as seeing them in pictures, on tv or just the thought or mention of snakes would cause a full blown anxiety attack.



Phobia and Anxiety

We fear something because we sense imminent danger. And if the fear is valid, sometimes it helps us avoid the danger that is bound to happen. Our fear of getting scorched keeps us from touching anything hot or burning. Such fear is good. But irrational fear, also known as phobia, is something that becomes excessive and unreasonable. It is not just a petty quirk about food, person, or situations but a persistent, troublesome fear. It could be about something very real or simply a product of one's wild imagination. But when situations are getting out of hand, has interfered with living a daily normal life, and is already beyond one's control, it's about time that the problem is addressed.

All of us have experienced to be anxious whenever we are faced with stressful activities, problematic situations or traumatic events. Anxiety is our body's natural reaction when face with a challenging situation or threat. However, if anxiety is keeping you from living a normal life, it becomes anxiety disorder

Ophidiophobia may be experienced by both children and adults alike. And adults who realize that such fear is irrational may actually consider facing their fears. However, the thought of conquering the fear oftentimes bring them severe anxiety. Some are even so wrapped up with their phobia that they wouldn't want to give it up.



Treatment

Common phobias, like fear of snakes, would seldom cause a disruption on your normal daily function as compared to severe phobia such as claustrophobia or the fear of being in confined spaces which can be an occupational problem when you are working in a small office.

The most frequently used treatment for ophidiophobia involves re-programming your subconscious, which entails the "de-listing" of all the fear patterns stored in your memory. According to psychiatrists, this procedure is called Hypnotherapy, a scientifically sound technique used to decrease in symptoms of ophidiophobia.



I believe most people, if not all, are afraid of snakes. Unless one is a snake charmer, the sight of a snake would instinctively bring terror in our hearts. Though some would even make a pet out of these reptiles, most of us would still find it hard to get near tamed or caged snakes. But what I cannot understand is why even just the mere mention of "snake" would make my 31-year old buddy scream the hell out of his lungs. I found it a bit amusing at first. But when he kept being unreasonably afraid about it, it was then that I knew it was a serious source of fear, for him at least. Seeing his flushed face, goosebumps, and the uncontrolled shivering made me look for more information about what was exactly causing his extraordinary fear of snakes..

Ophidiophobia or the fear of snakes does not only refer to the fear of actual contact with live snakes but also even without live encounter such as seeing them in pictures, on tv or just the thought or mention of snakes would cause a full blown anxiety attack.



Phobia and Anxiety

We fear something because we sense imminent danger. And if the fear is valid, sometimes it helps us avoid the danger that is bound to happen. Our fear of getting scorched keeps us from touching anything hot or burning. Such fear is good. But irrational fear, also known as phobia, is something that becomes excessive and unreasonable. It is not just a petty quirk about food, person, or situations but a persistent, troublesome fear. It could be about something very real or simply a product of one's wild imagination. But when situations are getting out of hand, has interfered with living a daily normal life, and is already beyond one's control, it's about time that the problem is addressed.

All of us have experienced to be anxious whenever we are faced with stressful activities, problematic situations or traumatic events. Anxiety is our body's natural reaction when face with a challenging situation or threat. However, if anxiety is keeping you from living a normal life, it becomes anxiety disorder

Ophidiophobia may be experienced by both children and adults alike. And adults who realize that such fear is irrational may actually consider facing their fears. However, the thought of conquering the fear oftentimes bring them severe anxiety. Some are even so wrapped up with their phobia that they wouldn't want to give it up.



Treatment

Common phobias, like fear of snakes, would seldom cause a disruption on your normal daily function as compared to severe phobia such as claustrophobia or the fear of being in confined spaces which can be an occupational problem when you are working in a small office.

The most frequently used treatment for ophidiophobia involves re-programming your subconscious, which entails the "de-listing" of all the fear patterns stored in your memory. According to psychiatrists, this procedure is called Hypnotherapy, a scientifically sound technique used to decrease in symptoms of ophidiophobia.

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information