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12 JAN

24 Ways to Reclaim Peace of Mind

It is not an understatement to say that these are stressful times. Almost routinely there are news reports that further heighten our anxieties-airport security is lax; the country is vulnerable to chemical, biological, and even nuclear attacks; our water can be poisoned and our food contaminated; sleeper terrorists are in our midst. The litany of dangers can unnerve even the strongest, most optimistic person. In spite of challenging times, it is possible to be a person who lives with serenity and tranquillity. Here are two dozen ways to reclaim your peace of mind.

12 JAN

Cancer… Again

How lucky can a person be, anyway? Five years’ worth of lucky? That’s the target date most oncologists quote for official membership as a breast cancer survivor. Really, the buildup begins at three years running. You start to feel a tingle of hope. Four years? Now, that’s different. You might as well forget the tingle and confess downright anticipation. It’s the ultimate home stretch.

How to Deal With Stress at Work

Is your job stressing you out? Don’t feel alone. A recent Gallup poll shows only 14 percent of workers are dissatisfied with their job, while a whopping 34 percent are dissatisfied with how much stress they face at work. Stress elicited the highest level of dissatisfaction from a list of common problems–even exceeding recognition, promotion opportunities, and salary!

12 JAN

Diet Vs. Excercise

To stay slim and trim, John runs five miles almost every day. Because of his vigorous workouts, he feels he’s earned the right to eat whatever he wants. His wife, Sue, however, would rather read the fine print on the insurance policy than get anywhere near a treadmill or gym. Her solution to weight control is carefully selecting what she eats. That’s why you’re more likely to see her reach for a piece of fruit instead of a cookie or slice of cake.

Shyness: More Than a Feeling

Wallflower. “The word describes me perfectly, as I’m such a loner,” Shannon, age 33, said. “I sit home alone every weekend, waiting for a friend to call. Then when the phone does ring, I don’t answer it. My heart starts to pound, and my face turns warm and red. I’m so afraid it’s someone I don’t know well, and I won’t know what to say. Lately I can count my friends on one hand, and even these friends are not very close.”

12 JAN

Thank You, God, for Giving Me Diabetes!

As a patient I was stunned. As a medical professional I found it simply the final confirmation of the suspicions I had secretly carried for the past several months. The symptoms had become far too obvious for me to ignore any longer–an all-consuming thirst, frequent urination, constant exhaustion, and steady weight gain–so I finally called a trusted friend and told her my suspicions.

12 JAN

Racing for the Gold With God

Some skeptically eye sheer ice and hard-packed snow as hazardous places to slip or crash out of control. But if you tried pegging hope’s fullest potential in degrees Fahrenheit, it would be on H2O at 32 or less–at least for winter athletes racing for Olympic gold. At these temperatures, water that once felt soft as a kitten’s paw or frothy like bubble bath suds hardens into something cold and carvable by skate blades and ski edges.

12 JAN

Taking a Daily Vacation

It’s easy to live on “automatic pilot.” Yet doing precisely the things you have to do, or are supposed to do, day after day can make you become nearly robotlike and feel life is growing stale and ho-hum.

You can change all of that. With a bit of planning and direction, it’s possible to pack the fun and excitement of a vacation into short daily spurts. You can enjoy a change of pace, a change of attitude, and a lot less stress.

Learning to take a daily vacation is learning to recreate and re-create you. A daily vacation is more than just a lull in routine. It is a piece of time when you wholeheartedly pursue something you truly enjoy.

12 JAN

Fit For Life

Motivation is the key to maintaining a lifelong exercise commitment. What will it take for you to make a permanent lifestyle change?

Start by taking a good, long look in the mirror. Do you see the weight of everyone else’s problems? Your spouse’s job-related stress pads your thighs, juggling the daily day care and work commute jiggles under your arms, or possibly the pressure of your own career thickens your waistline. Maybe losing a few pounds would boost your self-image. Perhaps the weight you bear can’t be measured in pounds, but in the heavy expectations of being the woman you think you should be–bright, successful, self-sufficient, and at all times beautiful. Take time to focus on how you feel. Perhaps your stress is entirely your own, visible as the perpetual purple rings under your eyes and the tension you feel throughout your body. Now close your eyes, and imagine the ideal you–a woman who is physically and emotionally fit.

Coping With Addictions

Why do people do things that they know are harmful? The next time you go to the grocery store and see an elderly man pulling an oxygen bottle behind him with the tubes going into his nostrils at the same time he is smoking a cigarette, stop and think. Why is he doing something that he knows is the cause of his inability to breathe well? It doesn’t make sense, does it? That very man would probably advise others not to smoke while at the same time be unable to correct his own problem.