Self Improvement For A Better Life…

Can YOU control stress?

Stress is something that all of us deal with from time to time but unfortunately, there are times whenever it may get so strong that it can be difficult to handle.  Some of us may even experience anxiety attacks, a very common occurrence in today’s world.  The reality of it is, however, stress, in itself, is not necessarily a bad thing.  As a matter of fact, we need stress in order to deal with situations that come up in our lives that need a bit more attention than usual, just run of the mill, everyday issues. Thing is, although we need it, we also need to learn to control stress.

The problem occurs whenever the stress gets so difficult to handle or appears so often, that it seems to just compound itself.  There comes a time when we are seemingly unable to handle the situation, and eventually, we are going to need to learn how to control the stress otherwise it is going to ruin our lives.

One way that you can do this is by changing your thinking.  I know that sounds rather simplistic, but it is one of the most effective ways for you to be able to handle and control the stress that you are under.

If you are already at breaking point as far as your stress is concerned, it may take a little bit of time to adjust your thinking and benefit from this particular method.  The good news is, you will experience almost immediate results that you will be able to identify with rather quickly.  Simply begin to change the way that you think about stress and to look at your situation in life through a more positive aspect.  It is not necessary, or  probably possible for you to get rid of your stress altogether, that would be counterproductive.  What is necessary, however, is to learn to control stress, and realize that not everything needs to be on your shoulders, and quite honestly, there are some things that you cannot change.

If you set aside the things that you cannot change and stop fretting over them, that will leave you only with the situations or problems that should concern you.  By dealing with them one at a time, considering that the others will have to wait until you get to them, you will be able to eventually get through the list and control stress more effectively.

You may also want to set up specific “YOU” time in order to help to control stressful situations.  If your stress level remains at an elevated state for too long, it can actually affect your health and this can make it more difficult for us to get through our day-to-day activities.  That is why it is a good idea to schedule some stress busting time for yourself, perhaps through going out with friends, or even taking up a sport etc.  Even doing something for ourselves such as this a few times a month can really go a long way in reducing our stress levels.

It’s really just a case of understanding the actual causes of your stress or anxiety, then it becomes far easier to enjoy a better life, apparently without stress… If you are able to do this, it is a method that you can use for the rest of your life to successfully control stress.

Ways to relax and enjoy a better life

View From Our Terrace

Some people may think it’s boring, but for a better life, you need to RELAX. Fortunately, with the temperate climate here in Spain, most mornings I can go and sit outside on the terrace with my coffee, and watch the sun come up over the hills opposite. We are also able to watch plenty of wildlife where we are, ranging from eagles and buzzards, to foxes, partridges, and hares… Luckily for them, I’m not into hunting!

I also like to relax out there after a hard day slaving over my computer… In the evenings the “Little Owls” and bats arrive looking for their nightly prey… Also fascinating to watch.

We quite often see eagles flying overhead and last week a “Bonelli’s Eagle” landed about 200 yards in front of the house, looking for a meal (they’re partial to rabbits and partridges)… but he/she was unlucky while I was watching.

We have a fair amount of open land around us, so I don’t have to go very far, and for me, is a better life than the hassle of the city… but if you live in town, you may be surprised how much wildlife there is around you, even if you have to go looking for it on heath or woodland.

If you are looking for ways to relax, you can’t beat going out for a walk in the countryside and actually watching what’s going on. Every country has their own wildlife species whether it’s hedgehogs and badgers in England, or koalas and kangaroos in Australia, so wherever you are, there will always be something interesting to find and watch.

Not only that, the fresh air and exercise is so good for you, you will feel relaxed, refreshed and invigorated, ready for anything the rest of the day throws at you.
Why not take a camera? You might be able to get some amazing shots once you get to know where to go, get used to various animal’s habits, and what time of year certain  wildlife “events” take place.

Anyway, as I said some people may find just walking or sitting around watching animals, birds, or any kind of wildlife boring just on it’s own, but if you attached some sort of purpose to this activity e.g. wildlife photography, it might just make watching wildlife a lot more interesting for YOU.

If you want to attract some wildlife to you, why not go and feed the ducks or swans at a local pond or river, there is always plenty of wildlife around water, especially if it’s fairly remote or off the beaten track. Take a picnic and make a day of it, perhaps take the kids too, although I’m not sure how relaxing that would be… Go and explore your local area and see what you can find… I think you’ll realize you’re enjoying a better life… It’s worth it.

How much of what you intended to do today, did you actually accomplish?

Far less than you expected is often normal… That’s because the pressures of modern life have a nasty habit of running right over you so that you spend most of your time “catching up”. So here’s a few tips…

Get control… Know what you have to do, and get it done. For example, when it is time to get from home to work or from work to home, you will be ready for the transition.

To accomplish this, you’ll want to think of your ‘work time’ and your ‘personal time’ as existing in two different worlds. Each of these ‘worlds’ requires different skills and a different focus, but they are both important.

You can use some of the ideas here to create a ‘transition’ ritual for yourself – one that gets you out of one world and ready for another.

To go from home to work, you can try these things:

Get things ready the night before. Don’t wait until the chaos of the morning to pack lunches and iron clothes. Sign homework and pack your briefcase or car for work the night before, so you don’t forget anything. The less rattled you are going into the day, the less unbalanced you will feel throughout the day. Set your alarm and get up on time so you don’t have to rush. Always allow enough time for that last minute emergency, if you have kids. They have a way of foiling the best-laid plans.

You can try getting up before everyone else does if you think this might work for you. That will give you a little quiet time to get things done in peace before the rest of the house starts to stir and you are less likely to forget things in the rush. Some people use this extra quiet time to have a cup of coffee and write out their list for the day. Whatever works for you is fine!

Be sure you don’t run short on time to get to work. If you have young children, you have to be creative here. A ‘goodbye’ routine is a good idea. One that is fun and easy for the kids to get into will make the drop-off at daycare a lot easier and you will be out the door in no time.

These routines take a few tries to get right, so be patient with yourself and your children. Perhaps you can make a game of the tasks to be performed on the way out the door by using the familiar ‘Simon Says’. “Simon says get your lunch out of the refrigerator”.

Have a plan for what you will do if your child is sick or if you wake up to a foot of snow and you can’t miss work.

Use your trip to work – by train, car or bus – to read a book you enjoy, make a list of action items for the day, have a cup of your favorite coffee or listen to your favorite CD or meditation tape. You’ll need that sense of Zen and organization to get ready for the day, and you’ll greet the problems of the day with calm, and focused approach…

Ok, that will get you started… But now what?

How about a FREE book? Currently, my blog readers can get this ebook free… See opposite.

When you have some time on your hands, and you feel like doing something constructive, you need a hobby to fall back on. Something you can “potter about” at, maybe take your mind off things, and be relaxed in what your doing…

Have you ever wanted to “make stuff” in wood?

I don’t mean nailing 2 bits of wood together, sticking it in your garden, and calling it a bird table…  I mean something more substantial, such as a piece of wood furniture or even a summer-house!

Well I often fancy that, but have forgotten much of the (little) woodworking skills I ever possessed. Trouble is, my woodwork classes at school were a very long time ago, so every now and then look around the Internet for decent learning material etc. Until recently, not finding much either…

I’ve seen “shed plans” and various other plans that some retailers provide free sometimes, but most aren’t that good and the tutorials are mainly instructions on how to use their latest power “gizmo”, which is not what I want…

“What I want” is some decent project plans, step-by-step instructions (the idiot-proof sort, just in case I run into one), and video tutorials on “How to do woodworking“! Now, you would think a package like that is not hard to find, or too much to ask, wouldn’t you? I actually found a total of… One!

So, if you’re interested, read on…

If you are one of those people who enjoys building woodworking crafts/projects and some basic carpentry skills this website will interest you in the same way that it did me. The site is Ted’s Woodworking and it was the best that I have ever seen.

Ted Mcgrath was the originator of this site and is a professional woodworker so he knows what he is talking about. There are over 16,000 plans in the one package deal, but it’s what else is included that makes this package different…

Such as (currently)…

Comprehensive printable blueprints, schematics and materials list for each project

Step-by-step printable instructions for each products

Lifetime  access to a growing library of over 150 woodworking video tutorials

Complete Woodworking Guides – 200 pages of carpentry advice and instruction

DWG/CAD software package

Now, that’s more than I was looking for!

This is really something to find all that together in one package. For someone like me who is just really starting to get involved with woodworking this was like letting me loose in a candy store and telling me I could have anything I wanted. The pages were done in full color and they were laid out and very detailed which made it easy to follow. I really found it hard to put down and do some other things when I got it as it is so interesting. It gave me new ideas for summer projects!

I figured that with a unconditional money back guarantee that I was given and after a period of sixty days that I had nothing to lose. All I had to do if it was not what I was looking for would be to send it back and get my money back. You can not get any better deal than that. You won’t believe the low price at the moment either… honest!

Don’t believe me? Go check it out here!