Sarah Tan – Personal Development

Cautionary statements for medical and health aspects such as  heart attacks or seizures seem to be showing up all over our television of late.  TV and radio advertisements notify us what to do should we experience dizziness, passing out, numbness, and the like.  However, hardly ever will you witness an advertisement explaining common anxiety symptoms, which is especially inconsiderate considering so many us go through them and are very confused by them.

Having anxiety symptoms is exceptionally common in our modern culture, when we exposed to high pressure situations on a sporadic basis.  Whether it’s the despair that we’re lost in an uncharted location or we’re going to be late for a critical appointment or when the phone rings loudly, we all face anxiety at some point in our lives.  Thousands of people however may face anxiety symptoms for what appears to be no cause whatsoever, and might confuse them with the symptoms of getting a seizure or some alternate medical condition.  People who suffer from panic attacks frequently confuse these symptoms.

Anxiety disorder symptoms are obviously unique for everyone, and sometimes it’s apparent that they’re just having anxiety – right before speaking in public, when you’re about to be married, when you open your front door and see a couple of thugs standing there; these events might easily make any of us anxious and nervous!  However for most of us, anxiety symptoms may also include shallow breathing, heart contractions, vommiting, chest pains, irregular breathing, tingling or numbness in the fingers, face, or toes.  Stomach aches, and headaches are not unusual either.  You can see how these conditions could actually be confused with a heart attack or asthma or any number of other conditions.

If you get these anxiety symptoms on a frequent basis, and especially if they happen to happen for no reason, you should probably visit your doctor.  At the outset, you will want to rule out the chances of it being a heart attack or something that serious.  After that, he or she can prescribe medications or therapy that can help you live with the anxiety symptoms while simultaneously working with you to find out why you’re tense and anxious to begin with.  You might have some chemical imbalances in the brain or could need to incorporate a number of new positive techniques on how to process stressful situations so as to be able to reduce the start of a panic attack before it gets too severe.

I managed to overcome my panic disorder after years of hassle and dragging my family through the terror with me.  The cure I used was entirely natural, medication-free and didn’t require lengthy counseling – I’m happy to report that I’ve been free of anxiety for a number of years now, I only wish I had discovered it years sooner.

You can find out more about the program that saved my life at my how to cure anxiety blog.

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10 Tips To Help You Start Taking Control with Positive Thinking.

At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward.

Positive thinking will help people with ADD to better concentrate on their accomplishments and strengths, giving them more motivation and joy in life. It will help in better using your time to work on making progress, rather than feeling discouraged and helpless. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns :

1. Take Good Care of Yourself

When you take good care of yourself by eating healthy, exercising and getting adequate rest, it is much easier to be positive.

2. Make a List of the Things You are Grateful for in Life

When you take the time to remember some of the things that are good in your life, then stress from the challenges you face are not as difficult. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.

3. Don’t give in to ’making assumptions’, but instead discipline your mind to look for proof or actual facts.

A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. For instance, if you are worried or fearful that someone is in a bad mood because of something you did, or that people are secretly gossiping behind your back about you, then you should ask them if it is true or not. Don’t waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes

Have you ever told a partner “You’re ALWAYS late” or complained to a friend “You NEVER call me”. Thinking and speaking in absolutes like “always” and “never”, makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.

5. Get Rid of ALL Negative Thoughts that cause Anxiety

Our thoughts determine the way we live and therefore you need to discern them and discipline yourself to overcome negative thinking. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, recognize it for what it really is and don’t follow it.

6. Squash the “ANTs”

In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” – Automatic Negative Thoughts.

These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me” or “The boss wants to see me, it must be bad”! When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!

7. Begin to show your family and friends positive physical contact with a hug, smile, pat on the back or welcoming handshake.

You don’t have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Showing positive physical contact with your family and friends and even your pets, is a great ’feel good’ interaction, one that we all need in life. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. Her tips were noticeably higher from the ones she touched, then from the customers she did not touch!

8. Increase Your Social Activity

Loneliness feeds on negative thinking and one way to combat it, is by increasing social activity in your life. Find people you can be with that are happy and positive in their outlook on life, then you will notice how very contagious that sort of thinking can be.

9. Be Involved with Helping Other People or Volunteer in an Organization

Once you help other people that are hurting, you will also help yourself, because you will feel good inside knowing you helped to make a positive difference in someone’s life. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. You may have heard it said, ’Give and it shall be given’, this is a true saying and the more positive energy you put in the world, the more you will get back.

10. Have a New Thought Pattern to Fight Against Depressing Thoughts.

A great way to stop thinking unconstructive thoughts is to interrupt the pattern by forcing yourself to begin thinking and doing something completely different. Begin to change your old thinking patterns of focusing on the negative. That way of thinking is never productive, but only leads to stress and unnecessary anxiety. Try changing your physical environment – go for a walk or sit outside. Or, you could call a friend, turn on some music or look at a magazine.

Find sayings, scripture verses or quotes that will help motivate you to remain positive in your thinking, the following are some of my favorites: Oprah Winfrey – “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” “Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours” – A Swedish Proverb

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For the past few months, I had been seriously contemplating a career switch, or at the worst case scenario, I’ll just stay at home and do my own stuff. I had been feeling very stressed at work, and I did not look forward to going to work. I would cry when I drive to work, but after reading Awaken The Giant Within by Anthony Robbins, I decided to do something about it.

To get rid of negative thoughts, play the scenes where you feel really lousy about yourself. See those experiences like a movie. It could be that of a bad breakup, or your boss scolding you, or any experiences that you have extremely negative vibes about.

After that, replay the scenes backwards at extra fast speed. Distort the scenes and make one person’s head big, or if someone had said something nasty, watch how they swallow their words and imagine the words rushing out from the years like steam. If someone had been nasty, imagine their faces being distorted, or their ears growing till Dumbo’s size. Make the faces green or purple. Then, fast forward the movie, and then backwards many times, until the entire negative experiences become cartoonish and laughable. Add your favourite cartoon’s funny sounds or soundtrack with as much exaggeration and humour.

If you can do this effectively, whatever that has been affecting you for years will no longer affect you. You have broken the pattern of associating such images to pain. Instead, you will see such situations differently.

I tried that, and while I cannot say whether it is hundred percent successful, I already feel so much better about going to work, and even though the workload is still very heavy, I’m actually enjoying myself. I still have some way to go before I resolve my issues about my career path, but for now, I am feeling way better than I did a few months back.

By doing this, you get to break the negative thought pattern. You scramble the sensations. Try it and let me know in your comments. It could be about your phobia towards creatures such as cockroaches and lizards, or an unhappy relationship, or fears about public speaking.

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Speaking of sleeping well with outsourcing the boring parts of your life, I found some beds that look like they come out of Sims catalogue. My Sims had extremely nice bed, and I saw the real life version. I never realised that Oak Beds could look so good. There is a wide range of colours, and of course other furnishings. I think this catalogue will come in handy when I furnish my new house next year.

People may spend lots of money on the mattresses, but a good solid bedframe is very important. When I went on an adventure camp earlier this year, my colleagues told me about how one colleague broke a bed because of his size when he was there last year. That was something I thought would happen on TV (Holland Village), but it was true. I guess the frame was made of compressed wood. The beds at the website are made of solid wood. They have different sizes and lengths, so my colleague would definitely not have to worry about any more accidents.

With a good night’s sleep, then we can recharge ourselves, and move forward. When your worries are taken care of by the virtual assistant, you will enjoy your bed more. After all, when we do not allow our bodies to recharge ourselves, then we will be unable to do our work well.

Choosing a bed is similar to choosing a good support in life. If the bed frame is rotten, then you will slip and fall and break your back. Correspondingly, if your mental, emotional and physical support are missing, then your future will be at stake. Hence, just like how you choose your friends, choose your bed wisely.

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Do you know why employees at Google get to swim, play basketball, work out at the gym or play any other games while they are still at work? The swimming pool and basketball court is actually inside the Google Complex. Do you know why you are always feeling tired and bored of life? It all boils down to a simple maxim: exercise brings about a radiant life.

If you are already exercising, you are on track to lead a great life. If not, you can always get started. There are ten rituals expounded in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. These ten rituals, which include reading, meditating, listening to music, speaking and so on, are some simple tasks that promise to transform your life. One of them is to exercise.

Exercise helps to train your body, and when you body is fit, you are able to train your mind too. It helps you to feel refresh and rejuvenated, instead of tired and lousy. At the same time, when people exercise, it helps them to focus better. They can become more creative. Because of exercising and of course other reasons, the Google employees are constantly creating new things and improving on their present products.

While not all of us are in tip top condition now, some form of exercise is definitely necessary. I’m glad to say I have an exercise plan which I am committed to, and this took me quite some time before it really took off. I am certainly very glad that I am now very eager to exercise. In the beginning, I accompanied my mother to yoga classes. As I had learnt ballet when I was young, it was quite easy for me to learn the poses. Unfortunately, I was unable to continue with it due to time and location. Classes were held in town, and I usually could not afford the time to go down.

However, I had a target last year and that was to look good for my ROM, I started working out in the gym at my workplace. With a clear focus in mind, I felt my pants were not as tight as before and I was glad with the results.

After discovering that exercise actually helped me feel refreshed and happier, I decided to search for a proper gym. At the same time, I felt that I wanted to mix yoga and pilates with cardio-exercises. A convenient location was extremely important. I found one that was midway between my workplace and my home, so I could work into my schedule to go to the gym at least 3 times a week.

It has been almost six months since I had started with my gym, and I’m glad to say I have managed to work this into my routine. It has become a habit to go to the gym, and I am glad that I am able to stick with this.

Therefore, if you wish to bring positive change to your life, start with some simple exercises. You do not need to jog if you hate it. Yoga is beneficial and depending on your fitness level, there are many types of yoga that you can consider that caters to your needs. When you have become fitter, you can start to explore other types of exercises, just to make your exercise regime more varied and interesting.

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