Blog for Self Improvement

Do you live in a state of constant stress, anxiety, fear and panic, or do you enjoy peace of mind?

Do you let external influences affect your moods and state of mind, or do possess inner strength and detachment?

Are you obsessed by fearful thoughts and worries, or do you have control over your thoughts?

Too many people are anxious, stressed, worry too much, subject to moods and have no control over their thoughts and feelings. This situation leads to emotional, mental and physical problems, unhappiness and failure.

The truth is that that situation can be changed. Inner peace can be developed, just like other skill. You can gain a state of inner peace and inner strength that nothing can shake.

Inner peace, which is peace of mind, is not the sole possession of yogis and hermits. You too can enjoy it without becoming a yogi or a hermit.

There is an erroneous concept relevant, which says that peace of mind is sought and can be attained only by people who lead a completely spiritual life in ashrams or monasteries. Some even think that real peace of mind is an illusion and cannot be attained. These are erroneous assumptions. Some might attain a higher level of peace and others a lower level, yet everyone can gain at least some measure of inner peace. Such peace will certainly improve the quality of life, health, relationships and everything else.

There are various treatments for stress, anxiety, fears and panic attacks. Some involve psychological help, some use hypnosis and others involve the use of medications. All these treatments involve external help. There is another way to handle these problems, which does not involve external help. It is through inner work and training.

Don't be afraid of the word words inner training and work. You are not required to do impossible things. A mental training program for peace of mind starts from really simple actions, which you can incorporate in your daily life. They include a change of attitude, being more positive, developing of inner detachment, developing some control over the thinking process and later, also some special meditations aimed toward increasing the level of inner peace.

Stress, anxieties, worries, fear and panic start in the mind. They start as thoughts, which grow in strength and affect your behavior, actions and habits. Your thoughts and attitudes act like a filter, a screen or lenses, through which you see the world in a particular way, which does not always depicts reality. Your aim is to be more aware of them, and use certain techniques to stop their power over you. There is no reason to go on through life being at the mercy of uncontrolled thoughts, feelings, anxieties, worries and fears.

You can transform your life! You can change the state of your mind! Even a small amount of inner peace would do a great deal to you. Are you afraid of some effort? Can't you spare just a few minutes for making your mind and life a little calmer, with less fear and worries?

'Peace of Mind in Daily Life' is a book that goes into detail about this most important subject. It teaches in simple and easy to follow progressive steps how to attain this coveted state of inner peace, right here where you are, without the necessity of making any outer changes in your life. True peace starts from the inside, and is independent of external conditions.

Here are a few tips to help you start:

# Learn to use the replacement method, of changing every negative thought, as it arises, into a positive thought. Don't fight negative thoughts, just divert your attention a positive thoughts or mental images.

# Write down and keep a list of inspiring and uplifting quotes, and read them several times a day.

# Think positive and inspiring thoughts before falling asleep.

# Though it might not be so easy, try to keep an attitude inner detachment in dealing with difficult or unpleasant people. Don't take too personally their remarks or criticism.

# Don't watch thrillers or action movies on TV before going to bed or falling asleep.

# Reduce the number of times you listen to the news on the radio or TV. Know what is going on in the world, but there is no need to constantly fill your mind with news that cause you stress or fear.

# Repeat positive affirmations several times a day. Do so also when you feel stress or fear.

Here are a few examples:

- I feel peace and tranquility filling my mind and body.

- My mind is calm, like a lake on a quiet summer day.

- I feel calm relaxed and peaceful.

- I am a center of peace, calmness and happiness.

© Copyright Remez Sasson

Remez Sasson teaches and writes on positive thinking, creative visualization, motivation, self-improvement, peace of mind, spiritual growth and meditation. He is the author of several books, among which are "Peace of mind in Daily Life", "Will Power and Self Discipline", "Visualize and Achieve" and "Affirmations - Words of Power".

Visit his website and find articles and books filled with inspiration, motivation and practical advice and guidance.
Website: http://www.SuccessConsciousness.com
Books: http://www.successconsciousness.com/ebooks_and_books.htm

As long you are not sure about your mission on earth, about the reason WHY you are here, about your main goal in life, you will feel like a ping-pong ball undergoing the commands of all your subpersonalities.

We all are a mix of different subpersonalities. These are different aspects of ourselves that take turns expressing themselves, and that may at times be contradictory. This split results in a sense of chaos and constitutes the most important hindrance keeping us from finding and implementing our mission. All of these subpersonalities are fighting for attention and keep us from focusing on what’s really important.

We have a lot of subpersonalities, parts of ourselves, that are able to linger around due to a fatal mistake, a wrong idea we have about ourselves and this world.

This is the main trait of our personality, the central misconception around which all the facets of our personality are orbiting like planets around the sun.

The fatal mistake, the central misconception is an idea that is fundamentally flawed, and that can never lead to the real goal of your life. Just like everybody else, you are battling your central misconception but you’re aiming too high or too low. This battle is extremely tiring, it can’t be won and you are being distracted from the goals that matter.

Take for example somebody with the following central misconception: « I always have to do everything by myself ». The subpersonalities revolving around this idea could be: the fearful who thinks she won’t be able to manage on her own; the accusing blaming everybody else; the complaining who goes on and on about how much she has to do in life without any support; the eternally fatigued crumbling under a load that is self-imposed; the diseased going from doctor to doctor hoping to find some miracle potion, and so on.

When you live in the illusion of being on top of your misconception, all of your “positive” subpersonalities will surface. You feel strong, happy, content, courageous, self-confident and so on.

But as soon as you’re starting to lose ground to your fatal mistake, all of the “negative” subpersonalities rear their ugly head. You feel down, irritated, aggressive, depressed and so on.

For most people, this is the very business of their life: to prove that they are right concerning their central misconception. They say: “I told you I always have to do everything by myself!” and then follows a long list of convincing “proof”.

Other possible fatal misconceptions:

q Don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed.

q I am responsible for everything, and I have to make sure everything is under control.

q At their core, humans are bad and you always have to be on your guard.

q Living is a sad occupation, we are here to suffer.

q I will never be good enough, no matter what I do.

q I didn’t get the right education, and will always be less than another.

q I can’t do thing on my own, I need a husband/wife.

q I have to hurry, because there is never enough time.

q Nobody loves me.

q Nobody cares.

q I am worthless.

q Life is one big disappointment.

q I am not beautiful/handsome/smart enough.

q Without a partner I am abnormal.

q Without kids of my own I can never be happy.

q Life is a drag.

…

Here I invite you to write down the main misconception in your life, the fatal mistake around which all revolves. You can discover your main misconception by going back in time to moments of enormous stress, where you felt completely deserted, did not know what to do anymore, were totally exhausted or raging mad. What’s that little sentence that comes up in those extreme moments? It’s always the same little sentence.

As long as your life is about this idea, you are on the wrong track and you will only exhaust yourself. This sentence represents a major misconception and it is a big bolder on your personal path.

This is a very uncomfortable, senseless and sickening way to live.

To escape from this prison, one needs to change course and focus on what really counts: your own personal specific reason of existence!

Let your life revolve around what it is that you have on offer for this world, and not around how sad and unfair life is treating you!

Be involved in re-dis-covering your spiritual core, your true nature. This is a way of life that will bring you joy, love, health and satisfaction!

You need to replace this misconception by another sentence that expresses your true, your Divine Nature, like : “I am a Child of God”, “I am already perfect als I am”, “There is enough love for me in the world, I feel loved and I can give Love”, “Life is wonderful”, “I am a Light Person ment to spread Light around me”, “I am loved and there is as much help as I need”, and so on.

As it becomes clear who you really are, and the more you occupy yourself with what really matters, the more the central misconception in your life will lose its hold on you. You are so much more than just a collection of subpersonalities. Before you started playing these roles, you were already your own person. You are more capable and brilliant than you think. The truth about yourself is to be emphasized.

Everytime your misconception pops up in your head (usual under stress, pressure or fear), change it immediately by the truth about yourself!

By: Ineke Van Lint

Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Ineke Van Lint, psychologist, is a spiritual and educational coach and an expert in enthusiasm. She’ll guide you to find out who is the real you and how you can achieve happiness and success. Grab your free e-course and free inspirational quotes at www.theenthusiasm.com

Many an article and product has appeared about freeing you from stress. Concepts such as anxiety, exhaustion, frustration, distress, tension, mourning, fear, etc… were soon brought under this one word. As a result a clear analysis of the stress phenomena was not possible. Psychoanalytic and neuro-analysis give more insights into stress symptoms. Psychological stress response show the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the release of stress hormones like adrenalin/epinephrine and cortisol. This sheds more light on the cause and effects of stress

How do we define stress with the many concepts added to it? Stress has over the years gained a definition of a state in which the demands on physical or mental energy is excess. This adversely disturbs the physical or mental health of an individual. Medical terminology determines it as a perturbation of the body’s homeostasis.

Modern folklore of stress is spawning an industry of popular psychology, self-help, and personal counseling material. This is largely due to the nature of our lifestyle. Our modern lifestyle tends to cause continual sympathetic nervous system activation. This is a disturbance in the balance; parasympathetic nervous system also needs to activate. This allows bowel movements, non-muscles organs pupils, and glands the necessary blood flow and functional requirements. Poor healing, organ functions and digestion is the cause for various other ailments.

In this urban culture everyone suffers from stress. Causes are relationship demands, pressure at work places, traffic snarls, growing up tensions and varied other situations. It is vital for some parasympathetic action in our bodies. We need to take time out from our modern lifestyles. We need to give our bodies some rest. It is accumulated stress that causes acute and chronic psychosomatic illness.

Each person has their own method to manage stress. Some go for relaxation through exercises, massage, deep breathing, meditation, soothing music, visualization and other alternative methods. Personal growth and counseling has shown that we can manage stress to our advantage. If you need motivation; psyching up is an effective stress arousal technique to handle the job

How to tackle stress?

The psychological consequences of exposure to stressful experiences may be quite traumatic. A psychologically weak person may have post traumatic stress disorder. For normal person handing stress is important as well.

• Anticipate stressful events and plan to cope or avoid them.

• Do not give over importance to an event. Reducing its importance can help in proper focus on goals.

• Reduce stress by imagining a peaceful scene. Practicing deep breathing simultaneously can help.

• Awareness of your thought could help you channel it toward rational and positive thinking.

• Self hypnosis is easy and helps you in controlling the inputs into your mind.

• Physical exercise has a lot of benefits; improved blood flow, better functioning of organs, enhanced sleep and a sense of well being.

 • Time management also is an important concept in reducing stress. Avoid distractions and use your time effectively.
• Attitudinal changes can be brought about by looking to see if others are faced with a situation like yours. The responses that the situation deems necessary could be taken by rationalizing the attitude you have.
• Change is essential. Your adaptation to a situation could lead you to be in control and not controlled.
• Natural and artificial stimulants are not the only way out of stress. Be aware of the function and effects of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, sugar etc.

• Factors like air quality, lighting, cleanliness, noise, etc… can intrude into your personal space and trigger of stressful reactions. Remodel the environment around you for a relaxing mood.

Stress in moderation is necessary as it increases our performance. Getting over stressed is the danger.  stressfoucs.com defines stress and deals with stress related issues. Stress symptoms, post traumatic stress, etc…. Sufficient knowledge of stress can help you take on stress more effectively.

About the Author: stressfoucs.com defines stress and deals with stress related issues. Stress symptoms, post traumatic stress, etc…. Sufficient knowledge of stress can help you take on stress more effectively.

Source: http://www.easyarticles.com