July 7, 2003

From the Inside Out
REDUCING STRESS
IS AN INSIDE JOB

“I’m so stressed.” — “ I can’t seem to relax.” — “If only my boss were different I could enjoy work more.” — ”I never have time for myself.”

Do any of these sound familiar? Our lives are so fast paced these days, but fortunately there are many ways to reduce stress in only a few minutes a day.

1. Remember to breathe deeply throughout the day. When you’re stressed, breathing becomes shallow and your body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs to operate effectively. Practice some deep breathing right now. Focus on bringing air all the way into your lungs so that your abdomen expands. Continue breathing in so you expand the top part of your lungs as well. Then slowly breathe out. Try this several times, letting your neck, shoulders, and back relax. To remind yourself to breathe deeply, post reminders at your desk, on the refrigerator, and on your bathroom mirror! Author Andrew Weil, M.D., says that conscious breathing is the MOST important thing you can do for your health!

2. Do your best to focus in the NOW, rather than on regrets from the past or fears about the future. Ruminating about things that you can’t change in the past or the unknowns of the future sap your energy for this moment. If you find yourself worrying about something, bring your attention to a feature of your environment, like a flower, or the sounds around you. Take a few deep breaths and tell yourself, “focus now.”

3. Acknowledge your own needs and your own dreams. Women, in particular, have traditionally been rewarded for taking care of everyone else, but it serves no one if you only focus on others. There is a balance you must find between the caretaker role and the “living your own life” role. You might start by just taking the time for a relaxing bubble bath. Or an hour at a beautiful spot in nature. Find creative ways to make time for yourself. Perhaps you can start a babysitting coop in your neighborhood.

4. Use your mind creatively. If you dwell on negative thoughts like the ones at the beginning of the article, your stress will continue to increase. What you focus on expands. So if you’re telling yourself you can’t relax and you’ll never have time for yourself, you won’t! What is the change you want to experience? Tell yourself about that! “I’m easily learning and incorporating relaxation techniques into my life.” “It’s exciting to be learning to create balance in my life.” Buy a relaxation tape to listen to or go to the library and check out inspirational tapes and listen to them in the car driving to work.

5. Give up the “if onlys” and the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” thoughts. Accept what’s in your life right now- this doesn’t mean you want it to continue in the same way, but you can stop resisting “what is.” Decide what you want to be different, and begin your changes step by step. Create positive affirmations for your future. Be willing to commit to growth and joy rather than being a martyr.

6. Be willing to love and approve of yourself exactly the way you are right now! Criticizing yourself doesn’t help you change or improve your life. Be willing to be gentle and accepting with yourself, “warts” and all. Don’t try to be Superwoman or Superman, just be the best you.

7. Associate with people who are interested in personal growth. Having positive people around you reinforces your own desire to find more joy in life.

~Patricia Crane, Ph.D.
Heart Inspired Presentations

ORDERING FROM THE COSMIC KITCHEN: The Essential Guide to Powerful, Nourishing Affirmations Click for Book Details & Reviews (A portion of your purchases here helps support Inspiration Line programs.)

Yes You Can!
GET ORGANIZED & ENJOY!

REWARD YOURSELF:
The first day in time management consultant Lucy Hedrick's plan for developing a system of organization should be spent identifying rewards that will motivate you to do what needs to be done.

Lucy points out that this is, after all, the same principle behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner used to get laboratory animals to perform a specific behavior — an action followed by something pleasant tends to be repeated. You simply apply the same principle to change your own behavior. Note that Lucy does not espouse her methods in order the "get more done." Rather, her focus is to help you do what you ENJOY doing.

BREAK TASKS INTO BITE-SIZED PIECES:
The next "day" start with identifying your goals, then break daunting tasks into a series of small tasks that seem achievable. If you're still intimidated by the task, she says, you haven't broken the job into small enough pieces.

The process of breaking a goal into small steps will help you see clearly the scope of the project and anticipate obstacles. Don't try to carry your life in your head. Write things down so you can free your brain for creative pursuits. Make "To Do" lists. Small lists should be numbered. Larger lists may be listed in order of importance.

DIVIDE SMALL TASKS INTO CATEGORIES:
Once you've created your list of small tasks for each of your goals, Lucy recommends separating tasks into four major categories of activity — Calls, Errands, Things to Do, Things to Write.

There's no need to create these lists separately for each goal. For instance, start a list called "Calls," and include all the calls you need to make for all your current goals. Lucy also suggests having a personal notebook with this action plan, and keeping it with you throughout your day

ASSIGN ACTION PLAN STEPS TO CALENDAR:
Once you know the actions you need to take, it's time to figure out when you're going to do them. This means looking at your personal calendar and assigning each of the action categories (making calls, running errands, doing things, and writing) to a specific time slot. First, write down existing appointments or deadlines, then make appointments with yourself to work on your action plan. Be sure to give yourself deadlines.

PLAN YOUR DAY AROUND YOUR ENERGY LEVEL:
As you plan your day, keep in mind your own personal energy levels throughout the day. Schedule the high priority tasks, or those that will give you the most satisfaction, during your times of highest energy. Save the routine, "have-to" tasks for times when your energy level is waning.

DOES TECHNOLOGY MAKE LIFE EASIER?
Sometimes it seems all the beeping and buzzing just makes you crazier. With sound, simple tips on how to choose the best in technology and use it to get the best out of life, Lucy Hedrick's "Get Organized in the Digital Age," helps readers get control-and turn technology into a source of sanity instead of a source of stress. This book teaches how to:

* Avoid being a slave to cell phones and e-mail.
* Choose technology that suits your needs— from pagers to PDAs
— and get rid of what doesn't.
* Get electronic solutions to day-to-day problems.
* Become more productive at home and at work.
* Find more free time — and ENJOY every minute of it.

~ Lucy H. Hedrick
Time Management Consultant & Author
Click Here for more about
"Get Organized in the Digital Age"

Photo: Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands is a place of contrasts and contradictions — from graceful flamingos feeding in peaceful lagoons, to the prehistoric-looking marine iguanas that Charles Darwin called ''imps of darkness''; from towering cliffs rising precipitously from the sea, to lovely beaches. On Isabela, the largest of the islands, are five volcanoes. Santa Cruz features the Charles Darwin Research Station, where giant tortoise and iguanas are reared. On Fernandina, you'll see a species of penguin found only in the Galapagos, flightless cormorants and iguanas. On Bartolome, there are stunning panoramas, dramatic rock formations, lava
tubes and trails of mangroves.

LINKS
THAT SHINE

"Local Food"

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the environment.
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CLICK FOR MORE LINKS

Fascinating Facts
THIS and THAT

Don't ignore that ticket on your rental car windshield:
The next time you get a parking ticket with a rental car, pay it. If you don't, you could incur some hefty charges — charges that your business may not be so willing to reimburse. Rental car companies have recently started cracking down on drivers who scoot before paying their parking tickets. Although technically these fees have been in effect since the mid-1990s, recent advancements in computer systems and better record keeping have spurred a new, assertive effort to track down the thousands of culprits each month. Most companies charge decent fines — add that on top of the original ticket charge and late fees, and you could have a ten-fold increase in your original ticket cost! How you'll be billed depends on the company. Either you'll receive an invoice in the mail or have the charge applied to the credit card you used at the time of rental. Check out the fine print in your rental agreement to see just how your rental company will handle this type of situation. The best advice: pay your parking tickets and avoid this very expensive mess. ~Diane O'Brien, BuyerZone.com

Work Less And Sleep More:
Working overtime and not getting enough sleep may increase your chance of a having a heart attack, according to a study published in the July 2002 issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. For the study, researchers in Japan evaluated the work and sleep habits of 260 men aged 40 to 79 who had suffered a non-fatal heart attack between 1996 and 1998. They compared their findings to that of 445 men who were similar in age and residence, but had not suffered any heart attacks. According to the results of their research, men who worked an average of 61 hours a week or more or who frequently slept less than 5 hours per night were twice as likely to have a heart attack as their counterparts who worked less and slept more. While these findings do not prove that more work and less sleep lead to heart attacks, it does help support the fact that we need to watch the number of hours we work and that we should get plenty of rest. ~ Yahoo/Health.com

Rust spots on dishes?
If you notice rust spots on your dishes, it means your dishwasher rack is rusting. To solve the problem, you don't have to buy a new rack which can run you $75-$100. You can purchase a kit from an appliance repair store that contains touch-up paint and plastic tips to cover rusted tines. For best results, sand the rusted spots before you paint them. The touchup kits run about $10-$12 and come in white and blue. Before you trek to the appliance parts store, check the color of your rack. It's not something you're likely to remember off the top of your head. ~eMazing.com

Ten Little Trivia Questions ...

Click for Answer

Laughing It Off
KID'S CHOICE

When my grandson, Billy, and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the
lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects.
Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming
after us with flashlights."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After putting her children to bed, a mother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. At last she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard her
three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little girl had just finished her first week of school. "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always, she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My kids love going to the Web, and they keep track of their passwords by writing them on Post-it notes. I noticed their Disney password was "MickeyMinnieGoofyPluto," and asked why it was so long. "Because," my son explained, "they say it has to have at least four characters."

~Contributed by
Phyllis in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Untangling the Web

WHAT A SITE!

TIP KING...
The Home of helpful, timesaving, and thrifty tips
on over 700 subjects and growing all the time. Offering traditional hints and ideas that have been passed down through the generations.
www.TipKing.com

COMPUTER-EASE

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the kind that comes in a can — but nobody likes the kind of spam that shows up in the Inboxes of our mail programs. To learn more about spam and how to deal with it, visit
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Photo: Sherwin Crasto /REUTERS

Dark clouds gather as boys play on rocks ...
at Hussein Sagar Lake in Hyderabad, the capital
of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
This man-made lake was built during the reign of
Ibrahim Qutub Shah in 1562 and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. ~MSNBC