Tuesday 5 February 2013

F*#* Everything And Run?

Also known as FEAR!  I remember a few years ago I was on a training course in Florida and one of the things we had to do was challenge our fear and take a leap of faith.  The task was to stand 5 feet up on a cherry picker on a beautiful beach on Treasure Island, and fall back allowing people to catch me.  As I looked out I could see the ocean and it was beautiful.  Then I looked backwards, below me and the reality hit!  Although I was in a gorgeous location having a great time I was going to have to challenge my fear and fall backwards hoping that 10 people would catch me!
At that moment, everything was telling me to run, but I also knew that I wouldn't be facing my fear if I did!
So, I took a breath and fell, and I was caught!  
Today's tip of the day...face your fears (as long as it is safe to do so)!  Start with the smallest fears you have and do something each day to challenge them!

Friday 1 February 2013

Breathe and smile!

When feeling stressed it is easy to let things get the better of you!  One of the simplest ways to calm yourself, feel good and make better decisions is to breathe and smile.
Most of the time people will say take a deep breath in.  What is missed out is the most important thing first!  To breathe out with a sigh!
When stressed people are normally chest breathing rather than breathing from the belly.  This can cause hyperventilation, feeling dizzy and light headed, rushing thoughts and many more physical symptoms.  The trick is to be able to realise when this is happening, sigh,  and then allow the breath in to happen naturally.  What this does is bring the breathing down to the belly which has a calming effect.  It is a good idea to practise this as the more you do it the more automatic it will become to breathe this way and feel calmer.
The other tip for today is to smile!  Research has shown that smiling actually changes brain chemistry and makes you feel good!