Archive for February, 2007

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas, or to some, Bah, Hum Bug. The holidays are once again upon us. What once used to be “I can’t wait until Christmas” has now turned into “I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas again.” For many the beginning of the holidays means adding the word “pressure” to the top of their shopping list. Like shopping for an item on your list that you know you need and is out there, but just can’t seem to find. Just the thought of Christmas can leave us feeling more frazzled than bedazzled for the holiday season. Or some may just simply call it plain old stress.

The beginning of the holiday season automatically places multiple demands upon us, not to mention the already long list of daily duties you may have. We are consumed with holiday shopping, family gatherings, parties and the physical, financial, and emotional tensions associated with these events. How do we survive the Holiday rollercoaster? Thankfully, you don’t have to hide out at the North Pole to save your Sanity. With a little TLC and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) you can have a happy and healthy holiday.

Planning

Before committing yourself to hosting the neighborhood bake exchange or attending a potluck party, be sure and ask yourself if this is really something that you want to do, or can make time for. Don’t feel guilty about saying No! Put you, your family, and your responsibilities first. Nothing is worse than saying Yes, when you really mean No. One way to quickly ruin the holidays is by doing too much. Delegate, no one says you have to be Superwoman. Make a list of things for other family members to do. Not only will this take some pressure off you, but it will also include them in the holiday festivities. When you’re out shopping, leave your packages at the wrapping tables; this eliminates one item of your list of things to do and gives you more time to shop. Prioritize, do what needs to be done, take time to enjoy the things that are really important and meaningful to you.

Exercise

Workouts tend to go to the bottom of the list when you’re up to your elbows in wrapping paper. Exercise releases endorphins, the happy hormones which sweep away the stress hormones that develop throughout the day. While it can be a chore to incorporate your aerobics class into your busy holiday schedule, there are other alternates. Try finding the furthest parking space away at the mall; you can make a brisk walk part of your exercise routine. Also try parking on the opposite side of the mall, so you have to walk through the mall to get to you’re favorite store. Wear a pedometer. Shopping for the holidays can be an exercise in itself. Track your miles while you’re shopping for that special gift. You’d be surprised at how many miles you can accumulate.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)

Use EFT to calm your nerves. Not only can shopping be stressful during the holidays, but the urge to resist those delicious holiday goodies that seem to stalk us can darken ones mood. Maintaining a diet during the holidays seems to be one of the most stressful things there can be. Always having to fight the temptations can eventually wear you down. Using EFT can help. When the pressure is on, just remember those pressure points, and tap. EFT provides rapid relief and long term benefits for Stress. Whether it is stress or a simple craving, EFT works equally well and often works where nothing else will. Once you have learned the EFT process, you can apply it at the onset of an attack and, in most cases; it will rapidly “bring you down” within minutes. For some people, a few rounds of EFT not only rapidly dissipates a current attack but, in addition, it noticeably reduces … or eliminates … future occurrences.

Time for Me

Make time for yourself, schedule in one hour every day to rejuvenate your mind and body. Think of yourself as a car, when your out of gas, you need to refuel. Take the time you need: soak in the tub, read a good book, get a massage, or even take a nap. The key is to do something that gives you solace. Be sure to get a good night sleep. Sleep is nature’s own stress management technique. When you sleep, you breathe more deeply and slowly, your heart rate and blood pressure go down and you replenish certain brain chemicals that affect mood.

Holidays come once a year and it’s important to be the best you can be, not only for your loved ones, but for yourself. You too can be Winning At Weight Loss. Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy Holiday.





About the author:

Kathy is a certified weight loss coach who has lost 250 pounds and kept it off for good! Support your weight loss program with her unique system that helps you get to the root of your eating problems! Lose weight safely and keep it off! Visit Kathy at WinningAtWeight Loss.com

Technorati Tags: EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, Energy Healing

As a certified NLP trainer, I am often asked, “What is NLP?”

The term NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming and was coined in the early seventies by John Grinder, an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Richard Bandler, a student of psychology at the university. They began their work by studying Fritz Perls, a psychotherapist and originator of the Gestalt school of therapy, Virginia Satir, a well-known family therapist and Milton Erickson, a world-famous hypnotherapist. Their intention was to model outstanding therapists and identify patterns in order that other practitioners could use these patterns to generate similar results. It may be said that NLP is about identifying excellence through an exploration of patterns, and then devising means for others to use those patterns to achieve similar results.

NLP also draws on earlier work, such as Ivan Pavlov’s conditioned reflexes (1904). In NLP this is called anchoring. NLP takes theoretical results developed by others and makes them available to you and me so we can improve our lives and well-being.

NLP is more than just techniques. It is a curiosity about how people who are high achievers accomplish what they actually set out to do. It is also a methodology that assists you in discovering those thinking and communication patterns that prevent you from being successful and shows you how to achieve the results of successful people. That is, NLP is a process of discovering the patterns of excellence of experts, and it makes these effective ways of thinking and communicating available for others to use for their own benefit or to assist others.

NLP had its origins in therapy and is now applied in all areas of human endeavor – education, health, sports, business and, perhaps most importantly, interpersonal relations.

Let us break down and analyze the terms neuro-linguistic programming.

Neuro refers to your neurology – sense organs. It is about how you absorb information. For example, you use your eyes to see things in your world. You also experience or perceive events through your other senses: aural (hearing), kinesthetic (tactile touch or emotional feeling), gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell).

Linguistic refers to the language – pictures, sounds, feelings (kinesthetic), tastes, smells and words – that you use to remember and make sense of a particular experience (or to forecast a future experience). For example, can you recall your breakfast this morning? When you remember having breakfast, can you see a picture in your mind, or can you hear sounds (perhaps a radio was on or you were engaged in a discussion with your family)? What about tastes and smells? And how were you feeling – happy, tired, excited?

Think about a significant event in your near future. Do you envision yourself being successful? Or failing? The pictures, sounds, feelings, tastes, smells and words that you use to describe future experiences have a bearing on what actually happens. You do create your own reality!

Programming refers to your habits, patterns, programs and strategies. If it is a workday, do you follow a particular routine as you get ready for work? Perhaps you like to lie in bed an extra five minutes after the alarm goes off. Do you shower or bathe right away or have breakfast first? If you take time to look at what you do, I am certain you will see a pattern that you follow in getting ready for work. If for some reason you do not follow that pattern, do you find yourself feeling that something is missing?

You have patterns, habits, strategies and programs for everything you do. Some of these patterns serve you, but others do not – resulting in unwanted outcomes. You may be fully aware of some of your patterns. You may become aware of others only when someone else brings them to your attention. And you may choose to quickly forget about these patterns because you want to avoid addressing that part of your life. And there are still other patterns that you are not aware of at all, yet they continue to influence how you look after yourself, communicate with others and perform your daily tasks. If the patterns serve you – that is, generate positive results in your life – great! However, if you find that some patterns do not serve you, would it not be useful to identify those patterns and to change them so they work to your advantage?

Question: Who put your patterns, habits, strategies and programs in place? Of course, you did. So who can change them? Only you. But first, you must become aware that you run these patterns. This is one of the biggest benefits of NLP – becoming aware of the patterns, habits, strategies and programs that you have been running unconsciously and then using NLP techniques to change them in order to achieve the outcomes you desire.

About the Author: Roger Ellerton is a certified NLP trainer, certified management consultant and the founder and managing partner of Renewal Technologies Inc. (http://www.renewal.ca). He can be reached at info@renewal.ca. This article is an extract from his book Live Your Dreams – Let Reality Catch Up: NLP and Common Sense for Coaches, Managers and You (http://www.live-your-dreams.biz).

Source: www.isnare.com

Technorati Tags: NLP, Neuro Linguistic Programming