Health & Wellbeing

The Free Resource That Can Help You Cope With Anything

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laugh

When I had my comic memoir published by an award-winning independent press in 2008, I thought it would be the pinnacle of my professional writing career. But after my publisher went bankrupt one year later, taking with him most of my dreams, that celebratory moment turned into one of despair.

Standing in our basement, looking at the five big crates of unsold books we were left with after the experience, my husband wondered aloud what we were going to do with them. I said to him: “We can always make a bonfire and toast marshmallows.” Suddenly, the tension seemed to lift.

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Right Rejection and Happy Acceptance

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Buddha

Once upon a time, Buddha, with his monk disciples, stopped by a village. His intentions were to deliver sermons and spread the message of righteousness and liberation. Some of the villagers however did not receive him well. They called him an atheist, used abusive language and asked him to leave the village. Buddha, however, remained quiet and peaceful as ever. He did not respond to any of the verbal abuse. His face expression did not change.

His disciples could not bear their master being abused, they could not see him treated that way. They felt bad and hurt. Taking cue from their master, they chose to stay quiet however.

The disgruntled villagers left after a while. Peace ensued. Only Buddha and his disciples were left there.

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Nothing Lasts, But Suffering Makes It Worse

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The Buddha spoke of impermanence, that nothing lasts, and that failing to understand the real nature of impermanence means suffering. Most of us would agree that impermanence, or change, is a fact of life. If I ask if the weather, a river, or a mountain will always be the same, most will say no. If I ask if we as individuals will never change, again most will say no.

But here is the rub. Our sensitivity to impermanence shows up in our attachments to wishing for the world to be other than it is, unchanging. We exist in a conflicted state where intellectually we understand that everything changes, and all things good or bad pass away, but emotionally we hold onto the things we like and push away the things we do not like. This creates suffering as we are buffeted back and forth by the winds of change, experiencing emotional turmoil as we try mightily to hold onto this and get rid of that, all to no avail.

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What is Your Body Telling You?

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what is your body telling you?

Last week I started getting the sniffles. I felt a cold coming and knew I had to take it easy for the next few days if I didn’t want to get sick. But I carried on writing, thinking that I was only sitting at home and not doing much.

The next morning, however, I came down with a full-blown cold and fever and was bed bound for the next few days. As I laid in bed nursing my head and going through boxes of tissues, I tried to decipher how I had caught a cold.

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Changing Your Body Image

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body image

For most of my life, my happiness depended on the reflection I saw in the mirror.

I was convinced that the way I looked and the number I saw on the scale determined my worthiness as a daughter, sister, girlfriend and later a wife.

This completely ridiculous notion led to more than 2 decades of misery. During those years I felt trapped inside my body, without any hope to ever be able to find relief or a way to free myself. I lived in a state of oppression and despised everything about myself and my appearance.

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How I Beat Anorexia

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beat anorexia

About a year ago, I made a decision that not only changed, but saved my life.

I committed to healing my shattered soul.

I have been suffering from anorexia nervosa for 14 years.

My childhood had been anything but peaceful. Growing up with a brother who tortured me both mentally and physically every single day of my young life was nothing but hell.

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Gifts from the Train Station

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train station

A story of being pushed to the edge and coming back with a new purpose and a new life.

Sometimes life throws a monkey wrench into our plans, jolting us onto a new path we never would have taken before. This isn’t often easy, but it can open the door to a life of greater purpose and fulfillment than would ever have been the case otherwise.

My name is Rob Meadows and this is the story of my monkey wrench, and something new I’ve started to build with it, a new direction in my own life.

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Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Mind and Body

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sleep deprivation

Disruption to sleep can be caused by a number of different factors, but whatever the reason, the effects of sleep deprivation are always negative. Relationships, work and overall wellbeing all take a downturn when sleep is in short supply. Logical decisions become difficult and tempers become short and a person, different to who you actually are, soon emerges.

A number of reasons behind disrupted sleep are within your control to change, which may involve adjustments to lifestyle and at the extreme medical procedures may be required.

However, all of the changes listed below are within your power to achieve and the end result will mean a good night’s sleep and a return to normalcy.

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4 Ways to Stretch Instead of Stress

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stretch

“A boat is always safe in the harbor, but that’s not what boats were built for.” ~ shared by Katie Couric, the Women’s Conference 2009

If you are in your stress zone all the time, you have to ask yourself what role you have in creating this atmosphere for yourself. Perhaps you are a busy CEO, an entrepreneur, or a parent with three children and no help. All are valid reasons to be stressed, but there are plenty of CEOs and parents who are not stressed all the time.

You can experience stress both from positive and negative events. Some people may get stressed as a result of receiving a promotion at work and having new responsibilities. Others may experience stress when preparing for a dinner party when they have limited free time and their house is a mess. Stress levels can also be affected by external negative events, such as losing your job or health insurance, having a fight with your spouse, or gaining weight. Stress levels become unhealthy when your body and mind are constantly under pressure. Learn to be aware of your stress levels and how much you can handle without detracting from your performance.

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Getting Fit: 10 Things to Consider When Starting Out

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getting fit

When I started working out I was lucky enough to put in place several things that have held me in good stead up until now (as well as a number that didn’t, but I’ll just quietly ignore those). Here are 10 things that helped enormously :

1. Set goals

Think about your reasons for exercising, and set goals that seem reasonable to you (you can always adjust these later as necessary). These goals will help enormously when it comes to keeping you on track; regardless of your motivation. Whether you want to be freakishly strong, shed a few excess pounds or simply have beach-worthy abs; goal-setting will help you on your way.

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