Stress Tips for Stressful Times

Mental stress: worry, anger, fear and such have become a condition of life for so many in our quickened society, and has increased significantly in recent years.

Anguish may be tormenting us in these worrisome times even though we may have significant personal income and material possessions. In some instances it can be so serious that we cannot function properly from day to day, leaving us with the feeling of worthlessness or utter despair. In spite of what we may have obtained.

Medical help might be required, which should always be a consideration with all physical and mind related problems. Often there is also the prospect of some useful type of made to measure self-help. By learning what the experts and others have to offer on the subject of stress free living and by reviewing our habits and lifestyles we might set a new course through smooth and scenic waters.

If troubled you are not alone; stress is all around now and quite likely always has been in earlier times, to various degrees. William James' observation around the late 1800s; "The American over-tension and jerkiness and breathlessness and intensity and agony of expression are primarily social, and only secondarily physiological, phenomena. They are bad habits, nothing more or less, bred of custom or example, born of imitation of bad models and the cultivation of false personal ideals."

So this sorry business of anxiety and tension has been going on for quite a long time and is very 'popular' here and now! Well others have found ways to remove this, perhaps partially self-infected scourge, and begin to live happily and successfully. And so should you if need be.

Why not make some immediate observations about your thinking and your lifestyle and prepare a plan for the days ahead. While there is no magic wand to make feelings of despair immediately vanish into thin air there are ways of dealing with them that could gradually lessen and eventually make them a non issue.

We should be able to provide ourselves with some immediate and long term relief from the burdens we carry today. Some of the troubles you are facing now should be fixable, partly or altogether. Those that cannot be resolved can be filed in a vault and buried deeply, unreachable and never to be seen again.

Perceptions that William James has made are fairly certain; change your thoughts from gloom to cheerfulness and the feelings must follow. How should it be any other way?

For instance, for relief from those troubled thoughts you can often visualize your way out by picturing yourself in a very calm, peaceful, serene setting, in complete easy control. It can be real or creative but picture it clearly and hold on to it. Use your imagination in other ways to help siphon off tensions. For example, when in the shower let all your worries, stresses, anxieties, run down the drain with the soapy water. But start to replace those troubled mental images immediately as they occur - with something pleasant - and keep it going.

When you start to feel stress coming on, immediately start relaxing your whole body; neck, arms, legs... Go limp; it is very difficult to act tense if your muscles are loose.

Fill your mind with thoughts of tranquility, confidence, strength, happiness. Repeat these and other calming words to yourself now and again, over and over until they saturate your thoughts.

Generally, to improve upon a stressful way of life you can reassess your values and routines. Consider eliminating some of those material things and related actions which are not necessary to a peaceful lifestyle. Slow down.

Take notice of, and enjoy your surroundings through the day. Look at, listen to, smell the natural surroundings; the birds, trees, clouds... Spend more time thinking about the good and pleasant things in your life, like family and friends, pets, garden, jokes, photos... Create a list.

Make a determined effort to please someone. Offer help, listen, agree, smile. This is much easier than trying to impress others and the good vibes will flow and ebb. Thinking of and interacting with others, can be very soothing on the nerves, particularly if you expect no credits. Friends are powerful allies in your efforts to eliminate anxiety and they are such a valuable asset to accumulate for the journey ahead.

"But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, all losses are restored and sorrows end." - William Shakespeare

If you are serious about reducing your stress then read and learn about stress, just as you would study and become knowledgeable on any art, sport or trade that you wish to master। Just starting such a program will be very encouraging at the start, but don't just leave it at that - make it part of your personal knowledge base for living.

Sept 2011

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Obesity and Starvation: Crazy and Cruel

Will these past several decades be recorded as the time of a horrible exploitation of people's health for the purpose of corporate profit? Will these generations be remembered for the times when thousands of people died daily from malnutrition and hunger - while so many others lived shortened unhealthy lives - from obesity?

It will be difficult to comprehend as it is even now. We in the most affluent countries may be looked upon as belonging to a prosperous society, much of which was frivolous and uncaring... and mean.

Obesity: Wasteful and sickening.
It is now estimated that the number of overweight people rivals the number of underweight people. On the fat side of the worrisome obesity-starvation equation are overly fed bad food consumers.

In our modern world with increasingly cheap, high calorie food (example, fast food — or “junk food”), prepared foods that are high in things like salt, sugars or fat, combined with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, increasing urbanization and changing modes of transportation, it is no wonder that obesity has rapidly increased in the last few decades, around the world."

Global Issues continues on the obesity epidemic...
Topics discussed:
1. Number of People Overweight or With Obesity Rivals World’s Hungry
2. Obesity on the Increase
3. Obesity Affects Poor as well as Rich
4. Health impacts
5. Various causes of obesity
6. Addressing Obesity Globally, Nationally, Locally, Individually
7. Healthy versus Unhealthy Food Marketing; Who Usually Wins?
1. Talk of banning ads to kids met with resistance from industry
2. Industry attempts at self-regulation not working, sometimes reversing
3. Taxing junk food; a popular idea, but realistic?

Over-eaters can be blamed for their own situation but not totally; because they have been brain soaked with millions of advertisements telling them to eat tasty cheaply produced food. Food that is heavily loaded with additives such as preservatives and taste enhancers that increase shelf life and cravings - and profit margins. And they hooked them young!

Junk food it is appropriately called!
At this point in time the onus to eat healthy is on the consumer who is required to learn about choices and the pitfalls and traps in the marketing of food. There is some health information on food product labels but this usually only consists of that which is specifically required by government legislation. This helps those who understand and care about the benefits of eating wisely. Those who do not will much more likely be swayed by the shrewd advertising.

Unfortunately there is little promotion of the good stuff, at least compared to the propaganda churned out daily enticing all to eat greasy, salty, sugary food. The grand marketing by the big food companies has made it a tradition; pull in for a mess of fries, a burger and pop. Or grab a package of quick to cook stuff off the shelf and contribute to the corporate bottom line.

Government in many ways appears to be on the corporate team as they allow food producers and sellers to tiptoe around insufficient regulations. Consumers are mislead in many ways and are sold some very nasty food often camouflaged as something better. To protect one's own health it is not only necessary learn all about good diets but also how to read and decipher and be aware of the trick ads and food package labels. It is very important as deception is carefully designed and is widespread throughout the food marketing industry.

It is unfortunate that selling sickly processed foods is so common and so profitable. Worse yet is their 'success' in tempting and winning children over to their lucrative eating agenda, perhaps for a lifetime.

Starvation: The sad and inhumane side of the equation.
Hunger is the single gravest threat to the world's public health. According to the World Health Organization malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality, present in half of all cases. Underweight births and inter-uterine growth restrictions cause 2.2 million child deaths a year. Poor or non-existent breastfeeding causes another 1.4 million. Other deficiencies, such as lack of vitamin A or zinc, for example, account for 1 million.
Read more on hunger and malnutrition at Wikipedia

World Hunger and Poverty by Anup Shah
We often hear about people’s desire to solve world hunger, or to be able to feed the world and help alleviate the suffering associated with it. However, meaningful long-term alleviation to hunger is rooted in the alleviation of poverty, as poverty leads to hunger. World hunger is a terrible symptom of world poverty. If efforts are only directed at providing food, or improving food production or distribution, then the structural root causes that create hunger, poverty and dependency would still remain. And so while continuous effort, resources and energies are deployed to relieve hunger through these technical measures, the political causes require political solutions as well....

Causes of Hunger are related to Poverty
There are many inter-related issues causing hunger, which are related to economics and other factors that cause poverty. They include land rights and ownership, diversion of land use to non-productive use, increasing emphasis on export-oriented agriculture, inefficient agricultural practices, war, famine, drought, over-fishing, poor crop yields, etc...

Solving World Hunger Means Solving World Poverty
Solving world hunger in the conventional sense (of providing/growing more food etc) will not tackle poverty that leads to hunger in the first place. Further, there is a risk of continuing the poverty and dependency without realizing it, because the act of attempting to provide more food etc can appear so altruistic in motive. To solve world hunger in the long run, poverty alleviation is required....

Food and Agriculture Issues
Food and agriculture goes to the heart of our civilizations. Religions, cultures and even modern civilization have food and agriculture at their core. For an issue that goes to the heart of humanity it also has its ugly side. This issue explores topics ranging from the global food crisis of 2008, to issues of food aid, world hunger, food dumping and wasteful agriculture such as growing tobacco, sugar, beef....

Read the comprehensive articles on World Hunger and Poverty by Anup Shah
Global Issues, Updated: August 22, 2010

Cutting obesity to feed the hungry would be a nice way to balance this grim equation. Unfortunately our world's current social and political environments do not seem capable or do not care.

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25 Top Life Happiness Quotations

Best of self-help quotations dealing with stress, anger, worry, fear.
Positive tips on living healthfully, confidently, happily, peacefully.

Good ideas for life in just a few words from Grampa's personal collection of popular sayings, selected from tens of thousands, tuned to his needs over a lot of years.

Quotes generally can be very dull just because there are so many. Some are trite, stale and similar or have been reworded many different times over. There are also some very wise words passed on down through many centuries. Some of these, if contemplated and fixed in the mind, can alter lives in a very positive manner. I know that claiming a few of these words and suggestions on several select topics have improved my life immensely.

Often adopting a new smart living idea will make a strong positive change in a person's well being. And a collection of wise and helpful practices can help turn a dissatisfied life in a new direction, one with valued years filled with joy.

Where are these expressions and which will work?

The most interesting and widely popular ones are common knowledge and they are everywhere. Originally set down in various writings they have been repeated in books, magazines, orated and on the internet. Much has been translated and expressed in different words but with similar meanings. If these quotations were not important, truly wise and useful, why would they be so widely quoted as much as 2000 years later?

Some of these words might seem immediately helpful, others repetitive or dull or seem utterly useless; we all have our personal interests, strengths and weaknesses. For those you feel are of value and worth remembering why not keep them within reach by your morning mirror, on your calendar or PC and eventually in your mind?

Johann Von Goethe noted almost 200 years ago; "All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience."

Exactly Johann!

Grampa's personal collection kept close at hand over the past quarter century.

• "Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead." - Scottish Proverb
• "The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life, which is required to be exchanged for it immediately or in the long run." - Henry Thoreau
• "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly." - Buddha
• "If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?" - Shantideva
• "Friendship improves happiness and abates misery by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief." - Marcus Cicero
• "I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet." - Ancient Persian Saying
• "Do not look back on happiness or dream of it in the future. You are only sure of today; do not let yourself be cheated of it." - Henry Ward Beecher
• "He who seeks revenge should remember to dig two graves." - Chinese proverb
• "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." - AA Motto
• "When you are good to others, you are best to yourself." - Benjamin Franklin
• "For it is not death or hardship that is a fearful thing, but the fear of death or hardship." - Epictetus
• "If we had no faults we should not take so much pleasure in noting those of others." - Duc de Rochefoucauld
• "What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles, to be sure, but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable." - Joseph Addison
• "He will succeed if he remains firm in principle and goes beyond selfish considerations to mingle freely with those who do not share his feelings, as well as those who do." - I Ching
• "The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words." - Buddha
• "Life is mostly froth and bubble; Two things stand like stone: Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in our own." - Adam Gordon
• "Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• "The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family." - Thomas Jefferson
• "Life, we learn too late, is in the living, in the tissue of every day and hour." - Stephen Leacock
• "There is however, a true music of nature - the song of the birds, the whisper of leaves, the ripple of waters upon a sandy shore, the wail of wind or sea." - John Lubbock
• "There's no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery." - Colonel Sanders
• "Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out." - Art Linkletter
• "The finest lives, in my opinion, are those who rank in the common model, and with the human race, but without miracle, without extravagance." - Michel de Montaigne
• "Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission." - Arnold Bennett
• "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." - John Milton

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TV Addiction Wasteful and Harmful

Television viewers might best be called consumers.

At one time television in the living room was a place for the family to get together to watch a family program, and the choices were quite limited. Since then it has 'progressed' in such a way that huge amounts of programming are now directed at different segments of the family. As a result most of it is not watched as a group and may be viewed separately at different hours or in separate rooms.

Over the years TV has brought into the home entertainment, news and commercials. Lots of continuous and persuasive commercials. To increase their marketing effect the news and entertainment are stretched, exaggerated and designed to grab viewers' attention. Shock topics and vivid attention grabbing presentations are continually increasing while wholesome, friendly and cultural productions are fewer.

Television today is an overbearing medium for the corporate promotion of products and services. Massive amounts of commercials are sent to family members daily directing them towards different, sometimes conflicting markets. In their efforts to gain attention to their promotions marketers will use intense, noisy, provocative and offensive material in the programming. And there is constant repetition in the advertisements until the messages take hold; to sell stuff which so often is not needed or which may even be harmful to society and planet.

For individuals and families there is a steep cost in watching television, financially and in the loss of valuable communications and true healthy values. All or part of so many families are addicted to this way of life - gazing at the 'idiot box' and absorbing its messages. It can be very difficult to ease back on watching television in favor of unpolluted pastimes. How are you going to break a deeply ingrained habit of so many years?

First you must want to change, then use your imagination just a wee bit, and read up. Think outside the BOX and list other things to do that will be fun, more relaxing and have less negative influence on you and yours.

A few suggestions.
A new hobby indoors or outdoors can be a lot of fun and very satisfying.
Work on a photo album or scrapbook, one you can touch and feel and show.
Go for a walk around town, in the park, or to the library.
Read a magazine article, a book or learn a new skill.
Visit with neighbors, and why not discuss the effects of television with them.
Check off another chore on your To-Do List, or start a To-Do Chore List.

Get the kids involved.
How TV Affects Your Child at Kidshealth.org has some very useful information for the family: Teaching Good TV habits, Risky Behaviors, Practical ways to make TV-viewing more productive in your home, and talks about violence, obesity, commercials and a TV ratings guide.

"The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development."

Katherine Westphal at Trash Your TV asks; "WHAT?!? GIVE UP MY TV?!?!"
Katherine suggests turning OFF your TV for a happier, healthier life and offers a Free Ebook 'The Awful Truth About Television'. She puts all of TV's negative effects into perspective and suggests that giving up TV may sound preposterous at first. That little box in your home looks so innocent. So entertaining. So relaxing . . .

Unfortunately, an ever-growing body of scientific evidence indicates that TV viewing has become an unhealthy addiction for millions of people with emphasis on sex and violence.

Visit Trash Your TV and learn more about Television and the family and life values.

A phrase borrowed from the computer programmer's repertoire might depict the effect of television in our lives; "garbage in - garbage out."

And an unknown author; "I wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. There's a knob called "brightness", but that doesn't work."

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Bullying Information Ideas and Resources

Bullying is a hateful act by disturbed individuals.

Being victimized by bullies can be so hurtful and harmful. But there is help. For you or for someone you know the following could be a first consideration.

• There is nothing wrong with you just as you are.
• There is something very wrong with their actions.
• Others have survived this torture and so will you.
• If you are a victim there is help to get you through.
• You are deserving of a good life and you will have it.

It is not you - it is them.

Verbal or physical abuse by peers at work or school may be a real cause for fear yet it may indicate very well that the bullies have serious personal problems. They may feel a need to put others down in order to feel adequate. Perhaps they have serious family situations at home or they have other hurtful emotional issues that they express by being outwardly mean.

Can we feel sorry for them? Perhaps not, but we can consider the reasons why they have turned on you.

Maybe this is about something you have done, something embarrassing or much worse? Well no matter; so does mostly everyone else have shameful things buried in their closets, so free yourself from the worry, guilt and shame. If you have acted badly and can correct it and if you want to correct it, then do so. Otherwise pour it down the drain and forget it now and for all time.

If these bully sessions are about you as a person, your manners or appearance, then realize this: There is only one you in this world and you are unique - feel good about yourself just the way you are. You are a good person and that is what matters.

Talking it out can have wonderful positive results. If you can, discuss your feelings and concerns with a friend, your family, or someone with authority in your environment. A friend may very well have had bad experiences that they would like to unload, and you would both benefit. Anyway, a friend will be on your side and you may be very surprised with the help and suggestions someone else can gladly offer. It is almost always a comfort in confiding in others.

Benefiting from a friend is not a new idea and Marcus Cicero remarked over 2000 years ago; "Friendship improves happiness and abates misery by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief." And in more recent times Henry David Thoreau wrote; "A friend is one who takes me for what I am."

Those with the knowledge and ability to provide advice or help to victims are also there for you and there are numerous helpful resources available. So why not learn more about this sick act called bullying and how to deal with it. Help yourself, or perhaps someone else who is being bullied.

The MedlinePlus web site for patients and their families and friends offers some excellent help and resources on Dealing with Bullies. What Is Bullying? Prevention/Screening, Coping, Specific Conditions, Related Issues, Journal Articles, Organizations, Law and Policy, Statistics, Children, Teenagers.

Bullying is when a person or group repeatedly tries to harm someone who is weaker or who they think is weaker. Sometimes it involves direct attacks such as hitting, name calling, teasing or taunting. Sometimes it is indirect, such as spreading rumors or trying to make others reject someone.

Often people dismiss bullying among kids as a normal part of growing up. But bullying is harmful. It can lead children and teenagers to feel tense and afraid. It may lead them to avoid school. In severe cases, teens who are bullied may feel they need to take drastic measures or react violently. Others even consider suicide. For some, the effects of bullying last a lifetime.

Check out the bullying topics and resources at MedlinePlus:

And from FOCUS ADOLESCENT SERVICES a comprehensive internet site of information and resources on teen and family issues:

Bullying is abusive behavior by one or more students against a victim or victims. It can be a direct attack -- teasing, taunting, threatening, stalking, name-calling, hitting, making threats, coercion, and stealing -- or more subtle through malicious gossiping, spreading rumors, and intentional exclusion. Both result in victims becoming socially rejected and isolated.

Boys tend to use physical intimidation or threats, regardless of the gender of their victims. Bullying by girls is more often verbal, usually with another girl as the target. Cyber-bullying by both boys and girls -- in online chat rooms, e-mail, and text-messaging -- is increasing.

Bullying is a common experience for many children and teens. Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary school years, peak in the middle school/junior high school years, and decline during the high school years. Although direct physical assault seems to decrease with age, verbal abuse appears to remain constant.

Whether the bullying is direct or indirect, the key component of bullying is physical or psychological intimidation that occurs repeatedly over time to create an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse.

Read more at Focus Adolescent Services...

Kids Health from Nemours site has articles for parents, kids and teens.

If your child is being bullied, there are ways to help him or her cope with it on a day-to-day basis and lessen its lasting impact. And even if bullying isn't an issue right in your house right now, it's important to discuss it so your kids will be prepared if it does happen.

• Why Is My Child Anxious About Going to School?
• When Should I Intervene During Teasing?
• How Can I Teach My Daughter Tolerance?
• Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias
• Getting Involved at Your Child's School
• How Can Parents Help Kids Handle Teasing?
• How Can I Help My Child Deal With a Bully?

Read more...

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32 KEYS - A collection of ideas about life

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Kids, Home and Nature

The lifestyles of families and children are changing as exercise and activities in the fresh outdoor air decline.

As a kid I couldn't finish supper quickly enough so that I could go outdoors to play softball in the vacant lot or join the street hockey out front. There were many near zero cost, fresh air activities like roasting marshmallows at the back of the lot or exploring the neighborhood with the other kids that were always out doing something. There were an endless number of things to do and we seemed never to be bored; and it was pretty well all healthy. As we grew older there was fishing, hiking, swimming, skiing and hockey using up our free time and none were very costly.

Much of these pastimes would continue for many years and the memories too. In the winter there was an outdoor rink one block from home where we skated and played hockey in the evenings. As the temperatures were often well below freezing we regularly made trips to the adjacent wood hut where a pot bellied stove was humming. With our skates off we would rub our toes to ease the thawing as we chatted.

This kind of fun is still occurring in varied ways with families today, where they are able to, and inclined to make it happen. But it has also been made much more difficult. There are parents' busy days with work and commuting, so often required to maintain the 'in' lifestyle, for those that are tuned in to this very common trait in our society. Some sports can be an expensive part of kids' healthy entertainment today, but there are activities out there requiring little or no expense. Meeting in the park or on the road with a neighbor family for casual chat or to kick the ball around, Hiking or playing any outdoor game or working on a garden or other project with family can often be of no interest to many, yet such a valuable event going forward in life.

In the 40s we were also missing out on so much that is available today. We didn't have all these conveniences and technology, some of which are so wonderful, like the home computer. Having owned one for 25 years I would not want to do without.

Health wise perhaps some of the new wonders are not so wonderful, especially when the time that it consumes does not include outside exercise, learning, mixing with friends nor involve family time together. Being addicted to video games for example, does not add any value to one's life as this can gobble up hundreds of hours, but in small doses can be very entertaining.

Television is another story as the young, and old too, are often glued to the box for many hours a day. There are many drawbacks to watching stretched out programming that pumps commercials into the room telling us all about what we are missing and must have. Sadly many kids today may be stuck at home with this electronic companion.

In Green Living Ideas Reenita Malhotra Hora provides insight and suggestions in an interesting article:

Eco Kids, the Sustainable Generation
As you integrate green living choices into your own life, you might be wondering how kids fit into the equation. What does it really mean to have a "green kid?" Greening your children is about going beyond the things that you do to create a green lifestyle for your family—it is really all about education. Today’s kids will soon rule tomorrow’s world. The best that we can possibly do to prepare the next generations is to consistently teach them about the green living values that are critical for their own survival. After all, they do share a common future with our planet.

It goes on to list tips
Outdoor Education with green kid activity ideas.
Travel Time and exploring nature ideas.
Green at Play - giving kids some positive directional suggestions.
Green Media Toolbox - make less use but good use out of TV.

Above all, have your kids do as you would do yourself. The truth is kids learn more from there their parents than anyone or anything else—if living green is important to you, then rest assured they too will pick up the habit. You are without doubt the most important person in their life, and chances are they will want to do what you do. Remember though, you won’t have them for a very long, so while you do—teach your children well!
more . . . . Read the article by Reenita Malhotra Hora at Green Living Ideas.

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Managing Fear, Worry and Stress

Seems like unhappy and anxious times for many today as they angrily honk their horns, gulp down pills, and ram my shopping cart without comment. Some feel much worse, living with daily stress and feeling hopeless about their lives and the future.

There are usually alternatives to living this way of losing precious days to anxiety; precious because at midnight these days are gone forever. Accumulated miserable days can become miserable weeks and years, bringing us poor health and extended depression.

It's not necessarily that easy to quit worrying as it can be a strong addiction, but there are ways, some of which may be a practical solution to a particular situation or to worry in general.

The starting point is to recognize problems and decide to make sincere efforts to alleviate them, or eliminate them all together as a long term objective.

Gather information
There are hundreds of excellent books on this topic - start by reading a few and you will be pleasantly surprised. There is also much available on the internet which you can find by searching with words that reflect your distresses. When you come across an idea that is helpful write it out and keep coming back to review it even if not needed at the moment. If it's online, copy useful tips and routines that you feel will help you the most and paste them into a text or word file for future regular reminders.

Why not make up your own self-help booklet that you can keep referring too? I started just this as an endeavor 15 years ago and ended up with a compact set of pick-me-ups for different worrisome conditions. Working on this has been so uplifting in itself as it has kept my thoughts on the topic of self-help and improving my life. I still refer to it several times a week when I need a reminder that worrying is not helping, is not necessary, and is harmful.

I call my big little project 32 KEYS A collection of ideas about life.
It's just 32 basic self-help ideas and it is online.

A few sample ideas that I find most useful in replacing worry with happiness.
A change of attitude about a troubling situation can have an immediate positive effect and can become a permanent personal way of handling life's challenges in the future.
Many of us have our bad or sad stories and we may feel fully justified in being upset, troubled or sickly. Our view of the circumstances might prevent us from enjoying life in the present and could be preparing us for unhappy days or years ahead. Worry shreds the fabric of life, but only if we allow it.

Do not allow it.

Rethink positive thoughts that lie dormant in your mind or that are part of your life now but have been put aside. Make a list of your assets, especially non-material assets which you may have forgotten. Some but perhaps not all of: friends, family, health, home, job, nature, pets, garden, music, faith, books... and forget what you do not have, don't want, or that which is upsetting. Read some helpful notes, articles, quotations. Get busy having some fun at what you would normally do to enjoy yourself.

Social and financial bad news abound these days. The steady flow of negative information out of the media generally suggests that feeling dismal or fearful is totally appropriate. It is not. Break away from the bad news stories, turn off the TV, read a good book, go for a walk...

Rehashing bad experiences, mistakes, regrets - what a painful waste of time this can be. The past has happened, we can't do anything about that. Troublesome thoughts of things gone by should not occupy our minds, stirring up painful feelings again and again. A review of a problem once or twice to determine how it occurred will be useful in determining future experiences, actions and reactions. Then that burden should be unloaded - and buried.

Worrying about a future outcome can be turned off too. If a new plan of action for a specific upcoming situation is required, prepare it.

Gather all the related facts putting the details on paper or on your PC.
Consider involving others. This will release anxieties and provide new ideas.
List all possible solutions to the problem favorable or not.
List the advantages of each. List the disadvantages of each.
Select a solution and describe in detail the steps to carry it through.
Follow through without looking back.

You can review the course of action occasionally and consider the results at those moments but when you have done your best it's time to move on and think other thoughts that will add positive value to your days.

So, in the words of Shantideva, "If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?"

It's only a worry if you worry about it.

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Poor, Hungry and Hopeless

Sickness and starvation in a world of wild consumption and great waste.

What a shameful blot on this rich era in history.
It is astounding and unbelievable; while we constantly strive to excessively accumulate possessions, create massive mountains of garbage, and distribute widespread pollution around the globe - a billion or more people are poor, sick or dying because of deplorable poverty.

Faced with continuing hunger families in desperation will take drastic measures to survive. They may live in small shacks, scour back alleys and garbage dumps for food, submit their children to long days of tough working conditions, or even sell or submit them to prostitution.

The problem is a continuing one. If living conditions are so bad that the children cannot get educated, then they will have no footing on which to begin a better and fairer living standard than their parents had. While compared to these third world countries' young, our kids mostly only require the will and direction to get a basic high school diploma or perhaps a technical or university education.

Poverty is a rut that can be impossible to climb out of without help.
Why must there be this terrible imbalance of a world of overabundance and wastage, and a world of misery and hopelessness?

Everyone knows something of the hardship and inhumane conditions in which so many others live. Some do not, or are just unconcerned; "it's of their own making." But it is not a newborn child's desire to wear rags, live in a shack, go hungry all day, be sickly and perhaps die young.

Yet for most of us who are not poor in well established societies, there is ample money floating around even with the financial setbacks of recent years. We still eat well, have comfortable homes and many frivolous possessions.

There is something seriously lacking in the connection between these two worlds.

Generally we don't relate. Why not?
Popular conversations aren't about the needy and desperate, the slums and the desperation. The talk around the office and with friends and neighbors is about entertainment, sports, politics, and the latest need-to-buy purchases. These topics are interesting and popular as they are encouraged on us by the media which, over many years have been busy designing our social characteristics, in the name of commerce. Very convincing and constant merchandising only encourages us further down a path of self interest.

We are too wrapped up in our own lives of having plenty, and yet still not enough. We are addicted; we want better and more with no end in sight.

Media need fixing with more government funded, commerce independent, public broadcasting. We, and particularly our kids, need to have less of the brainwashing that dilutes our finances and our apathy to all the people of the world.

Is taxation a solution?
In a first world country taxing the rich more and the poor less will alleviate its internal poverty immensely. For a world wide solution tax again may be one solution. So many do not contribute to charities because they have simply not thought much about it, or have not got around to taking a few minutes to help. A general charity tax levied on citizens' incomes would create funds both for their neglected and for those of the world. Aid for the poverty-stricken would then be mandatory and would come from all who were able to contribute in taxes.

Related posts
Photo source
Resources: Global Issues Always a comprehensive and enlightening source for poverty and social, political, economic and environmental issues that affect us all.
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Nature, Kids and Family Losing

The world's resources are being used up at an accelerating pace resulting in great waste and massive garbage accumulation. It lies in huge dump sites and is also scattered throughout the globe on land and in seas. It spreads out as a disease, eating away at our natural surroundings.

Much of the globe remains a beautiful, calming and healthy system of natural resources. The enjoyment of this however is no longer easily accessible to many of us, and sadly to today's children who may be missing out altogether. But it is there for so many who have the desire and make the effort. There are simple outdoor activities like hikes in local parks to extended day treks, weekend camping and sports, casual and formal. But it gets more difficult as the social trends back away from nature's fresh and clean outdoor air.

We are being lured down the wrong path with continuing temptations towards lifestyles of eating unhealthy food and avoiding exercise. Negative health effects such as obesity and diabetes have been on a steady increase for many years, brought on by consuming junk food and poor quality packaged products.

There is also the trend to spending free hours indoors, sitting, without fresh air and health building exercise.

It is a serious condition of our times.

Technology is interesting and enjoyable; I know very well having owned a personal computer for 25 years. During an earlier time I found that when I was employed with outside work I would spend considerable after hours inside on my Radio Shack 32K Color Computer. And when working in an office free after hours were spent on home and yard improvements, outdoor sports and gardening.

Good balanced living is so important yet it is not there for much of youth as they arrive home from school and switch on the television or computer, or play video games. Lucky the family where the parents and children get outdoors together and are involved in active sports. With tots, an after dinner walk to the park or to a neighbor's yard for play sets a nice pattern for their future preferences going forward in life. An early introduction to the outdoors, and pastimes like hikes and gardening, will be such a long term benefit to a child in developing a healthful lifestyle. The alternative, with such as the excessive absorption of TV commercials is unfortunate.

Economics has brought about a popular in-the-home lifestyle. It is the result of the always strong business requirement to increase revenue in the home entertainment area, and also with the tremendous advancements in technology. Just as there is greater profit in food containing preservatives, growth hormones and other additives so goes the marketing of widely varied hi-tech gadgets. Much of these latest cool gizmos will be outdated in just a few short years.

There are profits to be made with the promotion of activities that include fresh air and exercise, but this has taken a back seat to the easier and lucrative merchandising of domesticated entertainment.

For so many it isn't easy to change this inactive lifestyle when parent's days are crammed and the kids are surrounded by persuasions and peer influence. It wasn't an issue 70 years ago when there was only radio, cards and board games to play together. Backyards, neighborhoods, parks and playgrounds were busy. And I was there.

The environment has some critical challenges lying ahead but there is still a great and wonderful nature out there that is both healthy and free. Getting children interested in the outdoors with both passive and active activities, starting from when they are first learning to walk, is a lifetime benefit to them. They learn about life from their moms and dads and they will be so thankful.

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Relax: Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Ways to calm and eliminate tensions
when you and all about are so busy
- overdoing too much of everything.

Are you waiting for that Puerto Vallarta vacation that lies ahead? If so you could be losing many enjoyable and relaxed days waiting until you are there sitting by the pool. I hate to dampen your expectations but the holiday will only last two weeks and then it's back to the grind for 50 weeks.

In this somewhat hectic social environment so many of our lives are filled with anxieties and tensions. There are unfinished tasks from over-programmed days both at work and after hours. Today's and tomorrow's to-do lists are long with routine problems and concerns.

In earlier years most days were physically intensive both for dad at work and mom at home. Much less time was spent on planning, calculating and worrying about how to fit it all together. At bedtime the mind was usually clear and the body soft and tired and ready for a sound sleep.

Depending on your environment it may not be all that easy to have a calm day, and a restless night too often lies ahead. But this can be made better with changes to daily routines and an adjusted perspective.

Not to be taken as professional help which can be so important with serious problems, the following suggestions could help put you on an easier cruise through the days ahead. A day lived poorly is a day lost forever so why not consider some adjustments?

Reduce the amount of time you spend not relaxing.
Examine your schedule for the day and see which things can be cut back or eliminated altogether. Social activities are fine if they are enjoyable but are there some more relaxing and enjoyable than others? Gatherings with family and friends are the best.

Consider reducing your work week by living a simpler lifestyle. This could lead to a much more satisfying and tranquil existence. If this kind of adjustment to work is not practical then why not just reduce your spending as an easier way of living. Debt is a heavy burden.

In a consumer society we all want more and better things for ourselves and our family. It has turned into somewhat of a competition but you have not signed on for life. Get off the merry-go-round and get your feet on good old mother earth. To be always desiring more than what you have does not bring peace of mind.

We all want better things for ourselves and our families, but we have to balance our desires with the cost. How much does the promotion, vacation, new purchase, cost in terms of life? How many extra hours of stress and anxiety, now and later, go into getting it? With the fast paced living that surrounds us it's difficult to avoid rushing through our daily lives to do and acquire more, raising the possibility of turning friends into competitors.

Use those free hours wisely with less TV and more fresh air and soft music. Generally television consists of noisy commercials, depressing news stories and violent dramas. However, viewing a dull monotonous movie (not too difficult to find), with your thumb on MUTE, can take your mind off worries that command your thoughts.

A relaxed body should translate to a relaxed mind.
In all your activities slow down and move calmly in an easy manner. Practice deeper slower breathing as you move through the day, stopping to do so if necessary.

At your desk take a few minutes and let all your muscles hang limp and soft. Don't try, just let it all go. Consciously let the muscles relax every time you feel them tighten, which might be all day long to start with. It is unlikely that you will feel any stress if your muscles are relaxed.

A simple meditative routine to calm and refresh.
Find a quiet place for yourself.
Sit in an easy comfortable position.
Rest your eyes downward, softly closed.
Breathe slowly and naturally for 10-15 minutes.
Only think about what you are doing, nothing else.

A creative break.
Picture a detailed peaceful retreat in your imagination and go there to calm your feelings. A tranquil lake or colorful passive garden with easy music floating in. Be there, rest a while and rejuvenate. Make up a calming list of words like serene, tranquil, peaceful, sunsets, tranquil and repeat them through your day.

One of the biggest handicaps to relaxing is worry.
We will not relax during the day (or night) if our minds are filled with worrisome thoughts.

A change in thinking in how we view and react to situations can be most helpful. Worrying over things that 'might' happen can waste large portions of our lives, considering that so often it is for nothing, and almost certainly has no benefit. Worrying about things that have happened will not turn back the hands of time to undo it. If there is still some action you can take in the present, and if you want to, then do it. If not forget it.

It's only a worry if you worry about it.

Count your blessings.
We sometimes go for long periods of time forgetting the things we have to be thankful for. Recalling those assets can have a very calming and comfortable effect. What about your friends, family, life and health. Perhaps your surroundings, job, nature, music. They may not all make your list, perhaps you are missing a few but list and think about those you do have.

Relax, smile. Take awhile.

Related posts

Grampa Ken - Author of 32 Keys About Life and social issues blogger at Social-Fix.
This Creative Commons article is free to copy with the hyperlinked byline intact.

Bad News Media's Good Stories

This is not a news story about greed, profit and deceit - quite the opposite!

With the steady stream of bad news stories that pour out of the media one has to wonder why. We will be fed the kind of information that will arouse our interest and therefore sell more advertising for the producers. Shock sells because it attracts our attention and is likely to hold on to it in the details. That is unless we refuse to take part and turn our interests elsewhere, a path that I have chosen some time ago. It can be as simple as pressing on one of the remote buttons if it's the TV. As long as we allow ourselves to watch accounts of distressful and loathsome events we will continue to supply our mind banks with more anxieties.

There are pleasing and uplifting stories but they are too few and they do not catch our attention as well as the accidents and crimes. They do not have shock 'appeal'.

Here is one such story about success and the acquiring of true riches in helping others.

I visited the Price Pro store which recently opened in the Newton area of Surrey BC. This is a new sizeable warehouse style store which retails general merchandise including a large selection of foods. But it is not your regular retail outlet. Price Pro is staffed with kindly and helpful people who have substance abuse problems or trouble with the law. They are in a "life skills academy," program and live in a nearby transition home.

There is a unique tale behind the store's motto Save Money, Change Lives. It is not news about a successful tycoon that has gone from rich to richer to jail.

From Rags to True Riches.

As a teenager John Volken came to Canada with only a few dollars, plenty of energy and lots of smarts. He worked his way up from minimum wage jobs to become an extremely successful businessman with his United Furniture Warehouse chain across Canada and the US.

John Volken also had heart.

"Having achieved his financial goal, John remembered his time in the orphanage and his dreams to one day make a difference in the lives of those in need. He searched for areas of social neglect, and in 1995 began meeting with countless advocates of the disenfranchised community. All voiced the need for long term, residential based treatment facilities, which would teach life and job skills to addicts and alcoholics or any dysfunctional members of society. For 8 years John visited and researched such facilities in the United States and Europe.

In 2004 he sold his furniture business to direct his wealth and talent as a ‘social entrepreneur’. Within a year he established a life skills academy in Seattle, WA and in Vancouver, B.C., which he named “Welcome Home”.
. . . .

Welcome Home is a sanctuary where all who are committed to turn their lives around are welcomed.
It is a place where people overcome behavioural challenges and gain or regain their dignity.
It is a place where love, respect, and tolerance co-exist with responsibility, discipline and learning.
It is a place to overcome bad habits and learn skills needed to live healthy successful lives.
Perhaps, most importantly, it is a place to call Home.

When students graduate they receive a $5,000 grant and leave Welcome Home with a new ability to retain jobs, nurture families, manage finances, and the inner strength to successfully deal with life’s challenges."

Read more about Welcome Home.
Local News story: Newton store strives to change lives.

Update: A new $50,000,000 Home has recently passed local government approval after much neighbourhood concern and discussion.

Do you think we of this era are greedier and more self-centered than they were in prior decades or long ago? Surely there were mean spirited business types and insatiable consumers way back. Some cavemen must have beat others for a piece of meat - but for a leaner cut?

I believe we have been coached and prodded to accumulate more and more money, goods and services. Through continuous fine-tuned marketing, consuming citizens have had greed programmed into them like never before. But perhaps we are cresting in our ongoing intense desires for more.

Meanwhile let's look for the good stories.

Other posts about life values

Children, Life and Happiness

How can you help a child towards a life of peace and contentment?

There are so many daily influences in our lives directing us towards unhealthy and unhappy lifestyles. We are constantly faced with pressures and persuasions to consume bad food and to live stressful lives with diminishing values.

Sickness, worry, anger, fear or depression can take over and dominate our existence, often because we have taken the wrong paths.

If you think you have anxiety, worries and troubles what are your kids going to have?

There are various ways to help a child to live a happier life such as getting kids involved in physical or mental, mind occupying interests. Home hobbies and activities like crafts or gardening, learning and partaking of nature with hiking, camping, or visiting city parks. Friendly and healthy sports.

These all help immensely and there is a lot of good information before us, on healthy eating and exercising habits for example.

Mental well being and happiness information is not so prominent yet is one of the best all-round general advantages in providing for a content and fulfilling life. Learning and practicing self-help and self-improvement could be the best time investment made for self or family.

A good place to start is the self-improvement or self-help section of the public library or bookstore. If you think that this is an odd place to be, think again. There are very many big selling self-help titles to choose from. These books are popular reading. These inspirational ideas are easy enough to understand, but more difficult to practice. But it just takes practice. Start with the most popular books on various self-help topics. Reread the better ones, highlight the best phrases, and take notes. Try to devote a few minutes a day to help make good thinking and happy, satisfied feelings a way of life.

Just a few examples of the ideas and little positive gems
that can be collected for pleasant travels into a positive future.

Poor self esteem?
"The finest lives, in my opinion, are those who rank in the common model, and with the human race, but without miracle, without extravagance." - Michel de Montaigne

Worry is only a worry if you worry about it.
"If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?" - Shantideva

Had some bad luck?
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out." - Art Linkletter

Trying too hard? Just where were you going?
"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

So what do you really need?
"Whether in favor or in humiliation, be not dismayed. Let your eyes leisurely look at the flowers blooming and falling in your courtyard. Whether you leave or retain your position, take no care. Let your mind wander with the clouds folding and unfolding beyond the horizon." - Hung Tzu-ch'eng

How much living are you willing to pay for that?
"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life, which is required to be exchanged for it immediately or in the long run." - Henry Thoreau

Got a tough problem that needs solving?
Get all the facts. Describe the problem in detail. List all the possible solutions. List the advantages and disadvantages of each. Detail what you will do. Follow through.

Relationship problems - a viewpoint.
Joseph Addison puts it quite nicely this way: "Two persons who have chosen each other out of all the species with a design to be each other's mutual comfort and entertainment have, in that action, bound themselves to be good-humored, affable, discreet, forgiving, patient, and joyful, with respect to each other's frailties and perfections, to the end of their lives."

Take a break and appreciate.
"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies." - Erich Fromm

Change your thoughts - change your feelings.
"Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission." - Arnold Bennett

These are some of the helpful reminders that are in my treasure chest of life tips. You should at least check out to see what's out there and what could be valuable and suitable to you and yours. There is so much practical life enhancing self-help information in print.

There are also many internet resources and again, there are very popular high-volume sites and blogs and some should suit your tastes. You can do a search of topics that concern you. Here are a few related resources.

A collection of Self-Help Websites and a list of 100 of the Best Self Help Blogs.
Other Self-help posts here, and my website 32 Keys About Life since 1999.

Relax, smile, take awhile. - Grampa Ken

Deceptive Food Labels

Does that package label mean what it seems to mean? Maybe not!

The words and images on a product label can be the difference between a sale and a pass on to another product on the shelf. And so the competition has been on - to create a better designed label that will appeal and convince. Some very imaginative and sly plays on wording and images are used to trick the shopper and make a sale.

Basically, emphasize and exaggerate that which will appeal and camouflage or hide unfavorable facts. It is very important for consumers to examine what is clear, vague or hard to read on a label, and to analyze the wording.

A non-food example is a package of containers that has a large 8 on the package. But you do need to look closely to see that it's not 8 containers but 8 pieces, 4 containers and 4 lids. There are lots of examples of this popping up all over the stores.

But Food is of the most concern because it so directly affects our health.

Some major food producers have been successfully sued for deceptive labeling but it is difficult because they work very cleverly within existing laws. But deceptive food labeling is there with lots of foxy ways to display and sell a product that turns out to be not what it seems to be.

Small print is a handy tool for deceiving buyers. Ingredients lists that are long might mean that there are numerous things there that you do not want to be consuming. If you take the time to read the small print you might just pass on it, and so the small letters. Although sometimes with too many words there just isn't enough room for regular size. Ingredients are usually listed in descending order of predominance by weight. Check out the list and all the tiny words before you buy.

The marketing of juices has brought out some creativity in labeling. A mixture of water, sugar and juice can be called Juice Fantastic, Juice Shangri-la and such. MADE WITH PURE JUICE does not indicate how much pure juice it contains! 100% Juice Blend: CRANBERRY. The two brands I've used have the main juice ingredient listed as GRAPE.

100% pure jam sounds pure but 100% jam does not mean 100% fruit. Does the jam recipe that is used contain excessive non-fruit ingredients such as sugar?

Very common is the bold declaration of a single healthy aspect which will downplay the unhealthy ingredients. There are so many examples of this but one that is very popular right now is the large NO TRANSFAT. It can be loaded with unhealthy saturated fat, salt and sugar but it has NO TRANSFAT. NO SUGAR ADDED does not mean unsweetened and might contain other sweeteners or taste enhancers.

Some breads contain a variety of additives but it's not very obvious when printed on the clear part of the packaging in small letters. Do they not want us to read this?

And how about those little symbols that look remarkably like the Health Check logo of the Heart and Stroke Foundation?

15.4% LESS SALT could still contain excessive amounts.

PRODUCT of CANADA. Does not mean that is was produced, processed, packaged and distributed in CANADA. Some food products pass through several far away countries on the way to market.

There are so many examples of food labels that can fool consumers and buyers should beware of exactly what labels say and what they do not say.

The bottom line: if you care about your health and what you are eating analyze what's written on the label.

Related Social-Fix food articles  -  short url to this page http://goo.gl/pvfzr

Social Stress and Depression

In today's fast paced consumer world many of us get weighed down with tensions, stresses and worries. And worse.

Parenting pressures can mount and be overwhelming with the challenging issues of work, home and raising kids. Our kids are often under extreme pressures with growing up, learning, competing and striving for acceptance with peers, and dealing with adults.

Depression may set in for a combination of reasons for any family member, and it can be upsetting to devastating.

If guilt is involved get rid of it. We can consider our errors or wrong doings long enough to realize the error of our ways. If there is something we can do about it and want to, we can do it. Otherwise we can assure ourselves that we will avoid that mistake in the future. Beyond this, rebashing ourselves endlessly will do no good, is a complete waste of time and unhealthy.

To improve upon a frenzied troublesome way of life we can reassess our values and routines. If possible, we can eliminate some of those things which are not necessary to a contented life, and we can slow down. Achieving a stress free way of life will help keep us happier and living longer.

Have a friend. Friendship can be a soothing balm for depression sufferers as the relationship takes up some mental capacity that would otherwise be used on anxieties and self-doubt. "The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words." - Buddha.

Severe depression can be very difficult to deal with and extremely harmful healthwise. Medical attention should always be a first consideration for serious depression.

Facts About Depression from the FCIC
At some time or another, everybody feels sad or blue. But if you are sad most of the time, and it's causing problems in your relationships or with normal daily activities, the problem may be depression. Some people think that depression is just a state of mind that people can "snap out of" if they only try. Unfortunately, this is not true. Depression is a real illness and can affect people of any age, race, ethnic or economic group. In any given year, over 18 million American adults will suffer from a depressive illness (which affects nearly twice as many women as men) and it is the leading cause of disability in the United States.

Symptoms of Depression
Depressive disorders come in different forms, the most common being major depression, dysthymia and bipolar disorder. Within these types there are variations in the number of symptoms, their severity, and persistence.

No one knows what causes depression. It is an illness. It may have something to do with:

• The way different parts of the brain “talk” to each other
• Depression runs in the family
• Being very sick or being sick all the time
• Stress
• Using drugs or alcohol
• Having a baby

Some of the symptoms of depression include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Sadness
• Things that used to make you happy, don’t make you happy anymore
• No interest in eating
• Eating too much, or all the time
• Sleeping too little, or all the time
• Feeling tired all the time
• Feeling nervous or cranky
• Crying a lot
• Feeling guilty
• Feeling hopeless
• Trouble paying attention
• Thinking of death or trying to kill yourself

Read more on depression at the FCIC information, articles, publications and resources.
Other Self-help posts here at S-F

Food: Labels-Ingredients-Additives

Do you know what you are eating?

More and more people are examining the food that they shop for and making decisions not to purchase the products that appear unhealthy to them. There is much to be concerned about as the use of additives has become so widespread in the manufacturing of food products.

Additives are used to increase profit by reducing production costs in various ways, extending shelf life, enhancing flavor (salt, sugar and fat taste good). There is reason to worry about additives, such as chemical colorings which improve the looks but are feared by many to have bad side effects in the quantities consumed.

And so more of us are interested in expanding our knowledge about the food we eat. Should a consumer be required to research and determine which ingredients and products are harmful? Shouldn't manufacturers under government pressure be prohibited from marketing that which is unhealthy?

But which of those strange ingredients in food packages are somewhat unhealthy or outright harmful? If not in small amounts perhaps grouped with other products containing similar chemicals and accumulated over time? There is information out there but we have to look for it and make our own determinations in order to protect ourselves.

When and why I committed to reading food labels.

It was a late November when I entered a supermarket and was met with a huge display of mincemeat pies. I grabbed one. These were Christmas pies already, what was I not thinking!

Later as I munched on a wedge of this very tasty pie I read the label's ingredients list. Along with the basics for mincemeat pies were . . . . natural and artificial flavors, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, potassium sorbate (preservative), carame (color),cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides,sodium citrate, palmitate, sulfur dioxide (preservative), mononitrate, propionate (preservative).

It's scary when I consider the contents of some food products I have eaten for many years. But better late than never and I now avoid products with ingredients having unfamiliar names or that I consider unhealthy. I read all Nutritional and Ingredients lists on all packaged food before purchasing.

NOTE on LABELS: The large print colorful portion of the label is designed to entice the shopper!! The wording can be confusing and very deceptive. Read the small print and look for trickery with words, exaggerations, and cunning.

A few selected consumer resources on ingredients and additives on food labels.

Reading food product labels that are mandated by your government is a must if you are interested in your and your family's health. The Nutrition Facts label is quite clear in presenting these important health related details but some interpretation is likely required.

How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label includes details on The Nutrition Facts Panel: serving size, calories, nutrients, daily values, trans fats, protein, and sugars.

How are ingredients listed on a product label?
All food manufacturers are required to list all ingredients in the food on the label. On a product label, the ingredients are listed in order of predominance, with the ingredients used in the greatest amount first, followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts. The label must list the names of any FDA-certified color additives (e.g., FD&C Blue No. 1 or the abbreviated name, Blue 1). But some ingredients can be listed collectively as "flavors," "spices," "artificial flavoring," or in the case of color additives exempt from certification, "artificial colors", without naming each one. Declaration of an allergenic ingredient in a collective or single color, flavor, or spice could be accomplished by simply naming the allergenic ingredient in the ingredient list.
Read more on color additives, childhood hyperactivity, natural and artificial ingredients, low-calorie sweeteners, added vitamins and minerals.

The Food Intolerance Network has independent information about the effects of food on behaviour, health and learning ability in both children and adults. The site contains comprehensive information on a wide range of additives. There is information about the effects of food on behaviour, health and learning ability in both children and adults. Also over forty Factsheets answer many questions directly and a step by step guide to getting started and keeping going with Failsafe eating

Confused about Best Before Dates? Difficult to understand Julian, or impossible to read? You are not alone. FoodiePrints: "Such is not surprising considering that food producers have reportedly been less than forthcoming, regarding information on food packaging, especially when it comes to nutrition. "
Explanations, images and resources about Best Before Dates.

The unhealthy truth: how our food is making us sick.
Robyn O'Brien's delvings have led to her being called the 'Erin Brokovich of the food industry' because she exposes the hidden dangers in the apparently 'safe' ingredients we feed our children and families.
A topical and interesting read.

Preservatives and Food Additives to Avoid from The Cancer Dietician
"Shopping was easy when most food came from farms. Now, factory-made foods have made chemical additives and preservatives a significant part of our diet. People may not be able to pronounce the names of many of these chemicals, but they still want to know what the chemicals do. More importantly, which ones are safe and which are poorly tested or possibly dangerous."
more . . .

Posted articles on food
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Sleepless Society

Sleep tips and resources in times of stress and worry.

In a healthy environment where there is good food, work and income, exercise and rest, nature and very few worries, a sound sleep should arrive easily every night. Many of those conditions aren't available to those participating in today's fast paced, never-have-enough social environment.

Sleep should be there for us to rest and re-energize for the following day, but it's not so easy for many. I have had my share of sleep problems, mostly when younger. In my experiences thoughts are the cause of toss and turn nights. Kicking around some upsetting or puzzling situation, past, present or ahead can be a whirring circle that does not want to stop.

These are the solutions to achieving adequate sleep that have worked well for me.

Trying to sleep has the opposite effect. I quit trying to go to sleep! Trying does not work!

Acceptance plays a big role in life once again. Accepting that a restless night is not be a big problem takes a great big load off my mind and quite often it's possible to carry on normally the next day with just that little bit of sleep. And even better, realizing that this is note a dire situation will so often result in a restful sleep just a bit later.

Counting very slow deep breaths is good because it is healthy and relaxing. Often it is difficult to get past 4 or 5 because that 'thing' keeps returning and then the turmoil is restarted.

Problems or worries need to be shut down completely at bedtime. I can think about that stressful experience - or I can sleep. It's a choice, sort of. It is a known fact that I cannot think of two things at the same time so a change of thoughts in order with recurring turbulences.

But changing thoughts to something pleasant and peaceful, real or imaginary, or dull and stationary can really work. A peaceful walk by a calm lake with still waters, or a speck on the wall can do it.

Yet holding on to calming thoughts may not always be easy and the worries can keep intruding if they are strong.

It might be necessary to concentrate on a topic that is not serene but not worrisome either, along with a change in physical position to make this work. It almost always helps me to shut down the agitating windmill completely when I get out of bed and do an easy crossword, watch some dull quiet TV, with or without a light snack. Even 1-2 hours lost from bed at 2am seems unacceptable at first, but if a solid sleep returns for the remaining few hours it's worth the effort to climb out of a warm bed. Often an hour's sleep just before rising can be very deep and satisfying.

Quietly relaxing in the latter part of the evening is most helpful in preparing for a restful sleep. Daily exercise, physical or mental, is part of a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately it can be very stimulating if done approaching bedtime and might create a wide awake state that will not unwind easily. Watching violent TV movies or upsetting news is not the right preparation either.

A soothing alcoholic nightcap relaxes but normally results in waking up a few hours later, and an alcohol induced sleep is not a relaxed sleep.

Note: This is not meant to be advice to others. It works well for me but underlying causes could be very serious and complicated. Professional help should always be a consideration as with all medical problems.

Other resources

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep has a series of articles:
Sleep: A Dynamic Activity
How Much Sleep Do We Need?
What Does Sleep Do For Us?
Dreaming and REM Sleep
Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
Sleep and Disease
Sleep Disorders
The Future
Tips for a Good Night's Sleep

The Mayo Clinic: You may not be able to control or eliminate all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, but you can create an environment and adopt habits that encourage a more restful night. Try these suggestions if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep: 10 tips for better sleep.

Other Self-help posts here at S-F