How To Keep Your Sanity

We Are Emotional CreaturesDid you know that your emotional right brain trumps your logical left brain when making decisions in life?At the age of two, the brain's right side, as it develops becomes more active anddominant over the left brain which is home to language, logic and reason. We think that we are reasonable when itcomes to making important decisions, but apparently it's all but an illusion.When our right brain makes an emotional decision, our left brain tricks us and comes up with a logical reason to justify our decision. This process is called "post-rationalization." In fact, this process has been scientifically proven by a neuropsychologist named Roger Sperry. In his experiment he triggered the command to walk in a subject's right brain (emotion), in a way that the left (logic) brain was unaware.Interestingly, the subjects actually got up and started to walk. Yet when asked why they decided to walk, they came up with random reasons such as, wanting to stretch or to get a drink of water. The amazing part was that these subjects were notlying. They were entirely honest, because they were tricked and believed the reasoning provided by their left (logic) brains!Emotions Fuel Our DecisionsUnderstanding the connection between our emotions and decisions is important. We make decisions every single day and it's the very act of deciding that leads to our actions and results. I have shared with our readers before how my decision to relocate from New Zealand to Singapore have completely changed my life. I experienced new things, gradually changed my values in life, gained and lost priceless things and ultimately, became a different person. One single decision have changed my life upside down.Decisions have the power to alter the course of ourlives. But it's not just the big decisions but also the small ones. Deciding to smile when you are upset, deciding to be grateful, deciding to wake up early or even deciding to drink more water. They are all trivial things but just like the ripples in a pond when you throw a tiny pebble, every single decision we make, big or small, will have a consequence in our lives."It is in your moments of decision that your destinyis shaped" - Tony RobbinsIf we sum up the information above, it can be concluded that;1.We are innately unreasonable beings because our emotional right brain trumps over our logical left brain.2.More often than not, we make decisions based off our emotions.3.Decisions produce actions, and our actions is what shapes our future.This means that we are victims of our own emotions. Although weknowandunderstandthat our decisions define our course of life, it's scientifically proven that we make emotional decisions over logic. This is bad news for anyone that wants to live a life by design and be successful in all facets of life. Surely you wouldn't want your emotions to dictate how your life turns out. Then how can we overcome this? It is impossible to live a life entirely detached from one's emotions, but it can be done temporarily.Have Your Emotions In CheckSelf-observation techniques is one of the best methods to keep your sanity and have your emotions in check. By observing yourself, you can create distance from an event to better assess youremotions and thoughts in a non-judgmental way.1. Keep a diaryKeeping a diary is an effective way of practicing self-observation. I am an avid fan of writing journals and I do it quite systematically. Every morning, I write a list of all the things that I am grateful for. Writing a gratitude list makes me happy for all the things that I have and it attracts more of the things that I am grateful for. Throughout the day I write about the day ahead, my feelings towards a certain event or a person, a conversation log, problems that I'm facing and events that a noteworthy. Journaling is known to have the following benefits:*.Clarify thoughts and emotions*.Understand about yourself in a deeper level*.Reduce stress*.Solve problems more efficiently*.Raise awareness of your situation and time2. MeditationI practice deep breathing meditation. Whenever I take a ride on public transportation or at any given down time, I do the following steps:*.Stand or sit upright with the spine straight as possible*.Take moments to "simply be" and notice whatever I am experiencing in that moment - sounds, thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc.*.Bring focus to breathing. 6 seconds of deep diaphragmatic breathing through the nose, hold for 2 and exhale through the mouth for 6 seconds, and repeat.*.Whenever the mind wanders away from the breath, gently refocus on breathing.This works for me because it's simple and versatile. But there's many other forms of meditation out there and it's best to choose what works for you. Meditation in general has the benefits of:*.Reversing anxiety*.Improved concentration levels and observational skills*.Reduced stress*.Increased creativity and problem solving skills*.Promote tissue regeneration and repair*.Increased oxygen to vital organs: brain, heart and eye3. Expose Yourself To Good StressToo much stress can make you sick and shut down your brain. Today we are exposed to stress so much that it has become a normal part of life. But not all stress is bad for you. Moderate amounts of "Good Stress" can actually help your brain's neural pathway to grow. Welsh researcher,David Snowden found that subjects who held a university degree and continued to learn and cultivate new interests throughout their lives were actively encouraging levels of good stress.Then how can we expose ourselves to good stress? The answer is simple, get out of your comfort zones. It was found that physiologically,"Good Stress" occurs when we engage in something new and challenging. Good stress was found to be beneficial in the following ways:*.Stimulate the brain*.Improve the brain's overall function and health*.Promote longevity*.Improve concentration levels and clarityLive A Life By DesignWe all want to be, live and have something better. Before you think about how to change the world around you, start by changing yourself and becoming a slave to good habits. Not everyone turns out to be successful and it's not because of knowledge. There is never a lack of knowledge; weall know what to do and what not do. Taking action is all the difference it makes in becoming the person and living the life that you want. Now that you understand our innate flaws of being emotional creatures, do at least one of the actions outlined above to have your emotions in check. Be in control over emotions and you will be in controlover your life.Visithttp://www.transformingadjustments.comfor more life inspiring articles.Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tae_Young_Kim/2232930

Type 2 Diabetes - 4 Tips To Encourage Healthy Eating In Your Children

Type 2 diabetes was once known as maturity-onset diabetes because it never appeared in children. Unfortunately, it has been increasing rapidly in kids. Ten years ago a child with Type 2 diabetes would have been considered so rare the case might have been written up in a medical journal. If you have children, you might be wondering what you can do to get them onto a healthier eating path. With childhood obesity rates on the rise, it's becoming more important than ever to ensure our children are eating right and exercising regularly. Sadly, most kids don't, and this is putting them at risk for life-long conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.Want to encourage healthier eating in your children? Let's look at a few ways you can do just that so they aren't facing health problems in their later years...1. Eat With Them.First, focus on eating with your children as often as you can. Enjoying a home prepared family dinner that's nutritious and healthy is a great way to help them learn about healthy eating and how home prepared food lookscompared to processed food.Plus, it sets you as the role model. If you are regularly eating unhealthy foods, you can't expect your children to do differently. Eat healthy options together and you'll firmly fix good habits in them.2. Make Healthy Eating Fun.It's also a smart move to make healthy eating as fun as possible. To encourage them to eat fruit, for instance, lay them out on a plate in fun shapes. Or, if you want them to eat more raw vegetables, serve them with a delicious dip you have on hand.Most children will gravitate towards eating whatever looks tastiest, so you want any healthy options you present to be visually appealing.3. Keep Grab-And-Go Options On Hand.It's also important that you have healthy "grab and go" options on hand. For instance, rather than sending them to school with a chocolate granola bar, bake up some fresh, healthy muffins instead.Likewise, make sure that there is always chopped vegetables and fresh fruit pieces they can grab when they need a quick snack. If you don't have these in the kitchen, they will choose something else that's convenient - usually something highly processed.4. Don't Ban Foods.Finally, never ban foods. The minute you tell children theycan'teat a particular food is the minute they decide that is all they want to eat. Be smart and let them make their decisions - but do provide helpful guidance.If you follow these quick tips, you should find your children begin eating healthier, maintaining their body weight as they form healthy living habits thatwill (hopefully!) last a lifetime.Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there,the longer you do it, the easier it gets.For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go tohttp://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.comto learn aboutsome of those secrets.The answer isn't in the endless volumes ofavailable informationbut in yourself.Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Beverleigh_H_Piepers/123142

Sincere Repentance

In a hadeeth reported by Imam Bukhari, Rasūl Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said:والله إنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ الله وأَتُوبُ إِلَيْه فياليَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةًBy Allah I seek forgiveness from Allahand repent to him more than seventy times in a day[Tirmidhi]A person cannot progress on the path of tazkiyah (spiritual purification) without sincere tawbah (repentance). Tawbah is to return to one’s original pure state. The Ulama (scholars) of tazkiyah say that a person should be repentant every moment of the day. Repentance is notonly verbal, but more importantly, repentance should be in one’s state of heart and mind.The proof of tawbah and it’s main component is remorse and one can never be remorseful without remembering one’s sins. A person’s character should be dripping with remorse and this inspires others to forgive. The true state of tawbah reveals itself in a person’s speech, gait and appearance.Source:Content Soul