Friday, October 26, 2007

Tips for Managing Your Distress Related to the Wildfires

Even if you are not directly affected by the fires in India also, you may experience a sense of distress or vulnerability by living close by or watching the destruction unfold in news reports. This can be especially true if you have family or friends who may be impacted by the disaster and you do not yet know about their safety and wellbeing.

Here are some tips to manage your distress:
- Take a news break. Watching endless replays of footage from the fires can make your stress even greater. Although you'll want to keep informed - especially if you have loved ones affected by the disasters - take a break from watching the news.
- Be kind to yourself. Some feelings when witnessing a disaster may be difficult for you to accept. You may feel relief that the disaster did not touch you, or you may feel guilt that you were left untouched when so many were affected. Both feelings are common.
- Keep things in perspective. Although a disaster often is horrifying, remember to focus as well on the things that are good in your life.
- Find a productive way to help if you can. Many organizations are set up to provide financial or other aid to victims of natural disasters. Contributing or volunteering can be a way to gain a sense of “control” over the event.
- Look for opportunities for self-discovery and recognize your strengths. People often learn something about themselves and may find that they have grown in some respect as a result of persevering through hardship. Many people who have experienced tragedy and adversity have reported better relationships, greater sense of personal strength even while feeling vulnerable, increased sense of self-worth, deeper spirituality, and heightened appreciation for life.

Here are some additional recommendations:

For many people, using the tips mentioned above may be sufficient to get through the current crisis. At times, however, an individual can get stuck or have difficulty managing intense reactions. A licensed mental health professional such as a psychologist can assist you in developing an appropriate strategy for moving forward. It is important to get professional help if you feel like you are unable to function or perform basic activities of daily living. You can find psychologists near you by contacting your state psychological association.

Persevere and trust in your ability to get through the challenging days ahead. Following some tips from this guide may be helpful.

(Adapted from “Managing Traumatic Stress: Dealing with the Hurricanes from Afar” and Tips for College and University Students: Managing Your Distress in the Aftermath of School Shootings.)

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Get Rid Of Pimples - Home Remedies


If you are reading this article, then you are one of the larger percentage of the population who have got screwed up big time with dermatologists and over the counter acne treatment products.


If this is the case, then I do hope you find some heart warming remedies that will help you get rid of acne in safe and natural way that gives a very low chance of acne scarring unlike those high paid treatments which lead to long months of acne scarring that only make you more depressed.


Without further ado, let me get on with 3 of my favorite home remedies that will even treat the most severe cases of acne.


Acne Home Remedy #1

Detox Diet. With a detox diet, what you are really doing is not giving any reason for your body to continue torturing you with acne. Acne is a sign of a much deeper problem within your body and with a proper detox diet you will be able to flush out those problems within.


Acne Home Remedy #2

Tea Tree Oil. This is a very effective acne home remedy that you need to follow on a daily basis as it not only cleans your skin of acne and acne scars, but it also helps rejuvenate your skin giving a much smoother skin with better complexion.


Acne Home Remedy #3

Drink lot of water. Most people complain that they are finding it difficult to get rid of acne even with the home remedies I mentioned above. And once I advised them to increase the water consumption to a minimum of 11 glasses a day, they noticed instant results in less than a week.


Extra water in your body will work on flushing off the dirty and waste toxins inside your skin that are pressuring the sebaceous glands to increase the level of acne. Drinking more water has proven highly effective to reduce oiliness for those who have an oily skin.


These 3 home remedies are just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to learn more home remedies for acne, feel free to browse around in the internet but be aware of those who blindly recommend unwanted home remedies for acne which do not work most of the time.

Click HERE to get more information on how to get rid of acne.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Global Warming: What do we do?














Global Warming: What do we do?
I'm thrilled at the amount of awareness and concern there is on the issue of Global Warming. (And by the way, I am delighted that Al Gore and Dr R K Pachauri won the Nobel Prize. I know very little about Dr Pachauri, but Al Gore has brought an enormous amount of global awareness to this cause with his movie, An Inconvenient Truth.)

However, I'm also alarmed at how much our thinking gets tripped up by petty technicalities, political ideologies and ego tussles.

Some of us seem to believe that this entire Global Warming thing is a scare, a shibboleth, an urban myth motivated by faulty science, bad politicians, crackpot activists and sloppy journalists who don't check their facts. This particular post is not intended for people who hold this opinion.

This post is intended for those who believe that our collective burning of hydrocarbon fuels has brought us to a grave situation, and are wondering what mitigating responses would make a meaningful difference without being too painful to implement.

For those of us who accept that there is indeed a problem in terms of our collective burning of hydrocarbons, I want to propose an approach which may be broadly stated as:

CONSUME WHATEVER REQUIRES MINIMAL
MANUFACTURING & TRANSPORTATION.

I am detailing this approach with five points each as to what we can do at three levels or spheres of influence.


INDIVIDUALS:
Be aware of your carbon footprint, and make choices that minimize it.

Watch what you eat and drink. Serve your guests home-made lemon-sherbet instead of the contents of a PET bottle of coke to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. The manufacturing process of PET bottles and soft drinks involve combustion of large amounts of fuel, and so does the transportation from the bottling plant to your grocery store. Similarly, an apple imported from China involves air transport. It is more eco-friendly to consume fruits grown in Nasik or Mahabaleshwar. Anything that is home-made and does not come out of a bottle or can is more eco-friendly.

Watch what you wear. Imported clothes brought to your neighbourhood store through a complex distribution chain involve large amounts of transportation. Choose clothes that have been produced geographically as close to you as possible. Also, every additional set of clothes lying unused in your wardrobe is a wastage of global resources involved in manufacturing them. For every new dress that you buy, discard an old one so that someone else gets to wear them and does not have to buy new ones.

Watch how you entertain yourself. A walk in the park, talking with friends at home or in the neighbourhood, playing a game of chess or cards etc. involves no external energy sources, and is also good for health. Listening to music, watching television, phoning a friend is also relatively low on energy consumption. Compared to these, driving to the multiplex, the shopping mall, the bowling alley or the restaurant involves consumption of large amounts of hydrocarbons. Please minimize environmental cost of your enjoyment.

Watch what you drive. Avoid buying or driving oversized status-symbols. Step down to modest vehicles that have better fuel economy. Also, use public transport during non-peak hours, and walk or use a bicycle over short distances.

Watch your power and water usage. Switch off lights and air-conditioners when you are leaving the room. Avoid recessed or concealed light fixtures that absorb rather than emit most of the light, or cast light at the ceiling rather than directly. Minimize heating bathwater in summer, and do not waste water by leaving your tap running unnecessarily.


CORPORATES:
Play a leadership role in mitigating the problem.

Ø Organize employee commute programs to minimize costs.

Ø Reduce business travel emissions. Consider combining trips, and the taking the aid of technology (video conferencing) to create virtual meetings.

Ø Set your A/C thermostat as high as you comfortably can (around 24 degrees C). Instead of air-conditioning, open the windows of offices as often as you can and enjoy fresh air. While designing office interiors, choose openness over enclosed settings, ceiling fans over air-conditioners, and some natural lighting over a complete dependence on artificial lighting. Minimize having light fixtures for aesthetic rather than functional reasons. Avoid recessed light fixtures that absorb rather than emit most of the light. Avoid installing ‘caverned’ fixtures that direct light at the ceiling.

Ø Assign a department to audit your company’s energy and transport (including flight) kilometers etc, and devise ways to achieve a 2% reduction in these costs every month.

Ø Incentivate junior staffs to walk, use bicycles and scooters. Also, encourage all employees to choose the stairs over the lift as often as they possibly can.


MUNICIPALITIES:
Legislate and regulate for lower fuel costs.

Reduce motorized transportation within residential neighborhoods and office localities. Vehicles, including public transport, must be discouraged from entering neighborhoods and office localities. Passengers should be dropped off at well-planned nodal points with large parking lots. People should be encouraged to walk the last half kilometer to their destinations. This will improve the air quality in work and living environments, give people peaceful zones for walking, bicycling etc and improve people’s health overall. It will also considerably reduce traffic jams and reduce per capita petroleum consumption.

Maximise the facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Wide, continuous footpaths unobstructed by clutter, parked vehicles and hawkers, should be a norm to encourage walking. Create a bicycle lane for at least two kilometers on roads near schools. Children who enjoy walking or taking the bicycle to school will not have to be dropped to school by car or scooter.

Dim the traffic lights between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. every night to save electricity. Also, switch off the lights on all advertisement hoardings after midnight.

Meter the water usage of individual flats rather than entire buildings in order to encourage more thrifty utilization of water, in order to conserve both water resources and the power used for pumping them to the taps.

Incentivate vehicle owners to reduce the size and number of vehicles they own. Road tax on households owning two or more four-wheeled vehicles must be fixed at disproportionately higher rates. Road tax on luxury vehicles that occupy more space and give a low mileage should also be hiked up. On the other hand, tax on smaller vehicles and two-wheelers should be slashed, and purchase of bicycles should be cross-subsidized.






Wednesday, October 10, 2007

11 Great Ways to be Positive about Change


11 Great Ways to be Positive about Change
Look for the positives!Seek them out - those little scary places that it's challenging to let yourself go to - the positives are genuinely scary, because they give you hope and it's hard to let go of all the fears you have right now - so hanging onto them is the easiest path!So try letting yourself go, just for the heck of it!Take that step back from being 'done to' and take the initiative. At work, at home or wherever, this can be a great time, if you let it. There are loads of ideas why. Here are eleven of my favourites...
Personal GrowthChange gives us great moments for self-development and personal growth. It is in times where there is a lot going on, where we have to get out of our box to think, even when change is imposed, that we move forward.
Involving OthersDuring change periods we can create relationships that are new - and we, as managers, have a great chance to bring others into our confidence and into our network.
AdventureThere is something about change, large or small which creates 'something different' from our routine day. This is pretty cool really. We are being provided with stimulating mental exercise to make the best of things happening differently. It might not look that way, but change brings adventure!
Building it inLearning about big changes, means that we can closely observe why those changes are necessary. We have to make radical changes because we have strayed well off course. So as we learn, we can make provision to have some minor course corrections rather than completely the wrong destination.
ChallengeIn his great book, 'The Inner Game of Work', Timothy Gallwey talks about the fine balance between security and challenge being what gets people motivated. By creating new things to learn, to do, we stretch our people - and ourselves.
OpportunityChange brings new opportunity. For learning; for understanding ourselves better; for new perspectives; for different roles. These can be grasped personally or they can be dwelt on miserably. The better choice is to go for it!
Team BondingChange exercises, big and small can be great to develop a team. Where there is the opportunity to work together, manager with their closest people there are often places, moments where the team spirit; the trust and the shared commitment - the 'Dunkirk spirit' even, enables future potential of a team to be loosened.
HonestyWhere radical change proves necessary it enlightens those involved that where they are is not where they need to be. Carrying out a review of why serious change is necessary and seeking the real truth is very revealing. The icing on the cake for those involved in organisational change processes is to create a feedback loop that renders future major change unnecessary.
ChoiceChange is not truly necessary. Change is about choice. You have the choice whether to accept it positively or not. It is your choice and everyone has that - believe it or not. No-one is holding you down to prevent you getting away. Take personal responsibility for the choices you make.
FocusChange gives the opportunity for and usually gets really down to the gist of the issues that have precipitated the need. This is good. Your organisation is realising that things need to be different, for all sorts of reasons, but usually for the health of the organisation and that means you, usually. For some it may mean loss of role, status and even job - now what positive opportunity does that bring!
PassionAnd finally, we have the opportunity to review our own roles, not just in the workplace, but in life too. Are you passionate about your work - or are you just muddling through? Are new opportunities presented to you personally through change - within or without the place where you work today? What is your personal passion and how do you work towards making that how you spend every day of your life?
Hey change can be fun, if you let it be. You life can be a straight line, and if you saw that one ER, what would it mean...
Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com/. (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

3 Easy Tips To Keep Your Man Attracted

Quick Tip- it's important that the way you and your man talk and share is not only open and honest, but that it actually makes him feel likeopening up and sharing more with you, not less.Too many women end up in relationships with menwhere they know less about a man's REAL FEELINGSthan some stranger on the street.It's not only possible for the person you're supposed to be closest with (the man in your life) to start feeling like he'll be "punished" when he tells you things that scare you or freak you out... lots of women make this huge mistake with men andguarantee that their partner won't be open or honest and authentic with them.If a man fears how you will react emotionally, and you show him that being honest with you willonly send you off the deep end... then whether yousee it right now or not, you're encouraging yourman to stop telling you the truth about how hereally feels.Is this what you really want?Don't put yourself, your relationship, and the manyou're with in jeopardy this way. It can be easy,and feel so much better to have that amazing deeplevel of CONNECTION and sharing. And it's this thatis at the heart of any SECURE relationship.If you'd like to know exactly how to start having the man in your life open up, talk, and share withyou so that it doesn't feel like pulling teeth justto know who you both really are with each other... then you need to read this letter that's filled with all my best tips for how to talk with a man:

101 reasons wat makes u a gr8 frnd...

1. i can't spell frndship without u
2. ur da most beautiful flower in da garden of my life
3. you can easily tell a lie for my convenience
4. you understand when i'm too buzy
5. you know me better than my siblings
6. u don't necessarly support my decisions
7. u go an extra mile when i need help
8. u tolerate my bad moods and still speak 2 me wen ur in 1
9. at others expense, u make a gr8 laughing partner
10. u walk in wen oders walk out
11. i can speak my heart out to u
12. u openly discuss a disaterous date/crush
13. u fall 4 da same junk as i do
14. u help me to chose the right think 4 my heartthrob
15. i can throw my tantrums on
16. i can rely on u 2 post my letters
17. i know i needn't luk my best wen ur around
18. i can discuss my crepy fantasies with u
19. u motivate me 2 execis
20. u've got sense of humour
21. u hand me ur handkerchief wen i've conveniently 4gotten min
22. u bluntly tell me wen i need 2 spray a deo or mouth freshner
23. i can freely discuss my ex's nd my latest crush
24. i can tok 2 u 4 hours abt anything nd nothin
25. i can tuck in 4 a blockbuster night
26. u know my secret wishes and keep them a secret
27. u know how to give me lil surprises 2 make my day
28. u keep me well informed abt latest gossips
29. u let me know,wen i need to mend my way
30. ur a reminder of wats important in lif
31. i can freely discuss censored topics wit
32. u always welcome me with a warm hug
33. even if we're not in touch 4 ages, i know ur dere for me
34. u flatter me wen i need 2
35. u never burn a hole in my pocket
36. shopping is fun. u always manage a good bargain
37. u understand my moods very well
38. you answer my phone,wen i'm avoiding a call
39. u never let ego cum btwn us
40. ur dere for me , wen i'm feelin down
41. going out with u doesn't need a reason or occasion
42. time simply flies by wenever we're together
43. i can b very comfy wid u
44. u help me solve my problems
45. u keep a check on me wen i'm at my spendin spree
46. u can sit uietly wid me
47. u care 4 my happiness
48. u equally participate wid me on playin a prank
49. u don't take me 4 granted
50. u get worried wen i'm not well
51. u read me lik a buk
52. ur always soooo right
53. wenever i'm wrong u never make it worse by sayin "i told u so"
54. i can b funny nd get away without makin a fool of my self
55. u've got a gr8 sporting spirit
56. u make me laugh
57. u celebrate my triumphs
58. u help me overcum my shortcummins
59. ur selfless nd giving
60. without feelin hesitant i can borrow ur books, dress, etc..etc..etc.....
61. u bring sunshine into my life
62. u never gossip abt me
63. u know how to pamper me
64. u know were to find the best pair of jeans on the cheap
65. u never dump me for sum1 else
66. u know how 2 make me stop wen,i'm tokin sheer nonsense
67. u consider my feelins too
68. i can call u any itme of da day without feelin hesitant
69. u point out wen i'm lukin lika an idiot
70. u know exactly wat to get for my birthday
71. coackroaches don't scare the hell out of u
72. u don't loose ur cool as often as i do
73. u so much believe in sharing, from secrets to candies
74. u know the best eating joint
75. u neva shout along with mewen i'm shouting at my throats best
76. u immediately apologise after harshly giving me a piece of ur mind
77. u are never afraid to accept ur faults
78. u respect my privacy
79. u never demand a clsrification
80. u always save the last bite of delecious 4 me
81. ur shoulders are everready for me to lean on
82. u alarm me wen i've gained too much weigth
83. u light up my life
84. u patiently listen to all my troubles
85. bcauze u bring infinite joys 2 me
86. ur as sweet as can b
87. u accept me the way i am
88. each time i think of u, i smile
89. u know how to emotionally black mail me
90. i can trust on ur advice
91. ur a true reflection of me
92. i can ask u uestions lik "am i lukin good" no of times nd i knoiw u won't get irratated
93. NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE UR PLACE
94. u've seen me at my worst and still stood by me
95. u have more faith in me dan i do in myself
96. u will never change nomatter wat happens tomorrow
97. u make me wish, we were in the same family
98. u know wento make things light
99. u never laugh at my faults
100. u bring out the best in me
101. and the greatest reason is that, you are simply "YOU" ....

Monday, October 8, 2007

5 Things You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs

. Did You Know That There are Hidden Foods That are Promoted as "Health Foods" but Actually Stimulate Your Body to Hold Onto Excess Belly Fat & Cover Up Your Six Pack Abs Like a Thick Blanket?
It's True! Scientists have even discovered that some of these particular foods can even produce a hormonal imbalance in your body that triggers belly fat to resist burning and signals it to be stored excessively. These compounds are rampant in our food supply and hard to avoid unless you know what to look for... this goes WAY beyond trans fats... there are some more sinister villians in our food too (more about that later).
2. Did You Also Know That "Abs Exercises" Such as Crunches, Leg Raises, & Sit-Ups are Actually the LEAST EFFECTIVE Method of Getting Rid of Stubborn Stomach Fat & Love Handles to Uncover Your Abs? And No, the Answer to Belly Fat Loss is NOT Cardio Either!
Yep, you heard me right! Abdominal exercises should only be a VERY small portion of your workouts. In addition, If you don't perform the right ab exercises in the most effective fashion, you could actually be making your stomach worse!
Ok, here's the deal... If you want your workouts to stimulate abdominal fat loss for those flat sexy abs, you need a properly designed full body resistance training workout that takes into account certain key factors for stimulating your metabolic rate and increasing your production of fat-burning hormones.
If you ignore these key factors, you're DOOMED to a flabby stomach forever! I'll discuss more details about these key factors in a bit.
3. Another Thing... You've Been Told That Doing Lots and Lots of Cardio is the Best Way to Lose Body Fat... Correct?
WRONG! Once again, the myths that have perpetuated the fitness industry for decades are starting to become more clear.
Did you know that recent properly controlled scientific studies have revealed that people using cardio-based workout routines lost significantly less body fat compared to people who did mostly resistance training based routines? Some subjects even GAINED BODY FAT on the cardio-based workouts, while the resistance trainers got stronger & simultaneously reduced their abdominal fat.
However, you can't just do any old worthless bodybuilder workout routine that you saw in some magazine. Most people inadvertently focus on all the wrong types of exercises in the wrong combinations. That will most likely just set you up for failure and years more of a fat belly with no abs!
There are certain tricks you need to learn to put together a workout routine with combinations that will actually trigger your body to release belly fat. I'll show you those techniques in a minute.4. Do You Really Need "Fat Loss Pills" and Other Hyped-Up Supplements to Get Rid of Your Stubborn Belly Fat for Good?No, you don't need any supplements! The amount of deception in the supplement industry really pisses me off. Some supplements are ok (only a very limited few), but I estimate that at least 95% of supplements are a total waste of your money. I'll talk about the only worthwhile ones you can trust, so you can stop wasting your money and being deceived by the clever marketing tactics they use.5. Ab Belts, Ab-Gadgets, Ab-Rockers/Rollers... all Useless!Come on now... I know the infomercial showed a ripped sexy fitness model using the Fat-Blaster 6000 Ab Gizmo, but do you really think he or she got that sexy flat stomach by sitting on the couch and using that piece of crap while watching TV?Hell no! They are ripped and sexy because they are a fitness model and they work hard using REAL WORKOUTS. I'll even show you some insider secrets as to how some of these fitness models get such lean and sexy bodies with rock hard abs. Some of the techniques are pretty clever!
So, let's set the record straight once and for all...