“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life…

Live in the moment, live in the breath.”

 

– Amit Ray, author of “Om Chanting and Meditation”

Search for “stress quotes” online and you’ll be inundated by hundreds, if not thousands, of them. It will possibly become a little stressful if you decide you need to read all of them, as if you would find the one at the end of the rainbow which was going to magically do away with any stress you might be feeling right now.

Here’s another one…

“Keep calm and carry on.” A personal favorite, like the one above.

This one, however, began life as a motto over in Britain during World War II. If you look at the history of the place back then, you can understand it must have been a pretty stressful place to be when the sirens started wailing, forewarning you of the massive bombs that were about to start dropping around your head, and that you had to get yourself down an air-raid shelter as quick as your legs could carry you.

It’s intention was this: to emphasize that problems are better solved when people are (and can remain) calm and collected.

This quote clearly can also apply to the recovering alcoholic or drug addict, and I should know.

Having spent most of a young life abusing meth and alcohol, recovery has been a long and challenging road to travel for me, and I still walk it everyday over 9 years later. However, I got the help I needed when my parents finally took matters into their own hands and drove me into the next state to a drug and alcohol rehab facility.

My name is Andy, and I’m now a 30-something entrepreneur with my own business. Just as importantly, I’m as clean and sober as the day I left the rehab, a drug and alcohol addiction recovery facility in Idaho, that gave the tools to recover and continue recovering from my addiction. Many of those tools were about dealing with stress, which, as you can imagine, is one obvious way for an ex-addict to relapse.

Here are a number of simple lifestyle changes you can make today to deal with any stress effectively, and making it much less of an issue as you embark on your journey towards addiction recovery:

Breathing Deeply

Simple stuff, but it works, believe me. As you breathe, concentrate on using your whole diaphragm rather than just your chest. Your stomach should rise as your lungs fill from the bottom. In this way, you are stimulating your vagus nerve, one of the cranial nerves that connect your brain to the rest of you.

Stimulating this nerve provides a relaxing response.When this happens, the parasympathetic nervous system is turned on, levels of cortisol are subsequently reduced, and a brain damaged by severe substance abuse can actually begin to heal.

Sleeping Soundly

Never underestimate the value of a sound night’s sleep. In order to maximize your chance of a good, deep sleep, you must be made aware of those factors that contribute to healing rest. Such sleep factors range from reducing any naps you may take, limiting your caffeine intake throughout the day, establishing set times for your meals, and creating a positive bedroom ambiance, eg. softer lighting.

In addition, but one of the most important, stay away from blue light screens an hour before bedtime. By blue light screens, we’re referring to televisions, computers and even mobiles. Doing this can help to relax your eyes and your mind.

Eating Healthily

Dietary advice is not something that can be applied in the same way to every individual. However, there are basic guidelines that recovering addicts can use to eat healthier meals and snacks. If you have known food allergies, you should always actively avoid those foods so you do not stress your body. Furthermore, you should stay away from junk food, except for occasional exception, where it can become soul food.

 

All healthy, balanced and nutritious diets have fresh fruits and vegetables at their core, as well as healthy grains and protein sources. Additionally, a couple of simple rules need to be followed:

• Avoid eating until you are full, and
• Avoid giving in to every temptation for food

Socializing Positively

Time was, socializing for me was just another way to feed my addiction, to get high and to get drunk (or too get both). Very quickly, it became less about enjoying the company of others and more about feeding my ever-hungry addiction.

Early in my recovery, I learned that I needed to choose my friends carefully. Believe me, people you thought were your friends are like those people who slow down when there’s been an accident on the highway – they love to see blood, as long as it’s not theirs. Friends who did not take my commitment seriously soon realized that I made excuses not be be with them, and that even included some of my own family members.

Instead, I sought out friends and family who understood what I was going through and who could support my vow to remain alcohol and drug-free for the rest of my natural. If a recovering alcoholic focuses on more active forms of social involvement, such as dancing, sports, or volunteer activities, they’ll be less stressed about the environment that they find themselves in.

Exercising Actively

The benefits of a healthy lifestyle far outweigh the possible drawbacks – not enough time, blandish food, etc, etc. Excuses. As an addict, I know plenty about them. Staying clean and sober is far easier when an exercise regime is included in your stress management.

One clear benefit is the increase in endorphins after exercising. These endorphins reduce pain receptors and also trigger positive feelings in your body, providing a kind of natural high, and a safe one at that.

The feeling of well-being that accompanies exercise is the best alternative to the negative and damaging effects of drugs and alcohol. Setting and reaching your new goals of running or working out will also improve your self-confidence. It doesn’t have to be confined to a local gym either – try to walk every day outside for the relaxing effects of nature and fresh air.

Meditating Quietly

Whether you regard it as meditation, prayer, or mindfulness, the ability to be still and to reflect without interruption is absolutely vital to reducing stress. These moments of silence is when we are most in touch with our inner selves – our aspirations, our challenges and our hopes.

Mindful meditation provides benefits that are essential to your stress management. A little more biology now. The part of the brain that regulates levels of stress and anxiety is the amygdala, and by practicing meditation, you are positively affecting this function. Meditation can also stimulate the hippocampus, which controls your memory and your learning ability.

For many recovering addicts, myself included, meditating equals calmness – a pretty important quality if you wish to remain stress-free during recovery.

And Living Well…

These 6 tips to managing your stress effectively as you recover from addiction will reduce your anxieties about your life and your future. So, by following what’s written here, you are giving yourself the very best chance of a successful recovery. This stress management program is designed to take the burden away from any mundane stress, so recovering addicts can keep their focus on staying clean and sober.

What are your experiences regarding stress management? What particularly works for you? Please let us know with a comment below. And remember, “Keep calm and . . . carry on,” as they say.

 

The thought of recycling things might make you frown because you are too lazy to do it. You feel that it is an additional responsibility that you don’t need to do if you can throw your waste products in a bin. You try justifying your actions by making excuses. These are among the most common reasons to avoid recycling, and what you need to do to change your ways.

It is inconvenient

Yes, it is true that recycling can be inconvenient. When you are outside, it is not easy finding a bin that is for recyclable materials. At home, you might be too lazy to segregate all the items for disposal. To change your mind, you need to imagine how much worse it would be if your home gets flooded, and you have to pick all the pieces up. If you feel inconvenienced by recycling, it will be more difficult when you start feeling the impact of global warming.

There is no space at home for recycling

It is another lame excuse to avoid recycling. When you want to recycle, it does not matter how much space you have. You can try to recycle the things that you can still use. You can keep all the items that are still useful in a storage room. If you don’t have one, you can buy a large container. You don’t necessarily have to reuse these items if you don’t think you can. Instead, you can ask a debris removal company to come over and pick up the trash. You can decide how often they will pick up the items and request them to come more often if you have an issue with space.

You don’t see any difference anyway

You might think that your actions don’t have any significant impact, but you are wrong. If everyone practices recycling, it can significantly reduce the number of items in landfill. It also reduces carbon emissions. Fewer resources will be necessary for the creation of new things that you need each day. Some of these resources are depleting, and if you don’t recycle, you will have nothing to use in the future.

Recycling is difficult

Perhaps, it is the lamest excuse of all. How is recycling difficult when you only need to put the items that are still useful in one container? You can pick the things that you might want to reuse. You can keep the others in one area until you are ready to use them. Again, you can find junk removal companies to help you deal with trash. They will collect the items and decide how to use them. You will partner with them and ask them to come to your place when it is time to pick up the trash. How difficult can it be?

Now, it is time for you to step up and change your ways. The world is only getting worse over the years because of our inability to properly segregate waste. Forget what other people are doing, and focus only on doing the right thing.

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Even if lots of people in the United States and across the world believe in climate change, it is difficult creating meaningful policies to effect change because there are people in office who object. The United States government even pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement even though many Americans support it, because the current president is against it.

There are also some excellent bills to protect the environment that are currently in the House of Representatives in the U.S. but are not moving forward because several people in power are voting against the bills.

Therefore, if you believe in climate change and you want action right now, the first thing you need to do is to choose people who believe in climate change to be in a position to create meaningful legislation. You need to vote out of office those who are still skeptical of climate change and are objecting to any bill that could help save the environment.

When more representatives believe in climate change, it will be easy for some environmental protection bills to move forward.

Politicians can have a change of heart

When the message from the people is strong, it is difficult for politicians to vote otherwise. For instance, there was a time when even former president Obama was against gay marriage. Eventually, his views evolved because he saw the loud voices from across the political spectrum and racial divides, supporting people’s right to marry. Even some of the most conservative politicians have had no choice but to take a step back because they know it is a lost cause.

The same thing can happen with climate change policies. It might seem challenging to enact real changes now because people in power remain steadfast in their beliefs. Climate change is also not among the most pressing concerns in the minds of American voters when they head to the polls. Compared with national security and healthcare, environmental protection is way behind. However, if it is a priority for many Americans, and their voices keep growing louder, real policies could happen.

Don’t wait for the next election

Although you can show your voice as you head to the polls, the sad reality is that elections don’t happen all the time. Once in power, you need to wait for another two years or so before replacing the wrong guy.

You need to act now and start the changes at home. For instance, instead of waiting for the local government to respond to waste management and segregation issues, you can do it at home. You can teach your kids how to be responsible for dealing with waste. You can tell them how they can reduce waste products. You can also show them what items to recycle and in what ways these things can be reused.

Another thing you can do is hire a debris removal company to come over and pick up your trash. They know what to do with what they collect, and you know these things will be going to the right places.

It is frustrating to see the inaction among government officials, but you can’t wait for them.

To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.

 

Have you tried losing weight but can’t seem to find the most effective method? Are you tired of trying out numerous fad diets that are costing you a lot of money? Today is the perfect time to put a stop to those things and shift to something that is effective and long-lasting. Here are some known useful weight loss tips that are worth trying.

Do not forget to hydrate

A lot of us often confuse hunger pangs for thirst. This kind of feeling causes us to eat more than our regular food intake. If you think that you are hungry, try drinking a few glasses of water and observe if you are still hungry or craving food.

Instead of forcing yourself to eat less food, drinking 2-3 glasses of water will automatically make you feel fuller, decreasing your calorie intake by as much as 30%. Another advantage of drinking water is it also increases your body’s capability to burn more fat and calories.

Get a gym membership

One way to effectively lose weight is to start working out and take it seriously. Look for a reputable gym that is organised and uses club membership software to help run the business to ensure that they are always looking after the welfare of their clients.

Also, choose a gym that offers effective weight loss plans. You can get in touch with the staff or marketing team and ask for several recommendations regarding weight loss plans that may work for you. Some gyms offer personalised training plans that help speed up weight loss. As long as you can commit to doing the plan for at least 3-4 hours a week, you are also guaranteed to see visible results.

Make it a rule not to skip breakfast every day

Due to our busy schedule, we sometimes tend to skip breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. Nutritionists recommend eating a high protein breakfast that helps in building muscles, and it makes us fuller for a more extended period. Eating a full meal early in the morning also helps reduce cravings throughout the day.

Get rid of any sugary drinks in your system

One of the leading causes of weight gain is soda, juices and other artificial drinks that are full of sugar or fructose. Too much sugar in your diet increases your risk of diabetes and obesity which can lead to other complications such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. If you want to effectively lose some extra pounds, be mindful of your sugar intake by browsing through product labels.

Create a food diary

One way to effectively lose weight is to be more conscious about what you put inside your body. You can start monitoring your food intake by writing down what you have eaten for the day so that you will be more conscious or think twice if ever you feel the urge to eat a slice of cake, nibble on a chocolate bar, or munch on a bag of chips.

There are no shortcuts when you are planning to get rid of extra pounds. You need the will and discipline in order to reach your goals.

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Spending time with your family does not mean you need to travel somewhere far-away and exciting. You can do it even when you remain within your area. A perfect activity would be to find large country houses to rent for weekends. You can finally go out of your home and break the cycle.

When you are in a different environment even only for a night, it is relaxing. You do not have a house of the same size, and it is an excellent idea for everyone to relax. These large houses come with a spacious master bedroom, several rooms for your kids, a swimming pool, and entertainment rooms. With luck, you could even find one with a golf course. It depends on the house that you chose to rent.

There are things you can do in a large house that you cannot do if you have a small house. Your kids will love being in a different place where they feel like they can freely move around. Of course, you need to tell them that you are not moving into the place permanently, but they can maximise their experience there, even for a while.

It is all about bonding

You decide to rent a large house for the weekend not because you want something fancy, but because you want to spend time with the people you love. You do not always have this opportunity because you are too busy with work. Your kids are also at school, and when they arrive home, they need to study. Therefore, you need to find time at the weekend where everyone drops what they need to do, and bonds with each other.

Your kids are growing up quickly. Before you know it, your kids will become adults, and you cannot turn back time. You might have to spend a lot to rent a fancy house, but you need to focus on what you will get out of it.

It is a practical choice

If there are four or more of you in the family, and you decide to travel, you will need to rent accommodation for the night. Instead of paying for several rooms in a hotel, it is better to spend a lot to rent a large house. The cost will almost be the same. The advantage is that you will all be staying in the same place. In a hotel, you will get multiple rooms in a big building, but if you rent a house, you will have the entire place to yourselves.

You can do it often

If you enjoy your experience staying in a large house with your kids, you could rent another place in the future where you can rest and have fun. You can look for different properties that offer lots of amenities and facilities. You need to book in advance though, since a lot of families find this idea worth a try. During long weekends and holidays, it might be tough reserving a house that you like.