With the continuous and massive growth in sales of self improvement or self help books and the proliferation of personal development websites, wouldn’t you think that you would by now have witnessed a major shift in human consciousness – a marked improvement in the human condition? In other words, don’t you think, with all this new awareness, that a lot more people should be a lot happier? Sadly, not only is there little sign of improvement, all the evidence points to the contrary – increased levels of worry and anxiety as the economy slips and slides having been hijacked by a small number of people obsessed with their own greed and, as it turns out, their own self-destruction; a rise in anti-social behaviour and violent crime and the ongoing inappropriate behaviour of people, who should know better, on the international stage of politics and international diplomacy. Read More→
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Articles related to self help
To be emotionally free you can’t remain naïve about relationships. Some people are positive and mood elevating. Others can suck optimism and serenity right out of you. Vampires do more than drain your physical energy. The super-malignant ones can make you believe you’re an unworthy, unlovable wretch who doesn’t deserve better. The subtler species inflict damage by making smaller digs which can make you feel bad about yourself-for instance, “Dear, I see you’ve put on a few pounds” or “You’re overly sensitive!”
Suddenly they’ve thrown you emotionally off-center by prodding your areas of shaky self-worth. To protect your sensitivity, it’s important to name and combat these vampires. The concept struck such a collective chord in my second book that in my latest one I illustrate how it applies to protecting your emotions and not absorbing other people’s negativity. In it I discuss these vampires to watch for and ways to deal with them.
Signs that You’ve Encountered an Emotional Vampire Read More→
We’ve all got a smidgen of vampire in us, especially when we’re stressed. So, cut yourself a break. It’s admirable to admit, “I think I’m emotionally draining people. What can I do?” Can’t be free without such honesty. Then you can change. These are some common indications that you’re becoming a drainer.
People avoid you or glaze over during a conversation
You’re self-obsessed
You’re often negative
You gossip or bad-mouth people
You’re critical, controlling
You’re in an emotional black hole, but won’t get help–this strains relationships and won’t free you
The solution is always to own up to where you’re emotionally stuck and change the related behavior. For instance, one patient in computer graphics kept hammering his wife with a poor-me attitude about how he always got stuck with boring projects at work. Instead of trying to improve the situation, he just kvetched. She started dreading those conversations, diplomatically mentioned it to him. This motivated my patient to address the issue with his supervisor, which got him more stimulating assignments. Similarly, whenever I slip into vampire mode, I try to examine and alter my behavior or else discuss the particulars with a friend or a therapist so I can change. Don’t hesitate to seek assistance when you’re stumped. Also, review the types of emotional vampires listed below to make sure you’re not one of them or that you don’t have one in your life. Read More→
By Amy Sherman
Remember when you were “cool”? Even though you may think you still are, the rules have changed over the years and you may be acting older than you think. Here are some things to consider if you want to appear younger than you really are:
1. Get “hip” to texting. If you want to stay in touch with the kids or grandkids, this is their long distance mode of communication. Even leaving messages on the cell phone is passé. Learn how to text and you will be in contact with them more often and with less hassle. So, exercise those thumbs and practice the fine art of miniature typing.
Read More→
By Joshua Noerr
In Japan they have a word for which we do not have a good equivalent. The word is kaizen. Loosely translated, it means constant improvement. They speak of the kaizen of their business, the kaizen of their trade deficit, the kaizen of their skills; in other words, anything they feel is important enough in which to be involved, is important enough to constantly improve. We do not have a simple word to encapsulate everything that kaizen means, but we do have actions.
I want to introduce you to something I call “The Principle of 1 Percent.” Read More→
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