Tuesday, 17 April 2012
36 WAYS TO SERIOUSLY REDUCE STRESS
1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time!!??
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say a big fat NO to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more.
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut).
This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the kid in you everyday.
16. Carry a great book with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot.
24. Make friends with people who love you for who you are.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. The shortest bridge between despair and hope is often 'Thank you Jesus.'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.
2. Go to bed on time!!??
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say a big fat NO to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more.
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut).
This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the kid in you everyday.
16. Carry a great book with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot.
24. Make friends with people who love you for who you are.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. The shortest bridge between despair and hope is often 'Thank you Jesus.'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.
ALL YOU NEED…
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you need to be alone.
3. When you wake up in the morning, complete the following... “My purpose is to ______ today.”
4. Eat more foods that grow ON trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured IN plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blue berries, salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive, present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out visa.
9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone or anything.
11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does!
12. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
14. Don’t compare your life to others.’ You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
17. Forgive everyone for everything – include yourself.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. WE just need to trust in HIM.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick or hurting. Your friends will.
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need
23. Each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements:
‘I am thankful for ______________. Today I accomplished ____________.”
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you need to be alone.
3. When you wake up in the morning, complete the following... “My purpose is to ______ today.”
4. Eat more foods that grow ON trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured IN plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blue berries, salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive, present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out visa.
9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone or anything.
11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does!
12. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
14. Don’t compare your life to others.’ You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
17. Forgive everyone for everything – include yourself.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. WE just need to trust in HIM.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick or hurting. Your friends will.
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need
23. Each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements:
‘I am thankful for ______________. Today I accomplished ____________.”
NEVER TRUST A BEGGAR
By Ron Nikkel (Prison Fellowship International)
Bleary eyed, unsteady on his feet, reeking of alcohol and rancid body odour, the dishevelled beggar accosted me near a street-side food kiosk. With one finger pointing to his open mouth, the other hand patting his sunken abdomen, he was saying, “I am starving, give me food, I am too weak to speak.” Suspecting that it wasn’t food he was really after, I nevertheless offered him some of my food. With immediate disgust he rejected my ‘generosity’ and scowled at me, thrusting his hand toward me, for it was money he really wanted.
“Never trust a beggar,” I muttered under my breath, knowing that it was a cruel and heartless thing for me to say and probably not even politically correct. Yet how many times do any of us avert our eyes from the sight of a beggar sitting on the sidewalk or pleading from car to car between the stoplights? And how many times do any of us simply avoid their outstretched hands and their requests? How often do we dismiss the beggar because we know the truth, that what we give will only be used for drink or drugs or smokes? Most beggars’ stories can’t be trusted and I for one do not appreciate being manipulated or contributing in any way to their irresponsibility.
Of course, I have met a few legitimate beggars who simply are so down on their luck that they have no alternative but to throw themselves on the mercy of people who can’t say no, who actually feel good about themselves for tossing a few coins their way. Perhaps I am like that because I do feel good about saying yes to beggars by tossing them my token coins. On some occasions, I will even stop to look them in the eye and listen to their story, while deep within my cynical mind I actually don’t believe a word they are saying. “Get a job; get up off your ‘butt,’ get real, be honest,” I’m thinking to myself – “you’re a loser and a user!”
Somehow, I feel I am being complicit in the charade of dishonesty, whether I knowingly respond to the beggar’s false appeal or respond in order to feel good about myself for doing so, or when I pause to hear her tale of woe even though I am just acting like I care and believe what she is telling me. It is a small but difficult issue and the question I have been pondering is – should I give to a beggar even when I am very sure that the money will go for alcohol and not for food, or that the money isn’t really for her sick daughter? Wouldn’t I have more integrity by just saying no?
Recently, a good friend told me the story of a man who gave a large sum of money to a charitable organisation in response to an appeal. After some time passed it was discovered that his donation had been used for very different purposes than what he had intended. “Knowing that your donation was abused, do you have any regrets about what you did – would you take your donation back if you could?” – asked my friend. “No,” he replied, “what I gave -- I gave to God – not to the organisation. What people do with it is not my problem; it is on their conscience before God.”
It is not just street people who are begging, it is also organisations who beg on behalf of others. As one of such ‘beggars,’ I feel immense responsibility to respect donors and the purpose of their contributions, for they are giving to God and I have a holy stewardship. As a donor, be it to an individual or an institutional beggar, I am trying to learn the lesson of giving to God – not to the beggar. Does that mean I don’t respect the beggar? On the contrary, I think I respect the beggar all the more by not imposing my cynicism, and distrust and second-guessing their motivation.
Perhaps there is a parallel to what Jesus meant in saying – “When I was hungry you gave me food … when I was in prison you visited me.” In giving to the beggar or visiting the prisoner, you and I entrust ourselves and what we give to God. I am coming to believe that Jesus comes to me in the disguise of beggars I don’t trust.
Jesus is my God,
Jesus is my Spouse,
Jesus is my Life,
Jesus is my only Love,
Jesus is my All in All;
Jesus is my Everything
The dying, the cripple, the mental,
the unwanted, the unloved
they are Jesus in disguise.
(Mother Theresa of Calcutta)
Bleary eyed, unsteady on his feet, reeking of alcohol and rancid body odour, the dishevelled beggar accosted me near a street-side food kiosk. With one finger pointing to his open mouth, the other hand patting his sunken abdomen, he was saying, “I am starving, give me food, I am too weak to speak.” Suspecting that it wasn’t food he was really after, I nevertheless offered him some of my food. With immediate disgust he rejected my ‘generosity’ and scowled at me, thrusting his hand toward me, for it was money he really wanted.
“Never trust a beggar,” I muttered under my breath, knowing that it was a cruel and heartless thing for me to say and probably not even politically correct. Yet how many times do any of us avert our eyes from the sight of a beggar sitting on the sidewalk or pleading from car to car between the stoplights? And how many times do any of us simply avoid their outstretched hands and their requests? How often do we dismiss the beggar because we know the truth, that what we give will only be used for drink or drugs or smokes? Most beggars’ stories can’t be trusted and I for one do not appreciate being manipulated or contributing in any way to their irresponsibility.
Of course, I have met a few legitimate beggars who simply are so down on their luck that they have no alternative but to throw themselves on the mercy of people who can’t say no, who actually feel good about themselves for tossing a few coins their way. Perhaps I am like that because I do feel good about saying yes to beggars by tossing them my token coins. On some occasions, I will even stop to look them in the eye and listen to their story, while deep within my cynical mind I actually don’t believe a word they are saying. “Get a job; get up off your ‘butt,’ get real, be honest,” I’m thinking to myself – “you’re a loser and a user!”
Somehow, I feel I am being complicit in the charade of dishonesty, whether I knowingly respond to the beggar’s false appeal or respond in order to feel good about myself for doing so, or when I pause to hear her tale of woe even though I am just acting like I care and believe what she is telling me. It is a small but difficult issue and the question I have been pondering is – should I give to a beggar even when I am very sure that the money will go for alcohol and not for food, or that the money isn’t really for her sick daughter? Wouldn’t I have more integrity by just saying no?
Recently, a good friend told me the story of a man who gave a large sum of money to a charitable organisation in response to an appeal. After some time passed it was discovered that his donation had been used for very different purposes than what he had intended. “Knowing that your donation was abused, do you have any regrets about what you did – would you take your donation back if you could?” – asked my friend. “No,” he replied, “what I gave -- I gave to God – not to the organisation. What people do with it is not my problem; it is on their conscience before God.”
It is not just street people who are begging, it is also organisations who beg on behalf of others. As one of such ‘beggars,’ I feel immense responsibility to respect donors and the purpose of their contributions, for they are giving to God and I have a holy stewardship. As a donor, be it to an individual or an institutional beggar, I am trying to learn the lesson of giving to God – not to the beggar. Does that mean I don’t respect the beggar? On the contrary, I think I respect the beggar all the more by not imposing my cynicism, and distrust and second-guessing their motivation.
Perhaps there is a parallel to what Jesus meant in saying – “When I was hungry you gave me food … when I was in prison you visited me.” In giving to the beggar or visiting the prisoner, you and I entrust ourselves and what we give to God. I am coming to believe that Jesus comes to me in the disguise of beggars I don’t trust.
Jesus is my God,
Jesus is my Spouse,
Jesus is my Life,
Jesus is my only Love,
Jesus is my All in All;
Jesus is my Everything
The dying, the cripple, the mental,
the unwanted, the unloved
they are Jesus in disguise.
(Mother Theresa of Calcutta)
LOVE
LOVE
'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8
'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4
'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5
'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissie - age 6
'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4
'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7
'Love is when you kiss all the time.. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8
'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7
'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6
'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8
'My mummy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6
'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken..'
Elaine-age 5
'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7
'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day'
Mary Ann - age 4
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4
'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7
'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6
'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8
'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4
'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5
'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissie - age 6
'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4
'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7
'Love is when you kiss all the time.. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8
'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7
'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6
'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8
'My mummy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6
'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken..'
Elaine-age 5
'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7
'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day'
Mary Ann - age 4
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4
'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7
'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6
'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'
A selection of beautiful creations I have made. Enjoy!
terri - wellington cup 2009
my 30th 1930's dress (centre)
victoria (my sister) and peter 2007
(entire wedding party)
kate (my sister) and matt 2010
(customised bridesmaids dresses only)
designs for wedding gown
velvet cocktail dress
(that is me and The Mister)
my vintage tape measure dress
Just when you think you know Love...
Something little comes along to remind you how Big it really is.
WELCOME Isla Mary Carlhana, our daughter and sister to a very proud Mr Zeke.
Lots more nappies, lots more noise, lots lots lots more LOVE.
Isn't it the littlest people that teach you so much??
Lots more nappies, lots more noise, lots lots lots more LOVE.
Isn't it the littlest people that teach you so much??
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