Three reasons you aren't getting anywhere

1. You're not taking chances- If you aren't progressing in life then you aren't taking chances. No one ever got anywhere from playing it safe. The key here is to take calculated chances not blind ones. Know what you are getting yourself into before you jump in and make the best, educated, decision you can.

2. You don't really want it- There comes a time when you have to ask yourself if you really want to progress. To truly progress or succeed in anything you'll have to want it so badly that you become mildly obsessed with whatever it is you are striving for. Can you think of something that you really wanted in the past? Do you remember how that felt? That's how you should view whatever it is that you're striving for now.

3.You are afraid to fail- Everyone fails. It's a huge part of life, and an even bigger part of success. If you are going to succeed, in anything, you can not be afraid to fail. There are countless stories of people who are now successful, that have failed handfuls of times. They all have one major thing in common, they all kept going. They knew what they wanted, and would not stop until they got there. You will fail, it is your job to take that failure, learn from it, and move forward.

10 ways to fight anxiety

1. Brake your comfort zone- Get uncomfortable and stay there until it becomes comfortable

2.Take deep breaths- When anxiety hits you'll naturally be taking in less oxygen. Take a slow, deep breath in for four seconds, then exhale for four seconds, and pause for four seconds. Continue as needed.

3.Make plans and go through with them- Anxiety makes you quite the flake. Next time you make plans with your friends do you best to keep them. Chances are once you are with them anxiety wont even be on your mind!

4.Call a friend- Having someone to talk to can make a huge difference. It can take your mind off of the current situation and before you know it your anxiety will have subsided.

5.Join a support group- It is a good feeling to know that you are not alone. Whether that be in anxiety or a terminal illness, there is strength in numbers.

6.Find the root of your anxiety- Can you trace your anxiety back to the root? If you can there is a good chance that you'll be able eventually undue what was done.

7.Tell people about it- Many people with anxiety, including myself, do not open up easily about their struggle. However, telling people, who are willing to listen, may greatly help the situation.

8.Meditate- Free your mind of thought, sit somewhere comfortable, and just be.

9. Seek professional help- Sometimes it is best to talk with a professional. If you feel like your anxiety is getting in the way of your day to day life, then consider this option.

10.Go for a walk- Taking a walk can be a very therapeutic thing. While out, try not to think to much and just observe your surroundings. You'll notice a calming rhythm to things that you may have never known existed.

Eckhart Tolle and the Power of Nature

      Eckhart Tolle is a spirtual teacher/author. He has written a number of books many of which are about finding inner peace and well being. Now, let me first state that I am not a person who would be considered spiritual. I tend to be more of a science minded individual. I do not believe in anything super natural, or mystic. I do believe that, sooner or later, everything can be explained in natural terms. Now that's out of the way, let me tell you how Eckhart Tolle has helped me with my anxiety.

      Last year my brother, who is more of the mystic type, came to me with a book in his hand. He shoved it towards me and simply said, "Read this." I tried to ask him what it was about but before I could finish my sentence he already had his back turned and headed elsewhere. Glancing down at the cover my first impression was that this book was filled with a bunch of mystic, feel good stuff. There wasn't too much to the cover, just a simple orang-ish background, and some not so fancy font. It's not the design that made me feel like this book was filled with a bunch of feel good nonsense, it was the title. It read A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. If that's not a feel good title I don't know what is. How could anyone possibly tell me what my life purpose is? Eventually I decided to throw my judgement aside and give the book a try and I'm glad I did. Eckhart Tolle teaches the art of being present. He talks about how he believes that we are not our thoughts, and that thought is just something that happens to us.

      When was the last time you identified with one of your thoughts? I can almost guarantee it was within the last couple minutes. Those of us with anxiety know that thoughts can be very destructive. We can obsess over them until we make ourselves sick. I could give you example after example of times where I worked myself into a panic from a simple thought. We identify so much with what we think that we become it. So is there a way to quiet thoughts? And how do you do it? Eckhart Tolle teaches that to become seperate from your thoughts all you have to do is observe something in nature that just is. By just oberserving I mean to be free of all thought. Just look at it. Your mind is going to want to name it, or it's color, or where it is. Your job is to let those thoughts enter your mind and leave. The goal here is not dwell on anything simply just to observe. When you are able to do this you will find that your body will relax and you'll simply just "be"

      Now, being more science minded than anything else, I began to think of how this could logically make sense. Why would doing this be of benefit? After much thought, I came up with a theory that I think could be the reason this works. Day in and day out we are constantly thinking. Its practically like we can't get away from it. However, I feel like this constant thought could be relatively new to us. Back when we had to hunt and gather our food we weren't concerned with school, work, or a social life. Our only concern was to survive. I believe we were more in tune with nature as opposed to current day, where most people separate themselves from nature. The fact is we are nature. The more and more we advance as a species the more out of tune we become with nature. So when you step away from all the noise of life and revert back to nature, it frees us of the hustle that is the current times.

      You don't have to believe me, but before you write it off give it a try. Go outside and look around. When you find yourself identifying things let the thought pass, and continue observing. It's an awesome thing to be able to quiet your thoughts and just be. As always thanks for reading and take care!

Opening up about anxiety

       When I was 17 years old I went through some pretty intense health scares. I spent two years of my life being poked, prodded, and tested on by a number of doctors. I saw a neurologist, physiologist, physiotherapist, cardiologist, nuclear medicine specialist, and even got admitted to the hospital for a two week stay. The tests I went through were extensive. They ranged from simple blood tests(of which I had many) all the way to full body MRI's as well as nuclear medicine tests, which were way less cool then they sound. During this time my anxiety was off the charts. I couldn't be left alone because no one knew if I was going to pass out(which I did a few times) or have something more serious happen. Not only was I stressed about the situation I was in, I was causing stress to the people I cared about the most.

       Looking back I realise just how much stress I put on my friends and family. I went years without seeing some of my closest friends. Partly, because I distanced myself from them so I wouldn't cause any unnecessary stress. However, by distancing myself I made things worse all around. By avoiding the people I care about, I put a strain on our friendship and caused more stress than I would of by just telling them what was going on.

      My point is that when you are going through a situation, whatever the severity, it is best to tell your loved ones about it. Having people around that know you and are there for you will make any situation better. Anxiety is an illness that loves solitude, but on the same hand it is one that desperately needs attention. It is hard, at times, to find a middle ground. The best thing to do is to let people know how you feel, see how they take it and proceed from there. Chances are you'll be suprised at the responses you will recieve.

Thank you for reading and as always, take care.

Mental beach trip

        Last weekend I was able to snap this picture at a local beach. I feel like it has a sort of calming vibe to it and wanted to share. Sometimes it helps to mentally go somewhere stress free to clear your mind. You can do this by imagining you're standing on the pier with the wind at your face, surrounded by the sounds of seagulls off in the distance and the crashing of the waves beneath you. Let your mind wonder over all the possible things that you may experience and let a sense of calm and well being wash over you. It's a wonderful exercise that can be done just about anywhere, and it really works.

Anxiety: The elephant in the room

       We've all been there. The racing heart, the sweaty palms, the crippling fear. It happens to all of us, and much of the time without warning. You don't know where you need to go but you just need to leave. Maybe you feel trapped, stopped at a stop light and you're boxed in by cars on all sides. Sweat drips down your forehead and runs down your cheek. You can taste the saltiness and your hands begin to tremble. You look for a way out but see none. What do you do?
      
        Personally, I have struggled with anxiety for about six years. I've taken the medications, seen the therapists, and done the breathing exercises. I've beat the disease and I've been taken down by it. Recently, I'd have to say that I've been beaten down more than I've swung back. I know many people struggle with anxiety, some just mildly, but for others it is a crippling disease that effects their day to day life. Many of you that are reading this may be wondering why you even have it in the first place. You may look back at your life and file through all the events desperately looking for the moment that you gave birth to the monster that is anxiety. You may actually find that moment, too. I did. I was in high school and I'd been having some sort of attacks that I could not explain. Eventually they got so bad that I had to leave school. I had no idea what was happening to me. I thought I was losing my mind. After many doctors visits and numerous hours being poked, prodded, and tested on, I got a diagnosis. I, at the age of 17, had high blood pressure, (most likely caused by anxiety) and panic disorder. For about three years following my diagnosis I was a mess. I went on home study, didn't have much of a social life, and rarely left my house without the company of someone. I was living in my own personal hell, that I had created for myself.

       So what did I do to get myself out of it? And what can you do for yourself to achieve the same results? First off you have to realize that you'll never fully get rid of your anxiety. You can, however, control it. After the pills have been taken and the therapists have been talked to you are left with yourself. You, and only you can get through the anxiety. Having people to talk to, medication, and professionals helps immensely, don't get me wrong. However, after all the long talks about how things made me feel I would get in my car and be faced with my anxiety all while the therapist saw another patient. This is your anxiety, own it, and don't let it own you.

       When you have anxiety you are always looking for a way out. In fact that is why you have anxiety in the first place. It is an evolutionary trait that has stuck around from the days of when we had predators. Have you ever felt yourself trying to come up with excuses as to why you shouldn't do something? Or why you can skip class? A meeting? or work? While those seem alright every now and then in reality if you suffer from anxiety your hurting yourself more than you could know. Anxiety feeds off of excuses. A good way to beat anxiety is to face your fears and to live with no excuses. Usually, when you are actually performing the task you'll realize your anxiety has subsided. We, as humans, tend to fear what we do not know. Our minds will replace not knowing with hundreds and hundreds of far fetched outcomes making us fear one that hasn't even happened yet. I know it can be hard sometimes, but take a deep breath, tell yourself you can do it, and go for it! You aren't alone.

Rinse and Repeat

Lately I've been feeling a lot like a robot. Like every motion is calculated out and programmed into me. I wake up, go to work, come home, and then do it all over again the next day. I like to call it the "Rinse/Repeat" lifestyle. Side effects of this lifestyle range from laziness to down right slothfulness. The "Rinse/Repeat" lifestyle can get pretty comfortable, but don't fall into it's trap, most of the time you will be left feeling unsatisfied.

The quickest way out of this way of lifestyle is to do something out of the ordinary. Force yourself to brake your routine. If you find yourself driving to work everyday the same way, switch it up. No one says you have to go the way you go(well unless there's only one way) and if that's the case switch up the way you get there. Do you drive to work everyday? If your commute isn't too far, try riding your bike. Not only will you have switched up your lifestyle for the day, you'll be saving money and seeing the world from a different perspective. You'll be amazed at how much differently you look at things when you aren't viewing them through a sheet of glass.

Before you can brake away from the "Rinse/Repeat" life you have now, you'll have to choose and really want to make a change. For some, that moment is now, your fed up with your unfulfilling life and need to change. For others it's not as urgent(or doesn't seem that way) Maybe you think that it's just the time where life is a little boring, after all you have mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay. Right? Wrong. Many people convince themselves that because they have responsibilities they have to except a routine and stick with it until old age, when they can retire and do whatever they want for the little bit of time that they have left. It's depressing to me that people actually fall for this. They waste years that they could be enjoying and doing what they really want to do.

I'm not talking about making a living from your dream. I know not all of us can have the absolute perfect job, but what I am saying is that you can make your job more enjoyable by changing something(or many things). Whether that be the way you think about it, or the way you actually perform it. And this doesn't just pertain to work, you could get into a "Rinse/Repeat" lifestyle with anything. The important thing is to recognize it and make a change. One small change can(and will) make a huge difference.