No one will ever fully be able to understand the internal battles you had to endure just to heal, just to grow, just to make it here today. You should be proud of the way you fought to save yourself. You should be proud of the way you survived. In this generation there is so…
Tag: stress
Window of Tolerance
Every individual has what is known as a ‘window of tolerance’. This means that there is a state of physical and emotional arousal that is tolerable and bearable, and when a person is within his or her window of tolerance, she or he can think, learn, love and relax. Most people can identify times when…
EMDR Therapy
What is EMDR? EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a non-traditional psychotherapy approach developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro, PhD, an American psychologist. What is EMDR Therapy used for? EMDR walks an individual through traumatic memories while focusing on an external stimulus so that the individual may be able…
Things Mentally Strong People Do
Turbulent times surround us. There are no guarantees and more uncertainty than ever before. Learning to tolerate uncertainty and regulate our emotions is key to facing this troubled world. Mentally strong people have learned how to cultivate these things : They move on. They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves. They embrace change. They…
Mental Health Commandments Part 1
Let’s get straight to it…This post does not need a preamble Prioritise growth, learn, ask questions, go to museums, visit libraries, watch old films, listen to good music, take your vitamins, sing in the shower, try journalling, talk to yourself, learn to soothe yourself, talk to people, discuss intelligently, reassess yourself, reexamine your life and…
Meditate For Building Resilience
Not long ago, the thought of bringing meditation into a corporate environment would have seemed ridiculous. But these days, meditation has gone mainstream. Given the high costs of stress, and the proven benefits of meditation for stress reduction, there is no way to ignore its usefulness. Thinking about meditation as just a relaxation technique, however,…
Rhetological Fallacies Part 2
Errors and manipulations of rhetoric and logical thinking Appeal to Emotions Appeal to Consequences of a Belief – Arguing a belief is false because it implies something you’d rather not believe. Appeal to Fear – An argument is made by increasing fear and prejudice towards the positing side. Appeal to Flattery – Using an irrelevant…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Love needs to be balanced. If you like him more than he likes you, give him time and space to catch up. It is important to hold back your emotions when your feelings are not in balance with his. One of the worst feelings is to believe that you don’t matter. Look around you. Have…
Daily Dose for the Mind
If you look for love, in pursuit of what it can give you, it will hide itself. If you ask love to arrive because you are now ready, it will skip your door. Love is like an uninvited guest. Love will come when it wants to. Love will leave when you ask more of it….
Techniques to Overcome Negative Thought Patterns
Negative thoughts drain you of energy and keep you from being in the present moment. The more you give in to your negative thoughts, the stronger they become. I like the imagery of a small ball rolling along the ground, and as it rolls, it becomes bigger and faster. That’s what one small negative thought…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Why can’t you trust that friend? Because you know all too well that you, too, are capable of lying in a similar circumstance. What makes us truly happy is meeting someone who accepts us for who we are. Even if we are successful, we can still feel inadequate and insecure if we are made to…
Boundary Building Checklist
Boundaries are the limits you set for yourself that define what you’re willing to do, accept or tolerate. Establishing what your boundaries are can help you decide what to do next. For instance, if someone treats you badly, how are you going to take care of yourself? If a situation starts to feel unsafe, how…
Daily Dose for the Mind
The wise man ducks his head when someone swings at him. If he swings back just because he was swung at, he will be seen as the aggressor and fail to win people’s hearts. Although it may seem unjust, refraining from reacting out of anger shows true character. People turn sullen over a trivial emotional…
Changing Your Body Chemistry
To Reduce Extreme Emotion Mind Fast – Remember these as TIP skills T – Tip the temperature of your face with cold water (to calm down fast) Holding your breath, put your face in a bowl of cold water or hold a cold pack (or zip-lock bag of cold water) on your eyes and cheeks….
How to Apologize
Apologizing means expressing regret for something you did. A sincere apology involves reflecting on your actions, taking responsibility, and making changes to improve in the future. Giving an apology can help repair a damaged relationship while showing care and respect for the other person. Here are the steps of apologising in the most effective way…
Daily Dose for the Mind
According to the wise Confucian scholar Jeong Yak-yong (1762–1836):The best way to hide your wealth is to give it away.If you are generous with your wealth,the money that would have disappeared sooner or laterbecomes an everlasting jewel, deeply engraved in the heart of the recipient.The air I inhale enters my body and becomes part of…
Daily Dose for the Mind
When you are asked to do something,determine if you can do it.If you cannot, then decline as soon as possible,the way in a restaurant you would send back the wrong order.If you don’t send it back immediately, you will have to pay for it. There is a reason people flock to certain individuals.They are warm,…
Daily Dose of Living
Get ready to maximise your potential, maximise your living with empress2inspire’s new posts series “Daily Dose of Living”. These series will bring you the best in personal development and productivity every day of the week. Your best life awaits. Today we will continue to talk about some Quick Exercises to Quiet the Negative Self-Talk in…
Tips for Avoiding Relapse – Part 1
Achieving sobriety is tough, and so is maintaining it. Here are tips to help you stay on track after you’ve decided to kick your addiction. That being said, these tips aren’t a panacea, and one size doesn’t fit all. Everyone should take the time to adapt these relapse prevention tips to their own situation. The…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Even the most beautiful music gets tiresome if I listen to it constantly.But if I listen to it after some time away, it becomes wonderful again.The problem is not the music itself. It is my relationship with it.” Even my best friend gets annoying if I am with her for too long.But if I see…
How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Jon Kabat-Zinn–a leader in the field of mindfulness and health–has defined mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.” This means consciously paying attention to our senses, and to our feelings, without further judgement. For example, mindfulness could be practised by focusing on the sensation of water…
Facts About Hypnosis Part 1
How does hypnosis work? Let’s learn more about the science behind trance and why it’s so effective at breaking life long negative habits and issues. Did you know that hypnosis is just a form of focused relaxation that allows access to the unconscious mind? Hypnosis guides your attention away from the everyday world so you…
Daily Dose for the Mind
The noise from a motorcycle assaults the driver more than anyone. The driver has only himself to blame when he is old and can’t hear anything. When you speak ill of others, it hurts you more than anyone— because your negativity is loudest within you. No matter how hurt you are, you don’t need to…
Use Self Compassion to Avoid Burnout
The trick to preventing burnout is shifting your perspective. Don’t judge yourself for the number of times you’ve fallen. Rather, celebrate each time you practice self-compassion by forgiving yourself and standing back. What is Self-Compassion? Self compassion entails giving ourselves “the same kindness and care we’d give a good friend”. Use Self Compassion to Avoid Burnout Is an on-the-job self-care method. Refuels your…
Daily Dose for the Mind
If you wish to communicate effectively with others, better to describe what you are feeling rather than go on the offensive. For instance, say, “I am very sad to hear that,” not, “Why do you always make me sad?” You want people to hear you rather than have to defend themselves from you. When you…
Myths About Mental Illness Part 4
Only until more recently, mental illnesses and mental health disorders were taboo topics. People were uncomfortable talking about these subjects or their mental health struggles. As a result, rumors and misunderstandings about mental illnesses ran wild. The media played no helping hand with exaggerated stories and extreme cases being showcased regularly. Although there has been…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Do you know why that conversation is so boring? Because we are trapped in politeness, unable to speak from the heart. Any conversation can become interesting and lively as soon as we start speaking with real honesty. When someone swears at you, stay calm and collected for thirty seconds. Then, that is the end of…
Cognitive Therapy Techniques to Change Your Thoughts
Cognitive Restructuring is a simple but powerful technique for identifying and undoing negative thinking patterns like worry and rumination. Do you often find yourself “stuck in your own head,” caught in endless spirals of negative thinking? Maybe it’s an overly-judgmental inner voice that constantly points out past mistakes and perceived faults. Or maybe it’s perpetual…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Do you often feel lonely at work or in school? Perhaps your heart is closed off to those around you.“I don’t get her.” “I’m better than her.” “We’re on different wavelengths.” If you think this way, how could you not be lonely? Open your heart, and have a cup of coffee with her. You will…
Myths About Mental Illness Part 2
Only until more recently, mental illnesses and mental health disorders were taboo topics. People were uncomfortable talking about these subjects or their mental health struggles. As a result, rumors and misunderstandings about mental illnesses ran wild. The media played no helping hand with exaggerated stories and extreme cases being showcased regularly. Although there has been…
Daily Dose for the Mind
The art of maintaining a good relationship Many of us invest time and money to live in a nice house, drive a fancy car, and appear young and beautiful. But how much do we invest in the intangible, like good relationships? If we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by family and friends who love…
Facts About Hypnosis Part 3
You can’t lose control of your mind and you can’t get stuck in a trance. Either your hypnotist will bring you out of the trance, or you’ll come out of it naturally by yourself. There are three main elements of a hypnosis session Induction Here you relax the body and mind. The more relaxed you…
Myths About Mental Illness Part 1
Only until more recently, mental illnesses and mental health disorders were taboo topics. People were uncomfortable talking about these subjects or their mental health struggles. As a result, rumors and misunderstandings about mental illnesses ran wild. The media played no helping hand with exaggerated stories and extreme cases being showcased regularly. Although there has been…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Professionals have their talents and areas of expertise. If a client tries to control and monitor every detail, the professional cannot work at full capacity and feels inhibited. If you want the best result, watch with interest but know when to back off. A veteran doctor, lawyer, or accountant won’t necessarily provide better service than…
Daily Dose for the Mind
When a question has both a long, complicated, but logical-sounding answer and a simple answer that can be understood by even a child, the right answer is usually the simple one. When you ask a question and there is no response, then that is the answer. There are only those who know their shortcomings and…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Being a critic is easy. But if the critic tries to run the operation, he soon understands that nothing is as easy as his criticisms. Criticism without a solution is merely an inflation of the critic’s ego. When you hear something that makes your blood boil, don’t shoot off a text or an e-mail right…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Maturity comes with experience. One lesson of maturity is that we should not take our thoughts too seriously, and must learn to curb our ego and see the bigger picture. Being right isn’t nearly as important as being happy together. Instead of being the smartest person in the room, quick to critique others, be the…
Cultivating Self Awareness Part 4
Self-love is one of my favorite topics to write about, but it’s occurred to me lately that I haven’t spent a great deal of time writing about one of the foundations of this important topic — self-awareness. Self-awareness is conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires, and it’s presence is essential for loving who…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Being Right Isn’t Important; Being Happy Together Is Every one of us has beliefs, values, and thoughts that are fundamental to us and that we cannot imagine compromising on. We believe these are irrefutably right and that everyone would agree if they came to their senses. But every once in a while we have to…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Be the kind of person who can put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and understand something not just from your own perspective but from theirs as well. Are you trying to get closer to someone? Is it because you want something from him? If you wish to be truly close, then discard your ulterior motives….
Daily Dose for the Mind
When hiring, look beyond skills and experience to see if the candidate knows how to enjoy her job. People who enjoy their work are usually more successful than those who don’t. No matter what we do the top button of our business must be fastened properly. If we think, “I’ll just do it this way…
Daily Dose for the Mind
The most dangerous people are those who have passion but lack wisdom. If you want to predict how a politician will act after winning an election, look at how he currently lives and how he has behaved in the past. A person does not live the way he says he would. He lives the way…
Daily Dose for the Mind
When we’re first given a job, especially one we’ve been working toward for a long time, it’s easy to become overly enthusiastic, as we are eager to prove ourselves. But in our excitement, we make the mistake of equating our own eagerness with effectiveness. Getting the job done well is more important than one’s feelings…
Daily Dose for the Mind
A long time ago, there was only one mind, which became bored by being alone for so long. So it decided to split into two. But since the two knew they were originally one, playing together was not much fun— as if playing both sides of a chess game. So the two minds agreed to…
Shame Resilience Theory
Shame is defined as, “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” The number one feeling contributing to disconnection is shame, the most toxic of human emotions. It is most associated with depression, anxiety, grief, eating disorders, addiction and violence. Four elements of shame resilience…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Everything in this universe is evanescent. Because it is evanescent, it is also precious. Spend this precious moment wisely and beautifully. The mind cannot have two thoughts at once. See if you can think two thoughts at exactly the same time. Well? Is it possible? We can be consumed by anger for a long time…
The Cognitive Model
Thoughts > Emotions > Behaviours Cognitive behavioural therapy (usually referred to as “CBT”) is based upon the idea that how you think determines how you feel and how you behave. The steps and example below show us this process: Step 1 : Something happens. It could be anything Step 2 : You have thoughts about…
Daily Dose for the Mind
Within each of us, there is an inner witness quietly observing what goes on inside and outside of us.Born from a place of silence and wisdom, even when the world churns up a storm of emotions, the witness sits calmly in the eye of the storm, unharmed, luminous, and all-knowing. If you wish to clear…
Reactions to Trauma Part 3
Ways in which trauma affects people Some of the most common reactions to trauma are listed here and few we will discuss in tomorrow’s post. These reactions are often linked to one another, one may lead to another. It is not your fault if you are experiencing (or not experiencing) any of these. Strong feelings…
Reactions to Trauma Part 2
Ways in which trauma affects people Some of the most common reactions to trauma are listed here and few we will discuss in tomorrow’s post. These reactions are often linked to one another, one may lead to another. It is not your fault if you are experiencing (or not experiencing) any of these. Increased Arousal…
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