De-Stress 4 Life Magazine - Winter 2010 by catherine Connors

De-Stress Winter 2010

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In-House magazine for Stress Free living Created by Stress Solutions 4 Life

Sian’s Sian’s - How Can I Help You?

for a business can be done remotely and online very simply. I can show you how. ·

Writing. I love to write and as mentioned above I have the Journalism diploma so I’m qualified too. If you need help with your Blog, Articles, Press Releases, Newsletters or just copy for websites or anything else I can help.

Social Media. In the last couple of years I seem to have become an expert in Social Media, mainly on Twitter but also with Facebook, LinkedIn and writing blogs. I can help set up your Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn accounts and would guide you in the appropriate way to use this online media for best business results.

Google Adwords. Although not qualified I am training for the exams and can help with your Google Adwords campaign at a reduced cost to help with my qualification. I have a years worth of experience in this already.

“Sian’s” was set up to help small businesses and sole traders with the running of their companies. I have been a Financial Director for 3 different companies over the last 20 years and have a vast experience with business set-up, accounts, marketing and social media. I’m available for “odd jobs” to help people out if I can or even something more permanent. It doesn’t matter if it’s just an hour’s work or something that can take weeks. All the services I offer can be done by me from home so can be for French, UK or Irish businesses or wherever really. The following are just an example of what I can help you with:-

Website Set-up. Are you confused with how to set up a website – buy a domain name, hosting, getting the wording right and pictures for the website? I can either do it for you or guide you through alongside an excellent designer that is brilliant and great value for your money.

I would work as self employed so no need to worry about PAYE. I’m really not expensive as I have no Please contact I canI can helpcharge with any of the above. overheads, justme my if time. by the hour, day or contract. I’m here to help, not hinder or break the Sian Proof-reading. I have an annoying attention to bank for you. detail, especially grammar and spelling. I love Telephone: 00 353 (0) 24 86934 writing and reading. In 2003 I did a PostGraduate Diploma in Journalism although I Irish Mobile: 00 353 (0) 87 966 5126 haven’t used it apart from in business life for blogs, press releases and other writing. I can UK Mobile: 00 44 (0) 7798 530580 proof read any type of copy you want. Email: sian@sianphillips.ie Accounting. I am a qualified ACCA accountant and happy to do online accounts if I can help Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ anyone out. The whole accounting function _Sians

A Word from the Editor Hi, I'm Catherine A ConContent nors and like many of you, I know first-hand what it's like to live with Do you deserve the ‘Employee of the the challenges of today’s Year’ Award modern and fast paced Page 4 world. Many people are now turning towards a Learning to slow down more holistic and natuPage 7 ral way to live and deal with day to day life.

Beating the Winter blues the healthy way I'm a Stress ManagePage 8 ment Coach & Consultant and a holistic therapist, trainer and teacher. This combination puts me in an unique position where I can offer professional guidance with the Protect yourself from colds and flu added touch of deep understanding that can come only Page 11 through personal experience and knowledge. This magazine is an in-house magazine and was created to bring adThe other Christmas vice and knowledge to anyone suffering from stress. This Page 15 magazine is lucky to have many highly experienced contributors and you can read and enjoy their articles here.

The Seven step program for StressaIn this Winters issue we take a look at keeping the body holics and mind healthy over the winter months, protecting ourPage 14 selves from colds and flu and other great articles. As always this magazine is thankful to those who contributed My thanks to all those that contributed artiarticles. cles, information, images and links to this isIf you would like to see a particular article appear within sue of De-Stess. All content belongs to those this magazine, are specialized in a particular area which that contributed and is re-produced with kind may interests our readers and your would like to contrib- permission by those within the pages of this ute, you are welcome to send your suggestions by email- issue. Content is the copyright of the contributor and therefore images and articles from this ing de.stress4life@gmail.com.. issue CANNOT be re-produced without permission. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ‘De-Stress 4 Life’ is an in-house magazine and is published quarterly by Stress Solutions 4 Life. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information in this magazine is factual and correct at the time of press. The opinions expressed in this issue are not necessarily those of the editor or Stress Solutions 4 Life. Articles, advertisements and information in ‘DeStress are provided for education and debate only. The information contained with the magazine in not intended to be used by non-medically qualified readers as a substitute for, or basis of, medical treatment, since some material may be speculative and/or not in agreement with current medical practice. Always check with your GP before trying any remedies and in particular always seek medical advice before following the advise given in articles or advertisements in this magazine.

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Work & Business - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

Do you deserve the “Employee Attributes, characteristics, skills, it’s easy to check the boxes, and be safe in the knowledge that we all are the following: · · · · · ·

Dependable Trustworthy Team Player Honest Respectful Strong work ethic

· · · · · · · ·

Flexible Knowledgeable Great Communicator Reliable Personable Intelligent Enthusiastic Responsible

hiring. However, besides the above attributes, and relevant qualifications and experience, how can you ensure that you are a great employee in 2011? And more importantly, WHY should you be? Here are 5 reasons to be the best that you can be:

OK, so we know some of the attributes that employers look for when

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Work & Business - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

of the year” Award? Written by Elaine Rogers 1. Love your Job Really really love your job, or at least, feel motivated to go to work every day and do your job to the very best of your ability. If you don’t love what you do, the body sends out all the wrong signals. You begin by disliking people you work with. You begin disliking certain tasks. This manifests into feeling pressurised, underpaid, overworked, or victimised. Work will become increasingly stressful, and you end up sick. You are out sick, your employer is down an employee, your colleagues have increased workload, your family suffers. You become unreliable, undependable, irresponsible – all the things that you probably are not. But your behaviour can be perceived as your character, and that is damaging to your self esteem, affecting your self-belief and self-confidence. In these challenging times, it is hard to be “fussy” about what job offer you accept, or financial constraints may keep you in a job through fear. There is a great saying: “If you do not like something, change it. If you cannot change it, change how you feel about it.” Attitude is everything, and if you endeavour to have a positive attitude about your work, this will have a positive effect on your experiences at work, whether with tasks, people or circumstances.

2. Exceed Expectations

In business, they say “Under promise ~ over deliver”. It is to do with being seen as doing beyond what you are contracted to do, or providing a service beyond the remit of the agreed services. As an employee, you need to be as concerned about the survival of your employer’s business as they are. You are essentially a part of a bigger picture. Consider the Gestalt concept “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” As a team player, what you do individually affects the outcome for the team/project. If you do not play well, the outcome will be different to a well played part. You are not unseen in a team. There is no “I” in TEAM and by exceeding expectations, you are responsible for driving that project forward. Even if you are not individually recognised for your part, you know that your input had a positive effect on the final output, and this will help encourage others to contribute also. You become a leader from within, and an influencer.

3. Self Discipline Be impeccable with your word – one of the “Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. Do not engage in office gossip, bad mouth a colleague or boss, or condone such behaviour. This is your chance to lead by example, reduce the damage of gossip, and instill integrity in your workplace. Think

about some derogatory things said about a colleague in your workplace. What knock-on effects did this have? Because of someone’s behaviour, they have been branded, or simply because of someone’s bad mouthing, a colleague has been isolated. Also by being impeccable with your words, you are not disregarding yourself either. You are asserting your self worth, and will be positively regarded by your peers. If it seems some think you are being “aloof”, it is their own lack of self-esteem that does not allow them to regard you, and will need to criticise to make themselves feel better.

4. Be Healthy Maintain your physical health to maintain your mental health. Avoiding sick days from stress, burn out, and constant infections will ensure you are not only at your best at work, but you are not enforcing extra work for others by being “out sick”. This relates to loving what you do. If you do not like your job or the people you work with, after some time your subconscious makes you sick to avoid work. This has a negative impact on all concerned. Those who “brave” it come out the worse for wear. Those who ignore it, damage their mental wellbeing, and invariably end up being seriously ill.

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Work & Business - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine Image: healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are you keeping praise to yourself? Just in case a colleagues gets some fancy idea about themselves? Are a few words of praise that damaging to your own sense of self-worth? Will they feel more important than you? Will you feel less important than them? Praising another is praising self, just like loving another is loving self. Be generous with your kind words, you may just make someone’s day! Are you keeping successes to yourself? Are you afraid to share your successes? You don’t want to seem big headed or cocky? By sharing successes, you are embracing the concept of abundance, that there is enough of everything for everybody. We know this to be the case, but some people need to hang on to what they have for fear of losing it. If you fear something, is it bound to happen? Be generous with your successes. Allow yourself the “feelgood factor”. Share this and you will inspire others.

By being true to yourself, you are being true to your career, your boss, your colleagues and all the other aspects of your life. Look after yourself in 2011, and you will not only survive all challenges ahead, but you will thrive. Congratulations on earning the “Employee of the Year” Award. You know that you deserve it. You also 5. Inspire others with your ideas, you will inspire and know that you are unique, just like empower others to share without fear. Are you keeping great ideas to youreveryone else! self? So you alone can glow in the shower of admiration from above? How do you think that impacts on Elaine Rogers of Seefin Coaching is a qualified Business Coach and Trainer. She your colleagues or team? Do you think works closely and empathetically with her clients to help them develop and enyou will portray yourself as a team hance crucial aspects of their personal & business effectiveness. This ensures player, a leader on your thinking, will- they achieve their maximum potential, and be the change they want to be. You ing to plan and enact a plan together? can contact Elaine by the following means: By holding back ideas, because you +353 86 1955660 fear someone else will take them, you Phone: Skype: elainearogers are experiencing a sense of “scarcity”. E-mail: elaine@seefincoaching.com By being generous, you are experiencwww.seefincoaching.com ing “abundance”. By being generous Web: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elainerogers

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Work & Business - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

Learning to Slow Down By Catherine A Connors This is a true story

Life today seems to move at a hectic pace, with many of us rushing from One evening, on my way home from one activity to the next. But this type the office, I was changing trains in of life can only lead to stress and one of Paris’s more busier stations learning to slow down is vital, but in when a man pushed his way past me order to achieve this one must make running like crazy for his train. Notha commitment to slowing down. The ing unusual with that as rushing, stress of always rushing drains your pushing, shoving, honking and impaspirit, it distracts the mind and can tience has become a way of life for prevent you from focusing on what’s too many people. About 20 steps in really important and looking around front of me this man slipped in someat the world. Some people are so thing on the ground and fell in a specconcerned with the goal or destinatacular fashion, bum first, then onto tion that they simply forget to enjoy his back cracking his head on the the journey, by slowing things down a ground and slid forward about five little we get the chance to look feet…. I had arrived to him by this around us, to stop and enjoy the time and helped him up, it was then view, to chat with friends or colwe discovered that he had, in fact, leagues, to see the little obstacles (or slipped into a pool of someone’s vomit pools) in the way & have vomit. enough time to find a solution, and, The first question he asked me was ‘is most importantly spend time with those we love. that vomit?’ to which I replied ‘I’m afraid so’ and after a brief panic atSo what can you do if your life feels tack on his part, we did the best we like life is out of control and you don’t could to clean him down with a couknow how or where to slow it down? ple of ‘face wipes’ and a half packet Why not start small; here are a few of tissues I had in my bag. Needless simple but effective ideas. to say we both missed our train and · Learn to say no - Accept that were obliged to wait for the next you simply cannot do everywhich gave us the opportunity to thing that’s asked of you. Saygrab a coffee from the vending maing NO politely but firmly is a chine and chat as the rest of the skill that everybody should world gave the ‘vomit reeking’ couple work on. a wide berth. · Take a break – day-to-day activities, commuting to and The moral of this story is ‘take the from work, daily stresses and time to slow down’.

hassles can drain your energy, so it’s vital to take some ‘time out’ throughout the day to recharge your mental and emotional batteries. Take a walk in the park, read a chapter of your book, book a massage, play with the children, take the dog out for a run, have lunch with your ‘other half’…. It doesn’t matter; the important thing is that you spend a little time each day doing whatever works for you to renew your batteries for the day. ·

Change how you perceive time – try to stop thinking of unscheduled time as wasted time… some of life’s best moments come when you least expect them and likewise (as the vomit story clearly demonstrates) even having your time scheduled doesn’t mean that surprises are not waiting around the corner for you.

If we schedule every minute of our time we leave no time for relaxation or to enjoy life. Slowing down doesn’t mean stopping; it simply means a pace that is healthy for our body and our emotional well-being. So whether you’re on foot on in your car this evening make a conscience decision to slow down a little, you never know, you might just enjoy yourself….

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Health - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

Beating the ‘Winter Blues’ the Healthy Way

By Catherine A Connors

I’m sitting in my kitchen looking out my window on this early November morning and the sky is gray, there is frost on the ground and the wind is blowing. Winter has certainly arrived. As the days are short and the nights are very cold, even the best of us can get a little down. The "winter blues" are characterized by the mild depression, lack of motivation, and low energy that many people experience during the cold season. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do naturally to both prevent the blues from coming on and get yourself back to normal if they’re already here. Some symptoms of the winter blues may include ·

Weight gain

Fatigue

Tendency to oversleep

Difficulty in concentrating

Irritability/anxiety

Avoidance of social situations

The summer time and sunlight are very important for people but it isn’t possible all year round in the north of Europe unfortunately, so we have to find other ways that beat the winter blues. The following are some natural tips to help you get over this Change in appetite, eating more or exceptionally cold winter. craving more starches.

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Exercise Exercise isn’t only for maintaining your weight and staying healthy. It’s power to help reduce and relieve the stresses of life are very unique due to the release of endorphins, the body’s own ‘feel good’ drug, plus the effects of a good workout can last for several hours after. You’ll have much more energy throughout the day, better concentration & focus, your metabolism will be more elevated and you should get a more restful sleep at night. It doesn’t matter how you move your body just that you do so, take the dog out for a walk, play some golf, go hill walking, blow the dust off the bicycle and take a ride or kick a football around.

Health - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine Eat a Healthy Diet

such as brown bread, brown rice, vegetables, and fruit and remember to drink your 8 glasses of water per day, your body still needs to be hydrated during the winter months. These healthy foods provide your body and mind with nutrients; stabilize your blood sugar and energy levels.

What and when you eat can have a great affect on your mood and energy. It’s best to avoid a lot of refined and processed foods like white breads, rice, and sugar, its natural during the winter months that cravings for these types of foods increase. Get out in the Sun These foods are not only devoid of the nutrients your body needs, but they can deplete your energy levels and affect your Most people know that sunlight provides mood—causing depression, lack of concenus with Vitamin D but did you know that it tration and focus, and mood swings. Why also improves your mood….. hence the reanot try eating more complex carbohydrates

son people seem to be in such a better mood when returning from holidays or during the summer. Winter days are much shorter and darker than other months, and because of the cold weather and icy conditions, a lot of people spend less and less time outdoors. This winter try to spend a little more time outdoors, take a walk outside around midday when the sun is highest in the sky. Keep your curtains open during the day to let more light in. Try changing the light bulbs in your house to "full spectrum" bulbs. These mimic natural light and actually have the same affects on your mind as the real thing. If you can afford it and have the time why not take off for a sunny destination in the middle of winter, often there are many great deals during the months of January and taking a sun holiday during the winter can have an amazing boost for our wellbeing, even a weekend break can do wonders. While we all know that tanning beds and getting sunburned are not very good for us, small amounts of sun can indeed boost our bodies Vitamin D levels and help prevent illness. If you cannot get out for 15-20 minutes of sunlight a few times a week, you can take Vitamin D supplements; ask at your chemist or doctors office for the amount you should take as this may depend from person to person.

Avoid Binge Drinking Staying in with a nice glass of wine may seem like a good thing to do in the winter months, but sometimes people who feel a little depressed tend to turn to alcohol when they’re feeling down.

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Alcohol is actually a depressant, and rather than improving your mood, it only has the power to make it worse. Avoiding alcohol when you are already depressed is always a good idea. Moderate drinking is fine for most people, but binge drinking (defined as having 5 or more drinks) is never a healthy choice. The morning after you may be feeling sick, depressed, and even more tired, which will affect many aspects of your life. How many of you have had great ‘get up and go’ with a hangover? A hangover will make your low energy and bad mood even worse.

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Health - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine much call for that in Ireland), plant bulbs in the garden for spring (such as daffodils, tulips etc), build a snowman or even go Having something to look forward to can sledding (and believe me adults enjoy this keep anyone motivated. Especially after as much as children). Christmas when winter seems endless, and if you plan something exciting or some- Enjoy these opportunities while they last— thing you enjoy doing, your mood improves after all, they’re only here a few months when you’re anticipating it and when the per year and every day should be emevent actually comes, this type of excite- braced. Staying active will boost your enment is also known as Eustress, or good ergy a lot and many winter activities are strenuous meaning you get a workout at stress. the same time. Try seeing winter in a posiPlan something that’s exciting to you—a tive light, with all the fun activities that it weekend trip, a day at the spa, a massage, has to offer, will keep your spirits high. a get together, or special event like a play, a night out, or sporting event. By engaging Social Support in hobbies and activities that we enjoy and find fulfilling will keep us boosted during the winter but will also reduce stress and Never underestimate the power of friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. These anxiety. are often the people you turn to when you’re down and need a pick-me-up. Keep Go ahead and relax! a mental list of these special people and don’t be afraid to ask for help or encourLife is busy with work, studies, family, agement when you need it, most good friends, appointments, meetings—even if friends who know you well will always unyou enjoy being busy, everyone needs derstand. Something as simple as a phone some time off. Don’t be afraid to say "No" call, a chat over lunch, a natter over a pot to extra demands made on your time, you of tea, a nice email or letter can do a lot to brighten your mood. have the right to refuse.

each night, and try to get to bed and wake up around the same time each day. That way, your sleeping patterns can normalize and you’ll have lots more energy.

Likewise look out for the older members of your family and community over the winter months, make sure they are eating well and have all they need in order to keep warm over winter. Also popping into an elderly neighbor, a parent or grandparent can mean the world to them especially if they live alone.

Let this winter be your friend and make some changes to beat the blues so that when spring comes you are already charged and ready for long sunny days.

Try to spend a few minutes each day doing nothing! Read a book or magazine, take a bubble bath, watch a movie, sleep in on the weekend, go to bed early, try some meditations, or take a yoga class.

Relaxation, especially in the form of yoga or other movement therapies, can alleviate stress and leave you with a calm energy. Mental exercises like meditation and positive thinking can help keep depression at bay and often has beneficial effects on Remember to get wellbeing and peace of mind. Having a your sleep massage, Reflexology session or other therapy can also do wonders for reducing stress, releasing endorphins into the body People naturally want to and can help to boost the immune system. sleep a little bit more during the winter. But Embrace the Season with the busy lives many of us now live, sometimes sleep is the first to Instead of always avoiding the cold and the be effected. With a little snow—look for the best that it has to offer! time management, and Put on your wool hat and gloves and meet some self-discipline, you winter head on. Take up a winter activities can meet your sleep like ice skating, skiing (although there isn’t needs. Aim for 7-8 hours

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Try not to oversleep; often those 12 hour sleep-ins on the weekend can actually make you more tired. I've said it before and I'll say it again, sleep is your body's best defense against many things, from disease to stress control, from illnesses to premature aging. Try making a change in your life to get your 8 hours sleep per night and you’ll be sure to see a difference in your health and mental wellbeing within a short space of time. Research tells us that laughter and joy can boost our immune system functions, which also increases the release of endorphins, the compounds that give you a sense of wellbeing. It is no secret that joyful people live longer and healthier lives. So this winter have some fun, laugh, don’t be afraid to be silly, be spontaneous and do something you enjoy every day. It doesn’t have to be very time-consuming, even singing your favorite song on the drive into work, watching a funny movie, playing with the children or having a laugh with friends can activate your feelings of happiness.

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Treat Yourself

Health - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

Protect yourself from Colds and Flu We all know the feeling of catching a cold or flu; we have all had one at some point. But then on June 11th 2009 the World Health Organization signalled that a global pandemic of a new influenza virus was underway by raising the worldwide pandemic alert level to ‘Level 6’. That new influenza is called the H1N1 Flu or more commonly called ‘Swine Flu’ (also referred to as Hog flu or pig flu) and suddenly we all had something new to worry about.

Swine flu is a new strand of flu virus that originated in Mexico at the beginning of 2009, Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs and like all flu viruses it changes constantly. Pigs can be infected by Bird flu and human viruses as well as swine flu, when viruses from different species infect pigs, the virus can change (for example swap genes) and ‘voila’ a brand new flu virus that’s a mix of swine, human and/or bird can emerge.

Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans, however it does occur and mostly with those that are in direct contact with pigs such as those who raise pigs, workers in the swine industry or even people who make contact with pigs at an open fair or market. Once you catch the virus you spread it as you would any cold or flu virus, by coughing and sneezing for example or by touching something with flu virus on it (like a door handle, telephone etc) then touching your mouth or nose.

Image: healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Health - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine The symptoms of Swine Flu are expected to be quite similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal flu. Although not everyone gets all these symptoms and in many cases the virus is quite mild. Swine flu can include the following symptoms – ·

Fever

Lethargy

Lack of appetite

Coughing and sneezing

Runny nose

Sore throat

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhoea

On average 30% to 40% of us suffer from allergies, a lot of us have very stressful lifestyles, poor dietary habits and even the normal aging process can make it harder to fights off infections and viruses. So what can we do to stay healthy? Well one area is to look at is boosting your immune systems strength and function. Your immune system is really the bodies defence against viruses and invading pathogens. Your can boost your immune system in the following way – By eating a healthy well balanced diet – A healthy diet will be rich in fruits and vegetables (at least 7 servings per day), try to get into the habit of eating as much raw and unprocessed fruit and vegetables as possible. Instead of frying your food, grill it. Make an effort to eat one well prepared meal per day. Drinking plenty of water, bottled water is the best but you can also buy filtering jugs now that are also good. (and note I said water, not tea, coffee, soft drinks or pints down the local) The body needs on average 8 glasses of water a day, get in the habit of having a small bottle of

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water with you all the time, once its there clude promoting the absorption of you’ll find yourself drinking it all the time. calcium and phosphorus by your body, which is important to the development Sleep is very important for your and maintenance of strong bones and general health and wellbeing; adults teeth. Other important benefits include should be aiming for 7 to 8 hours of sleep strengthening your immune system and at night. Depriving your body of sleep can even preventing some types of cancer. deplete the immune system and also is one of the causes of stress. Ways to minimize your chances to picking up the virus to passing the virus along Do some exercise; take a walk, – go swimming, or hit the gym, even by getting out and tackling the garden is a Cover your nose and mouth with good form of exercise. The important thing is that your move your body; try to a tissue when you cough or sneeze. aim for 30 mins a day, not counting all the Throw the tissue in the rubbish bin when benefits for your body, your heart and you are finished using it, get children into your lungs; exercise is a great stress bust- this habit also. If you have no tissue then sneeze into your elbow, don’t use your er. hands, everything you touch after will Another good idea is taking Mul- leave traces of the flu virus. Flu virus can tivitamin supplements – some key nutri- live up to two hours after been left on a ents such as vitamin C and Zinc support surface. skin and health, Folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12 help the body produce huge amounts of immune support cells, and antioxidants such as vitamin E, beta carotene and selenium help keep the immune system’s destructive by-products in check. You can buy these at your local chemist, have a chat with your pharmacist and he/ she will recommend a good multivitamin suited for you. Also health shops now have a good range of herbal capsules that can help in boosting your health.

Get out in the sun any chance you have, the UVB rays of the sun trigger your body’s production of vitamin D. The beneImage: Jeroen van Oostrom / FreeDigitalPhotos.net fits of vitamin D in-

Health - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine * Wash your hands as often as you can with soap and water (and not a half hearted effort by just running water over your hands as I have seen countless times), especially after coming in from the outside, having used public transport or public bathrooms, after coughing and sneezing, wiping the children’s noses, after touching animals etc. Also Alcoholbased hand cleaners are very effective. It’s always handy to have a bottle of hand cleaner or hand cleaning wipes in your handbag, car, by your desk or in your pocket. * Be sure to give your office space a clean every once in a while using some anti-bacterial wipes, areas to concentrate on are the keyboard of your computer, phone keypad and handpiece, the general surface of your desk and door handle. Any place where you touch a lot during the day. This is especially important for those who share office space, be sure to tell your colleagues and try to get everyone to do this and create a safer environment for all. * Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, that’s a sure way to spread germs, although it’s much harder to stop

than you would think. Hand-to-face movements start in the womb and are continued into adult life, either by nailbiting, lip pulling, nose picking, hair twirling etc. Many of these habits are preformed both by children and adults alike, and the solutions is either to become very aware of where you hands are or to wash your hands very frequently, and the hands of your children plus their faces.

aware that in general adults will ‘shed’ the flu virus for about 5 days after becoming ill and children may ‘shed’ the virus for up to 7 days or even longer. * Pregnant women and anyone suffering from an illness or condition that depletes the immune system should take particular care this autumn and winter. Pay extra attention to those around you, for example if the person beside you on the bus seems to have a sniffle then don’t be afraid to move seats. When you get home after been outside leave your shoes by the door so your ‘not walking germs all over the house’, wash your hands immediately and insist that others sharing the house with you do the same.

* If you start feeling unwell or have some flu like symptoms then you should stay at home, contact your doctor and she or he will advice you on what to do. If you or a family member is ill enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room try to call in advance to inform hospital staff of your emergency, Look out for the older members especially if it includes potential ‘Swine * of your family and community. Make Flu’. sure they have everything they need, get * If you become sick and do not them some multivitamins supplements require a hospital stay, then its best to and make sure they are eating healthy stay at home, keep warm and drink and well. plenty of fluids. Best solution is to put yourself and your family into a Taking care of your health and immunity ‘quarantine’ environment, avoid contact is important all year long, but it is more with others, stay away from crowded critical through the winter months, take areas, out of public transport, keep chil- the rest of the summer to prepare your dren out of schools and playgrounds. Be body and boost your immune system. Anyone who is concerned should go and visit their GP who will advise them on what they should be doing, if your GP recommends it you should get a flu shot. Stay in good health so that your body is in the best possible position to fight off any virus, bacteria or any other invader that might come your way. Often prevention is better than cure, by building up your immune system you are giving yourself the best chance you can to minimize your chances of catching a cold or flu. After all ‘Your Health is Your Wealth’. Image: Tom Clare / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Health - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine Certain foods are considered great im- Spinach – a wonderful food source for mune system boosters and some of the folate (and not just for the cartoon charbest include the following – acter ‘Popeye’). Folate is important in the production of new cells, also includes a Beef – Lean beef is a good source of Zinc, phytochemical called quercetin, that which plays a role in the production of helps prevent many viruses from multiwhite blood cells and can spur rapid cell plying. division. When I suggest beef for a meal, I’m not talking about a 24oz beef steak Oranges – a good source of Vitamin C complete with fat, fried to a charcoal fin- which is a powerful antioxidant that can ish and served up with a plate of fries and neutralize free radicals. Our body uses a swimming pool amount of ketchup, but Vitamin C to stimulate the growth of anti3ozs of lean beef eaten with lightly bodies to fight infections and therefore steamed vegetables for example. Vitamin C is one of the best vitamins in the fight against colds and flu. Garlic – is a good source of Phytochemicals, people who eat diets rich in Phy- Blueberries – a great source of Vitamin C tochemicals have a lower incidence of and E which produces a potent antioxiheart disease, diabetes and certain types dant effects when working together. of cancer. Our body uses it as an antiviral, Blueberries are the best friends for anyantifungal and antibacterial. It’s now pos- one who suffers with urinary tract infecsible to buy Garlic capsules from most tions as blueberries will increase the Chemists and Health food shops if you acidity of the urine which helps to destroy cannot find a way to introduce garlic into bacteria. your meals.

Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Mushrooms – Shiitake mushrooms are the best and are a great source of B vitamins known as Niacin and Riboflavin. Our body uses these vitamins to boost production of white blood cells. When preparing mushrooms, try steaming them or lightly grilling them as opposed to frying them. Green Tea – contains a Phytochemical called Polyphenols which the body uses to help keep cells healthy. Green tea can also help for anyone with a sore throat. Yogurt – is a good source of Lactobacillus acidophilus, a healthy bacterial that fights fungal infections. Our body uses it to build protein which helps to develop white blood cells. It also is a great aid for anyone suffering from a Yeast infection; eating ‘live’ yogurt regularly will help to balance the bacterial level of your body.

Home & Family - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

The Other Christmas

By Mairead Kelly i It’s the Christmas season that time of year for gifts and presents for goodwill and cheer. ii It’s what everyone says it’s supposed to be but the truth is different this time brings misery. iii The pressure is on to pretend everything’s alright to be nice to each other to try not to fight. iv You’re supposed to sit back let others interfere pretend it doesn’t matter because of this time of year. Winter 2010 - Page - 15

Home & Family - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine v There are presents to buy too much food to provide the cost doesn’t matter your poverty you have to hide. vi There’s never enough time to do all that you need that feeling of dread grows with every deed. vii And the day itself comes it’s what the fuss is for but you’re too busy cooking the meal they’ll devour. viii And then it’s all over that one day in the year that leaves you in debt so what is there to cheer?

Mairéad Kelly is the owner of Encouraging Excellence, an NLP coaching business that helps individuals overcome the crippling limiting decisions and negative emotions that prevent them from being who they want. She does this in 10 hours or less with 1-2-1 Breakthrough Consultations and also helps sole traders and small business owners move forward with their business with Group Coaching Programs & Workshops.

Website: http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie Phone: (+353) 086 1702010 Skype: Encouraging.Excellence Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/encouraging-excellence Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/encouragingexcellence Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/encouragxcellns Winter 2010 - Page - 16

Home & Family - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

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Winter 2010 - Page - 17

Home & Family - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

By Ivan Walsh Can you relate to this? You’ve dreamed of visiting Tibet all your life. It’s in the top ten of your Bucket List. And you get to go. Off-season when there are less tourists.

Think about it. That little bit of stress that makes us work a tiny bit harder, that reminder to finish your email so you can get away earlier on Friday.

works. And that’s what matters. When it comes to managing stress, take the path of least resistance. If it works for you, then use it.

Stress isn’t really the problem. It’s our The Seven Step Program For Seems perfect, right? attitude to stress. We see it as a prob- Stressaholics lem… which creates a problem. And in a You’re on the roof of the world with whirling vortex we get sucked in. We went to Tibet in the Summer. Besnow white mountains on the left, a sacause we’ve been to China many times, cred lake in front of you… and then you Create a List, Making it Twice we knew what to expect. Well, kind of. get an email. That’s where things begin To make the trip that little bit smoother, to go wrong. Everyone has their own style. I like lists. we did some prep work to reduce or On paper where I can see them all the contain the stress. You Can't Beat Stress But time. Not in a filofax of PDA. I want it in my hand. 1. Be Prepared – Once you’ve made a Stress is a fact of life. You know that, decision to get organized, the pressure right? It’s not going to go away. The thing I know some of you think I'm old-fash- begins to go down. Something inside is a little stress is good for us. ioned, using a pen and pad. But for me, it says, ‘He’s working on this now. We can relax. It’s under control’. 2. Pack the Essentials First – The golden rule of long distance travel is to keep the real important things close to you. Once you have these, the rest are nice to haves. If they get lost it’s not the end of the world. 3. Expect Losses – it’s naïve to expect that you can travel 12,000 miles and not lose a jacket (on the metro), shoes (destroyed in forest), jewellery (hotel), food (heat got the meat) and so on. Remind others of this before they leave. Many will leave their favourite dress, expensive watch and other goodies at home. That’s one less thing to worry about.

Photo by kind permission of Ivan Walsh Winter 2010 - Page - 18

Home & Family - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine 4. Cut Others Slack – we travelled 42 hours to get from Dublin to Beijing via Doha. Kids were too keen to go sightseeing the next day. Their heads was still spinning. Give others a little room and, especially with teenagers, don’t tell them to ‘Cheer up’ every five minutes or ‘You'll regret not going to the Great Wall when you older’. This approach backfires. I've done extensive research into this… 5. Talk About It – One of the simplest ways to reduce stress is to discuss things. For instance, don’t do everything yourself and then get so tense that you can't enjoy the trip. Instead share (not blame!) what’s upsetting you and ask others for their opinion. Don’t leave this until you get home. Simmering with resentment is not good. Stay calm and communicate what needs to be done.

second day. Other than that, we were 6. Delegate to others – Make them pack fine. their own clothes. Remind them to charge their Nintendo and let them do it. One last thing. Give kids maps and tell them to find The Potala Palace or The Temple of Heaven. Kids copy their parents. If you stay calm when things go wrong, your kids will do 7. Make It A Game – Children see the the same. You're creating an emotional world through different eyes. They’re not template, which they’ll follow. interested (or impressed) by a 3,000 year old monastery. But if you show them the For me, this is one of the inside secrets of God with 8,000 eyes, maybe they’ll get it. long-distance trips. Remember you influMonsters are cool. Old Ruins not so ence those around you. So put your best much. See what opens them up when forward and enjoy the ride. you travel and look for ways to do it more often. About the Author: Ivan Walsh is a Small Business Consultant who divides his Our trip to Tibet went lasted six days. time between Dublin and Beijing. You Only twice did things get too much. A five can catch up with him at hour bus trip over country roads reduced www.ivanwalsh.com us to jelly. The heat wiped us out the

Photo by kind permission of Ivan Walsh Winter 2010 - Page - 19

Home & Family - De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

Winter Images of Ireland - 2010

Images reproduced by kind permission of copyright holders

Take part in the great Christmas Treasure Hunt on De-Stress 4 Life Magazine and be in for a chance to win one of the 14 amazing prizes up for grabs…. How to play? The Christmas Treasure Hunt will take you across 14 websites in order to collect the letters of a Christmas Anagram, once you collect your Anagram Letter at each website you will have the link and clue to take you to the next website and so on until you reach the final website…. once you reach the final website its time to solve your Christmas Anagram and email your answer to win one of our amazing prizes (email address is provided at the final website…. we like to give you a challenge) Closing date for this competition is Thursday the 30th of December at 5pm CET and winners will be announced on Monday the 3rd of January, winners will be selected by the ‘name out of a hat’ method. For more details to to take part in the hunt please visit our website www.de-stress4life.com and click the link ‘ Christmas Treasure Hunt’ What are you waiting for…..