Another reason to turn off the TV

I belong to various list serves and online groups, one of which just started a discussion regarding how to manage the stress of the economy. I suggested the importance of turning off the television to manage stress.

Of course I have blogged about that before, and I continuously remind people of the power that media has over how we feel, what we believe, and ultimately how we act. We must be very mindful of what we allow into our awareness.

Need some proof, or more reason? About six or seven years ago, a research study was published analyzing the role of television viewing on mood and emotions. Without getting into boring details, it asked participants to record on an remote device their mood at various times during the day. This data was then transmitted to the researchers.

Guess what? Watching television was associated with a mood equivalent to mild depression, independent of the subject matter being watched.

Now, did the television viewing produce the mood, or vice versa? Likely it was indeed the viewing that "caused" the depressed mood because of the statistics that were used in the study.

The moral of this blog entry? Turn off the TV! Even when the economy starts to rebound!

To Your Continued Prosperity,
Anita

More Anti-Stress Tips

1. Turn OFF the TV! Nothing more has happened today with the economy that will directly impact you. Act as if nothing has changed.

2. Take regular, deep breaths. When stressed, your body is deprived of the oxygen it really needs. Your muscles tense up as a result and your shallow breathing compounds the situation. Let loose and BREATHE!

3. FAKE it until you make it. It's easy to be dragged down by the news of the day and the events swirling around you. But really ask yourself, if all of those issues were magically resovled TOMORROW when you woke up in the morning....what would you do differently? Probably not much. And if there ARE things you'd do differently, DO THEM anyway.

4. Exercise. Haven't blogged about this in a while, but exercise must become a regular and consistent part of your lifestyle if you expect to have a quality, meaningful life. Find ways to be active, to move your body. They don't have to be dramatic or involve a gym or equipment. You just have to move your body.

5. Work your business. Don't just "do" what people hire you to do - think bigger and go just a little bit farther. Advertise your name/business in one more place today than you normally do. Small steps evolve into big results.

6. Write out THREE main goals for this next month. Make them attainable, measurable, and realistic. Then let me know what they are!

Following these tips will help you increase your sense of control over your life, which will help decrease stress and anxiety (no matter the economic situation!).

To Your Continuing Prosperity,
Anita

Women business owners are the future.....

Just getting ready to give a presentation to a wonderful organization, the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at our local community college.

This particular group emphasizes women-owned businesses, and since many of them tend to be home based, it has a special place in my heart.

In doing some research for this presentation, I came across a wonderful resource link that I'm passing along to you.

http://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/about/

The links this woman has on her blog are incredible, and show the strength and power of women owned businesses.

Looking forward, the ability of women to recognize their talents and skills will truly transform the economy.

Now is the time.

To Your Continuing Prosperity,
Anita

There IS NO recession....

Well, all right, maybe that's not entirely true.....

But I titled this blog entry "There IS NO recession" because I wanted to jolt readers into evaluating how the words they say to themselves impact how they feel. In a direct way, concentrating on the "R-word" creates a layer of stress that just doesn't need to be there.

Imagine for the next several minutes that there were no recession. How would your life be different? What would you be doing differently today? How would you be feeling?

Even if you, or your spouse, has lost a job or had to reduce work hours, does blaming it on the recession really help? Does it help you find another job, or figure out how to generate more income?

No disrespect to anyone who has suffered a job loss, by the way! It is a serious and devastating experience, particularly if your savings has also taken a hit.

However, wringing your hands and lamenting about the economy making it harder to find another job simply adds insult to injury.

Release thoughts about the recession and economy. They become distractions, they pull you away from your goal of getting back to work or earning more money. Even if your situation hasn't been affected by the economy, having a "recession-orientation" can have no other result than to make you stressed and worried.

Those thoughts make you feel lousy, bottom line. If your situation is truly bad, then don't make it worse by absorbing the weight of the entire economic picture on your shoulders.

Be in problem-solving mode. Rather that repeating, "The economy is so bad, I can't find a job or make more money," shift to a position of "Where can I look next, where are opportunities I've passed by, what options exist that I've not ever thought of before?"

In no way does this minimize or undermine the hard work and transitions you will have to go through. But you can maintain a lower level of stress and overwhelm by narrowing your focus to the things you have true control over.

To your balanced prosperity,
Anita