Chronic fatigue seems to be a national malady and in many cases, doctors find no pathology. Although exhaustion is a legitimate physical ailment, there are many underlying causal factors and accessible helps. Here are some suggestions.
Get moving. Exercise release energizing “feel good” chemicals called endorphins. The movement does not have to be drastic. A simple 15-minute-walk three of four times a week can do wonders. Get off the couch and do a dreaded chore; it can invigorate you to accomplish more.
Meditate. Rest is repairing to the body, soul and body. Periodically sit quietly and picture the stress falling off. Breathe deeply and mentally see the tense muscles uncoil and feel your backpacked burdens slide off. Sink into the chair with your entire weight rather than reserving alertness for the next crises.
Eat Right. Start the day with a breakfast of whole grain, protein and fruit. As good as a doughnut might taste, it contributes to fatigue. Continue through the day with a wholesome lunch, dinner and healthy snacks. Do not skip meals. Just as a car needs a continual supply of high-octane, un-watered down gas, so too does your body need nourishing food as fuel.
Evaluate Your Load. What do you need to jettison from your too full schedule and what needs to be added to energize you. Then do it.
Put yourself to bed. Research indicates that the adult body functions best with seven to ten hours of sleep per night. Prepare for sleep by turning off stimulators at least a half hour before bedtime. Allow your mind to unwind, disengage and embrace the need for refreshing sleep.
Settle Issues. Regret, unforgiveness and resentment are energy sapping. You have to own your emotions before you can move past the event. Honestly acknowledge the pain, humbly accept it and deliberately face the past with faith that you can heal.
Think positively. Your thought life has tremendous effect on your physical being and relationships. Negative thoughts of defeat, fear, anger, hate, resentment and hopelessness release stress hormones into the body resulting in tiredness, anxiety and irritability. By contrast, possibility thoughts of overcoming, love, thankfulness, appreciation, contentment and acceptance releases “feel good endorphins” resulting in energy, satisfaction and calm.
Life is too meaningful to sit on the sidelines. Use these thoughts to discover your energy leaks and take definite steps to plug them.
We welcome reprinting of articles in your newsletter or magazine, providing credit is given as follows: “This article was written by Mona Dunkin, Motivational Speaker and Personal Success Coach, www.monadunkin.blogspot.com or www.monadunkin.com.”
3/30/10
3/23/10
Productive Waiting
In past articles we have looked at the importance of goal setting and working to bring them to fruition. I stand by that as a necessary element to get ahead. I also suggest the balance of waiting. Here’s what I mean…
Life is not a dress rehearsal. Live in the now and enjoy today. Always waiting for the tomorrow that has no promise of being, shows a discontent with the present. Ironically, when longed for riches do eventually come, most yearn for a simpler time. It is the struggles that make us strong.
Consider the seed. My then four year old grandson was drawing and said to me, “Come here, Nana, I want to teach you something.” He had illustrated a plant’s growth starting with a seed, to growing underground, to pushing through the earth, to fragile leaves, to a full bloom flower. His insight was, “Even though you can’t see anything happening, it is still growing.”
Plan for relative wait time. They happen every day: checkout line at supermarket, bank deposit, traffic snarl, someone to get back with you. Use it productively.
Refuse to engage in irrelevant wait time. Do not waste today through nonproductive mental activities such as pining for a better job, wanting the children to grow up, or longing for reduced responsibilities. Do not mindlessly wait for a future event or some solution to magically happen or fantasize about success, fame and fortune.
Life is a constant. It is today. You can improve your circumstances but not necessarily life. Be careful how you build thereon.
Life is conflicting. An individual can be content and still suffer lack. One can have outer wealth and inner poverty. I call it a "restless contentment".
Expectant waiting. Be fully engaged in today and alert to the divine. Be at east with uncertainty. Do not be restless with today. “Beauty arises in the stillness of your presence.”
Out of the mouth of babes. A few years back we vacationed in the hills of Missouri and my grandchildren and I re-enacted Little House in the Big Woods. For hours we foraged for materials - rocks, limbs and random treasures - to building our house. It rained the next two days and then they had to go home. We never got to play in our project. Katie said, “That’s okay, Nana, the most fun is in the building anyway.”
The consciously looking forward to, the energetic creativity, the joy of accomplishment, the fun of teamwork - this is what makes the now so special. Revel in it.
We welcome reprinting of articles in your newsletter or magazine, providing credit is given as follows: “This article was written by Mona Dunkin, Motivational Speaker and Personal Success Coach, www.monadunkin.blogspot.com or www.monadunkin.com.”
Life is not a dress rehearsal. Live in the now and enjoy today. Always waiting for the tomorrow that has no promise of being, shows a discontent with the present. Ironically, when longed for riches do eventually come, most yearn for a simpler time. It is the struggles that make us strong.
Consider the seed. My then four year old grandson was drawing and said to me, “Come here, Nana, I want to teach you something.” He had illustrated a plant’s growth starting with a seed, to growing underground, to pushing through the earth, to fragile leaves, to a full bloom flower. His insight was, “Even though you can’t see anything happening, it is still growing.”
Plan for relative wait time. They happen every day: checkout line at supermarket, bank deposit, traffic snarl, someone to get back with you. Use it productively.
Refuse to engage in irrelevant wait time. Do not waste today through nonproductive mental activities such as pining for a better job, wanting the children to grow up, or longing for reduced responsibilities. Do not mindlessly wait for a future event or some solution to magically happen or fantasize about success, fame and fortune.
Life is a constant. It is today. You can improve your circumstances but not necessarily life. Be careful how you build thereon.
Life is conflicting. An individual can be content and still suffer lack. One can have outer wealth and inner poverty. I call it a "restless contentment".
Expectant waiting. Be fully engaged in today and alert to the divine. Be at east with uncertainty. Do not be restless with today. “Beauty arises in the stillness of your presence.”
Out of the mouth of babes. A few years back we vacationed in the hills of Missouri and my grandchildren and I re-enacted Little House in the Big Woods. For hours we foraged for materials - rocks, limbs and random treasures - to building our house. It rained the next two days and then they had to go home. We never got to play in our project. Katie said, “That’s okay, Nana, the most fun is in the building anyway.”
The consciously looking forward to, the energetic creativity, the joy of accomplishment, the fun of teamwork - this is what makes the now so special. Revel in it.
We welcome reprinting of articles in your newsletter or magazine, providing credit is given as follows: “This article was written by Mona Dunkin, Motivational Speaker and Personal Success Coach, www.monadunkin.blogspot.com or www.monadunkin.com.”
2/24/10
To the Secret Place
“When mind and soul agree, belief is born.” Abraham Heschel
God is not far from any of us. Everyone has an inner chamber into which he can retreat at will. It is a sanctuary free from the multitude of daily cares, free from human judgment, free from agitation, change and turmoil. It is a place where your senses rest, where you are regenerated and re-created. The longer one stays in the secret place, the better equipped to handle the public life of the ordinary.
Embrace the mystery of suffering. Compassion testifies to the presence of Christ within us. Develop compassion, not to master the suffering, but to enter into it. Through embracing the pain in true compassion, we are put in a position for our actions to correspond according to God’s love.
Repair love for people. In the secret place the love cycle is completed. One becomes aware that worth and value are gifts from God. Allow yourself to be nurtured by the mother heart of God to rediscover the power of love – from God to us, through us, back to God and spilling over to others. As gratefulness is directed toward God the human heart is filled with the ability to love generously – the loveable and the not so lovely.
Relive tension between “now” and “not yet”. Faith is looking forward to something that has not happened yet. Time spent in the secret place results in your being more collected, able to accomplish more, thinking deepens and you are able to be present – really present - wherever you are.
Rest without empirical evidence. Troubling questions such as “Why child abuse?” are quieted. God gave mankind the awesome gift of free will and he will not violate that gift, even when the exercise of it brings harm to the individual and others. God’s goodness made laws that He does not violate. God so believes in laws that he governs Himself. In the secret place these issues are understood and courage to be a change agent is garnered. The heart is called to intercession.
Our bodies store information for us. In quiet meditation the mind will reveal these secrets bringing healing and wisdom. We are born with a will to meaning. When the self is soothed, one can then become self-less. Once a need is met, it ceases to be a main focus and life runs smoothly. You find this in the secret place.
We welcome reprinting of articles in your newsletter or magazine, providing credit is given as follows: “This article was written by Mona Dunkin, Motivational Speaker and Personal Success Coach, www.monadunkin.blogspot.com or www.monadunkin.com.”
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