Anxiety Reduction Tools

Are you looking for anxiety reduction ideas that really work? Anxiety and stress are related to sleep deprivation, dissatisfaction at work and in relationships, physical ailments such as headaches, and many more struggles that are common today.  If you are coping with stress or anxiety, you may be searching for ways to improve your mood, experience more joy and hope, and feel more comfortable or confident in your day-to-day life.

Long-term strategies like psychotherapy, mindfulness practices, and prioritizing overall health are quite effective for managing anxiety and reducing its negative impact. While it’s vital to invest in yourself with ongoing processes like those listed above, there are also ways to relieve anxiety and stress that you can use to get results right now.

These three tools can be used today to relieve stress and improve your quality of life.

1. Get Into The Moment for Anxiety Reduction

Anxiety and stress take you hostage with thoughts about the past or future – taking you out of the present moment. You may notice that you try to control things by over-planning, over-analyzing, or obsessing over details.

Time thinking about the future will disconnect you from what your needs, thoughts, and feelings are right now. This is stressful for your brain and body to maintain. Bringing yourself back to your awareness of the present moment allows you to feel in control of yourself, rather than spinning in circles trying to plan a way to control something in your external world.

Here is a three-step challenge that you can use now to orient your mind and body in the present moment:

1. For a moment or two try to do nothing but breathe.

2. Look down at your body. Notice the color of your clothes, the comfort level of the chair you’re sitting in, and the way your chest moves as you breathe. Take your hands away from the computer, and rest them on your lap.

3. Look around you. Notice the detail about the things that are in your space. Try to observe without judging anything as good or bad. When your mind starts to wander, bring it back to focusing on this article – and this article alone.

2. Practicing Forgiveness for Anxiety Reduction

Have you heard that a grudge hurts you more than it hurts the other person? It’s better for your own health to forgive someone else instead of holding onto anger. Practicing forgiveness is also a way of releasing fear, anxiety, and stress! Forgiving someone else is allowing yourself to have a new experience – not necessarily of that person (let’s face it, sometimes we need to cut ties), but of the world and people in general.

Anxiety wants you to make negative assumptions about people and future experiences, convincing you that you’re being protected from more pain by assuming the worst. Forgiving will keep you open to new and better things.

Anxiety and stress are also linked to perfectionism. You may be convinced that you’re being responsible and dedicated when in fact you are carrying a heavy burden of doubt and negativity around with you as you try to accomplish tasks. Forgiving yourself sets you free from the burden of perfectionism, allowing you to accomplish more with more joy.

Here are two ways to practice forgiveness right now:

1. Take a moment to think of someone or something that you have been unable to forgive. Even if it’s not yet true, say aloud “I forgive you.” Practice it a few times, and try again tomorrow, until you are able to release yourself from the pain.

2. Think of a time that you tend to be critical of yourself. Is it difficult for you to allow yourself to make mistakes? Write yourself a note saying that you accept and forgive the mistake. Again, say it aloud to yourself: “I forgive you.”

3. Use Laughter and Joy for Anxiety Reduction

Laughter releases healing chemicals in the brain that bring relief. It also opens up the possibility to have a new experience in the moment. Novelty experiences, even small ones, are vital for daily stress management. Laughter can also help you experience an emotional connection with another person and help you create a positive memory.

In addition, connection with others is a key component to relief from anxiety symptoms, partially because experiencing frequent fear and stress can be isolating. Connecting through laughter (even via text message!) may break you out of a negative thought process. So, how can you bring some laughter, humor, and connection into your life today?

Here are three ways you can bring humor into your life right now:

1. Do something kind for a friend or acquaintance. It can be anything from sending a link to a funny video, writing a letter of gratitude, or taking time out of your day to help her. Look for the humor in a situation that might otherwise cause you to worry.

2. Do something today that is completely outside of your comfort zone. Put on music and dance, sign up for a martial arts class, or start up a conversation with a total stranger. Did you jump in and practice each example, or were you embarrassed, doubtful, or afraid?

3. Anxiety may try to stop you from giving these tools a legitimate try. Go for it anyway! You may surprise yourself with what you are able to experience and achieve.

How will you incorporate these tools into your life today?

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How Successful People Make The Best Use Of Their Weekends

That old Loverboy song “Everybody’s Working for the Weekend” rings true for so many of us who give their all Monday through Friday, and just want to use Saturday and Sunday to catch up on some R&R. What a lot of us don’t realize is that spending Saturday and Sunday binge-watching Netflix or sleeping off hangovers is a complete waste of 2/7 of our life. The most successful people know that, even if they won’t be doing much “work” over the weekend, they still have to be productive if they want to stay ahead of the rest of the population. Rather than glue themselves to the couch watching reality TV all weekend, the hardest working among us choose to:

1. Plan

Successful individuals don’t go haphazardly into the weekend. They plan their day out just as they would any other. It might be a little more loosely-scheduled than a typical Tuesday, but with only so many hours in a week, successful people know they have to use all the free time they can get to accomplish the errands and tasks they need to accomplish. Without a plan, you’ll end up watching “just one more episode” of sitcom reruns before you realize it’s already 4 p.m. on Sunday.

2. Get up early

Of course it feels good to sleep in, but it feels even better to have checked some tasks off your list before anyone else around you has gotten out of bed. It’s actually quite rejuvenating to get up and moving early on days you don’t have to. Starting your Saturday off by hitting the gym or reading a book will leave you feeling more refreshed than if you wasted an extra two or three hours laying in bed staring at the ceiling.

3. Unplug

In today’s busy, interconnected world, most of us never truly leave work at work. Our phones are likely connected to our email and Twitter accounts, meaning we can be bombarded with a work-related task even after the 5 p.m. whistle blows on Friday. But even the hardest working among us need time to let work go. Laura Vanderkam, author of What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend, advocates taking a “tech Sabbath,” even for a couple hours over the weekend. Go fishing or hiking, visit a museum or library – and do so without your phone in your pocket. You’ll be amazed at how much more visceral the experience is.

4. Exercise

During the week, you probably told yourself you were going to hit the gym at least once or twice. Then, life happened. While you can’t blame yourself for neglecting the gym because you needed to pick up your kids or your wife’s car broke down, the weekend is the perfect time to make up for lost opportunities. And if you can knock it off early in the day, doing so will absolutely kickstart your day and keep you motivated and moving throughout everything else you have planned for your time off.

5. Socialize

During the week, you may not have had time to eat dinner with your kids or take them out for ice cream. Don’t be that parent that’s so addicted to work that they neglect the people they are working to support. Plan fun activities to do as a family, and don’t forget about taking your spouse out for romantic dinner dates every once in a while. Make the time to meet up with friends and connect in more ways than just text messaging each other every few weeks. After all, what’s the point of life if you can’t enjoy it with the people you love?

6. Follow passions and hobbies

Warren Buffet plays the ukelele. George W. Bush paints. Jay Leno is a car freak. Successful people use every minute of their free time doing something they love doing, because they know they’ll never get that time back. Even if your hobby requires hard work and dedication, if you’re passionate about it, you’ll still be relaxed and comfortable while working on it. Don’t waste precious time scrolling through Twitter when you could be learning a new song on piano. You never know when a simple hobby could turn into a life-long passion.

7. Embrace downtime and reflect

Of course, there are times you’ll need to sit quietly and let yourself just be. Career coach and author Roy Cohen believes meditating to be a great way to achieve peace of mind, while life coach Marsha Egan says most successful people use their downtime to reflect on their accomplishments, failures, and future plans.

8. Prepare for the week ahead

There’s a reason many people wake up in a groggy panic every single Monday morning: They haven’t mentally prepare themselves for the work week. Especially if you’ve wasted the weekend and didn’t do all of the tasks you said you were going to “when you had the time,” Monday mornings can be an incredibly stressful time. But if you’ve used your weekend wisely, and you take some time Sunday night to analyze all the errands and jobs you need to do throughout the week, you can wake up on Monday feeling ready to take on whatever gets thrown at you.

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What Is a True Friend?

The definition of a friend has changed in today’s technologically connected world. Today we may think we have many “friends.” It is true: we do enjoy the ability to be informed and to stay current with what is happening in the lives of many of our acquaintances as well as current and former friends and even people we have not met personally whom we call our friends.Sometimes our preoccupation is on havingfriends. Perhaps we should focus on being a friend.

In the context of social media, the term “friend” is often used to describecontacts rather than relationships. You have the ability to send your “friends” a message, but this is not the same thing as having a relationship with a person one on one.

Sometimes our preoccupation is on having friends. Perhaps we should focus on being a friend.

There are many definitions of what it means to be a friend. I will never forget hearing Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak about what it means to be a friend and the powerful influence of friends in our lives. His definition has had lasting impact in my life. He said, “Friends are people who make it easier to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.” In this sense, seeking another person’s highest good is the essence of true friendship. It is putting someone else first. It is being strictly honest, loyal, and chaste in every action. Perhaps it is the wordcommitment that unlocks the real meaning of friendship.

When my daughter, Emi, was 15, she made a decision about what kind of friends she would seek. One morning I noticed her copy of the Book of Mormon opened to Alma 48. She had marked the verses that describe Captain Moroni: “Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding. … Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ” (verses 11, 13). In the margin she had written, “I want to date and marry a man like Moroni.” As I watched Emi and the kind of young men she associated with and later dated when she turned 16, I could see that she was exemplifying those qualities herself and helping others live up to their identity as sons of God, priesthood holders, and future fathers and leaders.

Key Ideas about Friendship

“Choose friends who share your values so you can strengthen and encourage each other in living high standards.

“To have good friends, be a good friend. …

“As you seek to be a friend to others, do not compromise your standards.”

For the Strength of Youth(booklet, 2011), 16.

True friends influence those with whom they associate to “rise a little higher [and] be a little better.” You can help one another, particularly young men, prepare for and serve honorable missions. You can help one another remain morally clean. Your righteous influence and friendship can have an eternal effect not only on the lives of those with whom you associate but also on generations to come.

The Savior called His disciples His friends. He said:

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:12–15; emphasis added).

As you live and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will attract people to you who will want to be your friend—not just a contact on a social media site but the kind of friend the Savior exemplified by His words and His example. As you strive to be a friend to others and to let your light shine forth, your influence will bless the lives of many with whom you associate. I know that as you focus on being a friend to others, as defined by prophets and the examples in the scriptures, you will be happy and you will be an influence for good in the world and will one day receive the glorious promise mentioned in the scriptures about true friendship: “That same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory”

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Memory Of Love

Love

Every day, we at Memeoirs read and hear of more and more sweet tales of love from all over the globe. They come in different shapes and sizes and sometimes even make us shed a little tear of delight. What you see depends mainly on what you look for so look around guys and see the loveliness there is to be seen…

1. A man bought 12 flowers for his wife one day –  11 real and 1 fake. He gave her a card with the flowers which said “I will love you until the last flower dies.”

2. There was girl who loved a boy so much she said to the boy, “If I told you that I liked you, would you take it as a joke?”
The boy said, “Yes I would.”
She asked, “Why?”
The boy replied, “Because I know you don’t like me, I know you love me!”

3.  A girl asked a boy if she was pretty, he said “No”. She asked him if he wanted to be with her forever, he said “No”. Then she asked him if he would cry if she walked away, he said “No”. She had heard enough; she needed to leave.

As she walked away he grabbed her arm and told her to stay. He said “You’re not pretty, you’re beautiful. I don’t want to be with you forever, I need to be with you forever. And I wouldn’t cry if you walked away, I would die.”

4. Today, when I asked my grandfather for some relationship advice, he said, “Honestly, the moment I stopped trying to find the right woman, and started trying to become the right man, your grandmother walked up to me and said, ‘Hello.’”

5. This week, after waiting for 3 days; I get to see my lover of 15 years. It’s the longest we’ve spent apart and I won’t ever let him go again.

6. We live in a small community outside of Charlotte, NC. Our community has always been very close and has always done things to help with the community. Being a single mother and after losing my job I found out what the sense of community really is and how much love your community can actually give you. All of my neighbors grouped together to have garage sales and bake sales at the church to help me with the expenses of my house payment and utilities. Eventually, I found another job, but nothing that I could do will ever be enough to express the love and gratitude that I have for my neighbors and what they did for my family and I in our time of need.

7.  I love my grandkids with all of my heart. Their grandfather has been dead for over 15 years and my grandson Alex was only 2 years old when he passed. Alex was like a son to me and we shared stories all the time, he loved to sit back and listen to me telling stories of my high school days. When I was a girl no one ever asked me to prom so I didn’t attend. My grandson was so excited about his prom, he had worked all summer to save up money to rent a limo and buy his tux. What I didn’t expect was that I would be his date. The day of the prom I found a gift box on my bed with an exquisite dress and a note. The note read, “Grandma, you are the most beautiful person that I know, and every girl deserves to go to prom, be ready by 7. Love, Alex.” The though alone brought me to tears and I had the most amazing time being my grandson's prom date. Every time I think about it, I realize how much of a special boy he is and how much I love him so.

8. Two years ago my wife slipped into a coma after being in a car accident. It was the hardest thing that I had ever been through. Every day for two years, I would go to her hospital room and sit with her, reading her news articles and telling all of the stories of our years together. Everyone had given up hope, but Janet was my whole world, and I would never give up. One night while visiting her I was playing a video of our wedding day. Slowly her eyes opened and she moved her hand. She called out my name and I squeezed her hand. She whispered into my ear, “I love you.” Weeks later she was doing great and we were sitting on the hospital bed waiting for her discharge instructions. She told me, that she remembered all of the stories that I was telling her when she was asleep; that she could hear me and that it helped her come back to me.

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Friendship Qoutes

The 30 Best Friends Quotes

Sometimes, remembering how valuable your friendships are can really help make sure the relationship doesn’t grow stale. Keep your true friends in mind as you read these quotes to see which ones relate to your friendship.

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” ― A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” ― Bob Marley

“Life is an awful, ugly place to not have a best friend.” ― Sarah Dessen

“Silence make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying, but the never needing to say that counts.” ― Margaret Lee Runbeck

“Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” ― Cicero

“The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you.”
― Bette Midler

 “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

“A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.” ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” ― Muhammad Ali

“There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends.”
― Sylvia Plath

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” ― Mark Twain

“Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.” ― Richard Bach

“There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” ― Jim Henson 

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” ― Linda Grayson

“A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.” ― Arnold H. Glasgow

“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” ― Aristotle

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” ― Albert Camus

“The capacity for friendship is God’s way of apologizing for our families.” ― Jay McInerney

“A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.” ― Grace Pulpit

“Tis a great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him his.” ― Benjamin Franklin

“Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” ― Elie Wiesel

 “Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.” ― Ally Condie

 “True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.” ― Charles Caleb Colton

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .’” ― C. S. Lewis

“You can always tell a real friend:  when you’ve made a fool of yourself he doesn’t feel you’ve done a permanent job.” ― Laurence J. Peter

“Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find.” ―William Shakespeare

“It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.” ― Marlene Dietrich 

“Friends are relatives you make for yourself.” ― Eustache Deschamps

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ― Elbert Hubbard

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.” ― Flavia Weedn

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