Apparently so according to a segment on Sunrise this morning. However the self help they were referring to were 2-3 day seminars where participants were sleep deprived and forced to reveal deeply personal experiences in front of a huge audience.
I don't see that you need to be psychological expert (which I'm not) to see that this type of "self help" could be dangerous. After all sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture long before it became a tool used by self help gurus.
Many years ago I particpated in one of these seminars called The Forum. I don't recall much about it, but I do remember being hassled by "volunteers" to become a volunteer myself. Apparently The Forum was the only true path to self fulfillment and enlightenment... And it could be all yours if you worked ridiculously long hours for zero recompense. Not that there's anything wrong with volunteering your time but I think you're better off volunteering your time to help people who, for whatever reason, can't help themselves. The Forum leaders definitely were not in that category!
One thing I do remember learning is that we shouldn't let fear stop us doing what we want to do. I wanted to go parachuting but was too scared.... So I went parachuting. Now that I'm much older and wiser (well defintely older) I'm starting to think I may have misinterpreted the real significance of moving beyond fear....
So, was this self help seminar a waste of time for me? I don't think so. At least it got me to go parachuting!
Hmmm, self help can indeed be dangerous!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Overhaul of Weight Loss Industry In Australia
I heard on the news this morning that weight loss programs will have to give details of how successful participants are in keeping off the weight two years after their initial participation.
Sounds good to me! Afterall, judging by all the testimonials you read on weight loss websites there are a lot of programs that work well in the short term.
However, long term success eludes many of us. Kilos that we worked so hard to lose simply creep back on and before we know it we are in a battle that we have very little chance of winning.
To add insult to injury this battle of continually losing and putting on weight is more dangerous to our health than being overweight in the first place. (so I remember reading somewhere)
For any chance of success in maintaining weight loss, weight loss programs must include working on your mind as well as your body!
Click here to join my new free membership Web Weight Warriors!
Sounds good to me! Afterall, judging by all the testimonials you read on weight loss websites there are a lot of programs that work well in the short term.
However, long term success eludes many of us. Kilos that we worked so hard to lose simply creep back on and before we know it we are in a battle that we have very little chance of winning.
To add insult to injury this battle of continually losing and putting on weight is more dangerous to our health than being overweight in the first place. (so I remember reading somewhere)
For any chance of success in maintaining weight loss, weight loss programs must include working on your mind as well as your body!
Click here to join my new free membership Web Weight Warriors!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Nomophobia? Just stress and anxiety in my humble opinion.
Who has ever heard of nomophobia (the fear of being deprived of a mobile phone ie no mobile phone phobia)? I hadn't until I was listening to the radio while picking the kids up from school last night
And I must say I'm not surprised that such a phobia exists. Most of us are used to being able to contact our loved ones 24/7 no matter where they are or what they are doing.
If they fail to answer our call it's easy to get ourselves worked up into a frenzy of stress and anxiety wondering if an ambo will have the decency to search their contact lists for "mum" while resucsitating our precious offspring at the site of the worst accident in living memory.
Then total relief... They phone - they are OK (which is good because now you can kill them yourself). They didn't answer because they knew it was you and couldn't be bothered talking.
Oh, but they'll talk now. They've spent their bus money and need you to pick them up..... But not before you start explaining (loudly), in gruesome detail, the nightmare they put you through. Don't they understand how much you love them for heavens sake?
You begin to weigh up the pros and cons of grounding them. You decide against it as it's usually more of a punishment for you than them! Unfortunately, the scene is set for similar altercations in the future.
Whatever happened to the days when kids just went off for the day and came home only when they were hungry or it got dark? But don't let me start on that just yet! That's another issue.
The point is that mobile phones are another convenient way for stress and anxiety to manifest themselves. And they will manifest in some way or another unless you learn to tame them.
Click here for articles on dealing with stress.
And I must say I'm not surprised that such a phobia exists. Most of us are used to being able to contact our loved ones 24/7 no matter where they are or what they are doing.
If they fail to answer our call it's easy to get ourselves worked up into a frenzy of stress and anxiety wondering if an ambo will have the decency to search their contact lists for "mum" while resucsitating our precious offspring at the site of the worst accident in living memory.
Then total relief... They phone - they are OK (which is good because now you can kill them yourself). They didn't answer because they knew it was you and couldn't be bothered talking.
Oh, but they'll talk now. They've spent their bus money and need you to pick them up..... But not before you start explaining (loudly), in gruesome detail, the nightmare they put you through. Don't they understand how much you love them for heavens sake?
You begin to weigh up the pros and cons of grounding them. You decide against it as it's usually more of a punishment for you than them! Unfortunately, the scene is set for similar altercations in the future.
Whatever happened to the days when kids just went off for the day and came home only when they were hungry or it got dark? But don't let me start on that just yet! That's another issue.
The point is that mobile phones are another convenient way for stress and anxiety to manifest themselves. And they will manifest in some way or another unless you learn to tame them.
Click here for articles on dealing with stress.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Woe is Me
When times are tough, as with the current economic recession, it is always easy to give in to depression and constantly moan about the woes of life. There are just too many worries to constantly think about: bills to pay, family to care for, and so on. The problems never end. The fact is, they never do! As you make your journey through life, you will always encounter barriers and hurdles. These are trials meant to test your strength and improve your will. Rather than simply give up and cry your frustrations out, you may want to look around you and see that no one is exempt from problems.
Self pity may get you sympathy at first, but if this is a repetitive behavior, don’t be surprised if you lose friends along the way. When you’ve become the black hole for energy, people will avoid you like a plague. No one wants to be surrounded with sadness, and no one can take a whiner for too long a period. You have yet to meet the person who never struggles with frustration. This comes with the territory of being human. It is not wrong to be frustrated, but it is how we handle our frustration that counts.
One of the most effective ways to change how you react to negativity is to change how you see it and what you do about it. Self pity is a shortcut to the path of destruction. When you give in to depression, you are basically saying that you don’t have it in you to solve the problem. In fact, you are just aggravating the situation. You yell, curse, and cry, yet the problem still remains unsolved.
On the other hand, a more productive solution would be to view frustration is as a chance for improving your abilities to solve the problem. If you get frustrated, try to have an outlet. Go talk to a friend, visit a specialist, or pound that hammer away in your garage. You need to let it out and find a way to express your explosive emotions rather than keep it locked inside. If this is your constant practice, expect the dam to break sooner or later. Instead, ask yourself what the possible solutions are. The thing about self-pity is that if you can't get others to feel sorry for you, you can always just feel sorry for yourself.
Pity parties are always a party of one because no one wants to be on the guest list. Just know that when you catch yourself in this state, you tend to lose perspective. You lose sight of the big picture and will be unable to spot the solution that may just be right under your nose. When you are too caught up in your problems, you’ll be too busy to even notice the faintest flicker of hope.
You must find ways to bounce back. Be the victor, not the victim. Life is a marathon, and your goal should be not to win it all the time. Instead, you need to focus on your running and learning not to quit. Instead of making excuses on your failure, you must learn to get back up and let your creative juices flow so that you can achieve what you want most. Have a worthwhile goal, one that deserves a spot in your loved ones’ minds. If your life were a book, let it fall under the inspirational category.
Visit my website for heaps of inspirational freebies.
Self pity may get you sympathy at first, but if this is a repetitive behavior, don’t be surprised if you lose friends along the way. When you’ve become the black hole for energy, people will avoid you like a plague. No one wants to be surrounded with sadness, and no one can take a whiner for too long a period. You have yet to meet the person who never struggles with frustration. This comes with the territory of being human. It is not wrong to be frustrated, but it is how we handle our frustration that counts.
One of the most effective ways to change how you react to negativity is to change how you see it and what you do about it. Self pity is a shortcut to the path of destruction. When you give in to depression, you are basically saying that you don’t have it in you to solve the problem. In fact, you are just aggravating the situation. You yell, curse, and cry, yet the problem still remains unsolved.
On the other hand, a more productive solution would be to view frustration is as a chance for improving your abilities to solve the problem. If you get frustrated, try to have an outlet. Go talk to a friend, visit a specialist, or pound that hammer away in your garage. You need to let it out and find a way to express your explosive emotions rather than keep it locked inside. If this is your constant practice, expect the dam to break sooner or later. Instead, ask yourself what the possible solutions are. The thing about self-pity is that if you can't get others to feel sorry for you, you can always just feel sorry for yourself.
Pity parties are always a party of one because no one wants to be on the guest list. Just know that when you catch yourself in this state, you tend to lose perspective. You lose sight of the big picture and will be unable to spot the solution that may just be right under your nose. When you are too caught up in your problems, you’ll be too busy to even notice the faintest flicker of hope.
You must find ways to bounce back. Be the victor, not the victim. Life is a marathon, and your goal should be not to win it all the time. Instead, you need to focus on your running and learning not to quit. Instead of making excuses on your failure, you must learn to get back up and let your creative juices flow so that you can achieve what you want most. Have a worthwhile goal, one that deserves a spot in your loved ones’ minds. If your life were a book, let it fall under the inspirational category.
Visit my website for heaps of inspirational freebies.
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