Tips for Good Night's Sleep

Lack of sleep has gone on to become one of the most troubling problems for many women. Most women do not get the required amount of sleep which affects their productivity throughout the day. Health professionals recommend that adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. For children, at least 9 hours of sleep and sometimes more depending on their age, is recommended. If you are one of those who is troubled by a sleepless night or want to help a family member or a relative, read our tips for a good night's sleep:


Avoid Caffeinated Beverages and Alcohol

Keep caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea and soda to a minimum during the daytime and avoid them completely in the evening if you really want a good night's sleep. Such drinks keep you awake hours after your last sip of them. Also make it a point to stay away from alcohol. You may think that Alcohol helps sleep since it makes people drowsy, but in reality, it affects the quality of sleep. You will fall asleep after consuming alcohol but will still feel fatigued and groggy in the morning.


Creating a Bed Time Ritual

Bed time rituals are not just for kids. Bed time rituals condition your mind as well as your body to go to sleep. They are even beneficial for people who do not have a problem of sleeplessness and fall asleep instantly because it is also not considered healthy to stay awake till the point of exhaustion. Bed time rituals are a series of behaviors that get your body relaxed and ready for bed, and ensure that you have a long and comfortable night's sleep.

You can combat your sleeping problems by following a bed time ritual that complements your lifestyle. Having a fixed bed time each night will help set your body’s internal clock. About an hour before your bed time, create a routine that fits your lifestyle and winds your body down for bed. It can be either reading a book each night, listening to soft music or taking a comfortable bath or shower. Whatever you choose, take care that it does not require too much of physical activity.


Create a Comfortable Sleeping Environment

If you are into a habit of falling asleep anywhere i.e. not on your own proper bed, it affects good sleep to a great extent. Don't fall asleep on sofas or couches while watching TV and never leave the TV on for an entire night in your bedroom. Make sure your bed is a comfortable one and invest in a good mattress that holds your posture correctly while sleeping. Away from harsh lights and sounds, in the comfort of a properly made bed, you will sleep much peacefully than you ever did.


Stop Worrying

Women tend to worry a lot which affects their sleep. Your lack of sleep might result from the fact that you do not stop worrying about personal and household affairs even in bed. While it is impossible to stop worrying altogether, try to get into a habit of 'letting things be' till the next morning and relax yourself before you go to sleep. try not to think about issues that you know will disturb you for many hours. Tell yourself firmly that you spend the entire day taking care of all your problems and that your sleeping time is yours alone. Meditating before going to sleep also takes your mind off things that are troubling you.

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Moving Beyond Your Divorce

by: Shelley Stile

There is no single more powerful stumbling block to moving beyond our divorce into a new life than the inability to accept our new reality. Acceptance is the hardest part of the divorce recovery process. Acceptance requires total honesty, courage and the willingness to let go of the life that we had...a life that no longer exists. Without that acceptance, we cannot move forward and create a new life.



How does one learn acceptance? Although it takes time and a good deal of inner work, it can be done. Here is a step-by-step guide to move you towards acceptance:

1) It’s about you, not them.

One of the most powerful lessons in life is the knowledge that we have control over one person and one person only…ourselves. If you are looking outside of yourself to move forward, you won’t. We can’t change anyone but ourselves. We have power over no one except ourselves. It is when we turn inward and do the work on ourselves that we will be able to effect dramatic and positive changes in our lives.

Being a victim means giving away all control and power. If I blame someone else for my situation, then I am powerless to do anything about it as I have chosen to absolve myself of any responsibility.

We can create changes that will make out lives better but not until we stop trying to change our ex or our current reality and we realize that it’s about us, not them.

2) Get support.

If you think you can do this all by yourself you may be in for a big surprise. Research consistently shows that getting support in any challenging endeavor leads to more success. Whether you choose a divorce support group, a therapist, a member of the clergy or a Life Coach, just do it.

If you are one of the those people who think that you have to handle life’s challenges on your own because somehow you equate support with weakness, get over it! Getting support is a sign of intelligence as far as I’m concerned as well as an indication that you really are serious about moving onward in life.



3) First, you must get through the initial stages of loss that includes denial, grief, anger, depression and whatever else you might be feeling early in the divorce process.

These emotions are all natural and necessary states that we need to experience. They are the norm versus the exception. Each one of these feelings needs to be embraced and experienced fully. There must be an ending before a new beginning.

There is a difference between fully experiencing an emotional stage and getting stuck in it. Beware excessive self-pity and real depression. Here is where support becomes important to your well-being and improvement.

4) Distinguish between facts and interpretations.

I cannot stress the importance of this step enough. People get stuck when they cannot face the facts and prefer to believe that their personal interpretations are reality.

You might be familiar with the exercise of the picture that has a hidden image within it. Ten people may come up with ten different interpretations of the picture. Some people will see the hidden image immediately and others will never see it until it is pointed out to them. Either way, the hidden picture exists. It is a fact.

You may feel that you have been mentally abused and yet your partner may feel that you are the one that is abusive. He said, she said. Probably a counselor will see a totally different picture altogether. You know, there’s your side, his side and then the truth.

Once you are truthful with yourself and can see the facts versus the drama or story of your divorce, you will be on your way to acceptance.

5) Be brutally honest and take responsibility for your marriage, divorce and life.

Those of us who can be totally honest with ourselves will receive the gift of a deep awareness of who and what we are along with the ability to accept our lives as they are without looking to blame someone else. Being honest allows us to see things that hadn’t existed for us before. The truth will indeed set you free. By setting aside our egos, we can look at our life for what it actually is versus a story about our divorce.

Once we have been honest and have embraced all the facts about our divorce, we are free to accept full responsibility for our lives. Responsibility is power and the freedom to choose what we want next in life. If we cannot take responsibility, we remain victims and victims absolve themselves of both their responsibility and therefore the power to control their own lives.

6) Learn the difference between what is and what you think should be.

If we are living in a netherland of what we think should be, we are completely cut off from reality or ‘what is’. If you think that you should not have to be experiencing divorce, then you cannot accept what is…that you are indeed getting divorced. You live in a world of your own.

We all create a list of should be’s that keep us stuck in the status quo: I should be happier, I should be getting more support, I shouldn’t have to work, and I should still be married. By concentrating on what we should be, we ignore what actually exists for us and remain stuck.

I think we should live in a world where peace is the predominant ethic but we don’t live in that world. That’s a dream I have. By acknowledging the world as it truly exists, I can make choices as to how I will live my life and also how to address the problems that do exist.

7) Consider the emotional wounds that you brought to the marriage.

Your ex may complain that you were not a warm person. I doubt that it was your marriage that created a cold person, if indeed that is what you are. We bring ourselves into our marriages and the parts of us that show up and create issues are the parts of us that we haven’t addressed yet. They are emotional wounds from somewhere in our past and they have a tendency to pop-up in our close relationships or when we are faced with challenging times.

Now is your chance to address those wounds and heal them so that you do not repeat your so-called mistakes again. Use your divorce as a catalyst to go inside and heal yourself.

8) Release toxic emotions.

Get rid of the debilitating toxic emotions that you are carrying around. Picture them as heavy baggage that keeps you stuck in your misery and produces a broken back. Anger, bitterness, hatred, resentment, rage…these are all toxic emotions that will harm you far more than your ex. You are the one who pays the price. You need to work through them and then release them because they will weigh you down for the rest of your life if you allow it.

Once you have done the work of truth versus interpretations and what is versus what should be, you will find it much easier to give up your anger and resentment. They do not serve you and you are learning to give away anything that does not serve you well.



9) Learn forgiveness for yourself and your mate.

You might not be able to practice forgiveness in the early stages of the journey to recovery but if you go through these other steps, you will be able to forigive your ex and more importantly, yourself. Forgiveness takes a big load off your shoulders. It releases energy that can be used for positive things.

Forgiveness does not necessarily mean you condone bad behavior, it simply means you forgive. If we separate the person from the behavior it becomes easier to forgive. You know that just because you sometimes say mean things it does not mean you are a bad person. Just a lapse in judgment. We are not necessarily our behavior. We know all the subconscious motivations that exist within every individual. If we look at the inner child within a person, forgiveness is a given.

10) Make conscious decisions; utilize free choice.

When you do the inner work of divorce recovery, you tend to attend to many things that have been left unresolved for years. You become more conscious of your actions and your choices. You become aware of the subconscious and how it can run your life. When you learn to observe the constant mind chatter that goes on inside your heads, you learn that the mind chatter is not us, its just chatter.

Making conscious decisions based in free choice means that we are not letting our mind chatter, our past, our emotional wounds or our interpretations of reality run the show. We take control of our lives. Conscious living allows for incredible freedom and the ability to create extraordinary changes.

And your bonus tip:

11) Find the gifts of your divorce.

Everything that occurs in our lives and everything that we are (warts and all) has a hidden gift. If you speak to someone who has survived divorce and has gone on to create a and vibrant life based upon their own passions and values, they will certainly tell you that their divorce was the best thing that happened to them. That may not be true for you but there is a gift waiting for you to find. My ex likes to say that he is responsible for my new career and to a certain extent he has played a part. Oftentimes it takes a good whack on the head to awaken us to life’s possibilities and our own happiness.

It’s the old adage: Every cloud has a silver lining. It is true. Search for the gifts of your divorce and it becomes yet another step toward a successful recovery from the trauma of divorce.

Successful divorce recovery takes inner work. Much like a flower, the work that has takes place underneath the surface of the ground, invisible to the human eye, is the crucial aspect. Without that subterranean work, there would be no flower. The reward of the flower is dependent upon the inner work of the seed and the root system. It is the same with humans. Do the inner work and you see the outer rewards.

Anti-Aging Skin Care- Seven Steps To Reducing Wrinkles And Preventing Aging Saggy Skin

Are you wondering which are the best anti aging treatments and ways to rejuvenate your skin?.

What can be done about existing lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin? Traditionally the only solutions available have been painful and expensive cosmetic surgeries, toxin injections, and harsh chemical peels. Each of which has a long list of potentially dangerous side effects. Recent scientific breakthroughs have allowed for the development of more gentle cosmetic products that can reduce saggy skin as well as facial lines and wrinkles without the risks involved with other more traditional procedures.

Probably you are confused with all the different ingredients that we can find in anti aging skin care products, and with so many choices, we don't even know where to start.

Aging is related to accumulation of damage at the cellular level. Offenders include environment, free radicals, and chemicals. The best way to deal with aging skin is to ensure that you take a proactive approach to skin care and follow a few simple steps to help prevent the early onset of aging and keep your skin hydrated and moisturised.

STEP 1. Use A Preservative Free Paraben Free Skin Care System

The major key in reducing aging skin and restoring youthful lustre is to avoid preservatives in your skin care products. Preservatives, methylparaben in particular, have been shown to increase the damage to skin caused by UV light, thus increasing the aging of skin .

If you want to prevent aging of your skin you really need to be aware of what you are putting on your skin. While many companies claim their products are “all natural” and of the “finest quality,” a close look at the ingredients reveals they contain toxic synthetic preservatives, ‘suspected’ carcinogens, drying alcohols, and synthetic fragrances and dyes.

So make an educated decision to use products that contain absolutely no preservatives . A good book to refer to is “The Truth About Cosmetics…And Some Natural Alternatives” by Haru Naito.

Until recently, most skin care products around the world have contained preservatives that promote skin aging. However, new skin care technology has developed and there are now a few unique skin care ranges on the market that have eliminated preservatives with the goal to support the skin’s state of wellness and protect the skin from premature aging. (http://www.revolutionaryskincare.info ).

In fact a world’s first water-based skincare line has been recently released in Japan, Australia and the US which uses a revolutionary patented water filtration system where fungus and bacteria can not grow thus eliminating the need for any preservatives. You can receive a free report and skin care brochure at http://www.preservativefreeskincare.info

STEP 2. Keep Your Skin Clean

Cleanse your skin with a gentle exfoliating cleanser. Make sure you do not leave on make up or allow residue to build up on your skin. This will lead to increased stress on your skin and can cause pores to clog and become infected.

The key here is not to rub, scrape, or be overly abrasive in the process. You will require a gentle cleanser that contains a fine abrasive to get into your skin pores and remove bacteria and soil. New skin care technology uses a fine ground stone which has tiny holes, when you wash our face, the stone goes into the skin pores and removes bacteria and soil from the pores.

STEP 3. Keep Your Skin Properly Hydrated.

Hydrating aging skin and helping it to retain moisture are the keys to reducing and preventing wrinkles. Water provides hydration to our skin. So you require a skin care line that can provide water to your skin cells and plump them up like a grape rather than shrivelled up and dry like a saltanna. Look at the hydration rates of the skin care product you are using and the clinical proven results.

Also many skin care products use carriers to take the moisturising ingredients into the cells. You need to ensure that no carrier chemicals are used which can be absorbed into your circulation and can cause serious health issues. A new water-based skincare line hydrates the skin by 80% after only one use and uses the technology of glyconutrients (plant based nutrients) to carry the water to the skin cell and hold it in. This dramatically reduces wrinkles. Research also shows that glyconutrients in skin care products seal the skin keeping in the water and keeping harmful elements out, meaning skin cells will be regenerated and skin can return to be like a babies bottom.

So use a skin care line that hydrates and uses safe carrier nutrients to fight the visible signs of aging by reducing wrinkles around your eyes, mouth and forehead.

STEP 4. Nourish your skin with healthy ingredients

Nourishing the skin with the proper ingredients is also important.

Use skin care that delivers only healthy nutrients that can protect your skin from premature aging, stress and dryness. Many plants in the world have long been recognized for their therapeutic health benefits. Just make sure the ingredients are natural plant foods or certified organic ingredients. Today many scientific studies demonstrate the numerous benefits of using specific botanicals that provide nourishing properties that assist your body in renewing healthy moisture enhanced skin tissues. This is the foundation of a preservative free skincare product line.

STEP 5. Use A Wrinkle Cream That Is Proven To Work

Wrinkles and spots are normally too deep to be effected by skin care products, but not now with the recent advancement in skin care technology skin cells can be corrected from damage done and create new healthy skin cells.

An anti-wrinkle cream lessens the appearance of your wrinkles, depending on how often you use it, the type and amount of active ingredient in the wrinkle cream and the extent of the wrinkles you want to treat.

Do they work? Consider these points when judging the merits of using a wrinkle cream: Ensure the skin care system you use has been subjected to research and clinical trials to prove their benefit. You’ll likely need to use the wrinkle cream once or twice a day for many weeks before noticing improvements. Remembering that skin cells rejuvenate every 28 days.

STEP 6. Support your skin’s health and prevent premature aging with good quality supplements.

ANTIOXIDANTS

Oxidative stress is the principle cause of aging and premature death. By controlling free radicals, anti-oxidants influence how fast and how well we age. It is virtually impossible to get optimal amount of antioxidants from foods alone. So invest in a good quality antioxidant. After a lifetime of exposure to pollutants, we need antioxidant help. The best antioxidant on the market is provided by the Australian Bush Plum and studies at an Australian University provides the research to prove the effect of this antioxidant which is provided in a capsule food supplement.

PHYTOSTEROLS

Scientists can tell how old you are physiologically based on the amount of DHEA (primary hormone of the body) in your blood. Levels peak at age 25 years and then decline. Most researchers agree to retard aging DHEA levels must be maintained. In our modern diet our daily intake of hormone modulator is severely depleted. A Phyto Hormone supplement provides your body naturally with the building blocks to maintain and enhance normal hormone production. It will support efficient fat burning, help you look younger, feel younger and potentially live longer.

GLYCONUTRIENTS




Science has now established that certain natural plant sugars are vital for maintaining good health. Glyconutrients play a vital role in disease prevention and immune system restoration. Supplementation with a blend of glyconutrients have been shown to improve the immune system and improve the antioxidant level inside cells. In addition research shows that glyconutrients help with reversing 8 of the biological signs of aging. A good reason to start supplementing your diet with these nutrients. There is only one manufacturer of the exclusive source of the complete blend of these nutrients.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

Make sure you get a good blend of essential fatty acids in your diet.. Supplementation with essential fatty acids supports your skin to become softer and smoother. They are necessary to make cells membranes and for many of the important hormones and other chemical messengers that tell your body what to do.

In recent years, researchers have been able to determine the reason essential fats are so critical to the formation of soft, smooth skin texture and the management of certain skin conditions. Investigative studies have shown that the link between fabulous skin texture and intake of essential oils is explained by the effect essential fats have on the synthesis of prostaglandin hormones within epidermal cells.

So supplementation with a combination of these nutrients is required for you are wanting to reduce the signs of aging and support your skins health from inside as well as outside.

STEP 7. ADEQUATE REST

Make sure you get enough rest, so that your skin has time to repair itself.

We all know that aging skin can be problematic and sometimes even downright scary. By following the tips listed above and carefully selecting your skin care products, you'll be one step ahead in the battle against aging skin. We all get old but we don't have to look that way!

The bottom line is to know the science and ingredients behind the products you use, look at the clinical trials, ensure the company is ethical and practices good manufacturing practices and then stick to doing business with one that has a solid reputation for delivering results. There are countless products on the market but only a handful that are based on legitimate science. These are the ones to add to your daily skin care regiment.

The one thing you must do is be constant, without getting obsessed, with whatever you choose to rejuvenate your skin. A new era of skin care technology is a huge breakthrough in the battle against our aging skin.
By: Ellen Agius

Fashion Fusion

How often do you encounter a situation when selection of the right kind of fashion accessory makes you go wild? Some women have such dilemmas once in a while, some once in a week, and some of them go through this daily. The question bugs ?Do I look different??, ?Do I look attractive enough??

Sometimes you often wonder, why do some women become the epitome of fashion whereas some strive for little appreciation even after wearing an expensive diamond necklace.

Well, I believe that beauty is not the cause. For I have noticed some of the most charming ladies being bugged with similar kinds of hassles. The reason is, most women simply follow the stereotyped fashion trends and do not get noticed among the crowd.

The idea is, that you have to dress differently in order to look different. I guess, jewelry happens to be an important part of fashion. Therefore it is necessary that you make some changes in your jewelry box.

To start with, I must say, that simple elegant jewelries are out. Gone are the days of a simple chain with a diamond pendant. Ladies are no longer totems of sophistication. Just try out something much more dashing. Accumulate at least ten to twelve black colored chains of similar look and size. Jumble them together and flaunt it at your slender neck. They would very well complement each other.

When you try to look different, there is no harm in being a little more adventurous. One of the latest trends among fashion freaks is to try out something Bohemian. And when it come to Bohemian fashion, there is nothing like a candlenut necklace. The candlenuts, commonly known as Kukui nuts, are strung together in a string or a ribbon and tied in knot. Black happens to be the most popular color. However other colors like green, brown are also in vogue. The Kukui nut jewelries can be worn as necklace and also as bracelets.

You know what, I have always admired fashion conscious ladies since my early teenage. I still remember how my young English teacher at the high school adorned her ears with long wooden danglers. As she moved her head sideways while explaining the lessons, the danglers simply danced around her beautiful ears and caught our attention for an entire hour. Later on, I came to know that such wooden danglers can be easily made at home. All you have to do is cut out two stripes of reasonable length from a piece of ply and smoothen them with a sandpaper. Make sure you get the edges rounded. Drill small holes in each of them and attach a jump ring at it and attach it again with a hook. And there you are! That would look elegant as well as dandy!

Now while we discuss about fashion jewelries, how can the beads be left behind? You can make simple beaded earrings at home. Just grab a headpin, and put inside some beads of various colors. But the colors should be well synchronized. Get a round-nose plier and bend the extended portion of the earring at an angle of ninety degree. Bend the end of the headpin and complete the loop. Attach it with a French wire. And you are done with it.

If you are quite innovative, you can try this one too. Boil some eggs and peel off the outer hard layer. Make sure that the thin film inside is also removed. Coat them with two parts of epoxy coupled with a chemical hardener. Get a ceramic tile and coat it with petroleum jelly. Rest the egg shells over it and get them dried. After sometime, cut them out in different shapes and paint it with a nail polish. Once again you may implement some of your innovative skills by painting them with different colors. Drill a small hole and attach a jump ring.

I shall be happy if you like my ideas and try them out. But I would be happier if you discard them and try something different that comes to your mind.

After all, fashion is not about following the latest trends of market. Fashion is all about flaunting your own style that would reflect your own personality. Sometimes, the jewelry you wear may not go hand in hand with your personality. But once you are confident about your accessories, you can simply flaunt anything under the sun.

So what are you ladies waiting for? Just get going, full speed ahead!
(Jessica Parker | Published 01/10/2007 | Fashion)