HOW TO HANDLE LIFE'S PROBLEMS

We hope that the following article (a short extract from one of my first manuscripts, HOW TO CONQUER STRESS AND NERVOUS TENSION may be informative and helpful to your ezine readers, or on your web site. (There are some amendments to this previously published piece, so replace, if you wish). You have permission to publish (formatted to 60 characters, approx) electronically or in print. If my article helps out others in any way, then I'm very happy. HOW TO HANDLE LIFE'S PROBLEMS (BUSINESS AND PERSONAL) by Craig Lock Try to enrich your life at all times. Your life is a gift - so enjoy it to the absolute fullest. But when things are going well (or so we think), suddenly things go radically wrong and our whole lives get turned upside down. Why is it that certain people have fewer problems and are less ill than others. They are happier people; because their OUTLOOK ON LIFE is different. I think so. They seem to have a power and control over their own lives. Something I don't seem to have at the moment - enough negative thoughts, Craig! The mind influences how we feel, how our body reacts to certain events and chiefly how successful we are in work and play. Therefore, it is a very strong force in our lives. When we first encounter adversity or severe trauma, it is our mind which has to cope with the unexpected. We first feel an intense shock, then there is disbelief, an overwhelming numbness, disorientation, consuming pain, panic...and finally exhaustion. These are very real responses for you in a major life crisis, which are difficult for others to understand. These reactions can vary in intensity and duration, depending on your personality make-up. Are you highly strung and an intense and sensitive "little soul", like me? The power of the mind is exemplified with placebos (nice word, that!). An ineffectual glass of water or a pill WILL make you feel better, when you believe it has medicinal properties and CAN help you (this is known as a placebo). They can also relax you more, help you to feel less anxious, fearful and enable you to sleep better. People with cancer can outlive the predictions of the medical fraternity, when they have faith and BELIEVE they will get better. On the other hand, on diagnosis of cancer some patient's conditions deteriorate drastically. They have now lost hope of ever getting better. It really is all in the mind (our health and everything that happens to us) and depends on our ATTITUDE to life. A positive attitude helps greatly in health and in happiness. If we rather see hardship as a challenge, it will greatly help us to pull through. That's what keeps me going here! I believe that people with strong minds can even postpone death. However, what normally happens in our daily lives? We usually tend to make excuses and find scapegoats for our condition, our "poor" situations. However, I definitely believe obstacles do not have to be insurmountable roadblocks on the pathway to achievement, success or happiness - because the mind is a very powerful tool. If used properly, it can be a very strong positive force in our lives. Our reactions come out of our feelings and our feelings come out of what we believe about ourselves. Even in the midst of the biggest life problems and severest human crises, you still have a CHOICE: You have FREEDOM to choose your thoughts, to THINK what you want. So, EMPOWER YOURSELF BY GAINING CONTROL OF THE MIND... and BELIEVE IN YOUR UNIQUENESS AS AN INDIVIDUAL - THE SPECIAL QUALITIES YOU POSSESS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON THIS WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL PLANET EARTH. BE HAPPY Craig Lock "When you can see no light at the end of the tunnel, light your own candle and let your light illuminate the world, like the radiance from a window at midnight." - - Craig Lock http://www.craiglock.com