Personal Collection By Christinchen (Online Seller)

Holidays Making You More Stressed Out?

Every once in a while, when there are too many things to look forward to - such as this long holiday in the Philippines from October 31 Halloween to All Soul's Day - and we go on a long much-needed vacation to de-stress yet end up all the more tired, then I suppose it is time to try this 7-days program to stress management!

They say there's more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It's a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.

And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the edge.

As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and believe me there are many guises when it comes to stress. Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that you can carry once you head out that door. You can't blame them for being like that; they have their own reasons, so much like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. They say that stress is all in the mind, well, what's bugging you anyway?

There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of your life one of these days. So now, we'll try to divide it into a seven-day course for you and promise it's not going to be too taxing on the body, as well as on the mind.

1. Acknowledge stress is good
Make stress your friend! Based on the body's natural "fight or flight" response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. I've yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.

2. Avoid stress sneezers
Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too!

Protect yourself by recognizing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you've got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage themselves.

3. Learn from the best
When people around are losing their head, who keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced?
Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.

4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing
This is something I've learned from a gym instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.

5. Give stress thoughts the red light
It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. "If this happens, then that might happen and then we're all up the creek!" Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly?

Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong - how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?

6. Know your trigger points and hot spots
Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines…. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down!

Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee?

Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?

7. Burn the candle at one end
Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it's often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don't burn the candle at both ends!

So having stress can be a total drag, but that should not hinder us to find the inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a long time. In any case, one could always go to the beach and bask under the sun.

Daylight Saving Time Fall Back On November 6th

Get into my thoughts from Colorquiz, again!

Your Existing Situation
"Seeking for her own identity, is sensitive and seeks close nurturing relationships and environments. Has an eye for beauty and a desire to have her emotions protected and further developed."
Your Stress Sources
"Demands to be noticed by others as an important individual, needs attention and recognition. her current situation is leaving her dissatisfied. she feels she needs to make friends with those who hold the same high standards she does. Wants to stand out as someone at the top of her class and be admired by others. she needs to feel in control which makes it difficult to give of herself to another person. she feels isolated and alone but refuses to appear weak and continues to be emotionally distant from others in order to keep her attitude of superiority. "

Your Restrained Characteristics
"Struggles to make her demands clear, but feels ignored. Feels resentful, but acts as if she doesn't care, doing what is necessary to keep peace."
Open and emotionally involved in relationships. Feels as if too many walls and obstacles are standing in her way and that she is being forced to make compromises. she needs to put her own needs on hold for the time being.

Your Desired Objective
"Looking for a loving relationship, which brings happiness and contentment. Brings emotional excitement to the relationship. Helpful and willing to give as much as she takes, and requires the same sort of giving relationship from others. "
Your Actual Problem
"Wants to be valued and respected, seeks a close and peaceful relationship with a shared respect of each other."
Your Actual Problem #2
Needs to find a stable and peaceful environment which will free her of the worries that are preventing her from achieving the things she wants.

Yes, friends, I'm in a pickle again. It's a long-standing problem that involves only me. Please just pray for me that everything will be alright. I hope to say something about it soon, I've been meaning to before - but ...
Will be back soon :)

Health Benefits Of Cinnamon

As millions of people throughout the world suffer from diabetes and the number continues to climb, many of these people could benefit from an easily accessible product such as cinnamon. Surprising, isn't it?

Yes, this aromatic spice, which most of us love and have in our kitchen, has been shown to have the power to cut blood sugar levels nearly as much as statin drugs!



The magic ingredient in cinnamon is believed to be a substance called MHCP. The MHCP is thought to be the reason cinnamon reignites the ability of fat cells in diabetics to respond to insulin and dramatically increase glucose removal.

Two new studies reveal new evidence for the beneficial effects of cinnamon as an anti-inflammatory agent and support earlier research of its power as an anti-oxidant agent and an agent able to lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose, and improve the functioning of insulin.

However, before you run out and buy a case of cinnamon, keep the following in mind. Eating mouthfuls of cinnamon straight from the bottle may not be the best solution. Table cinnamon is not water soluble, which means it can build up in the body with unknown consequences.

Also, some of the beneficial qualities of cinnamon, such as lowering total cholesterol, only occurred by taking the capsule form. It is believed that a person’s saliva may have some harmful effects on cinnamon.

Do not despair; there are still plenty of benefits if you don’t have time to get cinnamon capsules. It is my guess that most of us will just use the cinnamon we have sitting in the cupboard.

Just a half a teaspoon a day is all you need to get the blood sugar reducing benefits. You can also get the effect by simply soaking a cinnamon stick in your next cup of tea.

While many type II diabetics are finding a great improvement in their health with cinnamon supplementation, the good news does not end with help for diabetes. Many non-diabetics are discovering the energy boosting properties of this wonderful spice and use cinnamon as a daily energy tonic.

The powers of cinnamon cannot be denied and its help for some diabetics and pre-diabetics has been nothing short of miraculous. Of course, this does not mean to rush out and gorge on cinnamon desserts. There is too much sugar in that diet. The best options are taking capsules or sprinkling a half teaspoon of cinnamon on what you normally would eat like your oatmeal or porridge

Don’t forget to inform your doctor before taking cinnamon as it might have interactions with other medications.

Aloe Vera Health Benefits

Aloe Vera (which means True Aloe) has been used for thousands of years and is still present in varieties of medicines today. It is used predominantly as an herbal remedy for the skin, digestion, the reproductive system and detox. A gel or pulp can be extracted from the plants for many benefits, both externally and internally.


It is most commonly used to treat skin conditions by soothing the skin and easing pain and inflammation. It can even speed up the healing process of burns, eczema and other conditions. The plant’s gel can be rubbed to reduce redness after a couple of days. Rubbing the leaf over cuts in the skin can prevent infection and speed up the healing process by acting like a bandage. Because of aloe vera's healing and moisturising benefits to the skin, it has been adopted by cosmetic companies and added in many products.

The juice of Aloe Vera can be extracted by cutting the leaf, collecting the juice and then evaporating it. The juice has many benefits when taken orally. It contains twelve vitamins (including A, B1, B6, B12, C and E), nineteen amino acids and over 20 minerals, which most of these are essential to the body. Aloe Vera is also known for its ability to clean the liver and protect the digestive system by reducing intestinal inflammation.

Natural Ways To Fight Fatigue In The Morning

Early in the morning...

Wake up to soothing music. If you wake to an alarm, set it to play your favorite music instead of a loud jarring, annoying buzz. Pleasing music will still wake you up and is much more invigorating and relaxing than the traditional alarm.


Stretch and rise. When you wake, take a few moments to enjoy the stillness. Blink your eyes. Take several deep, relaxing breaths. Open and close your hands. Loosen your shoulders, and release any energy-draining tension in your jaw, shoulders, and every other spot on your body. Slowly stretch your neck, and arch your back. By easing out of sleep, you retain more of the invigorating power of that sleep.

Think positively about the upcoming day. Imagine yourself at your best, having fun and getting many things accomplished. This initial impression of what's ahead really matters for your energy level.

Give yourself a reason to get out of bed. To break the snooze-button habit, give yourself something to look forward to every morning. Email an old friend on your way out of the office at night so you can't wait to check your incoming mail the next morning.

Start off with a tall glass of water. When you open your eyes in the morning, your body is already thirsty; all night long you lose water with every exhaled breath. To combat this energy-sapping drought, drink a big glass of water or two as you get out of bed.

Ease off the sugar. Sweet breakfasts are an energy disaster, since nothing plummets your blood sugar faster after an initial kick than concentrated forms of simple carbohydrates such as corn or maple syrup. Any sweet topping with corn syrup in it - such as the typical maple-flavored syrup or a lot of jellies - is an especially good bet to spike-and-dip your blood sugar to lethargic levels.

Have a hearty breakfast. What happens to your energy in the hours that follow breakfast will depend on what you eat before you head out or get started on the day's chores. When you eat a low-fat, high-fiber breakfast - even a small serving - you switch on and turn up your energy.

A little goes a long way. You don't need a five-course meal in the morning. Keep it simple - an apple, banana, orange, or half a grapefruit, for example, with some whole grain toast or a whole grain bagel with nonfat cream cheese on top, and a cup of tea or coffee. Or try mixing whole grain cereal with a 4-oz serving of nonfat or low-fat yogurt.

Don't forget your OJ. The vitamin C in your morning glass of orange juice helps your body make a substance called carnitine, which muscles need in order to burn fat as fuel for energy. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C is an easy way to help keep fatigue at bay.

Make it easy to exercise. Encourage yourself to exercise in the morning by laying out your clothes the night before. Simply seeing them beside your bed will help remind you - and inspire you - to get up and get moving.

Shower yourself with energy. A long, hot shower really gets you going in the morning. To get the most out of your shower, try using a body brush and an herbal shower gel that contains energizing aroma such as lemon or pine. Finish off with an invigorating splash of cold water.

Sing out loud. One expert suggests you'll get more energy in the morning if you sing in the shower. Even if you do it badly, singing makes you breathe more deeply - especially if it's loud and involves a lot of words.