Are You Soakin? It Up?

?And holding it way down inside you like an old sponge? Be careful. Just like an old sponge that's held its liquid a little too long, we may start to get stinky in a day or two. I'm referring to "soaking up" all that wonderful information that comes to us mainly through our televisions, radios and computers. Information that is then refortified and nourished through conversations with our friends or relatives.

It's unfortunately a fact of life. Every minute of every day, the media presents "news" that is frequently disturbing. Coverage of terrorist acts, wars, airline crashes, natural disasters ? all kinds of information that show, sometimes in graphic detail, the tragic events of our world and the how they are impacting the lives of our fellow man. As I write this, the TV is blanketed with video footage, stories, commentary, interviews and speculation related to the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. The devastation is truly mind-boggling.

Here's the problem. Many of us humans have a tendency to become over-focused on these events. For some strange reason, beyond a reasonable desire to be informed, we find ourselves sitting in front of our televisions or our computers viewing, listening to and reading everything we can about the current "terrible event". We are "soakin' it up"!

The unfortunate result is that we soon start to feel the negative emotions associated with our current focus. Don't get me wrong. It's normal ? and good ? to empathize ? to feel compassion toward those people who are experiencing tough times. That's just a nice expression of our love toward our fellow man. It's not good for us personally however, to dwell on the negatives ? to continually shove this stuff into our little brains to ferment into mind sludge. Whether we consciously realize it or not, it won't take long for our bodies to respond to this mental goo. We may find that we're not feeling quite as well as we did a few days ago. We may find it harder to deal with the pressures of our personal lives. We may notice that our patience level has dropped somewhat ? that we're now kind of cranky and out of sorts. Whatever the effect, it's our body's normal reaction to a bombardment of negatives.

So here's a suggestion. If you find that you've been spending a lot of time in front of your TV or computer soaking up negatives - and you are having a tendency to "feel" the emotions associated with this mental input, take a break from it. Switch to the cartoon channel, watch a comedy video, take a walk, bathe the dog, read a book, work on your stamp collection, play with your kids, mow the lawn, go to the mall ? anything that will divert your attention away from the yucky stuff and more toward those things you enjoy doing. Give your mind a healing dose of positives. Trust me ? you'll feel better?

Gene Simmons, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles, quotations, thoughts and links along with affordable self-help and self improvement books & materials - all designed to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life's "secrets for survival" in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/

---

The Cost of Stress ? the Need to Monitor and Manage the Risks!

How much attention is paid to one of the biggest... Read More

Job Stress Management Tips

Today's workplace produces plenty of stress. Life's little hassles mount... Read More

Stress Managment and Mastery: Too Much to Do Stress - Write it Down, Break it Down, Knock it Down

"I've got too much to do, I've just got too... Read More

Music Therapy: Can Music Really Soothe The Savage Beast?

It has long been suggested that "music soothes the savage... Read More

Rested? The Three Keys to Finding True Rest, Just in Case

What do you think of when you see that word?... Read More

The Best Stress Relief and Its Free!

"Let your mind be quiet, realizing the beauty of the... Read More

The Benefits of Eating from a Jar of Honey

June is the month of the honey moon. Custom holds... Read More

Children Playing - How Play Is Important To Kids And Adults

You can learn a lot by watching children playing. There... Read More

Stress Management--Getting the Better of the Daily Grind

There are many kinds of daily grinds. In the U.S.... Read More

How Are You Achieving Rejuvenation for Peak Performance?

When was the last time that you truly took a... Read More

How to Stop Stress and Overwhelm Quickly!

My work often deals with proactive, preventive means to Overcome... Read More

Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Do You Worry All The Time?

Do you worry all the time?Do the following symptoms bother... Read More

Stress - A Modern Cause of Disease

Every day we are faced with a situation where our... Read More

7 Solutions for Practical Stress Management

Stress is amazingly persistent, even seductive. We get used to... Read More

Aromatherapy Candles Release Stress

Have you been feeling so stressful and almost losing your... Read More

Unmanaged Stress Kills and Ruins Lives! Sit a Bit

When I pay attention, I clearly see the arresting ways... Read More

Breathe Out Negativity And Stress!

If you have never tried combining your breathing exercises with... Read More

Stress Management

Have you ever said the words, "This job/my life is... Read More

Dealing With Frustration

If you're like most people, you have your bouts of... Read More

Minimize Stress in Your Life

Use these simple tips to minimize stress in your day... Read More

Stress Management and Mastery: Practicing Perspective

Q. I wonder if you could help me with a... Read More

Training Your Mind For Better Business and Leisure

Training Your Mind For Better Business and LeisureModern life moves... Read More

Ten Easy Relaxation Techniques

Stress is more than just unpleasant. It's dangerous. Try these... Read More

How to Relieve Stress

One question that is not asked enough by people under... Read More

Seven Steps to Reducing Stress and Reclaiming Your Life at Work

According to the StressPulse survey by ComPsych Corporation completed at... Read More

Stress Management - Overcoming Adversity

Adversity is an unavoidable part of life. Death of a... Read More

Tame Your Work Stress

Work stress has become a major problem today. The nature... Read More

Stress Managment: 5 Things to Clean Out of Your Mental Closet

ExcusesWe all have them. It amazes me how creative I... Read More

Stress Relief

Traffic jams. Toddler tantrums. Deadlines at work. Money troubles. Too... Read More

Reduce Stress and Enjoy More Sleep

If you suffer from insomnia of any kind, the chances... Read More

Haris Stress Inventory

Conceptualizing stress: Stress often has a negative connotation. Failure, illnesses,... Read More

Stress & Performance: How Much is Just Right?

WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYSExperts in the stress management field have... Read More

Social Phobia

Imagine going through your whole life in the constant fear... Read More