Stress Management Magic

The workplace can be a major source of stress and physical tension.  If you don’t have a gym to use at work (and most of us don’t) you can relax and defuse office stress without leaving your desk.  You need to untie your knotty muscles.

The first way to begin to relieve the tension from jangling nerves, pulled up shoulders, tired eyes, and all kinds of stressors generated at work is to sit straight and take a deep breath.  You NEED oxygen!

When we are under stress the first reaction we have is stop breathing!  Think about it.  We kind of pull in a small breath and tighten up.

Take a deep breath, and another, and another.  Use “quick breath” if need be.  Quick breath is achieved by taking in several short bursts of oxygen and then expelling them in the same way.

Now TAKE THE TIME to do the following moves (one or all).

You will be better for yourself and more productive for what you are doing.

Start in a neutral position at your desk.  Your arms and legs should bend at 90-degree angles when you are seated.  Adjust the backrest or use a cushion to support your lower back. Relax and breathe in and out slowly.

Upper-back stretch: place your hands on your shoulders and twist at the waist until you feel a stretch across your upper back.  Return to center and twist the other way. Relax and breathe in and out slowly again.

Neck Roll:  Slowly drop your head to the left and then to the right. Drop to chest. Now drop your shoulders and lift your neck as if in traction.  Relax and breathe.

Chest Stretch:  Grasp you arms behind your neck and press your elbows back until you feel a pull across your chest.  Relax and breathe.

Arm Circles:  Raise your arms straight out from sides and rotate in small circles, first forward, then backward.

Relax and breathe.

Shoulder shrugs:  Rotate your shoulders five times in one direction. Reverse direction. Relax and breathe.

Side Stretch:  Lock fingers and left your arms over your head until elbows are straight.  Then lean to left, and to the right.  Relax and breathe.

Finger flex:  With hands in front and palms down, spread thumbs and fingers as far a part as you can.  Hold to count of five and relax.

Wrist twist:  Extend on arm in front of you.  Use the other hand to bend the outstretched fingers up and back.

Repeat with the opposite hand.  Breathe in and out again, slowly.

Foot Stretch: Point your toes.  Flex your toes towards you.  Do it several time.  Make circles going in one direction and then reverse.  Take a slowly and mindful breath thinking:  “I am giving my intellect a boost, and helping my body to relax.”

As you exhale think:  “All negativity is released with my exhalation.”

Pat yourself on the back for being bright enough to take this time to help manage your stress.   Smile and feel refreshed.

Create a wonderful day and remember…

To enhance your life you simply need to make up your mind to be persistent, pick your highway towards management-whether it is yoga, stress management classes, exercise, or videos, college classes, or other resources on the internet-and get started!

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As Jack LaLanne has said over his seventy plus year in fitness:  “Don’t be a positive talker, be a positive doer!”

Do you really want to change your life?

Visualizing is the process of creating detailed mental pictures of behaviors that you wish to create in your life.   The visualization becomes an actual rehearsal for life.  It can be a very useful supplement to your other efforts to overcome shyness, or a lack of self-confidence.

Using creative visualization is not simply positive thinking.  It is a learning process.  This process can be used to create harmony and happiness for you and those close to you.  It can be used as a “rehearsal” before a test or an audition.  Visualization can be a real aid to managing stress.

Researchers have shown that visualization is authentic.  A university study found that people could actually increase the amount of weight they could life by visualizing themselves doing so.

Daydreaming is a form of visualization.  The difference between visualization and daydreaming is that there are gaps in daydreams, and oftentimes in daydreams we picture events that will actually never take place. In visualization we visualize something that is actually more likely to happen.

You need to practice visualization when you know you can relax without fear of interruption.  Try to choose a time when no one else is home, or make a sign that says “Do Not Disturb” and tack it on the door.  It’s okay to tell people what you are doing, but you need privacy and quiet to begin a session.

It is important to be relaxed when visualizing because you want to subconsciously associate a feeling of relaxation with the “situations” you are about to mentally rehearse.  When you actually enter into the “situation” you visualized, you want to be able to recall that relaxed state vividly.

During the visualization you will begin to find your body progressively relaxing as you find yourself becoming an actual part of the scene.  The more you practice the easier it will be to recall the feelings.

All you have to do is try to visualize the scene, and if fact, become a part of it. As you continue to practice you will be able ultimately rehearse for many of life’s stresses and their resolve.

Miracles of healing and excellence in your life are available for you if you are willing to dedicate a small, but consistent amount of time, each day, to practicing and retaining these techniques. Using creative visualization is a learned process. Each time will become easier.

Easy Steps

1. You need no special regimen other than relax with deep breathing for a few minutes before beginning your visualization.  Take off your shoes and put your feet up, be still and breathe to a quiet mood.

2.  Close your eyes and picture the scenario that is causing you worry or distracting you.

3.  Now visualize the exact same scene again, but this time picture yourself responding as you wish to respond.  Picture yourself performing effectively, self-confidently, and successfully.

4.  Visualize what you would like to have happen.  Visualize this scene until you have worked out all the details, the best approach, and how you will feel relaxed and confident.

As with any skill, remember with practice your visualizations will improve.  Be realistic about your visualizations and picture scenes that actually can happen if you believe and go forth with a great attitude.

True Story

I worked with a seventeen year old young man who dreamed of pitching in the majors.  Initially I “threw” the ball with instruction and

information to help him.

He “caught” the ball and was determined to visualize himself in the big league and pitching a “no hit” game.  He practiced every day in his room for 20-30 minutes.  He told me he did this for several months.

To my delight, when I spoke to his mother some months later he was signed to a major league team, and his first game he pitched a “no hitter”.  He gave me the credit, but it was not mine to my credit, but to his.

This young man did it all entirely through the REPEATED practice of what he realistically felt he could do.  He rehearsed until it came to fruition.

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You never know what can happen unless you try!

Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Stress Management

Progressive muscle is a very effective and widely used strategy for stress relief.  The wonderful thing about this particular management technique is that it is really not difficult at all.

It involves systematically tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in the body.  The preferred method for this relaxation is to be in an area where you can be laying down, preferably in a darkened area, and undisturbed for at least fifteen-twenty minutes.

With regular practice (as with any relaxation technique) it becomes easier to achieve the desired results.  Progressive muscle relaxation will give you an intimate familiarity with what tension really is, as well as what it feels like to completely relax your muscles.

This awareness helps you spot and counteract the first signs of the muscular tension that accompanies stress. As your body relaxes, so will your mind.

You should always combine deep breathing with progressive muscle relaxation for an additional level of relief from stress, and to aid the muscles to relax further.

The most wonderful thing this relaxation teaches you is this. ..You will become cognizant of the “feeling” when muscles begin to tense from stress.  You will find yourself feeling the change and be able to reverse the effects of stress, taking a toll on you, by breathing into the muscles consciously.

Most everyone has a tendency to restrict their breathing when they are frightened, anxious, or feeling overwhelmed. It is not “natural” to restrict one’s breathing at such times, but for most of us it is a default habit nonetheless. Mindful breathing with this relaxation will reawaken you to the process of breathing, and help you to reverse degenerative breathing habits.

You can relieve neck tension and tight shoulders through this awareness, and the beautiful thing is you can do “mini-progressive relaxations anywhere and any time you choose!

Progressive muscle relaxation begins at the feet and works up to the face. It is preferable to have a practitioner if you are a novice.

HOWEVER, you can learn to do this simple relaxation on your own, if you are motivated to change your life, and willing to be patient in reaping the rewards as you practice.

Concentrate on these areas for the relaxation:

Right foot

Left foot

Right calf

Left calf

Right thigh

Left thigh

Hips and buttocks

Stomach

Chest

Back

Right arm and hand

Left arm and hand

Neck and shoulders

Face

Loosen your clothing, take off your shoes, and get comfortable.

Take a few minutes to relax, breathing in and out in slow, deep breaths.  This will begin to provide your muscles with abundant oxygen.  When we get “stressed out” our breathing becomes shallow.

When you are relaxed and ready to start, shift your attention to your right foot.  Focus on the way it feels.

Slowly tense the muscles in your right foot, squeezing at tightly as you can. Hold for a count of 10.

Relax your right foot. Focus on the tension flowing away and the way your foot feels as it becomes limp and loose.

Stay in this relaxed state for a moment, breathing deeply and slowly. Visualize the oxygen permeating your body.  When you exhale visualize the carbon dioxide carrying tension outside your body and vaporizing into infinity, leaving no trace in your “expression” of life.

When you are ready, shift your attention to your left foot.  Follow the same sequence of muscle tension and release.

Move slowly up through your body – legs, abdomen, back, neck, face – contracting and relaxing the muscle groups.

To close the relaxation, tighten muscles progressively from the feet to the face and hold the entire body taut for a few seconds.  Release and command the muscles to relax, and actually feel them relax.  Wait a few minutes, stretch and return to the outer world you live in – more relaxed and feeling better.

Smile.  Play Games.  Overcome anxiety.  Love your children.  Take a breath.  It’s up to you to change your life and manage your stress!

Did you know that unmanaged stress can play a huge role in our bodies succumbing to various diseases.

A famous cancer specialist, Dr. Carl Simonton, wrote: “There is considerable research that points to stress as being an influencing factor in the susceptibility of and resistance to cancer, as well as to the course of the disease itself.”

Stress itself is emphasized by noting that both endocrine and immune functions are so sensitive to the influence of stress that measurable effects can be noted and characterized in both animal and human studies.

External stressors seem to overload human systems, particularly if the bodies have already been exhausted from the internal stress of not getting needs met for a long time.  It is probable that this research can support the role of stress in many other chronic and catastrophic diseases.

Negative thoughts (or black thoughts) when allowed to travel from the brain to the organ systems cause such stress on the systems that eventually they become overloaded and cannot even recognize there is a problem.  It is then a person can succumb to chronic and catastrophic diseases such as heart attacks, adrenal failure and cancer.

The way you view life situations can create a healthier life for you if you change negative thoughts to positive ones.

Below are simple activities than can help you live more in control of your stresses.  You will come to manage stress more effectively than you ever imagined.

1.  Make realistic “to do” lists, and check off tasks when done.

2.  Learn to live with unfinished tasks – only a corpse is completely finished!

3.  Slow your pace of talking, walking and eating.

4.  Leave time in your schedule for the unexpected.

5.  Move through your day slow enough to experience beauty in the environment.

6.  Find time each day to PRACTICE relaxing – whether it is in the form of a yoga class, meditating, praying, or simply mindful breathing breaks throughout the day.

7.  Use any waiting in line or stopping for lights as an opportunity to practice deep breathing techniques.  You will relax, regenerate and empower yourself by doing so.

8.  Remember certain types of music can help your heat rate to slow, and your blood pressure to lower to healthy numbers.

9.  If you can “delegate” or leave details to someone else (at home or in the office), take advantage of lightening your load by doing so.

10. As yourself whether that pressing “something” must be done this hour/ or this day.  Would it be catastrophic if you couldn’t squeeze it in?  If so, then practice your breathing so your intellect will sharpen and your shoulders and neck will stay relaxed and supple.

Now take a breath or two, stretch a bit, and go forth in a more relaxed manner to success in your endeavors in this life of yours!

If you have a few minutes to spend on an easy project:  enter our contest!  Some great stress management gifts will be awarded.  Check the upper left- hand corner for rules. 

Deep Breathing and an Online Practice!

This is not new to anyone who has been to this website prior to this day.  We will tout the benefits of mindful breathing on a regular basis, as it is the actual cornerstone of any other relaxation technique you undertake.

Deep breathing is a powerful tool that can be practiced almost anywhere, and will provide you with a quick way to get your stress levels in check.  You can use this tool at work, in the car at a stop sign, during class, at home, and even prior to a job interview or test.

The physiology of your body (the way the body works and responds to what you do to it) is such that if you pay attention to your full cleansing breaths, you will reap benefits in the stress management arena that you never dreamed could be so easy and readily available.

Learn this skill and rewire your brain.

How to breathe deeply

The key to the whole process is to breathe deeply from the abdomen, getting as much fresh air as possible to your lungs.  When you think of your abdomen, think of it as a balloon, filling from the bottom to the top.  Shallow breathing happens in your upper chest.  Deep abdominal breathing actually makes you feel less tense, less short of breath, less anxious, and provides optimal oxygen to your lungs and entire body.

Your neck and shoulders will relax and your brain will receive the oxygen you need to think more intelligently, and respond with a calmer demeanor, as opposed to responding with raw emotion.

Your brain needs fifty percent more oxygen than the rest of your body, and when you use deep breathing you are satisfying all the needs of this wonderful human machine.

To truly get in the habit of this kind of breathing, it would be perfect if you take just ten minutes a day and find a quiet place to stretch out and practice.

If this is impossible, then shame on you – you will never be able to manage all the stresses in this day and age if you can’t provide yourself with a ten minute recess to regenerate.  After all, you are reading to find a resolve, so please find that time period each day.

If you simply refuse to believe you can be allotted that time, then begin by taking a few minutes right here, and right now, to practice this easy and effective method.

Do it now

Sit comfortably with your back straight, and place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdominal area.

Breathe in through your nose and feel the hand on your abdominal area rise as you begin to feel the balloon.  The hand on your chest should move very little.

Exhale through your mouth and push out as much air as you can while your contract you’re abdominal muscles, emptying from the bottom upward.  The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale but the other hand move very little.

Continue inhaling and exhaling in this manner.  Inhale enough so that your lower abdominal area rises and falls.  Count slowly as you exhale and remember you are emptying the area for fresh oxygen to regenerate and relax you.

Do this for a minute or two, several times a day.  If you cannot do it perfectly do not worry about it.  Practice will help.  As you do this you will be using the number one tool and you WILL REAP BENEFITS IMMEDIATELY.  Though it seems too easy to believe, IT WILL HAPPEN.

(When at home, if you are having a difficult time doing this, place a small book on your stomach and try to breathe so the book rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale.)

Learn to breathe and make 2010 the best year ever for family, friends, and yourself!

CREATE a wonderful day and use this Free and Portable tool!

Marsha J. O’Brien

http://www.stressmanagementmagic.com/2010/02/contest-stress-free/

The little things can drive you crazy!

Here is how to manage them effectively.

Below is a partial list of the reality of constant “little irritants”. Recognize any of them?

1. People criticizing and then telling you a better way to do

your jobs, manage your home, or raise your children

2.  Ants in the kitchen

3.  Traffic

4.  Rude people

5.  Dropping something that spills or breaks

6.  Someone who pretends to listen

7.  Being put on hold and then being disconnected

8.  Parents screaming four letter words at their children

9.  The neighbor’s dog barking all day long.

10.  All the cats on the street turning your front porch plants           into urinals.

11.  The sound of the ba-boom coming from speakers in a car three blocks away.

12.  Being told the cost of living hasn’t gone up so there will be no increase for senior citizens.

13.  Looking in your rear view mirror only to find someone riding you so closely if you just took your foot off the gas pedal they would be sitting in your front seat

14.  Sick people coughing and sneezing while they are a work

15.  Not being able to get the lid off of a container or jar

16.  The puppy shredding paper all over the house

17.  Kids yelling

18.  When your entire day changes because of little sequences   of life you didn’t expect

19.  When you are in a hurry and everything and everybody seems to move in slow motion

20    Constipation  (really)

21.  You get to the meeting fifteen minutes early only to   discover that it started fifteen minutes earlier than your arrival

…..and the list goes on and on and on – day after day after day!

You probably can add fifty things to the list that haven’t been mentioned.  So WHY do these things irritate you?  After all, they aren’t life threatening; they are just bothersome.

The incident isn’t the biggest problem, but just the trigger for an overload of stress and a possible explosion of emotion!  The idiom “the straw that broke the camel’s back” is an old Arab proverb.   It refers to a camel loaded beyond it’s capacity; hence, the broken back. This is a reference to any process by which cataclysmic failure is achieved by a seemingly inconsequential additional event. This also gives rise to “the last straw” often used when something is deemed to be the last in a line of unacceptable occurrences.  Everyone suffers from this at one time or another in his or her life.

You know now that these events are simply triggers and a release that may be less troublesome to resolve – a bit of yelling or snappy answer and it’s over.  What you haven’t attended to is the underlying cause that will cause these events to trigger your emotions over and over again.

One or all of these methods can help you to manage these events calmly.

1.  Laughter.  Usually there is something that can tickle your silly bone if you search for it.  Even if it’s ironic humor, laughter will lighten the situation and trigger a more positive response.

2.  Use your oxygen immediately to manage your stress.  Breathing slowly and deeply will get oxygen to your brain and muscles and ligaments.  You will respond more intelligently and your shoulders will relax.  This is a method that is ALWAYS

AVAILABLE and its FREE.  Empower yourself, if you do nothing else in the management arena, learn to use this secret weapon.  It works mentally and physically – that’s the way human kind is built!

3. Keep in mind, we are all human and “stuff” happens to the best of us.  This is just a fact of life.  This trigger incident will be over quickly if you let it.

4.  Divert your attention to something that is really higher on the priority list.  You may have to clean up a mess or handle the scenario, but make it quick and positive.  You have more important stresses to attend to than the occurrence of these little irritants.

5.  To begin to really attend to the “big stresses” – you have many options:  stress reduction exercises, meditation, on line websites, personal training.  Don’t give up.  Take a breath and learn how to help yourself!

“Things do not change: we change.”

Henry David Thoreau

*Why not enter our contest (upper left corner). You have the chance to win some great prizes.*

Death is never easy, whether your relative or friend dies at a hospital, or home, or in your arms.  No matter how prepared you think you are for the event, temporarily you may hit the bottom of the barrel.  It is a shock.  No one ever thinks death will hit home so closely.

The reality of life is that all humans are bound to die at some point.  That is simply part of life.  It doesn’t make it easier to accept when it happens.

What you can do is this.  Pull yourself together by allowing yourself to have moments to breathe and cry. It’s absolutely okay to have personal periods of mourning and learning to accept the loss.

Contact family and friends for support.  You will be amazed at how everyone will pull together to help you, if they can.

If no one lives near you, or you are absolutely alone, try to find human contact however you can.  Very few people will simply extricate themselves for any length of time from others, though a few people really will choose to mourn privately.  It is a choice.

What has happened is the starkest moment of realization that you are alive. No one knows why one person dies and another remains a living soul.  You now realize, more than ever, life is fragile and there is no guarantee of time allotted to do the things you are working towards.

From the prospective of stress management, remember it will take time to adjust to the fact that this human relationship has ended forever.  Do not be too hard on yourself for any dissension you had prior to the death of this individual.  It happens.  It has no merit now to torture yourself for mistakes you may have made in the relationship with the departed.

Unresolved scenarios are the most difficult to handle, but handle it you will – you have no choice except to do so.  Forgive yourself and find peace where you can.

Initially there will be a brief blitz when people arrive to offer their consolation.  There will be a flurry of activities, food, flowers and hugs.  There will probably be a service and prayers offered.

However the final good-by is handled, whether there is a cremation or burial, remember to use your mindful breathing to calm yourself and help you find a tender mix of intelligent choices with your emotions

Everyone responds differently.  You will find unexpected people popping in to offer sympathy.  Others you may have assumed would be there simply may not opt to, or be able to be there for the events

Try to have great understanding in this are as they have the right to handle “death” in whatever manner they are able. There is no hard and fast rulebook on reactions that may manifest.

Be respectful and supportive of the individual’s decisions in this matter.  Remember too, with the economic trials many people face, it simply may not be possible for family or friends to drop everything, get off work, or travel to be by your side.

Remember the great moments.  Revel in the time spent together with the deceased.  There are stages of grief and you will experience every one of them during the healing process.

For now, take a breath; use your oxygen to empower yourself. You are alive and able to make changes right now!  Don’t punish yourself for the fact you are still here – be grateful you have the opportunity to go forth in a positive and powerful way.  Make your life worthwhile by living it moment-by-moment to the best of your ability and attending to what is really important.

Take a breath.  Say a prayer.  Hug someone.  Tell someone you love him or her.    Spend time with those people in your circle of life and move forth to heal.  Celebrate life. There is no other GOOD choice.

Thoughts drive our “action and reaction”, our responses to life. Thoughts manifest into how you conduct your life.  The following is a list of tried and true positive thoughts, that when thought or spoken, repeatedly, can help manage your stress.

These are positive thoughts are for your enhancement as a human being, and for all those in your circle of life, whether at work or home.

You can refer to them as mantras, meditation, or just positive thoughts. You can think of them as prayers confirming your beliefs in the power your Creator has given to you.  Apply them to your life repeatedly, and see what happens.  No one can do it for you, and it certainly can’t hurt you!

As you read each one, take in a deep breath and assimilate what you are reading.  As you finish a thought, exhale and visualize negativity leaving you.  Then begin again.  This will give you two-fold benefits!

This requires desire, dedication and repetition.

This requires desire, dedication and repetition.

We are creatures of habit.

Whatever is pertinent to your needs are the ideas you should pay attention to; perhaps only for or five at a time, and then return to practice the others later.  Whatever is appropriate and will help the most in your life.

A great way to keep practicing without having to return to the computer is to simply copy and print these, and carry them in your wallet, post them near your desk, or tape them on a refrigerator.

If you fill your mind with positive and healing thoughts you will find you have less and less time to be filled with worry and fear.  It works!

1.   I will never let another be in charge of my actions, my healing, my thoughts, nor my heart.  I am in charge.

2.  I will dismiss all undue anxieties, and picture my life, as I want it to be.

3.  I am my own and have a choice in every word I speak and every action I take.

4.  I am an individual creation in the process of becoming my elevated destiny.

5.  I am able to shift my thoughts from emotion to intellect and back again to have a fine mix of both.

6.  I am healing, mentally and physically.

7.  I am learning, step by step.

8.  I will stop trying to control the present and the future.

9.  I will accept those things that I must accept.

10.  I will be courageous moment by moment.

11.  I will smile more.

12.  I will celebrate each moment with vigor.

13.  I can.  I will.  I am becoming what I see in my dreams and

feel in my heart.

14.  I will await the next change in life with anticipation,

regardless of the challenge it may require.

15.  I will use the gift of “breathing” for my empowerment.

16.  I will never loose sight of the light before, and I will keep

my path in focus.

17. This moment is a new beginning.  I will savor it and hope

for the best.

18.  I will read again, and think again, these thoughts and positive thoughts of my choice.

As you think, so shall you become

CREATE a wonderful life for you and your loved ones.  It is possible and easier than you can imagine.  Practice these over and over.  It certainly can do no harm!

This is a stepping-stone to stress management for a lifetime.

If you find you need additional help  (most people do) – seek it by find stress management classes, joining a yoga class, or contact one of the fine organizations advertised on this website or the many other sites available.

Marsha

http://www.stressmanagementmagic.com/2010/02/contest-stress-free/

Thoughts drive our “action and reaction” responses to life. Thoughts manifest into how you conduct your life.  The following is a list of tried and true positive thoughts, that when thought or spoken, repeatedly, can help manage your stress.

These are positive thoughts are for your enhancement as a human being, and for all those in your circle of life.

You can refer to them as mantras, meditation, or just positive thoughts. If you apply them to your life you can change your life.  No one can do it for you.

This requires desire, dedication and repetition.

This requires desire, dedication and repetition.

The following thoughts can transform your life, one thought at a time.  Pick whatever is applicable to your need and use the thoughts as a reminder when you feel the time is appropriate.

1.   I will never let another be in charge of my actions, my healing, my thoughts, nor my heart.  I am in charge.

2.  I will dismiss all undue anxieties, and picture my life, as I want it to be.

3.  I am my own and have a choice in every word I speak and every action I take.

4.  I am an individual creation in the process of becoming my elevated destiny.

5.  I am able to shift my thoughts from emotion to intellect and back again to have a fine mix of both.

6.  I am healing, mentally and physically.

7.  I am learning, step by step.

8.  I will stop trying to control the present and the future.

9.  I will accept those things that I must accept.

10.  I will be courageous moment by moment.

11.  I will smile more.

12.  I will celebrate each moment with vigor.

13.  I can.  I will.  I am becoming what I see in my dreams and

feel in my heart.

14.  I will await the next change in life with anticipation,

regardless of the challenge it may require

15.  I will use the gift of “breathing” for my empowerment.

16.  I will never loose sight of the light before, and I will keep

my path in focus.

17. This moment is a new beginning.  I will savor it and hope

for the best.

18.  I will read again, and think again, these thoughts and           positive thoughts of my choice.

This is a stepping-stone to stress management for a lifetime.

If you find you need additional help  (most people do) – seek it  by find stress management classes, joining yoga, or contact one of the fine organizations advertised on this website or the many other sites available..

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CREATE a wonderful life for you and your loved ones.  It is possible and easier than you think, for as you think, so shall you become.

Marsha

http://www.stressmanagementmagic.com/2010/02/contest-stress-free/