Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark area, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening. More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it. Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control.

1. See a professional. This is always a good first step. Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous. A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques as needed.

2. Get a good night’s sleep. During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself. You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage. Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way. Not getting enough sleep for days on end will ensure that your body doesn’t work correctly. This will include your reaction to real or thought up events.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis. Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently. It helps to get more oxygen to the brain. It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them. It also uses up the endorphins that occur during the normal stress of the day.

4. Meditate. Meditation is more than chanting mantras. Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing. Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety. Take some deep breathes and relax your shoulders. You’ll be amazed at how much this simple act can relax you.

5. Manage the worry. When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten. As you count, focus on the situation. What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation than what is real.

6. Don’t use alcohol. You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant. In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process. It will also increase your feelings of anxiety and keep you from sleeping soundly.

7. Find some relaxing activities. Stress can rob you of your energy. On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music. In otherwords, find a hobby.

Anxiety can come into your life at any time. It’s normal. When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions. If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately. There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.

Five Mom-friendly Fitness Workouts

Once your baby is born you are filled with so much joy from the event. Unfortunately, this blessed event also comes with a few extras – weight gain and flaccid muscles for a major start. Here are five workouts moms can do inside and outside the house to get their pre-baby shape back (and front, lol).

When you first bring your baby home, the trick is how to get sleep and tend to your baby at the same time. The last thing you are thinking about is weight loss and this is a good thing. Adjust and bond at this time. After the first few months when baby begins to settle into a routine, you’ll have more time to think about your body. If you breastfeed, you probably know most of the good news. Breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract and return to its normal shape a lot faster that for mothers who do not and you are burning more calories by making the breastmilk.

New moms say they don’t have time to think about fitness even after baby learns to sleep. When the baby sleeps, they clean up and get a shower, possibly a nap. However, baby has changed his or her schedule after a couple of months and changing yours will benefit you and baby.

Now that baby is on a schedule, are you ready to lose that baby weight? Here are five ideas to use when baby is sleep or awake to get some exercise every day.

1. Go for a walk. Everyone needs fresh air. For a newborn, use a Snuggly to carry him if he is awake. You can talk to him while you walk. If baby is asleep or on the edge of sleep, bundle him up in a stroller and hit the pavement. Jog strollers allow more ambitious moms who would rather run to do so along with baby and stay safe. It’s important to have the breaks on your stroller if you decide to jog.

2. Do some baby weightlifting. Who needs barbells when you have a new baby in the house? If baby is awake, use him to strengthen those muscles. Place baby on your abdomen when doing crunches. Use him as your weight for bicep curls, military presses (carefully), and chest presses. Don’t forget to also do Kegel exercises & strengthen the pelvic floor to help get those out-of-position muscles back in shape.

3. Put in a DVD. The great thing about DVDs is that they can be stopped and started with the touch of a button. Starting slow with your workouts will ensure you stay with them. Try a twenty-minute program if that is all you have time for. As baby sleeps longer, increase the length of your workout. As baby gets older they will also love to be in their bouncy chairs and watch as mom shimmies around the living room.

4. Choose a gym with child care. Some women enjoy taking fitness classes. Getting out with others makes you feel like a real person again. A gym that has child care allows you to exercise without worrying that baby will wake up and interrupt. Or just hit your gym and get some time to yourself on the treadmill and the weight room.

5. Try water aerobics. You and your baby can take a water class. Babies live in water for nine months so they are used to it. Keep them in the water with you as you kick, twist and jog off the pounds. You might not sweat, but working the body in the water is a incredible workout.

Welcome to motherhood and trying to find balance. The beauty of our kids is they are ever changing. In turn so will our workouts and our schedules. Never boring at least

Stress is a natural and positive adaptation. Stress is what pushes us to get stuff done; however in our modern lives, the stress has built up too much and we don’t have enough releases. If we don’t get rid of this stress and anxiety, it can lead to serious health problems. There are many techniques out there to get rid of stress, but why not try one of the simplest options: positive thinking.

How we think controls what we do and how we handle our lives. If a negative thinker is in a stressful situation, they’ll spend their time worrying about the situation, anticipating the worst, and ignoring the positives. When a positive thinker is faced with a stressful situation, they instead focus on how they can overcome the situation an what they can learn from it. A negative thinker gets bogged down by anxiety while positive thinkers are busy solving and learning from hardship. Coincidentally, people who think positively are not only less stressed and better at coping, they’re also less likely to get communicable and non-communicable disease, have a greater sense of well-being, and they even live longer. So cut off those destructive negative thoughts and think positively.

You’re probably thinking “That’s nice, but how do I actually change my thought from negative to positive?” The truth is that most of our thinking is automatic. This means it takes time and effort to change our thoughts, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Take time to stop regularly throughout the day and reflect on your thoughts. Take specific negative thoughts you have and write them down. Next to them, write a positive version of each negative thought, then get rid of the negatives and keep the positives. Keep telling yourself the positive thoughts throughout the day. If you keep telling yourself the same things over and over, you’ll eventually start to believe them and start to think about them automatically.

If you have an anxiety disorder, you may find there are so many negative thoughts swirling around in your head they’re just impossible to get rid of. While you make one thought positive, 10 more negative thoughts pop into your head. Such an overwhelming amount of negative thought can be difficult to overcome. If you recognize this problem, then you’ll probably benefit from meditation. This is a breathing and focusing method used to relax your body and clear your mind. Once you remove obsessive negative thoughts from your head, then you can then start to replace them with positive thoughts.

The road to less anxiety is long, and it’s not easy. If you keep at it, you’ll eventually learn to live a happier, healthier, longer life.

I remember seeing comedy shows or skits when I was young where someone is practicing meditation. There was usually one person closing their eyes and “ohm”ing while the other person tried to imitate them or simply made snide remarks. While we used to look upon meditation as being funny, ridiculous, or just plain odd; we now know about all the benefits it has to offer. Originally, meditation was used to focus and gain religious knowledge. Now, it is commonly used to reduce stress and live longer, happier, healthier lives.

So why is mediation so helpful for relieving stress? First of all, it helps focus the mind on something that is deeply and spiritually rooted. By focusing on one thing, you’re forced to forget the world around you and all the stressors that come with it. By closing your eyes and sitting in a quiet room, you also filter out the sights and sounds that may stress you. Meditation also helps repair the physical and mental damage caused by stress. The chemicals present in your body actually change during meditation making you more relaxed and peaceful.

The relaxing benefits from above are only the short term benefits Those factors are only successful in filtering out stress that you’ve already experienced and making you relaxed during and after your meditating. The real benefit of meditation is its longer term effects. If practiced on a daily basis, meditation can actually balance the levels of hormones and other stress related chemicals on a day-to-day basis; even when you’re not meditating. This means that meditation will not only help you unwind at the end of a stressful day, it can also leaved you more peaceful and less stressed during your long day at work.

The best part about meditation is, unlike yoga, it requires no special physical skills. While good meditation requires mental skills, you can start small and build your way up as you get more practice. Here’s how to get started.

* Find a quiet room and sit in a comfortable position. There is no specific “better” position, just one where you feel comfortable and can relax.
* Close your eyes and relax your muscles. Do this by focusing on each individual muscle, starting at the feet and working your way up. Focus on the stress leaving each muscle as it relaxes.
* Begin to breathe slowly while you repeat your mantra. This can be anything from the traditional “ohm” to something you find personally important. If you are religious or spiritual, you can chant something related to your beliefs.
* If you find your mind wandering, don’t beat yourself up about it; simply remain calm and return to your focus word.
* After 15 to 20 minutes, you can stop meditating and sit quietly for a few minutes before you return to your regular life.

By doing this regularly, you will train your mind and body to be more relaxed, peaceful and focused. You will find this not only affects your stress levels, but also your physical and mental functioning.

Is there too much stress in your life? Is everything piling up and weighing you down? Perhaps you’ve tried pharmaceutical and herbal remedies, but nothing seems to work. You should try a proven natural therapy that has been used for generations to relive stress and make you feel better. So what is this miracle cure that makes us feel so great? It’s laughter. Laughter is nature’s way of easing tension and helping us relax. So take some time to laugh every day and you’ll be feeling better in no time.

So how does laughter work exactly? Well, laughter works on several levels to make us feel better and less stressed. First, laughter works to relieve stress physically. When we laugh, stress hormones in our blood, like cortisol, are actually reduced. Laughter also gives us a mini workout, which improves out health and releases hormones that make us feel happier. Lastly, when we laugh, it helps boost our immune system. The stronger our immune system is, the better we feel and the more prepared we are to combat stress.

Laughter helps us emotionally release stress as well. Our bodies are designed to release excess emotions physically through acts such as laughing and crying. When we laugh, it releases some of our negative emotions as well. It can also change the thoughts that promote our emotions. Laughter helps us think more positively, worry less, and be less stressed. Even if laughter doesn’t promote positive thinking, it can make us forget about our negative thoughts and feel better.

If you’re laughing with friends or loved ones, you are also promoting social bonding. When we are bonded with people, it promotes supportive relationships that can make us feel more supported and less burdened, so we feel less stressed out about our situation.

So what do you do if life just isn’t that funny? What if you just can’t find anything to laugh at? You fake it. That’s right, fake laughing. Consider one study done on forced laughter. Participants were asked to watch a movie and either not laugh at anything or laugh at the jokes whether they thought they were funny or not. After the movie, participants filled out a survey on how much they liked the movie. Believe it or not the people who laughed rated the movie as significantly better and funnier. Laughing, forced or not, improves the way you view the world and helps to fight stress from your everyday life.

In addition to stress relief, laughing has also been show to help you eat less, boost your immune system, increase your pain threshold, and even help you heal faster. So don’t delay. Whether it means going to a funny movie or laughing for no good reason at all, start laughing your way to a less stressful life today.

We all know that exercise is important for a strong body. Regular weekly exercise not only maintains a healthy weight, but it also helps the body to deal with stress. Just thirty minutes a day of physical exercise can relieve stress and improve your health pretty dramatically.

Exercise produces endorphins in the body. These endorphins produce a “feel good” attitude in the body. To continue to experience this feeling, people continue to exercise. You may have heard of the “runners high”. This is that feeling of those endorphins being released.

Exercise also increases the flow of blood to the brain. As a result, our mental clarity becomes sharper and we see solutions to problems where at first we thought there was none. Our cardiovascular fitness increases and we enjoy an abundance of energy for the tasks we face each day.

Exercise has so many benefits, so why don’t people do more of it? One reason that people don’t exercise is that they can’t find the time. What a pickle. We all need to find time to exercise so that we can take the time to deal with the stress in our lives.

For busy moms, exercising in the morning may be a good option. Before the day gets going and life happens, we can get our mental boost. In the morning, exercise can be done uninterrupted. You don’t need to go to a gym for a workout. Exercise videos and DVD’s are available that give just as good if not better workouts. And, you don’t have to get up, shower, get dressed and drive to the gym.

Another reason that people don’t exercise is that they don’t know what to do. They start out gung-ho and end up injuring themselves. The key to sticking with exercise is to find an activity that is at your pace and that you like to do. Yoga, for example, is a relaxing activity that teaches the body and the mind to work in tandem while strengthening the muscles and oxygenating the body.

Walking is still the best overall exercise and all you need is a good pair of shoes. Why not take a brisk walk around your neighborhood in the morning to clear your head and go over your schedule for the day. For working moms, lunchtime offers a chance to walk with friends and put the stress of work behind you. For families, walking in the evening after dinner is a way for everyone to de-stress and increases their health.

Exercise boosts our immune system. It prevents the depletion of minerals in our bodies that usually comes with a prolonged stress response. Have you noticed that people who are under a lot of stress often catch colds? This is why. Exercise can prevent this type of result by keeping our minds sharp enough to deal with the stress in our lives.

Exercise has many benefits including weight reduction, heart health, and stress relief. Thirty minutes or more a day can arm your body against the effects of stress. The endorphins can change your outlook on problems so that finding solutions is less of a struggle.

Single Mom Online Dating Safety Tips

If you have been out of the dating scene for a long time, it can be scary. Meeting new people in a romantic setting is daunting under the best of circumstances. For the single mom, dating must be balanced with caring for your family. Here are a few tips to date safely.

Many women, including single moms have turned to the Internet for dating help. It’s hard to meet men on your own as a single mom. Most of the time, you are with your children or running errands or working. There just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

All women want to find a decent man. Meeting a stranger for a blind date has the potential for danger especially if you don’t know anything about the person. Asking an unknown man to meet you at your home could put your family at risk if he turns out to be a less than stable person.

Online dating is the alternative to the singles bar scene. Single moms can meet men and learn something about them without the hassle of a bad first date. Without any pressure, a woman can be herself.

Online dating services usually offer trial periods were a person can try the service for free to see if it is what they are looking for. Detailed searches give you statistics about men in the age and interest group that you are interested in. Chats online also give you a chance to make first contact to find out what the perspective date is all about.

Single moms should remember to mention that they have children. This will weed out the men who are not interested in dating a woman with children. The point of online dating is not to waste your time, but to help you find a date without all the fuss of traditional methods.

Don’t give out too much information about yourself. The Internet has also become a place for predators to hide. The site will need your accurate information for sign-up purposes, but you can block all of this from ever being seen by anyone who views your profile. A picture is not necessary, so if you don’t feel comfortable sharing one, don’t.

Set up a first date when you are ready. Meet him at the restaurant or movie theater. This keeps you both on equal footing and increases your safety. Ask him to wear something distinctive like a red carnation so that he can be easily recognized by you.

Online dating is a new tool for single moms. You can meet men safely and on your own terms. And, when you are ready and sure, then you can initiate the love connection.

There are several forms of skin cancer: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and the worst form of skin cancer known as Malignant Melanoma. Let’s discuss what to look for, symptoms, and when you should contact your doctor.

Basal Cell Carcinoma: This is a common form of skin cancer usually caused by over-exposure to the sun. This type of skin cancer grows slowly, rarely spreads, and is seldom life-threatening. While it may vary in appearance, it is usually characterized by a small, flat module which gradually may turn into an open sore with raised edges. It appears frequently on the face, usually around the eyes, near the nose or on the nose, as well as on other sun-exposed areas including the back, chest, arms, and legs. For proper diagnosis and treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma, see your doctor.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma: This is also a common form of skin cancer which is rarely life-threatening. It starts as a small, firm, painless lump or patch, and resembles a wart or an open sore. It is also associated with over-exposure to the sun and can occur anywhere on the body. It is most common on the back of the hands or on the lips. If you have a lump on your skin that does not heal within three weeks, check with your doctor.

Malignant Melanoma: This is the most deadly form of skin cancer. It is sometimes associated with exposure to the sun, but can occur anywhere on the body including parts of the body not exposed to the sun. It most often appears on the face, upper chest or legs, and usually grows from existing moles. Malignant moles may bleed and can resemble sores that do not heal. If you think you have a melanoma, contact your doctor immediately.

Identifying skin cancers can be difficult. However, there are ways in which you can determine if you have any of the above three skin cancers.

Cancerous moles are often asymmetrical, that is, one half of the mole looks different from the other half. The outline of a cancerous mole can be uneven or have poor defined edges and may change over time. Melanomas can be very dark in color and contain shades of tan, brown, white, red, or blue. Moles that grow larger than a half inch across may be a sign of malignant melanomas, although smaller moles can also indicate malignancy as well.

As we move into the Summer months, please remember to use your sunscreen and take care of your skin just like you do the rest of your body.

It is of vital importance that each of us take some time out of each day for ourselves. With busy schedules, work, kids, and a million things going on in our lives each day, unfortunately this isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds. Sometimes it gets so unbelievably hectic that we even completely forget about ourselves, due to being so focused on tasks at hand.

But as impossible as it seems, it is extremely important to specifically set aside a little “me” time each day. The best way to accomplish this is to set aside your “me” time at the same time each day. If you can commit to just 30 minutes a morning or evening, this will help your outlook and mood immensely. However if it really isn’t possible to set aside a specific time, you still need to try and fit it in as you can throughout the day. You will be surprised at how much this affects your life!

“But what do I DO during my “me” time?”, you ask. Simply put, it is YOUR time, so do exactly whatever YOU want to do. Whether its reading a good book, meditating, taking a bath, watching T.V., or simply writing a letter to a friend, what is most important is that it is something that you want to do that pampers you!

When you do get your special time though, make sure it really is special. Go for the whole hog, so to speak. If you are going to take a bath, take one with lots of bubbles, candles, and hot tea. If you are going to read a book, curl up in front of the fireplace, get out a comfy blanket, and dim the lights. Make sure you make the absolute MOST of your special time.

Pay attention to your 5 senses when paying special attention to yourself. Make sure that you pamper your ears (music or relaxation CDs), eyes (either closed with cucumbers or a cool rag or open reading a book or watching something peaceful to you – whether it is the television or birds in your yard), nose (scented candles, incense and other scented items, mouth (make sure you have either your favorite drink or some chocolates or ice cream…whatever is a treat for you!), and finally touch (make sure you are as comfortable and relaxed as you can be!).

If you do this for only 30 minutes a day, or more if you can, you will notice a drastic change in your personality and outlook on life. I guarantee this is the best way to bring more positivity into your life!

Stephanie Davies is a 28 year old work at home mom to a 9 year old boy in Mid-Missouri. Her hosting company, Hosting WAHMs offers premium webhosting from $2 per month and up, with an easy to use sitebuilder! She also loves to knit, build websites, and talk to people.

The Scented Tub – Where Everything Smells Sweet!

So you are tired and stressed out day after day. You’ve had thoughts of yoga, meditation, and soothing spa experiences, but you either don’t have the time to do those things, or it is beyond your reach right now. Let me show you a few very simple, simple relaxation techniques that you can use at any time, without any effort or previous knowledge to accomplish – using candles! That’s right, using candles. Almost everyone has a candle in the house, most of us have several, and if you don’t have one, the nearest store is sure to have a grand selection.

To begin, you don’t need to have any certain type of candle. Almost any candle will work, big or small, soy candles, paraffin candles, beeswax candles, scented or unscented! Of course, scents will help with the relaxation, so I will give you a few ideas on which fragrances to use to help you to fully enjoy the benefits of candle relaxation.

Lavender is the fragrance most renowned for it’s relaxation benefits in aromatherapy. It’s a common ingredient in products aimed at relaxation and stress relief, such as pillows, bath oils, soaps and lotions. However it may not be the right fragrance for you. Some people find particular scents relaxing while others do not. For instance, the fragrance of warm cinnamon buns may smell like heaven to me, but may make you want to run to higher ground! Other fragrances may have bad memories attached to them in your own mind. For that reason, I recommend that you take into account your own personal preferences in choosing the scented products that are right for you. Other fragrances that have a strong reputation for relaxation are: chamomile, vanilla, ylang ylang, clary sage, bergamot, frankincense, and sandalwood. Although if you have strong allergies or are highly sensitive to scented items, we recommend going with an unscented candle for your own relaxation.

The color of the candle you use is very important when you are using candles for relaxation purposes. Use calming, muted colors to relax, such as pale blues, greens, white, or violet. Bright colors such as reds, oranges, and yellows can be stimulating to the mind and might make it harder to fully relax. I personally recommend candles of a blue color to relax, but if you personally really hate the color blue, you may use any light color that pleases your eye.

The first way to use candles in relaxation and stress relief is a very simple, yet utterly effective method. Simply take a deep breath, and stare at the flame of the candle while it is lit. Focus in on the area at the base of the wick where the flames color is blue. Watch how the colors subtly change as you stare into the flame. Take deep, calming breaths while relaxing and simply focusing on the candle flame. It helps if this is done in a darkened room, however the exercise is effective even while in a brightly lit space.

Another simple method for candle relaxation is to take your candle and a small pin or other object to “write” on the candle, and write the word “Relax” vertically on the surface of the candle. As the candle burns, on each letter, meditate on a single thought. It can be anything you want as long as it is a positive thought. As the candle burns to a new letter, change to a different meditative thought. This is a way of meditating while having a “timer” (the candle) to set a slow but relaxing pace while giving you a focus for your meditation.

Finally, candles and water can be an extremely effective combination. I recommend using floating candles in a combination with the first technique, or alternatively to place a candle in a bowl and place small attractive rocks or crystals around the base to anchor it, then placing a small amount of water in the bottom of the bowl. This is not only helpful for relaxation, but is also very decorative and in itself holds many ideas for decorating your home.

Of course, the act of simply having lit candles is very relaxing in itself. Whether simply around the house, in the bathtub, or during intimate moments, candles can enhance and bring peacefulness to our hectic lives. So the next time you are looking for a quick way to de-stress and ground yourself, look no further than the wax and wick!

Stephanie Davies is a 27 year old Missourian with a loving husband and an 8 year old son. She currently owns her own business, Mystickal Incense & More, and sells handmade candles, incense, bath & body products and more at http://www.mystickalincense.com