Category Archives: Uncategorized

Reducing Stress Through Exercising

by

School and work can be really stressful. Both of these require you to accomplish a lot of tasks. Most of the time, they even make you forget about taking care of yourself. You tend to allot all of your time studying or working. Sometimes, you even forget to eat and take a bath just because you need to accomplish a project. These two can take all your time. However, it is not healthy to be always drawn to your work and to your school requirements. It is still very important that you have time to take care of yourself. You must still aim to be physically fit because if you are not and if you are all stressed out, you would not be able to accomplish the tasks you have to do with the amount of quality they require.

Exercising can help you reduce stress. There are various ways you can do to minimize the stress you are feeling without consuming drugs and other artificial processes. Walking, for example, is a very good stress reliever. Instead of using a treadmill and use up electricity, getting in touch with nature and walking or jogging in the morning can be a much better option. You do not only get the chance to lose weight and be more fit. You also get the chance to reduce the stress you are experiencing by inhaling fresh air and encountering nature. Aerobics can help you minimize stress, as well. This type of exercise will make your heart pump and your blood circulate faster. This will help endorphins to flow which makes the whole process a stress-relieving activity. Exercise routines which help strengthen muscles do not actually have proven benefits when it comes to reducing stress but some people find these as such. Another type of exercise such as yoga is believed to reduce stress, as well. It helps you relax your mind and body since they include meditation and deep breathing. Both of these are said to be processes which can lower down your blood pressure. When finding the exercise which suits you, it is important to consult your doctor first and to check which one matches the capability and capacity of your body.

Stress Can Be Reduced With Good Nutrition

by

Healthy eating can reduce stress. Some minor life stressors are a part of life like a car that won’t start when you’re already late, fast approaching final examination, a sick baby, etc. we get stress when things like this happen and sometimes our body helps us deal with the problem. Stress is inevitable but when it becomes chronic, it may greatly affect our body. The normal response of our body to stress is that it makes us more alert and ready but stress may affect your immune system as a more serious response. A healthy immune system can be achieved with a nutritious diet which can help us defend ourselves from illness especially after a stressful event.

Stress can also cause depression and fatigue which means that stress may cause you to eat unhealthily such as eating junk foods, and other comfort foods to alleviate depression. This can lead you to take too much sweet, salt and fat as well as caffeine which can affect sleeping patterns. Comfort food can stimulate the brain that makes us feel good and want to eat more. Vicious cycle of too much eating can lead to overweight.

Some ways to manage stress through good nutrition:

  1. Eat a balance meal. A balanced meal includes protein – such as lean meat, egg whites, pultry, dairy products, soy products and fish. Protein helps you keep mentally alert and satisfies hunger. Whole grains and fruits and vegetables are also important in each meal.
  2. Don’t skip meals and eat regularly. Stress people sometimes skip meals which may cause the energy level to suffer and pigging out when you already feel like eating. Try to eat small amounts of food during the day to avoid skipping meals.
  3. Do not use food to reduce stress. A cup of tea and a brisk walk may help. If you have the urge to eat, hard crunchy food can alleviate stress because it exercises the jaw. Baby carrots, soy nuts and almonds are good crunchy foods.
  4. Avoid caffeine. This may only disrupt your sleep. Decaffeinated coffee can help if caffeine stays you up at night.
  5. Make eating time a pleasant time – separate your stressors such as work during meal time.

Finding Relaxation Techniques

by

The kinds of relaxation techniques are

  • Autogenic relaxation. This type of relaxation technique means that something is happening within you. You are using your visual imagery in cooperation with body awareness in reducing stress. You are saying words within your mind over and over again while reducing muscle tension. An example is when you are imagining a calm environment and then you start to focus on relaxing your breathing making your heart rate slower or by feeling various sensations given the calm environment like stretching your legs and hands.
  • Progressive muscle technique. This relaxation technique helps you in focusing slowly on tensing and then trying to relax every muscle group. This technique helps you in focusing on the distinction between relaxation and muscle tension. You are becoming more conscious of bodily sensations. Another technique of progressive muscle relaxation is by starting to tense and relax the muscles in your feet particularly on the toes and then work your way up to your head. Alternatively, you can start from the head going down if you want. Stress your muscles for 5 secs. and then loosen up for 30 secs. Do this repeatedly.
  • Visualization. This relaxation technique, mental images are formed in taking an imaginary travel to a calming and peaceful situation or place. During the mental picture, use as many senses as you can such as touch, sound, sight and smell. If you are imagining a relaxing moment at the beach, for example, imagine such things as the sound of waves, smell of salt water, and the heat of the sun touching your body. Your eyes must be closed and sit somewhere quiet and then loosen your clothes.

Some of the most common physical relaxation techniques are:

  • Meditation
  • Massage
  • Hypnosis
  • Yoga
  • Tai chi

As you practice techniques of relaxation techniques, you will be more responsive to muscle strain and other stress factors. If you are fully aware of this, you can now do relaxation techniques when you feel stress. The techniques use in relaxation is one’s skills and this can be improved if done regularly. Be tolerant of yourself and do not allow your endeavors to add to your stressor. Try a relaxation technique that will work for you. Talk to your physician about other alternatives if you think that these techniques do not work for you.

What Are Binaural Beats

by

Binaural beats are unknown for most people yet its existence is already more than 70 years. It is now gaining popularity because people are becoming aware of what they can do to the people and how they work. In a simple explanation, binaural beats are sounds that are made to change your brainwaves. Changing brainwaves can also change the state of mind by experiencing various state of consciousness.

There are countless ways that a binaural beat can help you and you can be able to achieve a different mind states through binaural beats.

  • Relaxation
  • lucid dreaming
  • help with addiction
  • increased happiness
  • better sleep
  • lower stress
  • pain relief
  • deep meditation
  • astral projection
  • anxiety aid
  • manifestation
  • past life regression
  • ESP / Psychic
  • motivation
  • remote viewing
  • weight loss
  • prosperity
  • increase in IQ
  • improved memory .. and many more

Binaural beats can start either from a CD download or mp3. It is necessary that you use earphones in listening to binaural beats either through ipod, computers, mp3 player, cd player, or other deivces. Using headphones can help brain to receive the tones to be able to get the desired effects. Most people would listen to binaural beats while doing something like reading, cooking, cleaning, etc. this is effective for other people but for some, simply sitting down or lying to bed and doing absolutely nothing is more effective. There should be no distractions for some people. Avoid listening to binaural beats if you are doing an important activity like driving, working, or operating a machine as you can fall asleep which can be dangerous.

Binaural beat is not new and they is not a fad. It is not magic and neither supernatural. It is based on scientific studies based on scientific research. Other advantage of binaural beats are:

  • less stress
  • be happier
  • sound and deep sleep

Tough Parenting: When No really means No

by

Being able to say “no” is one of the cornerstones of the principles of “tough love” parenting, when “no” really means “no” and not “maybe later” or “If your dad and mom says it’s okay”. It is tough love in the sense that in all-too-numerous situations, parents are too soft and eventually give in after either a bit of sweet-talking or a lot of whining and tantrum-throwing by their kids. Let’s face it dear moms and dads; our kids quite often know just which of our emotional buttons to push to get what they want. Tough love therefore standing your ground, even though disappointing or depriving your child of his or her wishes may pain you deep inside – because you know that it is what is good for your child and is the right thing to do.

As the words to a popular song goes, love is a battlefield, a scene that one can imagine in homes with hard-headed problem child or teenagers with really serious problems such as substance abuse or gang membership or even criminal activity. Behavioral and developmental psychologists have recognized that a child’s character starts to genuinely take shape at the early age of five or younger, and that tough parenting or authoritative parenting should therefore start at such an early stage. Moreover, if implemented in the correct manner and with consistency, the need for more drastic types of tough parenting techniques would be eliminated when the children get older and serious behavioral problems become increasingly prone to crop up.

More than many of us realize, our parenting style impacts how our child grows up to become an adult affecting whether he or she becomes a well-adjusted, productive member of society capable of handling any curve ball life may throw at him or her, or whether he or she turns out to be a so-called “child-adult” with no coping skills that ideally should have been learned during childhood. Child psychologists and counselors with expertise on modern parenting categorized parenting styles into four general types:

  1. Liberal – high level of caring, low level of discipline.
  2. Autocratic – strict, low level of caring, high level of discipline.
  3. Detached – hands off, low level of caring, low level of discipline
  4. Authoritative – firm but fair, high level of caring, high level of discipline.

Tips on How to Ensure Hotel Safety for Your Family

by

Once in a while, it is not that bad to pamper yourself and your family and check in to a nice and luxurious hotel. It feels absolutely great to be pampered and to be served with everything you need. However, even though hotels give you the best services and ensure the safety of their guests at all times, you, yourselves should also take measures to ensure hotel safety. To do so, here are some tips you can follow when checking in to a hotel:

  • Lock the doors. Although hotels are equipped with CCTV cameras, you would not know when danger comes your way so better be prepared for it. Ensure that doors are locked at all times. When someone rings the bell, make sure you peep in through the hole and check who the person is before opening the door for them.
  • Know the numbers to call. Upon checking in to your room, ask people from the reception area the contact numbers to dial in case something happens. In case of emergencies, you should also have numbers of hospitals, police stations, and fire departments. Make sure you are prepared with all the contact information you need just in case you need help with something.
  • Do not leave your kids alone in the pool side. Many hotels hire lifeguards to watch over people who swim by the pool but it is still better if you watch over your kids yourself. Leaving them by themselves can get you and your kids into trouble and may make them susceptible to other possible dangers such as getting lost around the hotel.
  • Make sure you keep your things guarded. If you are going to leave your hotel room, make sure you lock the doors so that you can secure your things inside. Aside from that, it is not advisable for you to bring things and gadgets when you decide to take a dip at the pool. Lastly, make sure you have some contact information placed on your belongings so that people may contact you just in case they find your things somewhere else.

Facts About 401k Rollover Plans

by

401K plans are retirement plans that let employees save funds for their retirement unlike other usual pension plans. The term 401k plan is derived from the section 401k of the Internal Revenue Code. A program is designed for employees wherein the company where they are employed or other plan supervisor put aside tax-deferred income for the employee’s retirement. The employee is able to invest the money in a way it will earn, and the total amount of funds that is contributed can be changed. This flexibility makes 401k plans different from usual pension plans. 401k plans are a better option, primarily for the maximum acceptable fund that IRA’s lack. Although IRA Funds may be favorable for some employees, 401k’s let you save more money monthly.

Matching funds are funds added to your 401k fund by your employer together with your usual contribution. The contribution of your company is generally smaller than what you contribute, it is approximately 50%. This is done as an encouragement by employers to their employees to participate in 401k plan rollover. Companies however do not profit from this investment but they may use the funds for any other purpose.

There are many things to know about 401k rollover before deciding about it. The following are some facts about 401k turnover that you should know, good or bad:

  1. 401k rollover avoids you from tax deductions.
  2. 401k plans can be transferred.
  3. 401k plan rollover gives you full control of your investment.
  4. In case of company merger, your investment shall be moved to the company’s new rules and regulations.
  5. If you are aware that your company is going down, then you can transfer your fund from your old company to the new company.
  6. With an IRA rollover, you can withdraw your money unlike in 401k account, you can’t.
  7. Transferring your 401k account to an IRA account is more beneficial and flexible.
  8. 401k plans actually depends from company to company.  To be eligible in investing money using the 401k plans, your employer should participate in the 401k programs.
  9. You must be 21 years old and above
  10. Your employment within the company should be less than a year.
  11. Your employer is not the administrator of your fund but the financial institution that you chose to control your account.
  12. Employee contribution is the money deducted from the employee’s payroll to deposit into the plan.

Thanks for the Memories!

by

To those of you who supported the CrowdAbout experiment: THANK YOU!  With your help, we were able to vett a great technology, and learn from a phenomenal base of users just how our technology could best be put to use.  Your feedback and critiques were all brilliant, and the Social Media Player that has emerged is stronger as a result.

However, keeping the site live did not make sense from an economic or strategic standpoint.  As the parent company, Intrascopic Media Inc., considered what we had learned from our experiences and what the real value in our work continues to be, it was decided that killing the site made sense for the long run.  Why?

It turns out that podcasters, the original target market for our Social Media Player, already had their hands full in managing to turn out their shows on a regular basis.  Being involved in audio and video production ourselves, it’s a reality we understand intimately: good content takes a real commitment of time and energy.  So while everyone thought we had a cool service, with people like Adam Curry, Leo LaPorte and Twit.tv taking an early interest, and John Havens, Mark Blevis and Chris Brogan hip to the idea, in the end, it was a layer of complexity and brand management that turned out to be too much for busy podcasters.

But that was okay, because while we remained focused on podcasters, another market began to find us, and really USE our social Media Player technology: educators.

From the moment we opened the doors to our site, we saw the potential of an educational tool, and evidently educators at all levels agreed with that assessment.  During the 18 months or so that the site was live, we had literally hundreds of educators tell us how, with a few tweaks of the application, they could use the site to stimulate learning in a fun, interactive and participatory environment.  The Social Media Player technology continues to have huge implications in distance learning.

So this brings us to the “why” of our decision to shut the site down.

Our podcasting friends were not using the application as rabidly as we hoped, due to the management overhead it implied.  Our educator friends were telling us the site needed modifications to be fit for educational access restrictions.  So rather than let the site languish, we chambered a round, drew a bead, and pulled the trigger on Crowdabout.us.

Will the educational version of our technology ever hit the streets?  Good question.  We hope to one day explore that market.  But in order to really enter it with the long haul in mind, we would need some funding.

Would we consider selling the technology?  Honestly, it’s always been a possibility, and while the phone isn’t ringing off the hook, we have had a few conversations along those lines.

So we want to thank you.  Thank you for using our service, for embracing us as thought leaders in the emerging social media playground that the web is quickly becoming.  And although our site now sleeps, we do not look upon this grand experiment as a failure.  Not at all.  Rather, the lessons it taught us, the experiences and relationships it fostered, and the foreward momentum it provided continue to etch themselves into the fabric of our lives.  We have been truly blessed to have shaped the world’s conversations and communities, if only in a small way.

Best to all,

Carter Harkins

Daniel Nelson

The Team at CrowdAbout