Introducing the Art of Intention

by Michelle Market, LPC

You can use the principle of intention with respect to planning meals and snacks or even generally applied to your food relationship. Weekly intentions might take the form of incorporating healthy snacks, packing your lunch to work, and/or having meals planned throughout the week. The reality is that those who are most successful are the ones who realize they are worth taking those extra ten minutes per day to pack their lunch or plan their meals. I recently had a client measure the time it took to create a healthy salad to pack in her lunch bag. To her surprise, creating and packing this salad took only three minutes. So sometimes we perceive that it will take longer than it actually will. Why not give yourself the challenge? I am sure you can find three extra minutes to pack your lunch.

Reflection Questions

1) Identify the sabotaging thoughts that get in the way of having a healthy food relationship (i.e., “I don’t have the time”, “It is too expensive”, “I am too tired”, “I’ll start next week”, “Next month, next year”).

2) Identify the supportive statements that you tell yourself about cultivating a healthy food relationship (i.e., one meal at a time, I am worth the time and investment, progress not perfection). In what ways are you already incorporating mindfulness in your food relationship?

Action Steps

How might you incorporate the act of intention with your food relationship? What will you commit to do over the next month? Make your act of intention focus on only one thing. Some ideas may include: starting your day with a healthy breakfast; practicing mindful eating at a minimum of one meal or snack per day; committing to having a regular day to grocery shop and meal plan. Some find it helpful to break down shopping and meal planning into two planning sessions and two shopping sessions per week. For example, on Sunday plan meals and snacks through Wednesday, and then again on Wednesday plan for Thursday through Saturday. Recognize that you are worth the investment of time. When you are able to plan and have healthy food options readily available you set yourself up for success.

Michelle Market, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Wellness Coach with more than 10 years of experience in Wellness and Women’s issues. She is dedicated to helping females feel better physically and emotionally. She has a private practice in Herndon, Virginia and works with Adults. Michelle provides counseling, coaching and workshops. She specializes in self-esteem and healthy food relationships. Her mission is to create and maintain positive change in the lives of her clients. She believes that beauty comes from the inside out. For more information visit her website www.michellemarket.com.

Sneaking Quiet Time Into Your Day — The First Steps to Incorporating Meditation

By Michelle Market, LPC

Imagine quiet amongst the chaos of your daily to-do’s. Imagine uninterrupted time during your day to focus on your breathing and slowing down. When you allow your mind to quiet down, how do you feel? Is it uncomfortable? Why might you avoid slowing down? These are questions to give some consideration as you begin to implement the practice of meditation.

It is possible to slow down, although it often needs to be intentional and, initially, rehearsed. Picture the first time you learned to ride a bike. You did not do it perfectly the first time. You fell, bumped into things – you started slowly. Learning the art of meditation and quieting your mind can sometimes feel like the same process.

When was the last time you sat in silence for any extended period of time? Meditation not only is a healthy coping skill to handle stress, but it is also a tool to help us tune in with ourselves. Quieting our mind results in becoming more centered. When we have slowness in our day we develop greater awareness of what is going on in our mind, body and with our emotions.

Steps to incorporate meditation into your day:

Choose a time in the day that is most conducive to your meditation practice. (All you need is 5 minutes). Initially, it is helpful to set a timer (start at 5 minutes).

Find a space where you can sit comfortably. Sit up tall with your legs uncrossed. Have your hands open and palms up. Close your eyes.

Find a word to focus on that will illicit a calm response. For example, peace, acceptance, slow, breathe.

When you have other thoughts that enter your mind picture them as clouds floating through the sky and then focus back on the calming word that you had chosen, refer to this as your mantra.

Take notice of taking slow, intentional deep breaths. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

Though there are many different ways to meditate, here are five types of meditations that may be easier to incorporate into your day:

Candle Meditation: Light a candle and place your focus on the flicker of the flame. When your mind begins to drift, re-center your focus back on the candle.

Walking Meditation: Find a path to walk (preferably a scenic route). Take notice of slowing down your steps one foot in front of the other. Take notice of slowing your breathing. Take notice of the scenery, the flowers, the trees and the grass as you connect with nature.

Cleaning Meditation: Turn any chore into a mini-escape. Take focus on the rhythmic nature of the chore. For example, if you are washing dishes, notice the sound of the water, take notice of the soap bubbles and take notice of your breathing. Use your calming word to re-center.

Car Mediation: While driving to work or running your errands turn off the music and drive in silence. Make a conscious decision to practice deep breathing.

Breathing Meditation: A simple way to incorporate calm into the day is committing to taking 3 deep breaths at different times throughout the day. You can use different transitions as a reminder to breathe such as before meals, before checking email, before starting the day. You will be amazed at the calming effect of just changing the way you breathe will make.

To sit without any judgment and to invite slowness is a gift of compassion to ourselves. Be patient in the process and start slowly. Begin to look forward to this pause within your day. Make the commitment to incorporate this self-care tool on a daily basis.

“I commit to 5 minutes of quiet each day.”

As you begin this practice on an on-going basis, you will start to look forward to this time of the day and will notice the days that you skipped. Meditation provides a bridge to create peace within ourselves.

Michelle Market, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Wellness Coach with more than 10 years of experience in Wellness and Women’s issues. She is dedicated to helping females feel better physically and emotionally. She has a private practice in Herndon, Virginia and works with Adults. Michelle provides counseling, coaching and workshops. She specializes in self-esteem and healthy food relationships. Her mission is to create and maintain positive change in the lives of her clients. She believes that beauty comes from the inside out. For more information visit her website www.michellemarket.com.

Creating Balance in Your Life

or

When Your Personal and Professional Lives Collide, You Can’t Control the Wind But You Can Adjust Your Sails

By Barbara M. LaRock

As you begin to think about bringing more balance into your life, consider the following set of 12 rules from a brochure on white water rafting safety. They’re relevant and applicable to the choices we all make as we decide how to live our lives.

1. Decide before you start if you’re going to steer from the front or back
2. Someone has to be elected to call out orders clearly.
3. Take rest in calm places.
4. Never stop paddling even when it seems hopeless.
5. If you get into trouble, don’t panic.
6. Don’t be surprised if the boat doesn’t go where you want it to go.
7. On a raft, the more activity on the left, the boat goes right, and vice versa.
8. If you go under, let go of everything and you will float.
9. Everyone paddles, but the current always takes you.
10. Trust the boat and if you are in white water, hold on.
11. Remember, white water is what you came for, so enjoy it.
12. The people in the boat are the ones who will pull you out of the water if you go overboard, and they are also the people with whom you must eat supper.

Keep these rules in mind as you negotiate your own white water. They’re definitely points to ponder if you, like most people, are struggling to fit together all the pieces of your life. As you are probably all too well aware, most people today are overscheduled, over-committed and generally overwhelmed. This kind of over scheduling can leave you running on empty and desperate about how to improve your situation.

For people with children, the impact of this imbalance can be serious when you consider that as parents, you are your children’s first and most important teachers. Your kids are always learning from you and will copy into their own lives the way you live your life. Following are examples of things your children learn from you. In fact, they’re important areas to examine whether or not you have children.

• How you manage time and what choices you make about how you spend your time
• What priority you place on the relationships in your life
• How you handle both professional and personal stress
• How you share responsibilities such as chores at home or responsibilities at work
• What place hobbies and interests play in your life
• How you handle free time–days off, weekends or vacation

The lesson for all of us to learn is that it’s up to each individual to create a life that is balanced, a life that s/he loves. No one can do it for you. It’s your responsibility. It’s not healthy to keep saying, “if it weren’t for this” or “if it weren’t for that, everything would be great.” Nor is it healthy to put your satisfaction in the future, e.g., when the kids or older, or when you or your spouse get a raise, or when you finish a project, etc. Remember: Life is not a dress rehearsal. Your future is now.

An important part of developing self-awareness is to take some time to think about your priorities–to identify the areas that are important to you. Priorities are individual–what’s important to one person may not be important to another and vice versa. To that end, consider a few questions whose answers may prove quite revealing to you. Ask yourself: What do I really want for my life? When you consider this question, what comes to your mind first? Do you want more rest? More exercise? A promotion? More time alone? More time with family or friends? A new home? To telecommute? To expand your business? List everything that comes
into your mind.

Take a look at all that you’ve just written and ask yourself if your desires are really your desires or are they meant to please someone else. Also ask yourself if your desires are ones you think you should have rather than desires you truly want. “Shoulds” can get you into difficulty. Now that you’ve considered what’s important to you, prioritize these areas. In other words, put them in order of their importance to you. Then ask yourself how much time and attention the top priority items are receiving. This activity will help you see areas that are out of balance–areas that matter to you but aren’t getting enough of your time and attention and aren’t being nourished.

Read more

Waking Up at Your Plate

Are Words Weighing Down the Development of Policy for Better Health?

New Media Analysis Shows Room to Improve When Communicating About Weight and Health

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 9, 2011 – Unrealistic and uninformed media portrayals of weight not only can negatively influence individual behavior, but can impact how policymakers approach issues of weight and health. The result, according to experts from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance and the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), is a continued belief that these issues are largely a matter of personal responsibility and that little can or should be done in policy to address them.

Susan Dentzer, editor of Health Affairs, moderated a panel convened today on Capitol Hill to discuss the media’s role in shaping the policy environment surrounding weight and health. Panelists discussed whether policymakers believe that weight is an individual issue or a public health problem and whether media plays a role in driving who is responsible and who should take action.

“In a time of ongoing budget tightening and confusion regarding health care coverage, we must find a way to create policies that address obesity and eating disorders, without letting our own biases get in the way,” said Christine Ferguson, J.D., Director of the STOP Obesity Alliance. “There is no evidence that stigmatizing weight-related health issues prevents or treats these problems — in fact, the opposite appears to be true. It is an important opportunity for members of both the obesity and eating disorders communities to advocate for a focus on health rather than weight as a measure of well-being.”

The groups released a new analysis of media coverage that showed room to improve the reporting on weight and health, based on a series of media guidelines released by the STOP Obesity Alliance and NEDA last year.

The guidelines offer simple message themes to include when addressing weight and focus on the concept that weight status and the importance of maintaining a healthy weight is not about appearance, but about health. A comparison of coverage from sample outlets over the last year however — looking at media that target a “Beltway” audience and those that are more consumer oriented — found that 75 percent of articles initially reviewed were dismissed from the analysis because they lacked substantive content. While many consumer articles focused on weight-loss tips, characterized as “fighting flab”, “shrinking your middle” or “looking leaner naked”, most failed to mention the health implications.

“Our conversation today and the new media analysis echo the ongoing need for us to address the societal pressures and the unrealistic images that we know can be contributing factors among people who develop eating disorders, depression and other esteem issues,” said Lynn Grefe, President and CEO of NEDA. “It is why we have come together to address these issues. These pressures affect all of us.”

The media analysis also found that Beltway media publications were three times as likely to consider external factors beyond will power as playing a role in, and being affected by, weight issues. Examples of this were a higher rate of coverage in Beltway outlets that reported on how weight issues can impact the economy and the workplace.

The roundtable discussion, “Pounds and Policy: Effectively Communicating About Weight and Health” also included experts from a cross-section of fields including media, communications, eating disorders and obesity:

• Jean Kilbourne, EdD, media critic, author and expert on advertising and women
• Sarah Kliff, health reporter POLITICO
• Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
• Rebecca Puhl, PhD, Director of Research, Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University
• Chevese Turner, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Binge Eating Disorders Association

The STOP Obesity Alliance and NEDA will continue work and outreach to the media and policymakers regarding the joint guidelines.

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), headquartered in Seattle, Wash., is the leading U.S. non-profit organization supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. NEDA serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care. Each year, NEDA helps millions of people across the country find information and appropriate treatment resources through its toll-free, live helpline, its many outreach programs and website. NEDA advocates for advancements in the field and envisions a world without eating disorders. For more information, visit www.NationalEatingDisorders.org.

The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance is a collaboration of consumer, provider, government, labor, business, health insurers and quality-of-care organizations united to drive innovative and practical strategies that combat obesity. The STOP Obesity Alliance receives funding from founding sponsor, sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, and supporting sponsors, Allergan, Inc. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. For more information, visit www.stopobesityalliance.org.

Contact:
Alice Sofield
202-609-6006
asofield@ccapr.com

Yog-ahh

by Esther Kane, MSW

In this article, I wanted to share with you one of my greatest passions and recommendations for all of my clients to help them de-stress, find balance, and get in shape- yoga. I have been practicing this ancient form of fitness, meditation, and relaxation for over half my life already. I was introduced to Kundalini yoga – a form of intense, sweat-producing postures and very fast breathing techniques — at the tender age of 19, which literally changed my life. At the time, I was experiencing really bad bouts of depression an anxiety and after learning the poses, movements, and proper breathing techniques, I felt much happier, lighter, and much more relaxed. I was completely blown away by this simple ‘workout’, which was also deeply rooted in spirituality and mindfulness.

Over the past 20 years, I have tried every type of yoga I can get my hands on via taking in-person classes and listening to CD’s and watching videos. I can honestly say that I love every kind of yoga I have tried, from the slow, meditative kind called ‘yin yoga’ where you hold postures for roughly seven minutes to the more vigorous flowing dance-like series called ‘ashtanga’. But the one type of yoga that I prefer the most (and have practiced for over six years now at least three times a week) is Bikram’s hot yoga — a series of 26 hatha (beginner) postures done twice each in a super-hot room (average heat is 105 degrees). I know it’s not for everyone, but I am a complete addict and actually look forward eagerly to ’sweating it out’ in a hot crowded room with others who are often grumpy, smelly, and irritated. Some days are harder than others and I really don’t feel like stretching and being instructed loudly by a yoga teacher who talks non-stop for 90 minutes, but in the six years I’ve been practicing this yoga, I have NEVER regretted doing a class once it’s over.

For me, yoga is so much more than simply exercising the body. I find that it’s a great way to cultivate self-discipline- especially of one’s mind. There is nothing that will trigger your irritability more than being stuck in an incredibly hot, humid room full of other people while being expected to perform an entire 90 minutes of challenging exercise. Sometimes I actually feel murderous and want to scream obscenities at the teacher or the person next to me, wriggling around, and most definitely, not contributing to my inner peace. As a psychotherapist, I consider this release of extreme feelings as an ‘emotional cleansing’ and find it incredibly therapeutic.

Let’s face it — we all go through major stressful events in our lives, often on a daily basis — and don’t have time to process them emotionally. We just move ahead with our lives, going through our routines, simply getting the job of living done. Where do these feelings go? Inside! We stuff, suppress, ignore, and deny what we’re feeling underneath until there is a large ‘emotional stew’ bubbling away inside us, just under the surface.  And when we don’t acknowledge and express these feelings, they just compile; one on top of the other until our emotional ‘cup’ runneth over and we end up exploding in rage, crying jags, or succumb to physical illness.

That’s where yoga can be a real lifesaver. The word “yoga” actually means, “union of body and mind”– it’s purpose being to balance us out physically, mentally, and spiritually. I recommend yoga to nearly all of my clients as a method to:

• Release traumas held in the cells of the body
• Get some much needed ‘me time’
• Learn how to relax and meditate
• Relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Improve body awareness and body image
• Relieve various forms of physical illnesses in the body which are tied to emotions

Happy stretching!

Esther Kane, MSW, Registered Clinical Counsellor, is the author of the book and audio program, “It’s Not About the Food: A Woman’s Guide To Making Peace with Food and Our Bodies” ( www.endyoureatingdisorder.com) and “Dump That Chump”(www.dumpthatchump.com), and “What Your Mama Can’t or Won’t Teach You”(www.guidebooktowomanhood.com).  Sign up for her free monthly e-zine, Women’s Community Counsellor, to uplift and inspire women at: http://www.estherkane.com.

The Benefits of a Healthy Sex Life

by Becky Knight, MPH

We all know that sex is a form of exercise, burning as many as four calories a minute, and that all exercise is good for us. Similar to the effects of any good workout, when we get aroused, our blood pumps at a faster rate. That fresh supply of blood pumping through our body gives our organs a healthy dose of oxygen and rids the body of toxins and waste.

You also get a rush of endorphins after sex, aka the “runners high.” Endorphins, hormone-like chemicals akin to morphine, promote a sense of well-being and alleviate the pain of headaches and migraines, arthritis, and even PMS.

And then there is that lovely hormone oxytocin. Just before orgasm, oxytocin levels surge to five times their normal level. Oxytocin does wonderful things for us. It increases bonding, trust and generosity. It also increases our sense of empathy. It’s the same hormone that is released when a woman breast-feeds her child.

One thing that I found especially interesting is that men benefit most when they’re having regular sex, either alone or with a partner. For instance, men need 3-5 ejaculations a week in order to significantly reduce their chance of a heart attack, stroke, or prostate cancer. What some women may complain of as a “high sex drive” is maybe just his body’s way of keeping him alive!

Of course, it’s not just physical health that is improved by a good sex life. Having a good sex life reaps emotional and spiritual rewards as well. Thankfully, the more sex you have, the longer you’re likely to live — and the longer you’re able to enjoy sex!

Becky Knight, MPH, works as a Sex and Relationships Coach at Sensovi Institute, where she is also the director of Education and Programs.  To learn more about Becky visiting her web site Living Sexuality.

Eat, Pray, Love: An Invitation for Inner Reflection

by Michelle Market, LPC

I recently finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, in much anticipation of my favorite actress playing the leading role in the movie that came out on August 13. The book prompted an intervention of inner reflection, all done through the lenses of Elizabeth Gilbert. I interpreted the book as a journey into reaching a comfort in your own skin and finding the silence within. Gilbert offers nuggets of advice through her own experiences of trials and tribulations, as she visits Italy, India, and Bali in a quest to find herself.

As you read through this article, I invite each of you to delve into your own personal journey and re-create your own experience of self-reflection outlined in the mindfulness exercises presented below.

EAT (Italy)
As Americans, we are constantly misunderstanding what happiness and pleasure is. So often we are caught telling ourselves, “I will be happy when …. I change careers, move, the children are older, I make more money.” Take a step back and start to reflect, instead, on creating happiness and pleasure on a daily basis. Gilbert outlined a few questions while in Italy to rekindle her own quest for pleasure. The clearer you can paint the picture the greater direction you will have in attaining this daily presence in your life.

How do you define pleasure?
What would you enjoy doing today?
What would bring you pleasure right now?

Italy Mindfulness Experience
Order a gelato. Before even stepping into the store, ask yourself, what flavor am I in the mood for?  Is it something sweet, like strawberry, indulgent as chocolate, or perhaps something minty and crisp, like a mint chocolate? Find a comfortable setting to enjoy your refreshing gelato. Take notice of the coldness, crispness, texture and smoothness as you taste each spoonful. Push away any negative thoughts or feelings about the experience. With each spoonful imagine that you are on streets of Rome. Notice the beauty of the gelato, its color, its appeal, and the taste. Be present as you indulge in each spoonful.

Pray (India)
While in India, Gilbert challenges us to keep our fire going. She invites us to look within for motivation.

“How do you keep the motivation to stay with it. Well, what is the alternative. Is it to quit whenever something gets challenging? The answer has to be no.”

Creating a healthy food relationship does not occur over night. It is an on-going process, an on-going journey. So much of what we want in life takes time, effort and diligence. It does not happen through osmosis.

In India, Gilbert was exploring being with her mind and her life experiences. I thought this quote hit home as an invitation to re-evaluate how you view things that have happened in your own life.

“There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under my jurisdiction….I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with. I can select what I eat and read and study. I can choose how I’m going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life, where I will see them as curses or opportunities”

What choices will you make in terms of how you view your life and the path that your life has taken? Will you choose a different path? Will you embrace the path that you are on? Will you seek out additional support in your life? How do you view your own happiness?

“people tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you’re fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.

India Mindfulness Experience

In this experience, I want you to focus on quieting your mind. Here is an excerpt from an article I wrote, Sneaking Quiet time into Your Day:

Quieting our mind, results in becoming more centered.  Gilbert demonstrated this in her experience in India that was developed as a result of her practice and due-diligence. When we have slowness in our day we develop greater awareness of what is going on in our mind, body and with our emotions.

Steps to incorporate meditation into your day:
•    Chose a time in the day that is most conducive to your meditation practice. (All you need is 5 minutes).
•    Initially, it is helpful to set a timer (start at 5 minutes).
•    Find a space where you can sit comfortably. Sit up tall with your legs uncrossed. Have your hands open and palms up. Close your eyes.
•    Find a word to focus on that will elicit a calm response. For example, peace, acceptance, slow, breathe.
•    When you have other thoughts that enter your mind picture them as clouds floating through the sky and then focus back on the calming word that you had chosen, refer to this as your mantra.
•    Take notice of taking slow, intentional deep breaths. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

Love (Bali)
When Gilbert was in Bali she had to get re-acquainted with her heart. In this experience, I want you to get re-acquainted with yourself. Being your own best friend and support takes some commitment to learning to be comfortable by yourself.  During Gilbert’s stay in Bali she examined the concept of self-esteem building, which I believe to be an integral piece of having a healthy food relationship.

“So much about self esteem building is choosing your outlook. How will you speak to yourself. Will you entertain negative thoughts or refute them. Will you dwell in negativity or break free. Will you ruminate on the things that you cannot control, or will you accept life. (p260)

Bali Mindfulness Experience
Make a date with yourself this week to do something that is purely fun for you, not what you think you should be doing. Instead of waiting, incorporate small pleasurable experiences within your week. For example, a visit to a nearby museum, catching a movie, lunch at your favorite sandwich shop, or perusing the books at a bookstore.  Get reacquainted with yourself and enjoy your own company, indulge in the following questions as a way to take an inventory in your life right now.

I Want …
I Am…
I Need…
I Value…
I Require…
I Believe…

Imagine getting to a place in your life where you are able to sit in silence with yourself; where you are able to have an enjoyable dining experience by yourself; where you are able to commune with nature by yourself.

Gilbert invites us to learn your way around loneliness and your feelings (both positive and negative). She suggests to make a map of it and sit with it. Welcome it. Learn to savor and nurture it. Learn to sit with yourself. Get comfortable with the silence of your mind. Disordered eating distracts us from really being present in our bodies and in our life. It keeps us from listening to our emotional needs.
May you continue on your own journey to accept yourself imperfections, flaws and all. To embrace your beauty and greatness. Just Be You! Be your Authentic Self. Stop running and be present in your life. You only get one shot.

Time Management or Self-Management?

By Barbara M. LaRock

Would you like more time in your calendar and your life? What if changing the way you look at time could make a good life a great life? Think these concepts are impossible? Read on.

At one time or another, most of us have said, “There just isn’t enough time in the day” or “I can never accomplish all I want to both at work and at home”? This kind of thinking makes people see themselves as victims of their overcrowded, overwhelming and demanding schedules. They then sit back, complain and continue their self-defeating behaviors. You can, however, change your attitude about managing time by acknowledging and accepting your responsibility for managing yourself.

It goes without saying that everyone has the same amount of time in his or her day. It’s how you choose to “spend” that time that counts. The word “spend” is key. When you spend money, you choose what amount to pay out in order to get what you want/need. The same holds true for time. Each of us decides how much to spend to get what we want/need. Time is wasted when we don’t spend or invest it wisely. It’s up to each of us to decide what our personal and professional priorities are and then to honor those priorities. This is why effective management of time really is self-management.

Effective time/self-management begins with examining and knowing your own style. People who are structured, organized, good at identifying, setting and respecting priorities, and good at meeting deadlines find managing their time relatively easy. On the other hand, people who lack determination and discipline and who are reluctant to have structure and organization in their lives have a more difficult time managing themselves and their time. But, with resolve and practice, they can learn to get done more of the important things in their lives.

Here are a few tips to help you get started managing yourself and your time more effectively:

1. Keep in mind that you, not circumstances are in the driver’s seat.
2. Keep a daily log for one week of how you spend your time.
3. Assess your own style and attitudes about time. For instance, if you’re a morning person, schedule your most difficult tasks early when you are at your best.
4. Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to write down your top 5-6 priorities for the next day in order of their importance.
5. Make sure that before the end of your workday, you accomplish the top 5-6 priorities that you set for yourself. Let nothing pull you off track or intervene with this accomplishment.
6. Maintain a calendar, either written or electronic, so you don’t over schedule yourself.
7. Have a clear understanding of what is important to your family members and your associates.
8. Delegate what you can.
9. Every week, handle one unfinished task or project that has drained your energy.
10. Respect other people’s time
11. Learn to say no to anything that takes you away from respecting your priorities, and
12. Practice living with the guilt that may come from saying no. You will get better at it.

Remember that it’s up to you to manage yourself–and your time.

Barbara M. LaRock, M.Ed., offers life, leadership and career coaching as well as organizational training.  Her firm is located in Reston, VA.  Her background prior to coaching includes teaching, advising and mentoring students; designing and directing training programs for trade and professional associations; and organizational training involving presentation and facilitation of workshops and seminars. Barbara’s coaching specializes in life-related and career areas with her individual clients and provides them with encouragement, support and challenge as they focus on transition and change in their personal and professional lives. Her clients find more enjoyment in their everyday lives and become even more productive on the job. For more information, visit her web site Barbara LaRock.

Copyright 2010

No parts of this article or the article in its entirety may be reproduced without permission of the author.

To My Body, the Vessel of My Soul

by Anonymous

I offer you this apology for the many times I have treated you badly.
For not giving you rest when you were tired
For not feeding you when you were hungry
For overfeeding you when you weren’t
For putting you in danger with smoking and too much weight

For comparing you incessantly to other bodies and usually deciding that you came up short
For the harsh words, thoughts and scrutiny over qualities about you that I deemed as less than
For falling victim to others’ definitions of beauty and not defending my own
For my disappointment when you didn’t do things fast enough or strong enough
For placing you on a pedestal with lavish praise so fleetingly that it must have felt like you were the victim of emotional abuse – which I suppose you were

But the truth is this
You are strong in so many ways
You’ve got an immunity of steel and can heal yourself so quickly
You can carry your weight in grocery bags and a two-year old for hours with your strong left arm
You can hear a child crying in the middle of the night and drag yourself out of sleep to comfort him
You can run for a long time and cover a lot of distance

And you are beautiful
With your Easter hair and cat green eyes
With your sexy Morgan nose and breasts so perfect their authenticity has been questioned
Your ears and nose and eyebrows are fine featured and delicate
You have strong muscular legs

And you work – you work extraordinarily well with very little complaining. And so I apologize and I praise and I thank you. You are a gift from God – made perfectly in his eyes – who am I to criticize the works of his hand?

Next Page »