Will Stress Be The Cause of Your Death?

It is estimated that 20 million people suffer from depression.  Peace of mind in this world seems to be a thing of the past.  This is not because, as some argue, our world has become such a stressful place, but rather, that we have forgotten how to take care of our mental health.  Most people these days who are feeling depressed pop a pill, and never address the underlying thoughts and feelings that are causing their unhappiness in the first place.

 

In today's world, stress and depression seem to have become buzz words, especially among the youngsters. So much so, that the WHO fears that by 2020 depression alone will be the second biggest ailment in the world after heart disease. Most of the stresses are caused by low self esteem and fear of rejection. Accepting oneself and others as they are, is the fundamental behavioral change which can train youngsters to handle stress.  All Is Not Well With Our Minds

 

 

It's pretty clear that our society as a whole needs self esteem help.  It's time to stop masking the problem with drugs and address the real issues of who we are and what we need to be happy and healthy.

Don't Forget to Set Your Intention

This is a cool video about starting off your day with intention.  

If you want to achieve a goal you’ve set, the most crucial part is to DECIDE to manifest it. It doesn’t matter if you feel it’s outside your control to do so. It doesn’t matter if you can’t yet see how you’ll get from A to B. Most of those resources will come online AFTER you’ve made the decision, not before.  - Steve Pavlina

If you don't start your day off with intention, and instead just respond to things as they come, you will be missing out on a great opportunity to increase your personal power and improve your self esteem.

Does Debt Have You Down?

Considering the current economic climate, I found this article very timely.  It's important to know that sometimes when our self esteem is down, it's not because there is something wrong with us inside, but that there is something outside in our environment that is the problem.

 

IN DAVID COPPERFIELD , Dickens outlined that money management was an emotional issue through the words of the fictional Mr Micawber: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”

Bottom line here, is that if it costs you more money to live than you make, life is going to be a struggle. 

 "... one of the first steps for people with financial difficulties is to acknowledge both the nature of the problem and what they feel about it. “There is a clear link between financial issues and depression,” she says. “But people don’t always make the link themselves. Sometimes you get people coming in saying, ‘I’m feeling low. I’m feeling depressed’, and they don’t say why. Then we look at the external factors and see redundancy or debt in the background. People need to acknowledge their problems and what they’re feeling about them in order to move on.”  The Emotional Cost of Debt

I have seen over and over again people who underestimate the circumstances of their life as the cause for how they feel. I'm all for positive thinking, and I think everyone should strive to be as positive as possible, but if there is something external in your life that lowering your vibration,  you have to find a way to improve that circumstance before you'll be able to feel the full effects of positive thinking.

Self esteem help is about bringing your internal and external worlds into harmony.

Does Abortion Affect Self Esteem?

A new study from Oregon Stat University and the University of California, San Francisco, found that having an abortion does not increase a pregnant teenagers likelihood of experiencing low self esteem or depression.

The researchers used data from 289 respondents to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Data were taken from three survey waves, starting in 1994-1995, surveyed again one year later, and then five years after that. The study is available online and will appear in the December issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Lead author Jocelyn Warren, a post-doctoral research associate at OSU, said the study was intended to fill a major gap in abortion research.

"We know most teen pregnancies are not wanted pregnancies and an unwanted pregnancy can be very stressful," Warren said.

She said previous research has shown that adolescent girls who get pregnant report more depression and lower self-esteem compared to those who don't. "What we didn't know was whether psychological outcomes are worse for girls who choose abortion. This study says, 'No.'"

 Science Daily

While it may be true that their is no evidence that abortion causes additional self esteem and depression problems among teens, it is important to note that pregnant teenagers as a whole report more depression and lower self esteem than their non-pregnant counterparts. I believe that there is something to be said for breaking through old limiting beliefs to overcome repression of our minds.  .However, in this case, I think the emphasis should be placed on the fact that pregnant teens suffer more depression and lower self esteem.....not on the fact that teen abortions are no worse than teen pregnancies. 

Getting On The Focus Wheel

Last night I was in search of some inspiration and came across this.....

 

 

I don't know what it is about Esther Hicks, but she has a way of bringing me back to my center better than anyone.  If you are feeling lost and don't know what to do, start off by watching this video.  What Esther Hicks is talking about here changes lives.  This is a perfect self esteem help pick me up.

Quick Fixes

You're not going to find a more thorough article than this one!  Happiness – 10 Quick Fixes From Emotional Distress to Your Happy Centered Place  I have found that the exercises outlined in this article do a great job at bringing me back to a state of happiness.   Here's a little sneak peak:

 

 I’m not good at meditating but this technique works for me. I am lucky to live in a peaceful place so I can just sit in my yard, look at the canyons and do these breathing exercises – I drop my head down to my chest and I breathe in deeply and when exhaling, I am imagining that I am pushing out the negative emotions that are causing the clutching in my chest or that knot in my stomach. I keep doing this until the intense feelings are reduced. Then I replace it with thoughts of good things like how lucky I am to have a home, to have my health, to have good people in my life, to have a sound mind etc. This is an adaptation of Larry Crane’s release technique.

 

.....and the rest of the tips are just as good!  Getting happy is one of the first steps towards self esteem help.

Inspiring The Future By Giving A Kid A Sweet?

I was excited when I found an article online about student motivation and self esteem help, but then I read this line......

 

 

..."Students love to get a sweet candy from the teacher..."

 

 

Now to be fair, the article also talked about praising the students and encouraging them.  However, it goes on to say that self esteem is achieved when:

 

".....a student feels he or she is able to run a game, winning a key race club, scoring one point for team."

Student Motivation: Inspiring The Future

 

Besides the obvious poor grammar, there are other problems with this statement as well.  While it might be true that these things can make a person feel good about themselves, these are not the things that we should be focusing on when developing self esteem.  Self esteem comes from within.  If you allow external things to determine your level of self esteem, you will never be in control of your feelings.  Instead, your feelings about yourself will be controlled by what is happening in your life.  If things are good, you will feel good.  If they aren't, you won't.