As I write this blog, it's the first time I'm writing my daily blog on the actual day. Usually I try to stay ahead of the ball to post at 1am daily, but the last 2 days for me were extremely stressful and schedule busting as I had to deal with my PC first dying, followed by my laptop being hacked into, and all my passwords compromised, as a hacker did everything he/she could to try rob me blind!
Due to the 2 full days of non stop damage control and security revamping, I was under a Lot of stress! I didn't take the time do my regular workouts, 15 minute breathing exercises (although this was when I needed that most), I worked until odd hours into the night then had to wake up very early for work so lacked sleep tremendously. All I could think about was working on securing my data and fixing things, so I was hunched over my laptop literally for the 2 days straight.
Finally today I get to breath a sign of relief as I've gotten most of it all under control, and as i write this blog I'm catching up on the Dr. Oz show (that I record daily), and a very fitting episode is on! It's about the importance of stress relief. A good reminder of how important it is and how it physically and mentally actually Changes you. It's the reminder I needed to hear...although I never did lose that sense in myself, I am an extremely positive person who tries to look at the silver lining of All situations...but as the stress is occuring it cripples me all the same! When I was trying to think of email addresses in my gmail accounts to prove they were my accounts my mind drew blanks! Traumatic stress really does alter your mind, it's awful.
The silver lining to my dramatic nightmare the past 2 days is that I have upped my security tenfold...even added Identity Guard for ease of mind, to make sure I stay safe at all times with all I do online...especially knowing the hacker has so much of my personal information already:( I don't understand how these evil beings live with themselves causing such harm to others with intent. I drown in guilt that eats me up even if I do something unintentional that I think maybe hurt someone's feelings! So, now that I'm able to Finally de-stress from the last few days I'd like to share some tips Goldie Hawn shared on the Dr. Oz show:)
On the Dr. Oz show, Goldie Hawn shared her three golden rules for changing your life in just 10 minutes.
1. Take Brain Breaks
Stress negatively affects the brain. When you feel stressed out, your brain goes into emergency-mode and shuts energy away from the areas tied to learning and memory. Recognize when this happens and give yourself a mental break with focused breathing or meditation. Studies have shown that people who meditate increase the density of certain areas of their brains. If you can’t meditate, try listening to music or staring at a wall. The break will help you see things more clearly and reduce stress.
2. Focus, Focus, Focus
Focusing on a specific taste or a smell helps strengthen critical networks in the brain, which improves decision-making and helps to regulate your moods. Goldie slows down her brain by blindly tasting jelly beans. She pinches her nose and guesses the flavor by taste alone. She then repeats the exercise with only smell. Develop control over what you pay attention to by directing your focus.
3. Kindness Is Key
As with exercising any muscle, you can grow your brain’s ability to care. Acts of kindness and empathy stimulate a release of dopamine called the “helper’s high.” This helps to improve memory, ease depression, and alleviate pain.
