7 Senses-lifting What?

Stress is like an illegal recruitment agency. It keeps dropping in everyday, in any form, like it pesters our lives to make a living. 

We, too always have a choice to either close our doors or give it a space to rent in our minds. I am no life expert but my ability to slay unwanted stress made me understand that it is an inevitable part of nature. 

Nature is nature. And the key to having a harmonious relationship with nature is to not fight against it but to work for it. When we deny its existence that's when we slip, say, our own carnality showing off.

Now here's my personal remedy. The 7  senses- lifting things I do or choose to have to work out stress, being an unfortunately ever existing part of nature. Senses-lifting, huh? Well, it isn't found in Mr. Webster's, just in case you are curious for a little searching. :D But they are proven, so you can make use of them too or you can draw out some ideas which you can modify to suit your preference.

1. The look of a nicely shot photo

Anything pleasant to the eyes has an uplifting effect, right? 

2. A skyline photography

Aaah, breather! A skyline view has a reflective effect on me that allows me to meditate about everything, far from the busy earth surface. 

For a while I can be lost in thought and feel like it's possible to fly. Illusive, I know, but invigorating.

3. The smell of freshly opened books and magazines

The supple feeling is there. The fresh scent of paper and ink that your kindle cannot give you. Plus when your fingers first touch the glossy texture that makes you feel excited for the new things you're going to learn after reading. 

4. The feel of a starlit night

Stars are like tranquil Christmas lights scattered in heaven. It is still and deep like how your thoughts can be. Doesn't it give you peace? When you finally retire to your bedroom after a jam-packed day? 

5. The sound of a Jazz music

Beegie Adair? Or Michael Buble? They're just sooo soothing. 

6. The feel of a morning breeze

Humid. Calm. You know, the marks of new beginnings. A perfect sanctuary for prayer.

7. The taste of a melting ice cream

Guilty pleasures! But what's de-stressing with your comfort food without thinking about the calories. The relaxing effect of a melted ice cream as it meets your throat. 

There you have it. Working out stress using "senses-lifting" things. It's a new word now. Teehee!

What else can you add?

Photo/ Video Credits:

weheartit (dot) com

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Parenting Stint: 5 Sibling Rivalry Fix

Tots who are supported and praised when starting to learn their early childhood skills grow with autonomy and positive self-esteem. But teaching them a little less of autonomy and confidence, and more of appreciation and coöperation may also be as important.

Living in a house with two little nieces of almost the same age got me into episodes of tiny feuds. The 6-year-old miss would not usually put up with her soon-to-be 4-year-old sister.   The “She started it.” and “Why can’t she just use her own crayons?!” lines sometimes distract me from my reading. My hopeful attempts to make my own short vacations at home mostly end up into a bundle of disaster.

These siblings quibbling are not necessarily trivial since they begin at large in the formative years or the first 7 years of life. How my nieces learn to handle brannigan will influence the way they will handle disagreements when they become adults. The role of parents and guardians goes without saying.

As their tita (Aunt) I feel like having to apply what I learned from college, books, and parenting dialogues with the experts. My degree in Nursing has always been a help to a not-yet-mom like me.

Behavior Variations

Toddler and pre-school are the years when children first learn to have enough vocabularies to express their feelings. It is also the stage when they start to learn how responsibilities are shared in the home.

My 6-year-old niece’s familiar lines however prove that there are emotions and responsibilities she cannot fully understand. She is not absolved by the explanation, “Your sister is just a baby. She doesn’t really know what she’s doing”. She often thinks there are privileges and behaviors allowed to her sister that are not tolerated in her.

It is not at all easy since what you think as temperate solution to perils might result into behavior confusion.

See it in general

Approach both lightly and ask without provoking. Provoking promotes defensive reasons as do my nieces. Detecting what’s really going on might help both children; and help parents or guardians learn just how to deal with the kids individually.

Feelings, Oh, Oh, Oh feelings

Bottom-line is, feelings of jealousy occur in some way when there is more than one kid in the house. The key is to help them recognize their feelings by observing them and encouraging them when they do something favorable “I like the way you let your sister borrow your crayons” or “It’s good that you helped her fix her things”.

It’s always not advisable to use the word “bad” when pointing out that something wrong was done. It rather confuses them what they are actually feeling.

For very young children like my nieces, doing some prompting is a big help, “I can see that you feel sad that your sister doesn’t feel like sharing her toys with you now” or pointing specifically to the act, “I see that you took your sister’s drawing book without her permission” and asking follow-up questions like, “Why did you do it?”. Allowing so helps both parents and the kids see the bigger picture.

It’s true that when kids know their feelings are respected, they become more empathetic to others. The rule of the thumb is-- acknowledgement.

Help them communicate

Allowing the kids to express how they feel gives them the idea that their opinion matters. Using words like “she feels”, “she looks”, “you seem” “I think” and avoiding definitive phrase like “It’s bad” will let them distinguish bad behaviors of the person over the person herself.

Set up rules

Kids understand rules more than you think. Rules also help diminish conflicts and help them follow and stick to their responsibilities.

But one important thing to remember is to always be consistent with your rules. Sticking with TV schedules, taking turns, or providing them space will help instill in them discipline, patience, concern, and respect for privacy.

Play is key

Doing activities that foster coöperation like board games, or for Filipino families, bahay-bahayan will encourage coöperation and family bonding.

For more cooperative children games you may refer to Child Care Lounge and Family Pastimes. 

Unfit situations like sibling rivalry can be used as time to teach kids good lessons. How kids are taught will say a lot about who they will most likely become in the future. You might as well do them a favor. I am beginning to.






Photo Credits:
weheartit (dot) com

29 Ways to Stay Creative...And be Positive

Strong is the new beautiful. And speaking of strong, here's a pet peeve: reading and discovering how to live  a more positive life but not actually knowing how to apply it when it's needed.

Great speakers and writers of creative and positive life share huge amount of tips on how to make just that. However has it that few of the real challenges in learning what they preach doesn't come with learning but in maintaining what was learned.

Most readers have the tendencies to get mastered by their thoughts and not mastering the way they think. Hence, forgetting the motivating lessons on how to live a creative and positive life.

Mad as Hell

“If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad.”

What writing is not l Image taken from quotestree.com

Writing is not writing in the interest of letting the people know “Hey, I got some good English here, and I bet I’m gonna kill you with my grammar”. It isn’t all about writing just to sound off that one is as astute as the Greek-god-of-intelligence is, sharp as a tack at certain things. Although being known for one’s writings and works is part of the big bonus that a writer’s going to get out of his efforts. In brief, it is never self-claimed. It takes scads a proof to say that one is positive a writer. But why am I saying all these things? 

I just thought, writing is in the same way not just for people whose names are found in prints; characters engraved in the best-sellers. It isn’t just about those people seen blatantly on screen. Writing is about self-expression. It is about sharing the ideas God has ever allowed one’s mind to think. It is a form of discovery with which one recalls things he thought he had already lost. Even the mere desire of scribbling one’s thoughts in paper is a surefire indication of someone’s ability to put the language of life and everything around it into words. It’s like a forerunner of the saying, “Not anyone can write, but a writer can come from anywhere”. And when you become one, you get a courteous feeling of being able to not just express but represent what other's are unable to say. 

For the swindle sheet, I myself get a little disappointed when words clog and papers go blank before me. Knowing that writing is an avenue for self-expression, it’s daunting just if I don’t get a remedy; and when I don’t I go mad as hell (tongue-in-cheek).  

Seriously, I really wish the goddess of words will lend a hand on this little writer’s block. Smiles!

Let the words flow freely l Image taken from weheartit.com

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.  ~Norbet Platt

Image Credits:
quotestree.com
weheartit.com