Combatting Negative Thoughts with Positive Words

Your mind is the battleground for faith or for defeat.  When you have a negative thought that causes pressure to be applied to your flesh (stress), do you just let that thought fester inside of your head?  Do you try to just ignore the thought?  There's a better and effective way to fight negative thoughts that eventually lead to stress and defeat.

Fighting negative thoughts that lead to stress with positive words is your only solution to defeating those bad thoughts.  For the Christian, we fight negative thoughts with the word of God. God's Word is powerful and sharper than even a two edged sword. It's alive, powerful and can defeat any negative thought that comes across your mind.  I've experienced this in my own life.

Besides, isn't it better to focus on words that speak life versus words that speak defeat, depression, debt, and death?  I was about to go on a roll with the bad "d" words but I think you get the picture.

The next time you have a bad, negative, stress inducing thought, open your mouth and speak against it -  preferably with God's Word. Don't allow negative thoughts to control your emotions which is then lead to making bad or negative decisions.
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Michelle is the true to life resource for satisfaction guaranteed stress and alternative pain relief products. Get on the path to wellness and SAVE when you purchase one of her already low cost Stress Relief Products with discount code: REVIVE.

"When life throws lemons, make lemonade!" - Unknown

Ponder These Before You Allow Stress To Consume You

Stress is a very serious matter worth addressing head on.. I hope you have been informed, refreshed or enlightened some these past few weeks and I would love to hear from you.

I want to wrap up my mini-overview on stress with some powerful quotes to really get you thinking, "Is it worth it?"

"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness."  *Richard Carlson

"Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important." *Natalie Goldberg

"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one." *Dr. Hans Selye

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." *Bill Cosby

"Sometimes it is harder to deprive oneself of a pain than of a pleasure."  *F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Gray hair is God's graffiti." *Bill Cosby

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Michelle Howard Smith is a stress and pain relief professional helping individuals to address health from a natural perspective. Subscribe to The Stress Less newsletter to receive valuable information on stress and pain management monthly.

What's Your State's Stress Level?

Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that us individuals are not the only ones to experience stress? On the contrary, whole counties, states and nations also experience stress and are susceptible to high stress levels.

Yahoo recently released results from Associated Press' Economic Stress Index. Scores are calculated from 1 to 100 for counties within a state and factors such as unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates have the biggest impact. Counties within a state are considered under high stress levels when its score exceeds 11.

I was quite interested in this due to the fact that I live in New York, working in New York City.  People always think that New York City is one of number one states with the highest stress levels.  Well, you may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Previously Nevada (21.32), Michigan (17.59) and California (16.31) topped the list of the most economically stressed states.

The most stressed counties were Imperial County, Calif. (31.83); Yuma County, Ariz. (27.58); Merced County, California (24.28); Lyon County, Nevada (24.02); and Lauderdale, Tennessee (23.56).

The states with the biggest year-to-year increases in economic stress in August were Nevada, Oregon and Michigan.

Isn't that something?  Who would have thought that these states that you don't hear much from were higher in stress levels than the famously fast paced New York City.  That gives you something to think about.
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Michelle Howard Smith is President of Reviyve LLC, a distributor of stress and alternative pain relief products. Subscribe to the Stress Less Newsletter receive stress management tips, alternative health info and exclusive offers for subscribers only.

The Number One Reason People Get Stressed

The number one reason people get stressed out is money problems.  Financial problems are not the actual cause of stress but more the result of actions that led to the pressure behind the money  problems.

When a person mismanages their finances for whatever reason, that leads to money problems which then lead to stress. So the actual cause of the stress is not the money problems but the mismanagement of the money.

Read about ways to prevent stress.

Stress - Things to Consider

As a stress and alternative pain relief infopreneur, I thought it befitting to do a series on stress and pain relief.  I won't make each post very long, just long enough for you to digest the points and ponder them over until the next point.

Starting with the topic of stress, there are some things that you really need to know.  Some of them you may already know.  Others may be an eye opener or even a refresher.  In any case, if you are going to be successful at managing your stress levels or meeting stress head on by using some techniques I'll share down the line, then you must first be armed with guess what? INFORMATION.  Yippee my favorite word.

Let's get started.  What is Stress? 

A simplified yet very practical definition is: Stress is physical, chemical, or emotional pressure causing your body or mind to experience tension that may result in disease or illness.

Now that's a pretty serious definition.  Think about it for a while.  I'll be back in a couple of days to build upon it.

Pain and Stress are brothers

I started to say that pain and stress are sisters but hey I'm a woman. Why would I equate two such annoying and disturbing conditions with women? Nope. The men can have those titles (sorry fellas).

Anyway, I've been really busy for the last week or so. I've been promoting my beauty brand, Blended Naturals and also attended a beauty tour and blog summit. That's why I haven't had as much time to devote to writing here and dumping my brain with topics on stress and pain.

While I will say that stress has been a close companion this last week or so. It's mainly because I have so much to do with not enough time. I have to evaluate a number of beauty products and brands, write reviews and also work on my search engine optimization for my websites. I am a one woman show so some things have to wait.

What I wanted to give you today is more of a nugget to chew on and think about:

"If you stop to think, pain that is caused from an injury, illness or surgery can result in tremendous levels of stress. Even if all is well in your world, if you are in pain your mind and emotions can be overwhelmed. Stress and pain are brothers!"

Think about that. Mull it over and let me know your thoughts. I'll start writing more in the next week or so. I'd also like to know what topics you would like for me to write about. Share!

Organizing Ideas for Your Undergarments

For some reason I'm stuck on the whole clutter thing. I guess it's because clutter can cause undue stress. There are too many things in the world that cause stress that we can't control. You may as well work on the things you can control. That's why I'm going to continue offering organizing ideas that will help reduce clutter and ultimately your stress levels.

Today's post is especially for the ladies. I want to teach you in 4 simple steps how to organize your undergarments. Sounds fun right?

For starters, let me point out that when I say undergarments, I am referring to it all...your bras, panties, pantyhose, girdles, slips, and SEXY lingerie. Now let's get organized:

1. If it doesn't fit or is worn out, toss it. Maybe buy some more like the ones in the image (courtesy of Victoria's Secret)
   
   
2. Now, separate your undergarments by type. In other words panties with panties, bras with bras, handcuffs oops not that....all together.
   
   
3. Now fold your bras in half, tucking in the straps. Fold panties and other items tucking in corners and any hooks. We don't want any accidental snags.
   
   
4. Finally, assign each item type a drawer. If you don't have enough drawers then combine two item types that go together in one drawer. For example, add bras and panties to the same drawer or add slips and girdles to the same drawer. Tip: get a plastic divider to put in your drawers to help keep items organized and separate

So, now that we've organized our undergarments, let me think about what else needs organizing to reduce clutter. I'm thinking the junk drawer, closets, desks and you guessed it....pocket books! If you have any organizing ideas, please feel free to share.

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Michelle is President of Reviyve LLC, an online stress and alternative pain relief resource. Michelle conducts regular research related to alternative health and has helped many to achieve stress and natural pain relief. Subscribe to Michelle's monthly Stress Less newsletter for stress management and alternative health information.

Choosing no to Stress

When you don't know what to do, what do you do? When you don't have wisdom what do you do? Do you stress and worry? I had 4 days of challenging circumstances and while they were very stressful and I found myself on the brink of crying because I didn't know what to do, my husband made me realize that I needed to collect myself and realize that stressing out over my circumstances was not helping and certainly didn't change anything.

My car's transmission imploded after 10 years. It was such a personal experience for me because that was my first car and we have been places together. This car knows things that I've done that nobody else does! I cried because I had to say goodbye. At the end of it all, I didn't know what to do but after some of God's favor and direction, I chose not to stress. Walking in a peaceful frame of mind is a choice.

Choose not to stress when you don't know what to do. Look to God for wisdom and favor and He'll lead you and show you what to do when you don't know what to do.

Be Blessed,
Michelle

Stress Relief Resources

People are experiencing loads of stress like never before. We live in a complicated society with complicated problems. There are so many issues going on that people don't seem to know where to turn to.

I have a number of stress relief resources that I assembled and am constantly working on that I believe is quite helpful for individuals experiencing any form of stress: Mental, Physical and Spiritual. If you are armed with information, you are more successful at treating your problems. Here are some stress relief resources at your disposal:

• Learning Center
• Alternative Pain Relief Products
• Magnetic Therapy
  
• Monthly Stress Less Ezine
  
• Complimentary Healthy Heart E-Course
• Complimentary article with any Stress Relief or Pain Relief Product Purchase: Effective Steps to Manage Anxiety
• This Blog which keeps you updated on a variety of state of the art products and solutions to manage stress

If you would like to see more or specific stress relief resources made available, please contact me. I love helping people and providing people with helpful information.

Healthy Heart E-Course

I was recently thinking of ways to offer my customers and website visitors informative content relating to stress relief and to help combat stress. That's when I decided to actually take it a step further and not only provide valuable stress relief information but provide really valuable stress relief information AND information to improve one's health.

I'm proud to introduce you to my new Healthy Heart E-course. This e-course consists of 5 days of solid content that I have researched and compiled together. The Healthy Heart E-course is going to be one of many e-courses I offer to help people live healthier, more productive lives with less stress. In the case of the Healthy Heart E-course, less stress on the body, specifically the heart. Here's what is covered in the Healthy Heart E-course:

* How to Create Heart Friendly Health Habits
* Heart friendly foods for a healthy heart
* Foods to avoid to maintain a healthy heart
* How to Raise Your HDLs
* Reduce your life stress to protect your heart
* Healthy Heart Recipes!

The Healthy Heart E-course is complimentary for all who choose to subscribe. It's my way of providing my customers and visitors with vital information. Some may be wondering why I'm offering the information for free if it's so vital. The answer is simple and straight forward. This e-course is helpful for it's subscribers but it's also helpful for me to establish my expertise in the area of stress relief. I have no hidden agenda. There it is laid out on the table. Not only that, but at the the end of the Healthy Heart E-course I am offering an e-book at a nominal charge which compiles the information from the e-book in one place AND also offers additional information such as additional healthy heart resources, a host of healthy heart recipes and a special audio message.

There are good things in life that are for free so subscribe to the5 day Healthy Heart E-course today.

Breathing Meditation

Every day of our lives we experience some form of stress, and at different levels. You could be driving home from work and get stuck in traffic, thereby changing your plans. That can cause stress.

Sometimes, we have so much to do and so many responsibilities that we forget to slow down and take care of ourselves. We often neglect ourselves for others which can also cause stress.

Breathing meditation has immeasurable benefits, and is widely used to relieve the daily stress we face. Breathing meditation is an effective way to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve the immune system. Breathing meditation has also been used to help people break bad habits such as smoking.

Meditation promotes an inner balance and calms the mind and the body. Once you are relaxed, focus on your breathing and slow it down to the point where you are in a deep meditative state. After a short period of breathing meditation, you feel renewed and the anxiety and stress is either reduced or eliminated. Note that it will take a few sessions to get the technique just right, but it is worth the effort to work towards obtaining significant stress relief on the days when you are being overwhelmed by the many responsibilities of your life.

In order for breathing meditation to be effective, it requires you to engage in this practice on a daily basis. The more you practice breathing meditation, the better you will become at relaxing and calming your mind. You can do this breathing exercise at home, at work, or while traveling. All you need is a quiet place. While traveling, you can put on ear phones to block out noise.

No matter what you are doing during the course of the day, take ten minutes to quiet your mind in order to relieve whatever stress or anxiety you are experiencing. Just as you take care of others’ needs, it is just as important to concentrate on your own well being. Give breathing meditation a try.

Using Magnets to Ease Pain

In my search of methods for natural pain relief and pain management, I discovered an interesting and very effective natural pain relief method. Of course, I didn't actually discover it as a new way to ease pain. I just discovered it in my life. It's magnet therapy.

As someone who manages an online stress relief website, I wanted to make sure I wasn't just selling products. I wanted to have a personal experience with most, if not all of my stress relief products. I feel that one very big arena for stress is pain. If you are in pain, how can you possibly be at peace?

In November 2008, I had double foot surgery that I thought would be a piece of cake. My doctor said I'd be up and walking in around 2 weeks. Well, while that wasn't entirely a lie, it also wasn't the whole truth. The numbness, tingling and burning sensation I experienced was not expected and it was more than a bit annoying. It kept me from sleeping. I was laid up in the bed most of the time and so I began to make use of that time by browsing the web for new products for natural pain relief that I could offer on my site. That's when I discovered Magnet Therapy.

Many people choose Magnet therapy also known as Magnetic therapy as an alternative form of natural pain relief for conditions such as arthritis and injuries. Magnet Therapy is an effective form of pain management that helps to promote faster healing and has has been well documented over many years by many cultures.

So, when I came across this company that manufactured Magnetic Therapy products, I decided to try the magnets to help ease my own pain. I purchased a small neodymium magnet kit for my personal use. When I received the magnets, I was a little unsure if they would provide pain relief. At the very least I knew that I could send it back and it was safe.

Well, I used those magnets and very much to my surprise within 5 minutes I was experiencing quick relief from the burning sensation and numbness in my right big toe and on the side of my right foot. I was able to sleep soundly with the large magnet affixed to my big toe. You see, you don't have to have but one magnet affixed with some surgical tape to the affected area. It is most effective and I highly recommend this magnetic therapy for anyone who has had surgery.

Of course, there are precautions you need to be aware of. While magnetic therapy is very safe, you can not use this form of natural pain relief if you have any implanted electronic medical devices in your body or you use transdermal drug patches.

You should also know that the effectiveness of the magnet is determined by the gauss rating, thickness, diameter and spacing of the magnet. Not all magnets are created equally so you should do your homework. Surely, I stand behind our magnets and there is of course a 30 day return policy so if you are not satisfied (which I highly doubt), you can return the magnets less any shipping costs.

As authorized resellers for magnetic therapy products, we offer discounted pricing on our therapeutic medical grade magnets and you get them shipped directly from the manufacturer. It's a win win situation. Lower prices, same quality.

Beginning with the End in Mind

One of the habits in Stephen Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People" is Beginning with the end in mind. While the book talks about having a clear understanding of your destination so you can get a better understanding of where you are now, thereby keeping you on track with the right steps toward that direction, I'd like to focus on how beginning with the end in mind benefits you as it relates to stress in your life.

Whenever you begin a task, no matter how small or how great, you should do two things:

1. Have a mapped out plan that includes detailed steps to get you to your accomplished destination or completed task
2. Work proactively towards succeeding at the task at hand

Focusing on your desired results prevents you from building up stress. It's sort of like Walking by Faith. Regardless of the obstacles that may cross your path, you are focusing on your desired result. Nothing else matters. If along the way, the steps you mapped out to the destination or desired result need a little "tweaking", stay flexible and make the adjustments but keep the end in mind, focusing on the victory. Focusing on victory vs. failure is what keeps you progressing and helps fight off the stress of worry and feelings of inadequacy.

Try it and you will notice that not only will your attitude be positive, you will also notice that you wont' be as easily discouraged.

Ease Stress & Sooth Frazzled Emotions

As disussed in my post yesterday, it is my desire to familiarize people with Reviyve's online site for natural stress relief alternatives. I've taken great care into the research of stress and stress relief so that I could make this is a very comprehensive and valuable resource with a wide variety of solutions for those experiencing stress. I'll be starting with Aromatherapy. On the site you will find additional information as well as a unique assortment of aromatherapy products, an effective alternative for obtaining relaxation.

Aromatherapy is an age old remedy for helping to ease stress and soothe emotions. The practice of aromatherapy involves the use of essential oils to bring the mind, body and spirit into a balance of harmony. Essential oils are therapeutic and are employed via the sense of smell to promote a sense of wellbeing.

The wonderful aroma and therapeutic experience from the Essential Oils can be obtained by various methods of inhalation or application:

- Aromatherapy diffuser

- Aromatherapy Candles (very popular)
Check out this unique line topped with
exquisite shavings per candle.

- Bathing in bath salts such as Dead Sea Salts combined w/ essential oils

- Steamer

- Skin Care Products infused with essential oils

- Application of oil directly to the skin
(must first be diluted - 15 drops per ounce of carrier oil ex: coconut oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil)

Aromatherapy has many benefits. Here are a few:

• Stress Relief
• Relaxes achy muscles
• Decongests sinuses
• Improves skin conditions
• Promotes wound healing
• Clears up some infections
• Soothes menstrual cramps
• Induces sleep for those experiencing insomnia

User Friendly Definition of Aromatherapy

If you are experience stress or just need to unwind after a long day, I hope you will visit the site and take the time to explore what it has to offer

God Bless & Stress Less!

Stress Relief Alternatives

Stress seems to be a lot of people's best friend in these economic times. Reviyve Natural Alternatives for Stress Relief is an online site where people can go to read comprehensive articles about stress management and alternative pain relief as well as choose from a variety of alternative health products.

To familiarize you with our site and the products that we have, I will be posting information about the individual products along with some informative tidbits via a series of posts in the following categories:

AROMATHERAPY

PERSONAL MASSAGE

MAGNETIC THERAPY

CHI HEALTH

SLEEP HELP

TDP LAMPS

*Please subscribe to this post for special deals available to my blog subscribers*
Subscribe via the RSS Feed in the top left corner

Don't allow physical or mental stress to badger you another day. The next posting will discuss some relaxing, deliciously scented, mood enhancing aromatherapy candles formulated with essential oils. Stay tuned...

Cleaning House

Cleaning house can be very therapeutic when you are experiencing stress. It's a great stress management technique that can help take your mind off your problems. Not only is it a great stress management technique, your home will love you afterwards! The smell of freshness through out the house alone is a great stress reliever.

My children sometimes do things that can work my nerves if I let them. I ask them to do things and its as if I'm talking to myself. My oldest leaves his clothing and shoes all over the house and then comes and goes like my house is a hotel. Well, fortunately he was gone for the day and I was tired of looking at his mess. It was beginning to truly stress me out. So, not only did I clean up the entire house, I sanitized my bathroom and kitchen based on some research I've done about keeping your home clean of germs. Of course, nobody can rid their home of germs 100% but you can at least make it so that no sickness causing germs are lurking around. I'm in a process of writing a very comprehensive e-book about germs which will be available to anyone who makes a purchase on my Stress Relief website. I should have it completed by April 1st.

So, if you are experiencing a little stress and need an outlet, go turn on some music and get to cleaning!

Chips Under Pressure

When just reading the title, "Chips Under Pressure", one could assume many things. One could think that I'm about to talk about someone who falls apart when facing stressful situations.


On the contrary, I'm talking about potatoe chips! More specifically, eating as a way to deal with life's circumstances. Commonly termed "emotional eating", turning toward food as a way to relieve stress is a very common, yet costly practice. I personally deal with food issues, specifically snacks. The only difference is I don't turn to food to relieve stress. I tend to snack as a form of recreation. Basically, when I'm bored I go overboard with snacking. However, neither boredom nor stress are acceptable reasons to develop a relationship with food. Food is supposed to fulfill basic physical needs to sustain life. Food should not be used to fulfill a need that should be filled by other means. While I've not perfected this area in my life, I want to write about it as a way to identify with others.

Having a food addiction or self control problem is not an easy thing to defeat. It is helpful to have a support system to assist you with food issues... just like AA. Someone mentioned to me once that Over Eaters Anonymous was a helpful group. I'm thinking of checking that out myself. If I decide this is the right support group for me, I'll share my findings.

If you have a success story you would like to share where eating problems are concerned, please share it. Your story can be an encouragement to others and I'd like to dedicate this post to doing just that. I want this post to be a sort of forum, an outlet for others to talk about their issues, concerns and problems with using food as a crutch. All are welcome.

Stress Relief Without God?

We live in a changing world. The only thing that remains the same is the fact that life will always include problems and challenges that us finite humans don't always have the solutions to. With challenges come stress if you don't have the solution or know someone you can turn to who does.

It is natural for human beings to try and find the answers to all of the dilemmas of life. However, our lack of omniscience causes frustration and feelings of stress when we are unable to find the answers we so desperately seek after.

What is the real solution to stress? Where can one obtain effective stress relief every single time? Is it in the self help books? Can stress relief be truly obtained by the various stress management techniques available today? Yes and no. Sure, we can employ various stress management strategies to reduce our stress but the only true source of stress relief is God. We may be able to handle some of our circumstances but why handle them at all when Jesus said, "Cast all of your care and anxieties on Him for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7. God is omniscient and omnipresent. Regardless of your problem, He has a solution. He has the solution to lack, sickness, loneliness, depression, confusion... whatever the challenge or problem, God has the solution.

Even if you manage to come up with a good idea to solve a problem you are facing, your good idea could be be as effective as a "God idea." When we choose to look to God to relieve our stress, the stress management tips and techniques we follow and do in the natural realm are much more effective with a 0% failure rate. God will never fail you when you have faith in Him and in His Word, the Bible.

Relax and Be You

Are you the type of person who tends to do things to please other people? Or the type of person who is not happy unless others like you? Well, I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is if you continue this way, you will be causing yourself and under amount of stress that can certainly be avoided. The good news is if you be yourself the people who are meant to be in your life for the long haul will be there and you won’t have to constantly compromise for them to like you.

While it is human nature to desire the companionship of others, you do not have to compromise who you are in order to accomplish this. God created us as individuals for a purpose. If we were all the same, what good would that do? How much fun would that be? Imagine if everyone looked just alike, believed all the same things, liked all of the same things and acted just alike. What a bland and unbalanced world we’d live in – no flavor at all. Different races, cultures, talents, skills and opinions are what give us diversity. Everyone may not like you but who cares?

Studies show that no matter what you do 10% of all people you come in contact with won’t like you anyway. That’s their problem. If that’s the statistic then why bother trying to please everyone and put yourself in bondage to other people? Do you like yourself? If you don’t, I respectfully recommend you learn how. Reflect on all of the things you are good at. Take a month or so to write down every compliment you may receive from someone else. It doesn’t have to be a big compliment. It can be as small as, “Hey, I like your shirt.” A comment reflects that you have good taste in clothing! You will more than likely find that you like “you” after all. At the very least, you may discover some pretty neat things about yourself.

Don’t stress yourself worrying about what others think about you. Just be yourself. Of course, in being yourself you don’t want to cultivate a spirit of selfishness  What you are working towards is loving yourself enough to place boundaries in your life so that others don’t take advantage of you. If you are a giving person, continue to be that way, just don’t give so much of yourself that there’s nothing left for you.

The "I'll Do It All" mentality Leads to Stress

Have you ever heard of the saying, "If you want something done right, do it yourself?" Well, while there may be some truth to that at times, it's really based in arrogance and can lead to a life filled with stress and frustration. A humble person recognizes that their way of doing things may just be different and not necessarily better.

Stress is imminent any time a person takes on the responsibility of doing everything because they actually fear it wont' be done, the "right way." There are things in life that you absolutely have to do but then there are things that are better left for someone else to do. Find the balance and you'll be proactively fighting the stress in your life.