Staying stress free in the credit crisis.

We cannot fail to notice the credit crisis that is leading, or has lead, (depending on which newspaper you read) to a recession which is expected to go on until at least 2010.  January sales started in November, as shops on the High Street struggle to sell their wares, and indeed we have seen a number of big High Street names fall by the wayside already. Car production is being cut, as new cars fail to be sold, and working hours are being reduced in order to save money, with the threat of redundancy never far away.

Times are hard – prices are going up, yet income is coming down, or at best staying pretty static. As an economy we don’t know whether we are coming or going!

This all leads to additional stress for everyone – whether we are looking for a new job, have the threat of redundancy looming, or are just struggling to make ends meet with the rising cost of food, fuel, and the like, an economic downturn is difficult to deal with.

But, there are things that we can do to help us focus on a way through – a survival plan if you like!

If you are needing to change job, because of redundancy etc, then it might be time to think about what you want to do next – do you want to stay in the same area of work or is it time for a complete change?  Have the confidence to make the decisions that you really want to make, rather than just the ones you think you should make!  Guided visualization can help with this, to help you access the inner strength that will get you moving in the direction you want to be.  It might be time to brush up your CV and turn yourself into a very marketable product.

Set new goals – achievable goals.  If you had been hoping to save up enough for a fortnights holiday or a new car, reassess realistically…….think about what you NEED against what you WANT.  If that means having a shorter break away, or staying in the UK rather than holidaying abroad, then so be it.  If you have been looking to change your car, set yourself a budget and stick to it…….get haggling in the showroom, you may be surprised at how much you can get knocked off the price!

Don’t allow yourself to go over your budgets, whether you are doing the weekly grocery shop, or booking a holiday.  Spending money you cannot afford is not an option right now – you will regret it in due course.

Focus on the things you have already – do they really need replacing, or is it just that you fancy something new?  The old fashioned way of “make do and mend” is very relevant now.  Don’t buy new when you can repair old!  If it is serviceable, then it will do!

Look at the free things in life and enjoy them!  A walk outside in the crisp winter sunshine, or along a deserted beach is a fantastic way of clearing your head and taking some time out.  Dig out the board games that are lurking in the back of the cupboard and delight your children with cluedo or scrabble!  Invest in a pack of playing cards, and teach your children all those games you learn’t yourself as a child!

The next couple of years are not going to be easy, but the fact is that recessions come, and then they go.  With a little effort and realism, coupled with positivity and an appreciation of what we have, not what we can’t have, will get us through, in a stronger position than we would otherwise have been in.

Have the confidence to make that change.

The world is ever changing around us – the economic problems around the world are gradually forcing us to make changes – whether it is changing down a brand at the supermarket because food prices have increased, or whether it is to look at the next step following redundancy, changes are being made.

Sometimes we are resistant to change. We might say that cheaper brands don’t taste as good, or perform as well as the more expensive branded products, or we might say that we can’t possibly give up our cable tv because we can’t manage without the sports channel.  Once we make a little effort though, and give it a try, we are often pleasantly surprised – we don’t notice the difference in taste or performance.  Actually, the cheaper one may well taste better!  And as for the sports channel, you realise that you don’t really watch it as much as you thought you did, so you don’t really miss it at all!

And what about when you need to make that bigger change – perhaps you are facing redundancy, or a shorter working week and therefore need to look for another job, or maybe the cost of your mortgage means that downsizing would be a sensible option.  These are big changes to make in your life, and are understandably quite nervewracking.

But, if you dig deep for the self confidence to make those necessary changes, you will be likely to notice a positive difference.  It may be that you were unhappy in your last job, with the threat of redundancy always looming over you, making you feel very negative about getting up and going to work every day.  Have the confidence to take that step towards your next career – a career that is going to take you to all the places, mentally and physically that you want to go.  A career that you enjoy – that you actually want to get up in the morning for!  If your mortgage and other debts have been giving you sleepless nights wondering how long you can afford to pay, downsizing and taking on a smaller financial responsibility will take that stress away from you, and you will feel as though the weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

So have the confidence to make those changes – whether big or small – they can help you adjust through the current economic uncertainties, and can help you regain your personal wellbeing at the same time, giving you a much needed boost to your energy levels, which in turn puts you in a better place to be able to deal with the next change.

Why try guided imagery?

How do you feel right now? Stuck in a rut? All over the place? Lacking direction? Wound up? Stressed? Anxious about something? Tired due to a lack of sleep?

If you can identify with any of the above, then you need to get your mind and body back into a state of balance, to enable you to see the way forward, and to give yourself the confidence to go and take that all important next step.

Guided meditation and guided visualization is an excellent way of focusing your mind on the things that need addressing, in a very relaxing and comfortable way. Take yourself out of the stress zone for a little while and allow yourself that space to think clearly and see things without the clouds of “stuff” that seem to be distorting things right now. If you find it difficult to close your eyes and just take yourself off somewhere, then a recording, such as the ones on this site, will help guide you to somewhere that suits you – whether you go on a calming walk along the seashore, a walk through the beautiful English countryside, or on an invigorating mountain walk, there is somewhere for YOU, where you can work with your inner self to regain that balance.

It really is so simple, and so comfortable – and the beauty is that it is so effective. Simply choose the guided imagery that appeals to you and let yourself relax into it, being carried away on a fantastic journey towards total wellbeing. Guided meditation is very inexpensive – no hourly fees or weekly costs, just a one off download payment, and away you go! And of course you can use it in the comfort of your own home, whenever you like!

So, give it a try……what have you got to lose!

How Guided Imagery can help the energy healing process.

We live in hectic times; everything is done at break neck speed and with increasing regularity, we as individuals are let down by the systems in place designed to help us at just about every conceivable turn. This makes us annoyed, angry and frustrated as we seem to take one step forward and three steps backwards in life, with even the simplest of tasks seemingly fraught with difficulties that cause unnecessary stress.

More often than not, we chase our tails and don’t leave enough time for ourselves to relax and as a consequence, we don’t find the time or the energy either for ourselves or our loved ones, or to solve even the simplest of problems.

When we’re tired and stressed, even minor problems, easily solved under normal circumstances, can be blown up out of all proportion, adding to the downward spiral of unhappiness that has such an adverse effect on our well being. And so often the effect is also felt by those closest to us.

Often, when we’re tired and under stress, we don’t even realize it because we’re so caught up in whatever it is that’s causing the stress and consequently, we’re too tired to recognize the symptoms.

But stress can be simple to deal with if we can first recognize the need to just stand back and view the problem in a cold and practical light. There are ways to help us deal with these problems – there is a survival plan!

You’re probably thinking; “That’s easier said than done”. Well, it may surprise you to learn that it really is that simple; it can be done.

Problems will arise from time to time lets face it; they have a habit of lurking around the corner to pounce, often when we’re least expecting them. If problems are not dealt with but left to fester, to build up, this causes stress and anxiety.

The most important first step is to recognize that stress is having an adverse affect on our life and well being. Once that is acknowledged then it can be easier to explore avenues to reduce the stress by tackling the core issues that are causing the problem.

So what’s the simple survival plan? Using Guided Imagery and Guided Meditation and relaxation techniques, particularly listening to guided meditation CDs and downloads, because these can help focus our minds and if you set time aside in the evening, (or whenever is most convenient to you) guided visualization and meditation can aid relaxation to help better sleep. If you are less tired and thereby able to focus on the core issues of your stress, then you’ve a far better chance of focusing in on and resolving the core issues.

You have probably heard of guided meditation before, because it has been around for a while. But people really don’t realize just how simple and effective a method of relaxation this can be. Some people consider is as mumbo jumbo or view relaxation as something strange. It’s not at all. It’s a very natural and very pleasant way to relax. Guided Imagery helps in the energy healing process to focus your inner strength on what really matters by brushing away the cobwebs of uncertainty. This simply allows the inner strength that we all posses to be more assertive and deal with the problems that confront us.

At Guided-imagery-downloads.com we understand the need for high quality downloads to help you find your inner self and the emotional strength and awareness to focus on the issues that are important to you. Kimberley Mercer’s wonderfully relaxing voice will gently lead you through various guided imagery techniques and we even have a great selection for children. So please explore our site and discover Guided Imagery and Guided Meditation at its best.

Survival Plan for dealing with stress in the 21st Century.

There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning with a sense of dread about facing the new day. That stressed out feeling of being unable to solve problems or deal with decisions at work; maybe a new boss or a new way of working or maybe it’s just time to move on but taking that step is proving too difficult. Maybe it’s closer to home; perhaps the person laying next to you is not the person you really want to be with for the rest of your life; or maybe they are, but financial and/or family worries are putting undue stress on the relationship.

Stress like this can make our waking hours seem like hell, and things are no better at night; sleeping fitfully, waking up in a cold sweat. Indeed, being unable to get a decent nights sleep makes the situation worse because the more tired we get, the less likely we are to be able to deal with anything. Whatever the cause of the stress, the result, the stress itself, has the same detrimental effect on our well being.

There are ways of dealing with what life throws at us, a kind of survival plan for the 21st Century, a survival plan that’s right for each of us and can help us to focus on a path through the maze of problems that confronts us.

So, if work really is that bad, then maybe it really is time to move on. If your relationship isn’t right then perhaps it really is time to confront that fact; and if financial or family worries really are that bad, then now is the time to take a long, hard look at them.

Guided Imagery and Guided Meditation can be an enormous help to you in this because it will help you to access your inner strength and is the ideal way to find that energy healing process that will help you deal with the problems that need to be addressed and overcome. Believe it or not, we all have that inner spiritual strength, but it is the very fact of being under stress that hides it from us. Guided visualization can give you the focus to help you to look inward and confront the issues that are pushed to the back of the mind during the periods of stress.

Guided meditation and guided visualization techniques have been around for a long time and really are nothing new. Many people simply don’t realize just how simple and effective they can be in helping to reduce stress. They are the ideal survival plan for the 21st Century because they can so easily be obtained now online as digital downloads or on CD/tape.

Whatever media you decide upon, They can be put into practice to suit each individual, harnessing the inner strength we each possess to help focus and ultimately find the relaxation we need to reduce stress and overcome our problems.

Focus on that end goal

With 16 weeks to go before I run the London Marathon (well, I say “run” but I think “get round” is perhaps more appropriate!), I am also faced with the darkest, coldest, bleakest days of the winter. Getting out of bed in the morning is not something I look forward to, it is dark when I leave for work, and dark when I get home. I feel as though I am more suited to hibernation, so the prospect of getting my trainers on and going for a long run is often difficult to welcome!

BUT, I want to get round that Marathon course, without stopping, at the end of April. I WANT that medal and that silver tin foil space blanket. I WANT to achieve my goal and guided meditation will play a major part in helping me achieve it!

So using guided imagery to help me focus on the end result, and visualizing those people at the end of the race, handing out medals, giving out congratulations and goodie bags, I can channel my energy into what I WANT. It gives me the incentive to get my running kit on and to step outside the door.

And on every occasion that I go, I am glad that I have made that effort……the fresh air, the space it gives me, whether in the evening after a stressful day at work, or first thing in the morning before most people are even awake, I feel good about myself and what I am achieving. I know that the focus and effort that I have are worth it, and that I will achieve my goal.

New Guided Imagery titles “Managing Pain & Discomfort” due soon.

We are delighted to present news of our forthcoming “Managing Pain and Discomfort” series of Guided meditation downloads that focus on helping You take control and to relax and breathe away pain with individual titles and specific packs of pure relaxation.

It has often been considered that relaxation and relaxation techniques can play a part in managing chronic and acute pain, and may be useful in the attenuation of pain and anxiety that often accompany medical procedures. Pure relaxation and guided imagery may also be helpful in treating elusive pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, recurrent abdominal pain and recurrent headaches, perhaps helping reduce the amount of medication needed to treat pain.

Our Guided meditation tiles can help your inner self to find the calm and relaxation to take control and manage your pain, giving physical and emotional benefits that help decrease discomfort and enjoy your life again.

Motivation and Goal Setting Guided Imagery and Pure Relaxation titles due soon.

We are delighted to present details of our forthcoming “Motivation and Goal Setting” series of guided meditation downloads designed to aid boosting confidence, self esteem, control and positive affirmations. We live in exciting but hectic modern times in which the only real certainty is ‘change’ and we need the energy and the focus to deal with the many challenges, at home and at work, that require motivation, goal setting and control.

You are your own best motivator and there is a strong relationship between being successful and an effective goal setting process. Our guided imagery sessions are designed to help you focus on your motivation from within. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said; “He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance. One cannot fly into flying”. So with the aid of guided imagery you can define for yourself the right path, the steps needed, and then travel at your own pace to reach your goal.

Our guided imagery and pure relaxation titles can help you focus on whats right for you by helping your inner self nurture your motivation and access your full creative potential to help you reach your goals.

How Guided meditation and pure relaxation can help in looking for that job

In these difficult economic times the first step in finding a job can often be the hardest. Sometimes people who have become unemployed find their confidence shattered and their self esteem in tatters. It drains a soul of self belief and confidence and once that happens, it can be a very difficult task to get those feelings back. And of course, the more ‘down’ one feels, the less confidence one has and the harder it becomes to take those first steps on the road to getting a job.
Guided meditation and pure relaxation techniques can help. Okay, these won’t get you a job in themselves, but what these techniques will do is help you to regain your confidence, your belief and your self esteem. There is a strong relationship between being successful and an effective goal setting process, and that is also an important part of being confident and having high self esteem. What guided imagery can do is to help give you the focus, or more specifically, give your inner self the peace of mind to focus on nurturing the motivation needed to reinforce your confidence and self esteem. It does this by taking you on an expertly guided imagery journey to a safe place of calm and pure relaxation where your inner self can be recharged’, if you like, where you will find the energy to reinforce your true sense of value and self esteem.
Guided imagery and pure relaxation should not be underrated because they have become a well used and proven successful method of helping people find the inner strength to solve many of life’s problems.

Living with Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia  is a chronic debilitating condition of widespread muscular pain and fatigue, which often leaves sufferers feeling very isolated and alone. It also tends to leave them feeling very misunderstood! One of the reasons for this is because there have been many people, including in the medical profession, who have not understood the condition or, perhaps more tellingly, found it difficult to give appropriate help and guidance for a disease for which at present, there is no cure. With symptoms including chronic fatigue, pain and discomfort on virtually any part of the body both external and internal, lack of proper sleep and memory loss, it is little wonder it has been so hard to diagnose. It covers such a wide spectrum of pain and discomfort and so varied a combination of symptoms that it makes diagnosis and treatment both extremely difficult and very opaque. Often of course, it’s simply misdiagnosed.

However, there has been increased recognition of fibromyalgia since the early 1990’s in the NHS but the truth is that it’s a ‘good news bad news’ scenario – ‘good’ that more information is available but ‘bad’ that there is very little that the medical profession appears able to do about it. More women than men are afflicted, but it does affect people of all ages and the cause is still unknown.

The reality of fibromyalgia is that sufferers have to take personal control over the management of their condition.

In recent years the internet has helped fibromyalgia sufferers a great deal in finding out more about this chronic illness, if only to find reassurance from other sufferers. There are now more and more national and local web sites springing up so this is definitely something sufferers should investigate if they haven’t already done so. Your GP surgery may have information on local support groups in your area, for many sufferers this can be a great help knowing their are others who understand what you are going through.

Living with a fibromyalgia sufferer, I know that there are some things that can help alleviate the pain and discomfort and some things that will make it worse. The weather is definitely one of them; much like arthritis sufferers, when the weather gets really cold, the level of pain increases. Conversely of course, being in a warmer climate often brings some respite. So although living in a warm climate doesn’t cure fibromyalgia, there is definitely ’something’ in the use of heat which reduces the level of pain. Hot water bottles and various types of heat packs are a regular companion for many sufferers!

The use of pure relaxation and guided meditation can also be very useful because these can help sufferers to manage pain and discomfort by relaxing and allowing their inner self to focus and create a strong sense of well being and calm which can subsequently help provide a positive physical and emotional benefit.

Another useful tip is to consider gentle, low-impact aerobic exercise, which okay, might sound daft if you’re in pain, and obviously how much exercise one does is down to the individual sufferers own condition and circumstance, but many sufferers do find that a good exercise class run by a properly trained person, not only helps boost physical fitness, but helps promote a feeling of well being and confidence. Sufferers must be careful not to overdo physical activity though! Of course there are the social positives of being out with other people, having fun and having a natter. That alone can bring a sense of independence because of the limitations that fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue brings to sufferers.

An appropriate diet including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and limiting refined foods and sugars should be followed. Try to ensure good sources of dietary magnesium as well, including almonds, rice, soybean product etc. If you’re not sure, check out fibromyalgia related diets and lifestyle options online, including the information suggesting that hypoallergenic diets can help many patients. In one particular study 70% of those taking part reported ’significant improvement in feelings of well being’.

Fibromyalgia is one of the top three most common diagnosis made by British rheumatologists and clearly it has become a much more understood condition than it was say 20 years ago, even if it still misunderstood and there still isn’t a cure.