Blum - Kitchen Stress Test

This is me conducting the Ultimate Kitchen Stress Test with Bella & Sammy Jakubiak - winners of My Kitchen Rules.

Controlling Sugar ..

Interesting research findings on sugar. I have long known that there is a connection between mood and food, particularly sugar. When clients have reduced their sugar intake they think clearer, brain fog lifts and they can better attend to their psychological and physical wellness.

Top tips to reduce your sugar intake:

1. Choose natural sugar found in fruit when you need a boost.
2. Avoid processed juices which can contain as much sugar as a can of coke (16 teaspoons in a 600ml bottle!).
3. When you are craving sugar look at what triggered it - often it can be because you want to escape an uncomfortable emotion. Try and sit with it and the emotion and the intensity will peak in a few minutes and will declint.
4. Distracting yourself can be an excellent way to stop yourself reaching for the lolly bag. Take a walk, call a friend or read. 
5. Look out for hidden sugars found in bread, low fat yoghurts and even savoury muffins.   

The Daily Mail - 2 February 2012


Sugar is a poison and its sale should be as tightly regulated as cigarettes and alcohol, scientists say. They warn that sugary foods and drinks are responsible for illnesses including obesity, heart disease, cancer and liver problems. And they claim it contributes to 35million deaths a year. In an article entitled The Toxic Truth About Sugar, published in the journal Nature, the scientists add: ‘A little is not a problem but a lot kills – slowly.’ The U.S. authors warn obesity is now a bigger problem than malnourishment across the world, and that sugar not only makes people fat but also changes the body’s metabolism, raises blood pressure, throws hormones off balance and harms the liver. The damage done mirrors the effects of drinking too much alcohol – which the scientists point out is made from distilling sugar.

Read the full article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2094812/Sugar-controlled-like-tobacco-alcohol.html

Managing Stress - Brainsmart - BBC

Short animation for managing stress.

Defriending Negatron's

I have taken the radical steps of defriending a couple of 'friends' that were not really 'friends' in the first place. I decided to boycott Facebook for a few weeks. What I realised was that it's not about the person or the comments, but rather my sensitivity to toward's what they said. I work with clients to develop stronger inner confidence and not to be swayed by other people's reactions and here I was defensively reading far too much into a couple of comments.

One commented on my latest blogpost about achieving all you can in 2012 and felt that if I was achieving I wouldn't be writing about it and another of her 'friends' alluded to the fact that people that wrote about making changes in the new year would still be talking about making them next year. To these people I say thank you. After a bit of hurt and dismay I can see the wisdom in their words and it has provided me with a valuable lesson in dealing with criticism. With my first book nearing completion I have realised that my book does not have to be loved by everyone and nor do I. What matters is that the people that are drawn to read it do and the people that are'nt please don't. Also that people that are brave enough to follow their own path will receive both praise and criticism, but what matters is your opinion of yourself.

Therefore I urge you to follow your own path and know that you can't change people's reactions to you, but you can change your reactions to them.

If you have a burning desire to do something why not go ahead and actually do it.

Online Psychological Help

I often get asked for resources and links to mental health resources. Here are a list of some of the best:

Mood Gym - Free online course for depression and anxiey www.moodgym.anu.edu.au/  

Beyond Blue

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Youth Beyond Blue

http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/

Kids Help Line

http://www.kidshelp.com.au/

Relationships Australia

http://www.relationships.com.au/

Lifeline Australia

http://www.lifeline.org.au/

Reach Out for Young People

http://au.reachout.com/

BlackDog Institute

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/

Sane Australia

http://www.sane.org/information

Alcohol

http://www.drinkingnightmare.gov.au

Quitline/QuitNow

http://www.quitnow.info.au/

Family Drug Support

http://www.fds.org.au/

 

Gambling Help

http://www.gamblinghelpservices.com.au 

Eating Disorders Support

www.thebutterflyfoundation.org.au

Grief

http://www.grief.org.au/

Top tips for Making and Achieving Goals in 2012

Want to make changes in the coming year? Your not alone, each year 40% - 45% of adults make one or more resolution or goal for themselves. Some research suggests that 75% make it past the first week, and 46% make it past 6 months. Okay so alot of us break our resolutions, but statistics on New Year's resolutions show that setting goals for yourself is still a good idea because you are 10 times more likely to attain your goal, rather than people who don't explicitly make goals.

8 Top Tips for NY Resolutions:

1. Write down your goals - this helps you get clear about what you want.
2. Be as detailed as possible with the resolution you make, rather than just a vague statement like "I want to lose weight", be specific and say exactly how much by when.
3. Writing your goal as though it has already been achieved is a porwerful way to trick your mind into acting accordingly.
4. Make sure your goals excite you - this may sound obvious, but if you are not motivated and excited by your goals you are very unlikely to achieve them.
5. Put a plan in place once you have written down your resolutions about how you are going to achieve them. Be specific..
6. Commit to mini goals along the way to celebrate your progress.
7. Don't become overwhelmed or use your goals as another way to undermine your self esteem if you don't reach them. Be kind yo yourself and make small changes that are sustainable.
8. Be clear about who you are making your NY Resolutions for and make them for you and not for the approval of others.

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY CLIENTS AND FRIENDS

Stay tuned for my 40 Day program which will help you stay on track with those resolutions!

One Minute Stress Test

1. When I feel agitated, do I know how to quickly calm and soothe myself?


2. Can I easily let go of my anger?

3. Can I turn to others at work to help me calm down and feel better?

4. When I come home at night, do I walk in the door feeling alert and relaxed?

5. Am I seldom distracted or moody?

6. Am I able to recognize upsets that others seem to be experiencing?

7. Do I easily turn to friends or family members for a calming influence?

8. When my energy is low, do I know how to boost it?*



If you answered yes to most of these questions then you are managing your stress pretty well, if not you could benefit from attending a stress seminar or seeing a coaching psychologist for tips and strategies.


*Source: The Language of Emotional Intelligence by Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.