Let the inner child out!

Occasionally we have to forget our worries and stress and let the inner-child out!

Here are 10 ideas to let the inner child out:

1. Finger paint – it does not have to be a masterpiece, just let the grey cells and the imagination run wild!

2. Build sand castles.

3. Forget about kilojoules and treat yourself to a large chocolate-dipped ice cream.

4. In your backyard, play hopscotch.

5. Dance in a park on the music of your Walkman.

6. Play I Spy.

7. Walk barefoot in the rain.

8. Splash about in a bubble bath.

9. Get some candyfloss and feel it melt away on your tongue.

10. Get your bicycle out and go for a ride.

Wise words on stress

Stress is to refuse to accept a circumstance in your life for which you have no control, stress is measure by the amount of energy that you invest resisting those circumstances. Stress is to waste energy attempting with your thoughts and feelings to change a person, an event, or a circumstance surrounding you. The trick to avoid stress is to realize that no amount of effort can ever change the circumstances while they are happening to you, no matter how bad, do not oppose the moment instead, accept and feel what is occurring.

Daniel

You and your self-esteem

What is self-esteem?

Self-Esteem is the way you look at and feel about yourself. It means to value something or someone, thinking and believing that that something or someone is of great importance.

If you are always fighting with yourself and feeding yourself thoughts that make you feel less valuable or not as important or attractive as other people, then you are suffering from Low Self-Esteem. Unfortunately, most people suffer from this, but the good news is, you can kick low self-esteem out of your life, inviting and living a high self-esteem instead. You might have even tried giving your self-esteem a boost, but were later disappointed to see that it did not quite work out the way you imagined.

Like every other person, you have probably adapted and grown to believe that feeling insecure and feeling that you are not good enough is normal and impossible to beat; therefore you just accept it and set an subconscious rule that you need to and deserve to feel badly and poorly when you look at yourself.

The thing about low self-esteem is, that is cannot be cured in one day, or even soon for that matter. When working on achieving high self-esteem, know that it can never and will never be achieved as long as you keep negative ingredients involved, such as giving up.

What does matter and needs to be realized is that you have chosen to stay in negativity for so long, that you have become so comfortable with the fact that you do not like yourself. t, that you now crave and need to feel sorry for yourself and subconsciously enjoy victimizing yourself and grabbing negative attention from others.

Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you do not feel sorry for yourself anymore and that you have the power and strength to feel and be happy, confident, and successful, and you will do it because you are valuable and deserve it, just as anyone else would.

So do not be afraid to face yourself, and every time you do look at yourself and observe the things that go on around you, take notes of the positive things and the things you do like and admire about yourself. You might have even tried giving your self-esteem a boost, but were later disappointed to see that it did not quite work out the way you imagined.

Like every other person, you have probably adapted and grown to believe that feeling insecure and feeling that you are not good enough is normal and impossible to beat; therefore you just accept it and set an subconscious rule that you need to and deserve to feel badly and poorly when you look at yourself.

The thing about low self-esteem is, that is cannot be cured in one day, or even soon for that matter.

When you do come to times where you are not satisfied with the way you look or the things you have done, shift your mind and soul over to a positive side, pointing out the things you are happy with and feel great about, and always reward yourself for it.

Lastly, make your presence appear only around other positive people and other positive energies.

Maintaining a healthy and high self-esteem will be successful if you continue to motivate and encourage it. 

Daniel

Manage your anger

Everyone must allow himself or herself to feel and be angry. Never suppress anger. Suppressed anger can lead to pathological expressions, or the anger can turn inward, causing sickness or depression. Learn to identify and express your feelings sooner rather than later.

Know yourself and what triggers anger in you. From there, set yourself boundaries and manage your anger within those boundaries. Know when to stop.

Work out deep wounds that may come from the past, and what other emotions are tied in, and why. We cannot change the past, but we can change how we feel about it.

With anger also comes forgiveness. We must learn to forgive. By doing so we will have extra energy that we can use more productively, like loving someone. Forgiveness does not mean you condone the behaviour that wounded you, it means let bygones be bygones. Make a list of people you are angry at. Decide on a positive course of action now.

Learn relaxation through meditation, prayer, or visualisation.

Change the way you think. You will be overly dramatic when angry. Allow yourself time to let your rational self-take over. Logic defeats anger.

Remember that everyone who is engaged in hate is hurting deeply; and as you give, you will receive.

Lastly, but not the least, learn to count to 10!

Tell Her You Love Her

This is for the romantic fools like me!

o   Always laugh at her jokes.

o   Tell her (truthfully) that you can't wait to see her again.

o   Offer her a backrub, without asking for one in return.

o   Call her just to say you were thinking about her.

o   Bring her a teddy bear and chicken soup when she's sick.

o   Write her a poem.

o   Slow dance with her (not only on a dance floor).

o   Bring her flowers for no reason.

o   Send her a (handwritten) letter just to say hello.

o   Always remember your anniversaries and bring her something sweet.

o   Kiss her in the middle of a sentence.

o   Take her for a walk at sunset and stay to look up at the stars.

o   Tell her something about you that no one else knows.

o   Remind her that you still think she's beautiful.

o   Take a bubble bath together.

o   Watch a sappy movie with her.

o   Surprise her with a candle light dinner.

o   Never stop trying to impress her.

o   Tell her you love her

Never forget how much she means to you.

Remember, love each other, embrace each other!!

Rape - the heinous crime against women!

I have published a few posts on the subject of rape. although shocking, I want to share the following 2 videos with all women!

With alarming rape statistics, Interpol has named South Africa as the world's rape capital. Women are more likely raped than educated. Watch these videos – it is a sad tale of the crime against women – not only in South Africa but the world over!

Sleep linked to blood pressure

Women who regularly get fewer than seven hours of sleep each night may have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, a new study suggests.

British researchers found that among more than 10 000 adults who were followed for five years, women who routinely slept for six hours or less were more likely than their well-rested counterparts to develop high blood pressure.


Compared with women who said they typically got seven hours of sleep a night, those who logged in six hours were 42 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure, while those who routinely slept no more than five hours had a 31 percent higher risk.


There was, however, no clear relationship between amount of sleep and blood pressure among men, the study authors report in the journal Hypertension.


What the study shows: The findings suggest there may be a "gender-specific" relationship between sleep deprivation and high blood pressure, according to the researchers, led by Dr Francesco P. Cappuccio of Warwick Medical School in Coventry.


The exact reason for the finding is unknown. A number of studies have linked poor sleep quality to an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.


Much of this research has focused on people with the breathing disorder sleep apnoea, but some evidence suggests that sleep deprivation, in the absence of any overt sleep disorder, also takes a health toll.


For their study, Cappuccio and his colleagues used data from a long-term health study of 10 300 white British civil servants between the ages of 35 and 55 years old.


How the study was done: The researchers focused on participants who were free of high blood pressure in the 1997-1999 phase of the study and were reassessed in 2003-2005.


During these two phases, 76 percent and 68 percent, respectively, of the original group were included the evaluations.


At reassessment, 20 percent of the study participants were newly diagnosed with high blood pressure, and the risk was greater among women who were "short sleepers."


Risk factors for heart disease - such as smoking, being overweight or having a sedentary lifestyle - did partially contribute to the relationship.


However, an independent link between sleep and blood pressure still remained.


Lack of sleep affects nervous system: Experts speculate that sleep deprivation may contribute to high blood pressure by keeping the nervous system in a state of hyperactivity, which in turn affects systems throughout the body - including the heart and blood vessels.


According to Cappuccio's team, more studies are needed to confirm that sleep duration, itself, affects blood pressure levels -- and why these effects might be different in women and men.


Reuters Health 

Love your body

A woman, who loves her body, is a beautiful woman! And when you are beautiful, you are sexy.

And isn’t it true that men know when a woman loves her body? A woman who goes around feeling good about herself and her body and feels radiant and beautiful always gets the admiration of men and is sexy to men.

As a woman, you must always work on your physical confidence and focus on bringing out your best features. It is a fact that nobody is prefect - everyone has flaws. Get to know yourself, identify your strong physical points, and display them for the world to admire and enjoy.

What is inside the body and mind is reflected on the outside. To have a beautiful, glowing look, you have to take care of the inside of your body too. And that is done by eating right so that your body can get the right nutrients, by exercising right so that your muscles would be toned and flexible, and by drinking a lot of water to wash out the waste and toxins from your body. Another thing that you should do is to minimize or even eliminate the consumption of alcohol. You should also quit smoking. Visit the dentist regularly as well to keep your teeth white, strong, and healthy.

Remember, what matters is that women should learn to take better care of themselves and when this is achieved, you will love the results, and in turn, you would love your body. And other people will love you!

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Self-confidence and You

Nobody can claim that he or she does not have self-confidence problems the one or the other time, whether pertaining to sex, dating, marriage, the way I look, or something else.

Generally, self-confidence issues are based on the unknown, because we really fear the unknown - when we have no idea how someone will react to the things we do, anxiety runs wild, and we are not calmed until it is over.

Know that others feel the same way. Whatever self-confidence issue might bother you, rest assured that someone else has experienced it before. Whether it is physical or psychological, other men and women have worried about the same things, which mean that you are by no means alone.

Give yourself a break. When you feel overwhelmed by any insecurity, take a step back, and evaluate the situation. Berating yourself for your lack of self-confidence will only serve to make you more anxious. Instead, come to terms with the issue and work through it.

Daniel 

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How to Get The Best Out of Your Wedding Photos

For any couple their wedding is certainly one of the most remembered events in their lives. No wonder then that so much emphasis is placed on wedding photos. Long after the guests have left and even long after your children will leave your house to start their own families, your wedding photos will still be the only link back to that special day!

But, it can also be a couple’s worse night mare if the photos are not up to standard! To avoid any mishaps with your wedding photos, here are some tips:

1. Decide before hand how much your budget for photos will be.

2. Decide how many hours you will require the photographer to spend at the wedding and reception. This must be included in the contract.

3. Number of photos and sizes you would like to have.

4. Evaluate portfolios as well as references of a short list of wedding photographers.

5. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of the photographers.

6. Taking into consideration the quote and portfolio you eventually will decide on, remember the photographer you are going to hire must be someone whose personality you as couple can connect with, as you will be spending most of your wedding day with the photographer.

7. Communicate any specific wishes regarding your photos to the photographer.

8. Always keep the weather in mind and have a back-up plan ready for any worst case scenarios.

9. Try to limit the number of posed group shots. The more groups you want photographed, the less time you will have to capture moments of you as couple.

10. Put down the rules of communicating to the photographer. Irrespective of who may be paying for his services, it is your wedding and your memories. Only you as couple must instruct the photographer on what you want and nobody else must interfere.

The most important thing to do is to relax! Let go and have fun on your wedding day. This will translate into beautiful photos.

Daniel

Money Matter Tips for Newly Weds

Michelle and Freddie 3 March 2012

To get a marriage off to a solid start, it is best to discuss the matter of finances or money candidly from the start. Here are some time-tested tips for the newlyweds:

1.    Communicate with each other: This is the key to a healthy financial relationship. Without open discussions, small differences over the management of the household finances and budget can turn into big issues.

2.    Respect for each other: Respect the feelings or outlook of your partner on money. Accepting different opinions and outlooks is the first step towards finding common ground.

3.    Shop together: Do not burden one partner alone with the shopping. Make it an outing and by doing this both partners will know and see the prices of commodities. Ignorance of prices and price hikes may create false expectations.

4.    Be informed: Sit down regularly and exchange facts on the household budget status and other financial issues. Jointly go through the monthly bills and review it.

5.    Work according to a budget: Together prepare a budget and treat it, as is your guide to help you achieve your financial goals. Once there is consensus over the budget, adhere to it strictly. When necessary to deviate from it, make it a joint decision.

6.    Pocket money: In addition to the normal household budgetary items (food, mortgage bonds, transport, etc.) also allow each partner the freedom of having pocket money out of the budget to spend as they wish.

7.    One step a time: Tackle one financial issue at a time. Do not try to establish a budget and then in the same breath make investment decisions all at once.

8.    Equality and diversity: Recognise the role of the breadwinners but also those who do unpaid work – a husband studying full time or a wife looking after the kids at home should feel that their contributions to the marriage per se is equal important.

Remember, money cannot buy happiness. To feel free, secure, loving and in charge requires emotional maturity and not cash in the bank.

Danie
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The desirable woman inside

All women beautiful and desirable in their own unique way. Everyone has an inner beauty and many talents despite the small imperfections. Remember, beauty is from within, no matter how you look from the outside. It is your inner beauty that tells others who and what you are. What you stand for and what makes you stand apart from the rest. Once you achieve love and acceptance of yourself, you automatically see others differently. Your positive self- image reflects your inner beauty and you will be amazed just how good you will feel about yourself. You will begin to see the beauty in others, they in turn will begin to feel good about themselves, and their image will reflect in others too.

By becoming a fulfilled and complete woman you boost your inner spirit and give of yourself more naturally and freely. When you achieve this freedom, you are capable of loving with an intensity you never thought possible, and for the first time you will see the wood for the trees. Even in your sex life, you will be able to express your innermost feelings and fantasies more readily, and deliver each move and gesture with a spirited sensuality you never thought possible.

You are a woman, you are beautiful, you are desirable!

How Muscle Relaxation Can Be Used to Alleviate Pain

Pain is the body’s way of telling that something is not quite right. Unfortunately it is not always possible to pin down what exactly is wrong, or what the cause of the pain is. Pain is experienced when certain nerve endings are stimulated to send messages of pain to the brain.

Normally, chronic pain is experienced due to an illness or medical condition, for example arthritis. When pain is localized, for instance a headache, heartburn, or toothache, it may be due to temporary ailments. Naturally, injuries also trigger pain.

As a remedy, it was found that progressive muscle relaxation can ease tension and subsequently alleviate pain.

Here is what to do:

1. Sit comfortably in a chair with a straight back, with the body in a 90⁰ relation to the chair. The hands must be in the lap and the feet solid on the floor. All clothes, like belt, tie, and other tight fitting clothes must be loosened. When in a comfortable, relaxed composure, take a deep breath and exhale very slowly.

2. The next step is to extent one of the arms in front of the body. Make a tight fist, and tense the muscles of the hand as hard as possible. Keep and hold this position for a count of 5 whilst concentrating on the tension in the hand.

3. Then, slightly relax the hand for a second or two and tense the muscles again for a count of 5.

4. Now, totally release the tension, relax and take a deep breath and very slowly exhale.

5. The next step is to repeat the sequences in 2-4 for the other hand, then for the arms, shoulders and facial muscles, taking deep breaths between each muscle group until the entire upper body is relaxed.

6. When this is done, the same routine must be followed for the lower body, tensing and relaxing muscles of the stomach, buttocks, legs, and feet.

7. With the entire body subjected to the tensing and relaxing of muscles, close the eyes and sit quietly and relaxed for at least 5 minutes. Breathe deeply; concentrate on any word that comes to mind, or a number or even a nice scene.

Just remember, pain that is unusual, very tense and last more than one day, growing steadily worse or is accompanied by fever, vomiting and other symptoms, warrants prompt medical attention.

Daniel

What does it take to be a sensual woman

Sensual is just what it means – to be of the senses. It is the senses being used to give pleasure and it is the sensation you feel each time your senses become aroused by pleasure. It is all about the pleasure to smell the one you love, the pleasure your fingers feel when they touch or caress your lover, the pleasure your lips taste when you kiss him and the pleasure your ears feel when you hear his voice.

A person’s senses become intensely sensual when you feel the pleasures from deep within you. It is a tingling feeling that warms your entire body and soul. It arouses and excites you from the tip of your head to the soles of your feet. It is soft, gentle, and alluring. It is all power. It is mesmerizing and soothing. It is seductive and erotic. It is sincere. In essence, sensuality is the gentle persuasive manner in which to achieve the impossible!

Is it not true that a sensual massage is a wonderful way to connect and arouse the senses? To touch, hold and caressing one another brings you closer to your lover and it gives a sense of intimacy.

This is what female sensuality is all about. It is fundamentally the capability to achieve the result you want by using gentle sensual touch, soft-spoken words, humour, and subtle manipulation to your advantage. You will not achieve anything if you lash out, tell him he is crazy, refuse to reason with him, treat him with disdain, or tell him that he has it all wrong.

To be that special sensual woman, you have to decide that you want to be sensual and fully understand what it can do for you. You have to think sensually in almost everything you do and say. In other words, it must become an automatic way of thinking and feeling.

Learn to love yourself. Remember that you cannot love others if you do not love yourself. Recognise your capabilities and discover your uniqueness. Then you must accept who and what you are. Keep your head held high and your posture upright, and keep your head intact! Believe in yourself. You must have a positive healthy attitude that generates growth and let go of the negative ones that inhibit progress. You can’t be sensual if you hate the way you look: believe that you’re useless, stupid or foolish; believe that you are dowdy or a frump; unhappy with who you are; act in a crude and overbearing fashion; hate the world and the people in it; act rough and loud; harbour resentment; have a bitter heart and a twisted mind; or complain continuously about everything.

Be gentle with others, be gentle in your manner, be gentle when you speak, be gentle in everything you say and do instead of acting instinctively by being on the defensive all the time. This way you will get everyone to see your point of view and they will succumb to you, and not you to them. You have to slow down. Stop doing everything in a hurry then you will not break so many nails, bump your body against hard objects, drop things, and break things that could cost you. By becoming sensual, you will gently persuade your lover to say and do things just the way you want him to. You will gently convince him to see your point of view. You will tenderly persuade him to go where you want to go. In addition, subtly persuade him to see things your way.

You automatically become beautiful when you activate your sensuality. You will also have a natural sex appeal. Having sensuality and a healthy sex appeal will let you feel good about yourself, radiate a positive and confident attractiveness, and know just how to get people to take notice and listen. Women who are sensual to most people are those who believe in themselves and have a positive attitude. They portray self-confidence. They articulate with style. They have a definite poise and hold their heads up high with dignity. They treat others with respect, are interesting, exciting and fun to be with. Their whole demeanour is pure, clean, classy, and respectful.   

 

It is all about how you feel about yourself deep within. When you feel good about yourself, others will feel good about you. It is as simple as that! Always keep in mind that what is sensual to some people may not necessarily be sensual to others. Always remember that true sensual women are soft and gentle, alluring and exciting, creative, sincere and responsive. It has everything to do with how you feel, think, and act. You too can be the sensual woman you want to be by being soft and gentle, confident and dignified, humorous and smart. All you have to do is make the decision. So go on, give it a try for a day and you will be astounded as to how people will respond to you more positively. Just create the atmosphere and the mood, and you will find that it is not so difficult after all. However, be careful not to allow your sensuality to become an obsession or a passion and then use it to manipulate and destroy others and yourself in the process.

You are woman, you are a sensual being!

Love is beautiful

It is not easy to define or describe love. However, we know exactly when we are in love!

But what is love? Love is a subtle feeling may occur because of a single look, smell, words, appearance can change the way you feel about someone. Though, most of the time it is the physical appearance that that plays a huge role in initially attracting someone to you. However, love is not just a physical attraction; it is as spiritual and emotional as physical.

A person in love feels feel a strong bond with another person. You will always be on the lookout for this person. You will be happy whenever the person you are in love with acknowledges you. This acknowledgement could be a mere look, a polite nod, or a shy smile. The feeling of being in love is one of the most beautiful of them all. You will find that everything around you is bright, sunny, optimistic, happy, and beautiful. Being in love is a unique experience all human being should undergo. The experience can teach us reach new heights in maintaining and nurturing relationships.

You cannot conceal love from others especially when the person you love is around you. People who know you well will immediately notice the difference in your attitude. When you are in love, there is no hiding your feelings as much you may try. You will end up expressing love one way or the other.

To be in love is one of the best emotions a human being can have. It is the best time of your life.

Love is beautiful!!

Daniel

Keep the flame of love and romance burning

Many couples find that the passion in their relationship disappears when things become too much of a routine. If your love life has become stale and boring, take it upon yourself to throw something new into the mix. Whether you set up a candlelight dinner, followed by an evening of dancing to set the mood or if you purchase some sexy lingerie and some lotions adding an element of surprise to the bedroom always creates passion.

It is very uncomfortable for both the two partners to be in this kind of a situation. Romance is about keeping in mind what first attracted you to your partner in the first place and letting the other person know that you still love him or her and that you care and she or he is part of your life.

Never lose that feeling. Never let go off that first flush of love that you had when you first met. Keep Close to one another and offer a helping hand where it’s due. Simple but always ignored practices are very essential to keep the romance in your relationship. For instance holding hands in public. Always as much as possible show that you are caring to her. Just do little things to make your partner feel cherished and special. You do not have to be a special man to do this.

Always be there for each other. It is the little things that count and make a difference – wake her up in the morning with a kiss, while he is showering, wash his back, whilst at work send her  a SMS that you lover her, wash his car for him, and many more little things that can make a difference.

It is not that hard to keep the romance in relationship. You just need to put in a little effort and everything else will be fine.

Daniel

The language of seduction

Every woman needs to know how to speak the language of seduction! The language of seduction is you greatest tool in seducing and winning the man you love.

But, do not be misled. Although the spoken word is a necessity, the focus should be on non-verbal communication. Most of it is based on the silent words that speak through your body, known as body language. While performing your act of flirtation, it is important to match your body language with it. Be playful by slightly touching him in a playful way, such as a light shove and laughing. Your body actions should tell the story that you are a desirable person and that you want him.

Remember, it is also very important to be able to get his non-verbal feedback on all your flirting and seduction efforts. I you read it wrongly, or do not interpret it correctly, all your hard efforts can be in vain! Pay attention to how he responds. If he seems uncomfortable with your words or playful ways, then tone it down.

To be feminine and seductive does not always take place when you are trying to get the person you have your eyes on. Continue with your seductive character even after getting in a relationship. It is actually the most important time to bring out your seductive side because it will help the relationship remain hot, spicy, and sexy. You will always keep your partner wanting more! Keep him on his toes by dressing the part, leaving your mark, talking the talk, acting the act, and being yourself.

Daniel

How to Make Your Own Lavender Oil

Lavender scented water brings back fond memories. This is an easy to make recipe for your own lavender oil.

My grandmother always had a bottle of lavender perfume or scented water as it was called back then and every morning she would dab her handkerchief with a few drops of it and then place the hankie under her watchband on her wrist. Wherever she went, you could smell this heavenly aroma of lavender. It is now more than 30 years that she passed on but in my mind’s eye, I can still see this frail little woman with the heavenly scent follow her the entire day.

Lavender is a well-known flower, famous for its aroma and healing powers. It has the following benefits:

·         Anti-inflammatory

·         Antiseptic

·         Relaxing

·         Soothing

·         Aromatic

In the 19th Century, women of stature even used lavender-scented ink to write letters. Even athletes can attest to the goodness of a lavender massage before and after exercise, which helps to reduce muscle ache and leave skin soft.

But back to its aromatic attributes; here is a recipe to make your own lavender oil:

1.  Remove enough fresh lavender flowers from their stalks to fill one teacup and place it in a glass bowl. (You can also use dried lavender flowers).

2. Add 500 ml olive oil to the flowers and cover the bowl. Leave as is to infuse in a sunny place for at least two weeks. (You can also use sweet almond oil.)

3.   After the two weeks strain the mixture through filter paper and bottle. (Should you need stronger oil you must repeat the process using the already strained oil to infuse another cup of lavender flowers.)

It is ready to use!

Daniel