Dont' Count to 10

How to Hang on to Your Anger

1.Hold your breath – none of that counting to 10 and taking deep breaths – that will cause all that powerful anger to leak away and you will be left feeling calmer

2.Notice what you are thinking and keep thinking the same thing over and over so you can keep your anger very revved up. Hold on very tightly to those thoughts – do not distract yourself with ideas like “this will pass.” This will cause your anger to leak away and you will be left feeling calmer.

3.Blame other people or circumstances to the best of your ability. This takes all the control out of your hands, makes you feel absolutely powerless and will build your anger to a really good volcanic level.

4.Don’t take any personal responsibility for your feelings. Similar to the above suggestion – if you can convince yourself that you have nothing to do with the way you are feeling – you don’t even have to try to change anything. Brilliant!

5.Blame yourself and try to think of as many ways possible to call yourself names. (Note the difference between taking responsibility for your feelings and blaming yourself - this is a BIG understanding. Taking responsibility deflates anger and self righteousness, gives you the power to make changes. Blaming increases your feelings or powerlessness and stupidity and your sense of righteousness will be HUGE - this builds a great head of steam).

6.Don’t move – keep yourself in any situation that creates a good level of anger for you. If you leave the situation your anger may disperse and you might not be able to build it back up to such a good level for awhile.

7.No physical activity like cleaning something up or going for a walk! This will definitely ruin a good build up of anger

8.If you have a problem that keeps making you feel angry, do not share it with anyone or look to anyone who may have had a similar problem. Talking about your difficulty will divert your powerful anger into problem solving or letting off steam and this will definitely ruin your anger.

9.Do not go near any of that relaxation, meditation, yoga, visualization stuff. It is just ridiculous to think that taking some deep breaths, stretching your muscles or imagining a beautiful scene will do anything but totally ruin your anger. These kinds of activities divert your energy away from all those thoughts that create your anger. You will not be able to stay angry and even worse, if you practice these things, even for a few minutes each day, your body starts to get trained to go into a relaxation response instead of a stress response. So even when something happens that usually would give you a lovely level of anger, your body may start to go into relaxation mode and this will keep your thinking clear and you won’t be able to work up much anger at all. Do not explore any of these types of activities – keep a healthy scepticism and your anger will be safe to live another day.

10.Above all, do not laugh. If you laugh at yourself – that great big beautiful anger will deflate like a pierced balloon. After all your hard work to work up that much anger – what a waste. You want to keep feeling angry. Don’t laugh.

For more great information on anger you can check out this site.


http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=2-63-64&lang=1


For further help or information you can make an appointment with Valerie in Mind and Wellness Services through Jodie in the Student Success Hub at extension 2519.

Time to chill

Relax. A relaxed mind can maintain focus longer and remember better. If you felt stressed about assignments and exams, one of the best things you can do is teach your mind to relax. It only takes minutes.

Repeat a word or sound or phrase that has meaning for you (one, peace, om, relax). Gently disregard any thoughts that come to your mind and return to the repetitive focus.

Let some fresh air blow through your brain – head outside and walk vigorously for 5-10 minutes – don’t take your worries with you – focus on your breathing

Off for the holidays? Plan a day of no plans. Better still, try for a bit of time each day where you can do absolutely nothing. No TV, no computer, no friends, no tasks – just wander around with nothing to do!!!

It's a time to replenish your fuel so eat well, sleep well, rest well and be active. And well doesn't mean to excess! Moderation is liberation.

This site on youtube will guide you through a relaxation exercise.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=instant+relaxation&search=Search

At this site you can hear some radio interviews that explain mind training and at the bottom of the screen you can move to the videos for some more info.

http://www.humaneffectivenessinstitute.org/mt-videos.htm

Breath new life into your study habits

With deadlines and exams upon us, try some new ideas to bring some freshness to your fatigue with academics!

1.Try studying with a buddy to quiz each other. It makes the task seem more fun, less lonely and daunting.

2.Try studying in a new location that you haven’t tried before.


3.Try studying and working on different assignments rather than doing one thing for hours at a time. Alternate tasks to help maintain your concentration and focus.

4.Don't forget to make time to feed the hard working brain. It will work best for you if you feed the body good food, go out for even a few moments of fresh air or to gaze at the stars and have some fun. Brains love to laugh. If you hear yourself saying, "I don't have time to relax or eat well or have some fun," this belief is FLAWED. Experiment for yourself to see. A brain that is in a well cared for body works more smoothly, learns more easily, remembers more clearly.


Check this site for tips on managing your time and good study and learning skills.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/career/time-man.html

Support the Women You Love

Dec 6 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.

This is a day to reflect on the violence still present in our society against women and girls. Think about how you are participating in this violence yourself. Don’t let belittling comments go unchallenged. Assert your own beliefs without shaming anyone.

Being part of creating a healthy society is part of creating a healthy, balance in your own well being.

On Thursday, December 6 the Remembrance will be held at the Empire Theatre this year. This is an incredibly empowering time as communities across the country come together to remind us that violence against women is still a very real and daily issue. It doesn't just happen somewhere else. It happens here in our college and in our hearts. Call the Empire Theatre for tickets 613 969-0099.

This is the national site with information about this day of remembrance
http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/dec6/index_e.html

This site addresses women’s health concerns.

www.womenshealthmatters.ca

This site is the Canadian Women’s Health Network and has many resources available in many different languages.

http://www.cwhn.ca/search/basicSearch.htm

Staying Healthy Through the Winter

Staying healthy through the winter

1.Bundle up and go outside – fresh air and sunshine are essential to maintaining good health

2.AVOID sugar and junk snacks especially at this time of year – they will sedate your brain so you can’t think clearly

3.Nurture friendships – healthy relationships boost the immune system.

4.Brainstorm with friends for ideas on how to party without drugs and alcohol. Alcohol acts as a depressant – not something you want to contribute to as we head into shorter, colder days.

5. Staying active is essential to emotional health and emotional health has a direct impact on physical health. Check out this website for interesting information on how exercise is one of the best medicines for stress.

http://www.imt.net/%7Erandolfi/ExerciseStress.html

Kindness decreases Stress

Much fear and anxiety is based on a self-centredness. It is natural, in many ways, to be centred on the self. The human organism does need to watch out for itself. At the same time, a constant preoccupation with our own concerns can make our world seem very small. We can spend so much time thinking about our assignments, our finances, our relationships, ourselves, that we don't even realize that we are actually thinking the same kinds of thoughts over and over and over .... and that these thoughts can be creating a physical stress reaction in our body.


Some interesting studies have shown that developing compassion is a good way to reduce anxiety and stress. Taking time for a kind action can be very simple. Getting out of your own thought circles and thinking of someone else is like allowing fresh air to clear your mind



Some simple ideas for practicing acts of kindness once a day:


Thank a teacher for their work

Help someone with a computer problem

Wash someone else’s dishes

Hold a door open for someone with a load of books

Smile at someone

Take a moment to notice the cafeteria staff - learn their names - say hello.

Say good morning to security staff.

Noticing the people in your environment is a simple way of getting out of your mindlessness.

Being kind to yourself is very worthwhile as well of course! Taking time for 5 slow, deep breaths is worth far more than the constant problem solving mode our minds are usually caught up in.

Good luck.

Active Stress Busting

Physical fitness is the cornerstone of all wellness. Developing and maintaining an active lifestyle is critical to your chance of success in all endeavours.

Exercise can actually increase your stress threshold. This means you can handle more stress when you maintain an active lifestyle.
Physical exercise is one of the most powerful “drugs” you can give yourself to keep your mind and body going strong.

Go for a walk, join a kick boxing class, dance at home. It is important to exercise for good health and well being, not just to lose weight. Choose things you enjoy - it is not meant to be a punishment! It is about developing a lifestyle that brings you pleasure.

You might want to try working out in the morning at the fitness centre before classes so you can feel energized for the day.

When you understand how important physical activity is to a strong, healthy mind, you will never again decide you don’t have time for exercise because you have too much studying to do!

This site has a wealth of knowledge on just how the mind and body are intricately connected and on how powerfully exercise impacts our quality of life.

http://www.fi.edu/brain/exercise.htm

At this site you can go to the physical section for good ideas on different types of exercise.

http://www.mala.ca/mariners/mental.htm