Survival Strategies to Combat Hopelessness

We all have moments of despair in our lives. It could be due to a loss that we can’t seem to get over. Our outlook on life takes a beating and we want to give up. So, what can you do to fight back against hopelessness?

Hope is all that keeps some people going sometimes. In a nutshell, it is the feeling that things will get better and the situation of your life won’t always be like it is now. When that hope turns sour, it can lead to more serious problems. People are tempted to hurt themselves or others when in a hopeless state.

Depression can result from feelings of hopelessness. If one situation can turn your life upside down, then depression can see it spinning out of control. Besides the mental aspect, depression can lead to physical pain and interrupt your life.

But, there is a brighter side. If you have teetered on the brink of hopelessness, here are a few strategies to get you going again.

* Talk to someone – It can be a friend, spouse, counselor or religious leader. The act of giving a voice to your problems can help you begin to confront and resolve them. In our minds, things can loom larger than they actually are. Speaking about them takes away the power they seem to have over us.

* Discover what you enjoy – We all have activities that we find pleasurable. It can be reading a book, going for a run, spending time with friends or even gazing at the moon. With busy schedules, it’s hard to take time for the simple joys of life. Make the time to enjoy yourself and improve your outlook.

* Seek medical attention – Sometimes we can’t handle it all alone. Maybe your outlook is steadily declining no matter what you do. A medical professional may be able to prescribe medication to treat an underlying condition. For example, if you always seem to be in despair, it could be the result of undiagnosed depression in your life. Medication can deal with the depression so you can find more constructive means to handle your problems and get back to living.

* Find time to be by yourself – Moments alone are beneficial for clearing out the cobwebs. If you like meditation or talk to God, in these moments you can reconnect and find peace. Ask your family to take up the slack around the home so that you can spend a weekend away at a spa or on a retreat to get yourself rested and focused again.

Are you feeling like things are taking a turn for the worse in your life? Have you felt hopelessness before? The above strategies can help you deal with your feelings in the early stages before it gets worse. You can find your reason for living again.

Six Simple Stress Busters For Moms

Are you stressed out? Could you use a break? If I gave you a nickel for every time you heard the word Mooommmmyyyy - would you be rich? Well, we have all been there! With babies, toddlers and older children to care for along with cooking meals, paying bills, cleaning and playing taxi, finding time for yourself may seem impossible and when you do find a few quiet minutes, many of us are at a loss for what to do.

Taking time out to recharge your batteries is just what you need. So, what's stopping you? Leave your chores behind, just for a little while, and give yourself permission to take a much needed time-out.

Here are just a few of my favorite Stress-Busters:

Put yourself in time out: Allow some alone time for yourself. Use this time to focus on you. Find a place in your home that you can go to and find privacy. You can ask your partner or a friend to take the family out for a few hours while you enjoy your alone time. Do nothing, sleep, read, watch a movie, and just enjoy your solitude.

Talk to a friend: When you are feeling stressed, lean on a good friend. Sit down and enjoy a good conversation, a cup of coffee or a girl’s day out pampering yourself. Moms find great comfort, support and love in the company of close friends.

Play: As adults, we sometimes forget the beneficial value of play. Play stimulates our imagination, encourages our creativity, boosts our energy, and best of all, it is fun. Try a game of tennis, a game of cards online or perhaps invite some friends over for an evening of adult board games.

Meditate: Meditation has been proven to reduce your blood pressure, and helps to dramatically reduce your stress level. Meditation and/or prayer will help you to keep in touch with your spiritual side. Meditation is a very effective method of relaxation. To meditate, quiet your mind and allow yourself to focus on one thing, such as your breath. Find a relaxed comfortable position where Try visualizing good health and peace as you inhale. While you are breathing out breathe out all of your stress. Set aside approximately 20 minutes for this exercise. Upon completion, you will see just how much more relaxed your mind and body is.

Take a nap: Find a quiet, comfortable spot and take a nap. Even a short power nap can leave you feeling refreshed, renewed, and more focused. Studies have shown that people who spent 30 minutes each day napping had one third less heart disease than those who didn't nap.

Eat: Not just anything but certain things. Studies show that certain foods can help reduce stress. Carbohydrates will actually soothe you. Good sources of carbohydrates include rice, pasta, potatoes, breads, air-popped popcorn and low-calorie cookies. Experts suggest that the carbohydrates present in just one baked potato or a cup of spaghetti or white rice is enough to relieve the anxiety of a stressful day.

29 Motivational Quotes for Business and other Work Environments

Some days a motivational quote can provide a quick pick-me-up for employees and even management. They can be a breath of fresh air when it comes to a drab afternoon.

Some days a motivational quote can provide a quick pick-me-up for employees and even management. They can be a breath of fresh air when it comes to a drab afternoon. These are also a great way to jazz up a newsletter or a memo or even to simply print and attach to a bulletin board. Using quotes like these are perfect ways to create a motivational and successful work environment. As Mr. Rick Pitino says "The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them. Today, people must understand why they're working hard. Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different." --Rick Pitino

Motivational Quotes:

1. Mahatma Gandhi: You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

2. Jim Stovall: You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.

3. Robert Frost: The only way around is through.

4. Warren Buffett: You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong.

5. Les Brown: You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.

6. Theodore Roosevelt Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

7. Charles F. Kettering: Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier

8. Henry Ford: Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right!

9. Jim Rohn: You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.

10. William Hazlitt: Who likes not his business, his business likes not him.

11. Denis Waitley: Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating.

12. Le Iacocca: Management is nothing more than motivating other people.

13. Dwight D.: Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.

14. Drucker: The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question

15. Max Schmelling: Why did I want to win? Because I didn't want to lose!

16. J. Paul Getty: To succeed in business, to reach the top, an individual must know all it is possible to know about that business.

17. Pierre Corneille: To win without risk is to triumph without glory.

18. Tony Dorsett: To succeed... You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.

19. James Broughton: The only limits are, as always, those of vision.

20. George Kneller: To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.

21. Peter McWilliams: To the degree we're not living our dreams; our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves.

22. Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth: To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult.

23. Tryon Edwards: To waken interest and kindle enthusiasm is the sure way to teach easily and successfully.

24. Spanish Proverb: Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.

25. Lyndon B. Johnson: The noblest search is the search for excellence

26. Charles M. Schwab: The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to neither make money nor find much fun in life.

27. Chinese Proverb: The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water; but to walk on the earth.

28. John Naisbitt: The new source of power is not money in the hands of a few, but information in the hands of many.

29. Henry Ford: The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed.

Many employers will add these quotes inside the employees’ paycheck envelope. Sometimes it may be a motivational quote, other times a silly antidote. Include employee birthdays or other important events to help your employees feel a part of the team.