How To Support Mr Sandman In Bringing You A Good Nights Sleep

Image by porcelaingirl

Be considerate, after unloading his buckets of sand into your eyes to help you find your way to dreamy land, he hasn’t got time to hang around on your shoulder singing lullabies. Prepare for his visit to ensure you get a restful sleep:

• You probably know this by now, but I will mention it none the less – don’t drink caffeine as it depresses the sleep hormone melatonin for up to 10 hours.
• Alcohol might relax you at first but can cause anxiety later on.
• Have a cup of bed-time or herbal tea instead.
• Play quiet, calming music to assist you in winding down.

Did You Ever Have A Job As A Battery Chicken?

Image by hisks

I don’t know what it is with me – but whenever I ended up in a horrible job, I started to see myself, colleagues and supervisors as animals.

The battery chicken

Once I worked for an IT recruitment company where all employees would sit at close range side by side with a team leader right in front of them. I felt like a battery chicken with hectic and loud clucking sounds all around me. We would sit for hours on our feathery butts, deprived of any kind of personal freedom of expression, trying to produce as many contracts as possible.

If you were successful you had the honour of sounding the company gong as a sign of personal achievement. I still have to laugh about it when I think about the keen Uber-cockerel that had just secured three deals. He would stride up to the gong, head up high and sound the gong three times, with every sound his chicken breast would swell a bit more.

Fun Stuff: Simple, Useful And Drolly Inventions

From time to time I have ideas for strange or unusual inventions myself, which I might even write down, but never implement. Others do – silly me:

Positive Psychology: Engage With Your Envy

Image by Craig Loftus

Envy is part of human nature and identifying this sentiment is the first step to overcome it. Selfconfidence and appreciation of what you’ve got without depending on it – of course – helps.

I recently came accross these valid suggestions on how to engage with envy:

Learn to recoginse the symptoms: do you blame your friend for envy, or feel diminished in her presence? Are you overly fascinated with her movements, or are you censorious of her?

Happy Journeys: Devonshire Tea In New Zealands Historic Village

It’s autumn now and the temperatures have started to cool. That doesn’t keep me from exploring my surroundings though. Yesterday my partner and I went to the Puhoi Historic Village, settled by Bohemians back in 1863. We were looking forward to a nice traditional Devonshire Cream Tea in New Zealands oldest tea room.

How To Avoid Over-Thinking

Image by munibren

You’ve probably experienced your own spiral of thoughts that lead to aimless rumination and often results in feelings of anxiety and hyperactivity or sleepless nights, to name but a few effects.

Example: You’ve just comfortably tucked yourself into bed, even started to think about something tranquil and beautiful, when slowly, and at first unconsciously, distracting thoughts creep into your previously calm mind:

A “brilliant” creative idea pops up. How can I get started? What does it look like?

What about this dreadful meeting tomorrow? Am I sufficiently prepared?

Then pictures of the last horrific news report sneak in? How terrible that was….

As if that could stop the keen chatter in your head, you put your hands on your ears in a desperate attempt to escape this mental self-chatter.

But wait; here are some suggestions that really help to avoid over-thinking:

Great Ways To Cheer Up Your Precious Other Half

Image by ctr

Is your partner going through a tough time?

You could…

plan a surprise getaway

do some of their dreaded household chores

call a radio station and dedicate a favourite song

go for a long walk and talk about whatever is on their mind

make breakfast

hide cheering up notes in their bag

watch a comedy

Fun Stuff: It Pays To Check Your Accommodation On The Web

Otherwise you could end up in a place like here

Just follow the sign

Positive Psychology: The Difference Between Savouring And Flow

Image by JWilsher

During my last positive psychology class we discussed how to distinguish between savouring and flow, two ways of appreciating moments of happiness.

Savouring is the appreciation and enjoyment of a current moment. Example: When I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago I stood on the shore and took the moment in. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery, I felt the sand underneath my feet, I could feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, I listened to the sound of the waves and the screeching of the seabirds and took a deep breath of the salty sea air. I savoured this moment and didn’t want to get out of it. I decided to make a picture of the scene. Now the photograph is hanging on my wall, but it’s not just a pretty picture. Whenever I feel like it, I look at it more closely and recall the moment with all it’s associated impressions and feelings.

Funny Animal Picture: The Hypnotising Owl

Image by linkinnn.com

LOOK DEEP INTO MY EYES……

More pictures: