Dr. Oz To Broadcast Special Newtown Show

As our nation reels from the terrible events in Newtown, Conn., The Dr. Oz Show will offer a special broadcast on Dec. 17, which will examine the issues that many people face upon learning of the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Due to the unique scale and horror of the murders, it's normal for people to be deeply affected by the news, furthermore to experience painful and potentially dangerous stress symptoms.

In addition to the physical manifestations of stress, the emotional, psychological and spiritual toll on the nation is great. Not only surrounding the Newtown shooting, but other major shootings such as the Aurora movie theater shooting, the Virginia Tech massacre and the Columbine school shooting have shown that crisis counseling and other resources are necessary, even for people who are far removed from the actual events.

The Dr. Oz Show is broadcasting the special episode as a stand of solidarity and support for a nation in mourning. The Dec. 17 broadcast will be an open discussion dedicated to healing and support as a country. The show will tape on the morning of Dec. 17 and air in the afternoon in the majority of U.S. markets. Those cities that regularly air The Dr. Oz Show after 2 p.m. will carry the show in its entirety, visit HERE to check local listings.

©2012 Journey To Self, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author.

Coping With Holiday Stress

As our friends and family gather for the holiday celebrations, we need to remember the true purpose of these holiday get-togethers. Instead of looking at tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner or other holiday celebrations in terms of what you need to do, reframe your thinking a view these holiday gatherings, as an enjoyable time to spend with loved ones.

Easier said then done when Auntie Matilda or whomever asks, “Where is your boyfriend/girlfriend?” despite that Matilda knows full well you are happily single. Or when your sibling comments that the stuffing isn’t as good as mom makes. Questions and comments of this nature are intended to make you feel inadequate. This is where you have several choices.

You can choose to grin and bear the negative comments and questions, you can also choose to shoot a quip back or you can reframe your thoughts and enjoy the day. Reframing your thought process takes discipline, but self-awareness is about self-empowerment. When you know who you truly are as a human being, other people’s attempts (subconsciously or otherwise) to make you feel inferior simply won’t affect you. It’s quite simple really. You have to remember who you are, that you’re happy with yourself and most of all, other people’s unhappiness is not yours.

©2012 Journey To Self, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author.

Working On Self-Esteem

What do you like about yourself? Are you proud of yourself? If these questions make you feel uncomfortable, or you cannot answer them, chances are that you have a problem with self-esteem. Why is that? Why do so many people basically dislike themselves? Why are we embarrassed to "esteem" ourselves?

Self-esteem comes from the inside out. It is a core identity issue, essential to personal validation and our ability to experience joy. Once achieved, it comes from the inside out. But it is beaten or stunted from the outside in. A person with a positive self-image is not dependent upon anyone else to make him or her feel good about themselves, because they already know that they are fine just the way they are. These people are confident and aware of their strengths and abilities.

A person with low self-esteem does not feel good about himself or herself because they have absorbed all the negative messages around them. Low self-esteem can lead to poor decision making in one’s personal and professional life. Worse yet, low self-esteem passes from parent to child. Parents are modeling what it is to be a “man” or a “woman” and here within lies dangerous territory leaving children of parents with esteem issues, more vulnerable to abusive relationships.

A person with low self-esteem has no control over their life because their personal validation is met by outside factors. But that can change. You can reach out and begin the path toward emotional healing and a positive self-image. You can choose your own identity. You can discard the negative images and replace it with something healthy. Nobody is perfect, but everyone is worthwhile. Believe in yourself!

©2012 Journey To Self, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author.

Low Self-Esteem and The Jealousy Factor

I think that it was Marilyn Monroe who said, “You're no one until someone hates you.” It is true that people will dislike you once you attain a level of success and it is also rather sad for those who have feelings of dislike, or even hate, towards you for the simple fact of your success.

It is at this time that our personal self-awareness is most helpful. Being self-aware and knowing who you are allows you to forgive those that spew venom towards you for your successes. But what if you are the person filled with hateful jealousies toward another?

The simplistic answer for your jealousy is that you are unhappy with yourself and suffer from low self-esteem. And it’s easier to “dislike or hate,” (which in essence is veiled jealousy), a person that you perceive to be successful. You may even believe that the target of your dislike is unjustifiably successful.

Digging deeper, this jealousy that you feel toward another is actual fear of what you, yourself lack. It is much, much easier to point a finger at someone else then to take time for introspection. Personal introspection means that you will have to face your personal demons and come to terms with the fact that you are not happy with where you are in your life journey.

If you find that your consistently focusing hateful feelings towards another, it’s time to take a step back and take a good, long look at yourself. Ask yourself – Has this person sincerely wronged me or is this my personal misperception? Does this person affect my life? Why am I angry with this person? If you are absolutely truthful to yourself, you will find that this person has not wronged you, does not affect your life, and that you’re angry with this person because of your own unhappiness and low self-esteem.

My personal journey brought me to a place of only ever being in competition with myself. But, you can’t get to that place or even understand it until you put in the work to become comfortable with who you are. Attaining self-esteem is a journey that begins with introspection and ends with happiness. In between introspection and happiness is where all the hard work is.

©2012 Journey To Self, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author.

Are You A Victim or A Survivor?

Like many people, your life has changed in some way during the past months. Perhaps, you lost a loved one, you’re not where you want to be in life or you’ve been forced to cut back on leisure activities… perhaps even to the barest necessities. These changes or losses may seem unfair. it is in these times of stress people tend to rely upon familiar behaviors and ways of thinking. We tend to respond like victims or survivors.

How are you reacting to your current situation? Are you thinking of yourself as a victim of circumstance or as a survivor who will weather the storm?

The victim views a crisis situation as a threat. As a result, he or she becomes entrenched in feelings of fearfulness, helplessness, and hopelessness. Fearfulness, because they don’t know what lies ahead but they are convinced it isn’t good; helplessness, because they have lost control over the situation and don’t see any way of regaining control; and hopelessness, because to them the future looks pretty bleak, and there’s no light on the horizon. It’s difficult for a person who feels victimized to look forward to any source of pleasure or joy. He or she is paralyzed in their victim mindset.

On the other hand, the survivor views the same situation as a crisis, but is able to move through their initial alarm to a state of mind that enables them to consider their options. They engage in the process that unfolds throughout the days, weeks and months. While fearfulness and helplessness may be elements of the process, they aren’t all of what he or she feels. The survivor’s stance is colored by hope. As they consider their options, their fearfulness diminishes because they realize that all is not lost. The survivor also realizes that they haven’t completely lost control over their situation, because if they’ve put their mind to it, they can begin to form a plan. This goes to the core of what it means to be a survivor, and is the main difference between the survivor and the victim.

The victims are wringing their hands and crying, “Woe is me!” The survivors are discovering that they have choices, both individually, and as part of a nation and a world. These choices can improve our situation. Victims are attempting to hold on to life, as they knew it before the crisis. Survivors are seeking to use their creativity to re-create their lives in very basic ways.

It’s not always easy to create new goals, to develop strategies for meeting those goals, and to stay focused enough to achieve desired changes. Sometimes we need someone to hold us accountable for the progress we say we want to make. It’s okay to seek out the help of friends, family or even a therapist!

It is your choice whether you feel like a victim or a survivor. Allow yourself time to feel saddened by the loss of what you may have had, but let it be a survivor’s sadness. Don’t let it paralyze you and prevent you from seeking new opportunities. Again, it is your choice.

©2012 Journey To Self, All Rights Reserved 

The importance of self-awareness

Self-awareness is a way for us to explore our individual personalities, value systems, beliefs, natural inclinations, and tendencies. Because we are all different in the way we react to situations, learn, and process information, it’s helpful to spend time in self-reflection to gain a better insight into ourselves.

But, why is self-awareness important? Self-awareness is important because when we have a better understanding of who we truly are and with this knowledge we are empowered to make changes and to build on our areas of strength as well as identify areas where we would like to make improvements. Self-awareness is the first step towards setting goals for ourselves.

If you’re still perplexed as to what self-awareness is, ask yourself a few questions:

• Do you listen to others during a conversation? Or, do you tend to do a lot of the talking?
• Do you ask others how they feel about situations? Or, do you make assumptions based on your own feelings?
• Do you think about how your actions affect others? Or, are you confident that others are fine with how you handle situations?
• Are you aware of other people’s social cues? Or, do you mostly focus on your own?
• Can you admit when you are wrong, and have apologized when you are? Or, do you tend to think that things are wrong or go bad because of others?

If you answered yes to most of the first questions in each pair, you are most likely self-aware. If you answered yes to most of the second questions in each pair, you probably need to spend some time practicing how to tune into other people’s reactions and also spend time getting to know yourself.

The bottom line is that self-awareness will give you the ability to be open, thoughtful and aware of how your actions impact others. Self-awareness is one of the most valuable qualities that you can possess as a human being.

There is but one ride in this life … enjoy the journey! 

©2010-2013 Journey To Self – All Rights Reserved 

Tips For Increasing Your Personal Power

Taking the time to invest in a solid self-assessment of our self-awareness can increase your personal power. So, what is personal power? A good way to think of personal power is to associate it with self-confidence. In other words, it is an inner belief in our ability to attain our goals and achieve the things we want in life. Those who possess a highly developed level of personal power believe they can set the direction of their lives and, in fact, they do.

Here are a few tips that can help you build your personal power:

Make a list of your strengths. Keep a journal of what you feel are your significant accomplishments. Ask yourself where you excel and this will lead you to identify your strengths. The objective of writing your accomplishments and the feelings that surround them is to help you to envision how you feel when using your strengths and succeeding. Remember, emotions and feelings, especially positive ones, will be powerful motivation towards your life goals.

Ask for feedback. Don’t hesitate to ask for input about your actions from a trusted friend or family member. Insight from others can prove to be an invaluable resource in helping you recognize how well you handle various situations, and point to areas where you can grow even stronger.

Move on from failures. Don’t dwell on what you consider to be a failure. Failures are not life lasting or permanent. A perceived failure is an excellent time to do some real self-assessing. Take the time to recognize what you can learn from whatever misstep, and then take that information and apply it to future situations.

©2012 Journey To Self, All rights reserved.

How Enhancing Self-Awareness Increases Your Emotional IQ

Enhancing our self-awareness begins the journey to achieving higher emotional intelligence, or increasing our EQ. We simply must be aware of our own emotions before we can manage them effectively. Self-awareness of our emotions also helps us to empathize, so we can better understand what others are experiencing.

People with high emotional self-awareness know how they feel at any given time, can identify the source of those feelings and can recognize how the feelings manifest in physical symptoms, such as sweaty palms, headaches and panic attacks.

To begin enhancing emotional self-awareness start with these three steps:

1. “Check in” with yourself. Set aside time during your day to assess your emotional state. Ask yourself a series of questions and answer them honestly. You might ask: What am I feeling? What is the source? How are these feelings manifesting themselves in my body? Am I experiencing tenseness in my shoulders, clenched teeth, feeling fatigued, anxiety, fear or joy?
2. Identify your emotions. Once you determine what and how you feel, if you learn to identify these emotions, it can help you identify the source or “trigger” of negative feelings. Some common examples of labels for emotions include anger, fear and surprise. Write down the identified emotions, along with your thoughts on what you think triggered each specific emotion. Once you can identify the source of a feeling and see it on paper, what you need to do to improve your response to a trigger becomes clearer.
3. Be in the moment. “Listen” to what your emotions and feelings might be telling you at any given moment. You can learn to use the information you “hear” from within to gain added insight and guidance in working through an issue or problem.

From a goal-setting point of view, it is crucial for you to possess high levels of emotional self-awareness. In other words, effectively achieving your personal goals will require an acute understanding of how feelings can affect your behavior, mood and performance.

©2012 Journey To Self All Rights Reserved