This is Marlene Shiple, Ph.D., the Life Coach Dr., and I am glad that you came by today to visit!  I’m pleased that you found your way to this page!

Would you do me a favor and sign up for our feed?  In this way, you will receive automatic updates of articles and techniques, seminars and Special Reports that we offer.  In addition, I hope you will give me feedback about ways that I can better serve you and help you make changes in your life.

For now, I invite you to take your time and look around.  I am pleased to offer you many valuable resources with the hope that you will use them to help make YOUR life better!

Meditating under Tree

Have you felt extremely frazzled lately? Have you told yourself, “This HAS TO stop!”

What happened?

Did you notice that your frustrated exclamation in and of itself did nothing? That’s right! After being that exasperatingly clear with yourself, still nothing changed!

Why do you think that is?

In order for something to change, you have to DO something!  In order for change to occur, you have to act in exactly those specific ways aimed at creating the change! If you do not act in these proactive directions, you just keep creating more of the same!  In other words, what had been going on in the past just continues!

On the other hand, when you ACT, something entirely different occurs.  When you act, you begin to direct yourself in more peaceful directions and stop the stress! How does that sound to you?

So, how might you do this? you ask.

Mindfulness Meditation is one of the most powerful actions to relieve stress and build peace.  Meditation allows the body to relax.  It encourages the state of mindfulness. Mindfulness Meditation helps you to learn to focus intently with an attitude that is singularly nonreactive and nonjudgmental.

When you are engaged in Mindfulness Meditation, you notice what is going on inside you and around you without judging or reacting to it. In addition, you pay attention to focus on the flow of your breath — deeply and slowly, in and out of your body.

Research has proven that Mindfulness Meditation creates lasting improvements in the brain.  This occurs as a result of the Meditation creating actual changes in the brain structure. Using MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), researchers have studied the brains of people who practiced Mindfulness Meditation. These researchers found that there was growth in the areas of the brain responsible for memory, mood regulation, regulation of bodily functions and flexibility.

Frequent, consistent meditators report that meditation helps them to respond to previously-upsetting events more peacefully and experience the world more clearly.  This can be attributed to the physical brain-changes  that result from Mindfulness Meditation!

Is it time for you to start the habit of Mindfulness Meditation?

Could you commit today?

If not, what more do you need to convince you to be ready? 

Each of these folks were in their 60′s. To a person, they expressed that they were looking at the waning years of their lives. Each was concerned about having his/her life matter, to have it mean something.

In the past, the idea was common that one’s senior years — those years after one left behind their first professional career — was a time of “retirement”. The concept — and this word — often was synonymous with “marking time”.  Frequently, the “retirement” concept was based on the premise that one’s life was over, that productive activity was a thing of the past.

A year ago, I was talking with some friends. We were enjoying a glass of wine and discussing time. We were all in our late 50s and early 60s.  We were comparing experiences about age and how we felt — we agreed that we did not feel old.

We were all very active, physically and mentally. We compared our experience of being 59 and 60 with that experienced by our grandparents. We noted a shared fact: For each of us, our grandparents had seemed to us to act old at 60, both in action and in thought.

We speculated that, perhaps, now was a new time — a time in which we had been raised with different opportunities. We pondered the fact that one of these opportunities was to live longer. We extended this into an agreed-upon fact: We also had the opportunity to live longer, better!

We determined that “better” for us meant more active, more creative, more involved: In sum, more alive! We agreed that we did not have to stop living the life we chose — with quality and meaning — until it was our time to make the transition called death.

Such a conversation among friends can be used as a jumping off point.  It can easily serve as the foundation of a new view of senior years that is FILLED with meaning and purpose and quality and personal satisfaction. This view allows for active living of quality life for an additional 30 years past the traditional time of ending one’s first career. In essence, thirty YEARS provides ample time for a second time-of-satisfaction, a second life-direction!

It is just such life-direction that Retirement Coaching is designed to create.

• If it is exciting to you to think of the unlimited possibilities that can be yours during this 30-year period, Retirement Coaching is for YOU!
• If you would rather not leave the rest of your life to chance, Retirement Coaching is for YOU!
• If it is stimulating to think about what you would like to add into your life plan for that 30-year “retirement” duration, then Retirement Coaching is for YOU!

To learn more about designing for YOURSELF what lies ahead in your life, please  contact me:

• via telephone — (602) 266 – 6662
• by email me at mshiple@thelifecoachdr dot com (that is, “mshiple” “@thelifecoachdr.com”)

You can get started TODAY!

Feelings that are often responded to with emotional eating include the following:

1) Depression: Often, anger that is held inside is experienced as feeling down and depressed. Often, this goes along with the thought, “What’s the use? Who cares?” In an attempt to feel better, the person does NOT address and release the anger, rather s/he uses food as a temporary way to feel better.

2) Anger: Often, when angry at oneself or at someone else, one tends to “stuff” the anger. Rather than assertively addressing the situation and getting it handled, one uses food instead.

3) Boredom: One thinks that there is nothing worthwhile to do and nowhere interesting to go. To fill in the void, the person fills his/her time and consciousness with acts of eating.

4) Lack of Appreciation: Food can be the outlet to the disappointed feelings that result from the experience that no one notices when one excels. The tendency is to “treat” oneself with food in an effort at congratulations, even when one is not hungry.

5) Lack of Control: This feeling is the result of thinking, “Everything in my life is out of control. I feel overwhelmed! The only thing I CAN control is what and when I eat!”

If you are looking for ongoing support to get your weight under control, we can help!  We have e-classes going on RIGHT NOW to help you.  Check out our healthy weight loss program today!

Or, if you prefer a self-guided approach, we can help!  Hypnosis is a technique to get your subconscious mind working WITH YOU to successfully accomplish your goals.  We provide audio-hypnosis plus a complete workbook designed to support your weight-loss success.  Hypnosis for weight loss can end your weight struggles FOR GOOD!!

Doctoral student in sociology and gerontology, Markus H. Schafer continues to explain, “If you feel old beyond your own chronological years, you are probably going to experience a lot of the downsides that we associate with aging. But if you are older and maintain a sense of being younger, then that gives you an edge in maintaining a lot of the abilities you prize.”

Schafer and co-author Tetyana P. Shippee, a Purdue graduate who is a research associate at Purdue’s Center on Aging and the Life Course, compared people’s chronological age and their subjective age to determine which one has a greater influence on cognitive abilities during older adulthood. Nearly 500 people ages 55-74 were surveyed about aging in 1995 and in 2005 as part of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States.

In 1995, when people were asked what age do you feel most of the time, the majority identified with being 12 years younger than they actually were. The researchers found that those who felt young for their age also experienced greater confidence about their cognitive abilities a decade after.

“We are not sure about what comes first,” Schafer explained. “Does a person’s wellness and happiness affect their cognitive abilities or does a person’s cognitive ability contribute to their sense of wellness.” This will be addressed in future research.

Schafer points out both positive and negative implications of this study’s findings. “There is a tremendous emphasis on being youthful in our society and that can have a negative effect for people,” Schafer said. “People want to feel younger, and so when they do inevitably age they can lose a lot of confidence in their cognitive abilities.”

“But on the other hand, because there is such a desire in America to stay young, there may be benefits of trying to maintain a sense of youthfulness by keeping up with new trends and activities that feel invigorating. Learning new technologies is one way people can continue to improve their cognitive abilities. It will be interesting to see how, or if, these cultural norms shift as the Baby Boomer generation ages.”

“There is a slight difference between men and women, but it’s not as pronounced as we expected,” Schafer said. “This was surprising because of the emphasis on physical attractiveness and youth that is often disproportionately placed on women.”

These findings were published in January’s Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, and the study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

1.  LEARN TO RELAX:   While this may sound almost too simple for  belief, go ahead and give it careful practice.  Relaxation benefits not only your physical condition, but your mental and emotional states as well.  Experiment to discover the ways of relaxation that work best for you.

2.  BREATHE DEEPLY & RHYTHMICALLY:  Breathing … now how tough is that?  You may find it surprising that many people do not breathe in a relaxing, stress-reducing way.  Stress-reduction breathing is deep and regular, with the inhale and exhale approximately the same length.  Often people breathe shallowly, or unevenly, or they hold their breath.  If you start to pay attention to others’ breathing patterns, you can easily see this.  If you start to pay attention to YOUR OWN breathing patterns, you can easily become aware of this, too.  Breath draws in vital oxygen, which is required by each cell to stay strong and healthy.  It strengthens your physical, mental and emotion energy.  It allows you to “let go” of tension and pressure.  Your breathing is a physiological function that is with you each and every moment … and breathing deeply, in an unstressed fashion, costs you nothing — it is free!

3.  FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE:  When a situation occurs, concentrate on all of the positive interpretations you can make for that situation.  Consider all of the positive outcomes that could occur.  Let your imagination get wild!  For any situation that occurs, there are a magnitude of ways you can think.  By purposefully selecting a positive way, you automatically relax and feel more optimistic within.  If you find this hard to do, you need to practice doing it much, much more.

4.  TAKE CARE NOT TO OVERREACT:  Chronic overreaction to not only life’s emergencies, but also life’s everyday situations  take a toll on your physiological system — on your heart, your arteries, your whole body.  Overreaction utilizes resources that you could highly benefit from using in other ways.  One way of putting life’s situations into perspective is to ask yourself, “How much is this going to matter in a year?”  For most things, you could easily amend this to “How much is this going to matter in a week?”  The things that seemed so upsetting often are forgotten in a brief time … to be replaced by something equally upsetting that will be forgotten in a brief time … to be replaced, etc.

5.  LEARN TO SAY, “NO”:  This is a safeguard against trying to do more than is realistically — and healthfully — possible.  It is also a safeguard against doing more than is realistically possible because others request or demand it of you.  You are the one in charge of your own well-being.  If you do not take care of you, no one else will.  You — and you alone — are the one that has been given the responsibility of safeguarding YOU.  You will do yourself grave disservice to ignore being accountable for being good to you.

6.  PRACTICE SAYING, “NO” AND FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF AND THIS CHOICE:  Sometimes people think that it is selfish to care for themselves.  Do you think that this is so?  Were you taught as a child to be giving and selfless.  These are admirable traits, traits that this world needs more of.  However, to do for others at the detriment of your own health — mental and physical — will never make the world a better place.  When you do things because others pressure you to do them, it is a good way to build resentment.  Resentment kills relationships faster than anything else that I know of.  Helping others only when you have the energy and reserve to do so will preserve the relationship with these others, as well as be a life-saver to you.

7.  SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS:  Stresses that derive from guilt and perfectionism are stresses that we each place on ourselves.  They arise from unrealistic expectations.  A good question to use with yourself in this regard is, “Am I taking on more than I can reasonably handle?”  Then, if the answer is “yes,” you might further question yourself regarding why you are doing this.  If your reason is you pressure yourself to do things perfectly, examine this habit.  A more realistic prospect is to aim for excellence, to aim for doing a good job.  As humans, we are incapable of perfection.  To pressure yourself to reach this takes a toll on your mental and physical health.  When you accept excellence in doing a good job, you get  the best of both worlds — an excellent accomplishment PLUS increased good health.

8.  CREATE GOOD FRIENDSHIPS:  Having close relationships with persons you can confide in, reduces stress and increases emotional satisfaction.  Having social support from other human beings whom you can count on in times of uncertainty allow you to live in a more relaxed, confident fashion.

No matter what might arise, when you have friends, you can rest assured of having whatever assistance you might need.  And, reciprocally, you have the emotional peace of mind of knowing that the help you are able to give is appreciated.

One final word about building the skills to deal successfully with stress:  It takes practice.  Just as with building proficiency with any other skill, stress-management skills get easier and more effective with repetition.  Using this principle, you can see why it is so essential to practice, Practice, PRACTICE!

Fear is an amazing feeling! It has significant power over our thoughts, feelings and actions. It takes on a “life of its own” and makes it appear as though we have lost the discerning power of choice in a situation. Fear can completely rule a person’s life.

So … why is it so amazing, you might be asking?

It has been said that, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This is quite true, for fear is of our own making. Then, it spreads like wildfire!

How does fear really work? First of all, each of us creates a thought. At this juncture, it is a neutral thought. After creating this thought, we then determine that we are afraid about this thought. So, now the emotion of fear is linked to the idea/thought that we created.

The Face of Fear

To bring this into clearer focus reflect on the fact that not everyone is afraid or experiences fears about the same hings. The race-car driver who comfortably goes in excess of 200 miles per hour might be afraid of the needle used for her vaccination. The high-rise window-washer who has no problem up on the 12th floor washing windows might become panicked learning to swim.

So, once we have an idea that is linked to fear, we do an incredible amnesia-thing. We absolutely forget that the act of linking fear to that thought was our own doing. We totally “space out” this fact. Instead, we begin to react to the fear as though it were a living, breathing, awe-inspiring entity all on its own. And not just any living, breathing, awe-inspiring entity: One that stirs up overwhelming FEAR.

Recognizing that linking-fear-to-the-thought was our own creation is a powerful step to gaining a sense of mastery over what in the past may have seemed overwhelming! Having recognized this, it is time for the next step.

One definition of FEAR is the following:

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Pay attention to what that is saying. This simple acronym suggests that something seems to be real … and that perception is false. Or, simply stated, we are erroneously believing something. That something that we are believing is that we need to fear.

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not advocating wanton disregard for personal safety. Of course not! It is essential that you learn to determine the Correct Evidence Appearing Dangerous, too. If you are standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, feeling nervous … step away from the edge a couple of feet. This is only honoring the fact that danger is possible.

If you are feeling nervous walking up an open stairway, by all means grab onto the handrail. You could fall over the edge of the Grand Canyon or off the open stairs and kill or hurt yourself. People HAVE done so! This is not a invitation to be foolish.

However, if you are 15 feet from the edge of the Grand Canyon, it is time to relax and enjoy the view; not to be so nervous that you cannot look for the fear of it all. The Grand Canyon is certainly an awe-inspiring sight. Profound fear can rob you of this inspiration and pleasure.

This need not be!  To learn more about our Program to Release Fear from your life, visit http://thelifecoachdr.com/coach/coaching-products/fear

What can you do …

… to focus your life in directions that serve you?

… to surround yourself with confidence and a sense of safety?

… to move your own experience to one of kindness and manifestation?

You can start NOW and take control of your own experience! You can stop listening to predictions of perdition and begin to create your own prosperity. And you can do so Right Now!

You already have the mechanism for doing this. It rests in the capability and creative power of your subconscious mind. The power of the subconscious mind creates what you are thinking. This is called “self-fulfilling prophecy”. Every moment of every day, your subconscious mind creates according to the thoughts you hold in mind.

If you believe that everything is doomed, it is. Not because — objectively — it has to be … but, once you’ve verbalized to yourself with intention, “Everything is doomed”, it has to be because you believe it so! AND you get to be right .. every time! That is the nature of your subconscious-mind creation.

Conversely, if you believe that there is abundance in the Universe … and if you believe that you share in this abundance, you do. Not because it has to be … but it has to be because you believe it so! AND you get to be right … every time! That IS the nature of our subconscious-mind creation.

Here’s what to do … Follow these 5 Steps to Abundance:

STEP #1: Experiment over and over with your thoughts.

STEP #2: Challenge your subconscious mind to create the MOST positive ideas you can imagine!

STEP #3: Let your imagination run wild!

STEP #4: Put those ideas into thought and command your subconscious mind to bring them into your life … starting this very minute!

STEP #5: Keep watch — notice the bounty that comes your way!

I invite you to use these steps over and over to create prosperity and abundance in your life.

And I encourage you to learn more about how to re-balance your life by visiting our blog at http://www.mentalhealth-online.com/mentalhealth. Join our list by entering your name and email address, or click on “RSS” to add yourself to our the RSS-feed — you will be informed right away about new additions and information that can benefit your life! Get Practical Ideas & Tips that You can Use to CHANGE your Life … for Good!

But let’s say that you have tried before with this goal and either not succeeded, or succeeded beautifully, but then gained weight back again. For many with weight-loss goals, it has seemed to be a venture of frustration and disappointment. Has this been your experience?

If so, it is time for a new outlook — a new approach. Here are 6 practical, effective steps for weight loss success:

1 – Be Positive:
Pay attention to your thoughts. Notice the types of messages that you are giving to yourself about you being a success — both as a person and in regard to weight loss. Notice specifically if you are being negative about this: Think — self-fulfilling prophecy. Respond to any negativity by re-wording the thought into a positive, success-generating affirmation: “I am a powerful, productive person!” “I enjoy success attaining my goals!” “I persevere with my resolution and lose the weight that I desire!”

2 – Be Realistic:
If your goal is to lose 50#, start with the awareness that you do not lose 50# all at once. In essence, you lose 1#, 50 times. So, start with that first pound. Give yourself realistic sub-goals. For example, you might choose the goal of 1# per week. Look where you will be by the end of this year!

3 – Know Yourself:
Are you someone who does better exercising with others? Then, by all means, do NOT assign yourself exercise by yourself on treadmill at home. Yes, it might be cheaper (if you already have the treadmill — you know, the one with all the clothes hanging from it in the family room?). Go to the gym — be around others — have a social outlet and exercise. Better yet, get an exercise buddy and meet each other at a specified time!

4 – Incorporate What You Know about Yourself:
If you feel pressured by others bringing up your efforts at weight loss, don’t announce your intentions to lose weight to the office. Keep it to yourself … and let them notice — and comment — on the results.

5 – Reward Your Success:
Be generous and kind to you. Choose non-food rewards and recognize you for your courage and your perseverance. Others may have NO idea what you have been going through … but YOU know! You are the person in the position to look out for you … to be kind to you … to recognize you as a success!

6 – Persevere:
Losing weight is a huge, important step toward better health. Being successful losing weight takes courage, motivation, diligence and persistence. Make your affirming cry: I Can Do It!

I urge you to use these six weight-loss ideas over and over to create success with your resolve to lose weight.  And I encourage you to learn more about creating effective weight loss success with our Weight Loss Hypnosis-Workbook Program.  To learn more, click here! ]]> http://thelifecoachdr.com/coach/weight-loss/feed/ 0 http://thelifecoachdr.com/coach/good-nights-sleep/ http://thelifecoachdr.com/coach/good-nights-sleep/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 06:33:09 +0000 The Life Coach Dr. http://thelifecoachdr.com/coach/?p=367
Refreshing sleep significantly affects the quality of your thinking, perceiving and experiencing. Research studies have repeatedly supported the far-reaching effects of solid, restful sleep.

Enjoying a good night’s sleep requires you to have — and use — the ability to direct your mind to work for you! After all, it is your mind. If you have not already been doing so, it is now time to treat this mind as yours!

The following steps are designed to help you create a good night’s sleep as your habit:

Step #1. If You Need to Spend Time Thinking, Do So … before going to your bedroom. Make a focused time for thinking a part of your pre-bedtime routine.

Step #2. Leave Any/All Cares in the Kitchen Freezer. Use your imagination for this one. Imagine that you take all cares, problems, worries, and concerns and deposit them for the night in the freezer. Then, firmly close the door … and leave them there.

Step #3. Establish a Bedtime Routine. Select the same time of night and the same relaxing tasks — e.g., take a hot bath, read a restful book, meditate. Make this bedtime routine a habit — each and every night, engage in relaxing in these routine ways.

Step #4. Turn Your Mind to Restful Thoughts. Fill your mind with the most-relaxing ideas, thoughts and memories that you can think of.

Step #5. Relax and Lie Down and Relax some More. Start with your feet and progressively relax every muscle of your body up to your head.

Step #6. Begin to Breathe Deeply and Slowly. As you do so, relax even more — from the inside, out.

Step #7. Imagine Yourself in a Relaxed, Repetitive Setting. Once you have yourself in a place of relaxation — e.g., on the beach, listening to the waves — count down slowly from 50.

I invite you to use these ideas over and over to create a good night’s sleep for yourself … night after night after night!

And I encourage you to learn more about how to re-balance your life by visiting our blog at http://www.mentalhealth-online.com/mentalhealth or Click Here. Join our list by entering your name and email address, or click on “RSS” to add yourself to our the RSS-feed — you will be informed right away about new additions and information that can benefit your life! Get Practical Ideas & Tips that You can Use to CHANGE your Life … for Good!