Who Are You Feeding?

Who Are You Feeding?
When you eat when you aren't hungry, have you ever stopped
to question who it is you're feeding? Many of us feed
ourselves based on an emotional need, even when the
emotions are negative or positive. Many of us eat when we
are sad, bored, angry, or even joyous and happy.

When we are emotionally eating, it is usually something
quick, easy, and pre-made, pre-packed or requires very
little preparation other than opening a box or wrapper.
Any food choice that is especially sugary, salty, or
crunchy are the favorite fixes. We are feeding ourselves
with quick fixes that usually have little or no nutrition,
and we're eating when we are in a mode of emotional
unbalance and hunger isn't the issue. We're caught in old
patterns of mindless, compulsive emotional overeating.
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, "Who are you
feeding?" or "What are you feeding?" This pause and
awareness is important in overcoming mindless and
compulsive emotional overeating. You've eaten dinner and
are physically satisfied from your meal. Yet, before you
know it, not hungry, you are walking into the kitchen to
eat a piece of cake, ask yourself "Who am I feeding?"
Maybe ask yourself how your body will feel after you've
eaten the cake. You know that you'll be uncomfortable,
overfull, and remorseful that you've eaten the cake. Not
only will be you feel physically uncomfortable, but it sets
off a cycle of remorse, frustration, disappointment and
another jab toward lower self-esteem. Are the few seconds
of temporary pleasure worth the discomfort to your body and
emotional downward spiral? Is it worth it?

It really isn't about the cake. It is never about the
food. It is about awareness. The key is to be aware of
your actions and acknowledge how a particular food choice
will "feed" you. If you stop and ask yourself to get in
touch with who you really need to feed, it becomes easier.
Are you feeding an emotion, anger, or the scared part of
yourself? You become more in touch with your emotions and
what you really need and what emotion you're feeding. With
practice, it becomes a habit to check in with yourself on a
regular basis. If you make this a habit, you'll go a long
way to feeding yourself in a nurturing, healthy way.
You'll be headed toward losing weight and maintaining your
weight loss healthfully. The next time you find yourself
on your way to emotional eating, stop and ask yourself "Who
am I feeding?" Wait for the honest answer that is inside
you. If you ask yourself and then listen, the answer will
come.

----------------------------------------------------
Cathy Wilson is a weight loss life coach. Cathy lost 147
pounds six years ago. Her passion is helping clients
achieve their weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with
clients to create a weight loss life plan that is
customized to each client. Cathy is a member of the
International Coaching Federation, International
Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit Cathy's website:
http://www.LoseWeightFindLife.com

Ask Not What the HealthCare System Can Do for You . . .

Ask Not What the HealthCare System Can Do for You . . .
With the presidential debates gearing up again we are sure
to hear more about health care. But we propose a slightly
different question. In addition to asking how we can get
more people healthcare coverage, we should also ask why so
many people are sick in the first place.

The words of John Kennedy might today be, "Ask not what the
health care system can do for you. Ask what you can do to
reduce the health care burden". But before delving into
what we can do, let's take a look at some realities that
our next president could face in their first 'State of the
Union' address.

On the downside -

* We are not healthy: 60% of adults and 20% of kids are
overweight; 30% of today's kids are anticipated to become
diabetic; 20% of high school kids have early stages of
heart disease. The estimated economic burden of depression
for the year 2000 (most recent estimate) was $83.1 billion,
and this is just one of many brain-related diseases

* We are aging: within the next couple of decades, about
20% of the population will be of retirement age; 4.5
million people already have Alzheimer's disease and by 2050
there will be 16 million cases.

* We are heavily medicated: anti-depressants are the
leading selling drugs in the United States; record numbers
of children are on these and anti-psychotics; for adults,
cholesterol and blood pressure medicines are becoming as
common as breakfast cereal.

On the upside -

* The US government estimates that healthier lifestyles
could save $71 billion per year in health care costs and
another $14 billion in lost productivity.

* 1 out of 7 deaths are premature and could be avoided with
better diets and active lifestyles.

Perhaps the next president should spend a little effort
promoting methods to improve these statistics. But how?

We typically think of heart disease, diabetes, depression,
and Alzheimer's dementia as very different problems. But
the more we learn about disease, the more we realize that
these seemingly different diseases often have a lot in
common at the cellular and molecular level. They also have
a lot in common when it comes to how they gained a foothold
in your brain and body to get started in the first place.

However, we have an arsenal of tools proven to help reduce
common cellular damage to maintain fit brains and bodies.
What are those tools? Some high tech drugs and medical
equipment that is out of reach for much of the population
lacking health care insurance? Actually, no. These tools
are very low tech and available to everyone. They are:

1. Eating a quality diet

2. Getting regular physical activity

3. Keeping your mind active and engaged

4. Getting enough sleep and rest

Sounds easy, right? So why don't we all do it, and why
didn't we have all of these problems 50 and 100 years ago?

First of all, in yesteryear a breakfast muffin contained
about 150 calories. Today that muffin is 400 calories. A
large drink at the soda fountain totaled 12 ounces. Today,
that drink is the smallest size on most menus. Yes, we are
suffering from proportion distortion. We love to eat, and
it ain't peas and carrots we are a cravin'.

Second, for many people going to work actually meant going
to work, physically. Today, the extent of our office
exercise is finger aerobics on our QWERTY keyboards.
Physical activity used to be a regular part of everyday
life, not a chore that you have to schedule into your day.

Third, as Alvaro pointed out on a recent Sharp Brains blog,
many of us 'outsource our brains' and no longer think for
ourselves. With mass media messages, GPS systems,
calculators, spell checkers and electronic organizers, we
must ask the question how well we could function without
them. I know I am guilty of this one, myself.

Finally, we are staying up later and getting up earlier to
meet those deadlines. On average, we get 1.5 hours less
zzzzzs than we did about 100 years ago. Not only that but
we spend far more time busy, busy, busy when we are awake
than we ever used to.

Now, change happens. We shouldn't expect to always do
things the way we used to, and we're not suggesting that.
Food, in all its irresistible varieties, is much more
available. Are we supposed to just not eat it. Well, uh, it
wouldn't hurt to pass on the second helping of triple
chocolate cheesecake now and then.

And no, we can't jog around our office but we can do simple
things to introduce more activity into our day. Walk
instead of drive those 1-mile errands. Park further from
the door, take the stairs . . . you've heard all this
before. So why don't we do it?

One reason is that no one likes to be told what to do and
subjected to some guilt trip, most people just don't
respond to that. Also, most people haven't really thought
about what they really want their health to look like or
developed a reasonable plan to reach their health-goals. As
the old adage says, "If you don't know where you are going,
you are sure to get there", plus it helps to have a map.
Finally, even with a plan many folks will give up after the
first sign of failure or fatigue. These changes don't
become easy until we make them an integral part of our
lives.

So how do you motivate people to take action to maintain
their health? Since everyone is different, many options
exist. The obvious answer, that will motivate the most
people, is money, money, money . . . money (did you hear
'The Apprentice' theme song).

At a policy level, it would be exceptionally helpful if the
next president worked to create incentives for healthy
lifestyles and behaviors. Now, I know this is easy to say,
probably not as easy to do (and keep everyone happy), but
you have to walk before you run.

What if the next presidential administration actually
incentivized (is that a word yet?) us to take better care
of ourselves? What if health insurance companies gave
discounts to people that tried to live a healthy lifestyle?
What if the government gave us tax breaks to eat healthier
food and exercise? What if each individual had one
government subsidized continuing education, or
self-enrichment class each year? Would this reduce the
overall health care burden for employers and make it more
affordable to cover more people? Help reduce sick days and
increase productivity and creativity? Hmmm....

We realize there are many caveats to implementing such a
plan but something has to be done and maybe some bright
politician can figure out how to do it. Who would lose if
the country were to improve their health?

Insurance companies wouldn't have to fork out as much.
Medical providers would be able to divert more of their
attention to preventing disease, instead of managing
chronic illness. The government wouldn't be in such a hot
seat for the health care crisis. Big Pharma might sell
fewer drugs, but there are several new health-related
industries that they have the expertise to tap into.
Basically, we would all win.

So back to our initial question: "Why are we so sick in the
first place?" If you step back and see the forest for the
trees, our world has changed drastically in the last 50 to
100 years. With technology, and the availability it brings,
we may have become a little complacent, a little too
trusting that the magic cure-all pill is there for us.

It is true that we are living longer. But I'm sure with
increased longevity, everyone would want at least a
reasonable quality of life and currently that isn't the
status quo. So the answer to our question seems to
be....lifestyle choices. Making the best lifestyle choices,
and maintaining them, isn't always easy but the best things
in life rarely are.

So Madam or Mister President, will you help us help
ourselves?

----------------------------------------------------
Learn to control stress, improve your metabolism and boost
your intelligence with the four cornerstones of Brain
Fitness. Visit http://www.BrainFitForLife.com for FREE
Brain Fitness resources.

Nitrogen And You

Nitrogen And You
Nitrogen is the building block of life - it is the basis of
protein both in plants and in our bodies. If there is more
nitrogen in the soil, farmers can grow more crops in the
same soil but greater use of the same soil makes it poorer
in minerals unless farmers replace them.

Minerals are simple inorganic chemicals required by living
organisms. They act as catalysts for vital processes.
Plants usually obtain their mineral salts and trace
minerals from the soil while animals obtain theirs from
food. For example, plants need magnesium for
photosynthesis while humans need magnesium and zinc for the
production of hormones and maintaining strength levels.
There are many trace minerals which we know are important
to human nutrition but do not know exactly how.

Minerals came to my attention many years ago when I
received an audio cassette in the mail from somebody
network-marketing supplements. I had tried taking vitamins
but had not noticed any difference except my urine turned a
different color, so had dismissed the idea of nutritional
supplementation.

The cassette contained the famous lecture 'Dead Doctors
Don't Lie' by Joel Wallach. Its premise is that we all
suffer from a deficiency of minerals and that the medical
profession profits from our malnutrition. This is an
extreme view of the medical profession; that it has an
interest in the population remaining malnourished. You do
not have to subscribe to this viewpoint to agree that our
diet is deficient in minerals. It is deficient because our
food production is industrialized. Michael Pollan, in his
excellent book 'A History Of Four Meals', gives us a short
history that helps us understand why minerals lost out in
the effort to harvest nitrogen.

Before the invention of nitrogen-fixing, the supply of
nitrogen on Earth was severely limited even though 80% of
the Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen. Until then, the only
way to capture nitrogen and put it in the soil ('fix' it)
so it could feed plants, and therefore end up in our
bodies, was to plant legumes in the fields. The amount of
grains that farmers could grow was severely limited by the
amount of nitrogen available in the soil. Farmers had to
rotate crops so that corn could only be grown every other
year, interspersed with years of growing legumes to put
back nitrogen and other nutrients. They would also graze
farm animals and spread manure from livestock in the fields
to put back more nutrients.

In 1909, a German chemist called Fritz Haber invented a
process to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it
into ammonia which could then be used to make ammonium
nitrate. He developed this technology for the purpose of
manufacturing nitrates for explosives for the German war
effort in the First World War. He also developed poison
gases such as ammonia, chlorine and Zyklon B which was used
in Hitler' concentration camps. Only later did his
invention find a use in agriculture.

Michael Pollan identifies 1947 as the year when the era of
the industrialization of food production began. A munitions
factory at Muscle Shoals, Alabama which used the
Haber-Bosch (Bosch commercialized the process)
nitrogen-fixing process had a huge surplus of ammonium
nitrate, the main ingredient in making explosives. In order
to use up this surplus, it switched over to making chemical
fertilizer. The Department of Agriculture decided to use
the ammonium nitrate as fertilizer on farmland.

The old methods of crop rotation and depending on
vegetables and grazing animals to restore nitrogen and
other nutrients to the soil became unnecessary once farmers
could purchase fertility in the form of bags of ammonium
nitrate fertilizer.

If Haber had not found this way of artificially
supplementing the nitrogen in farm soil, the population
explosion associated with industrial expansion could not
have happened. Pollan refers to a book by Vaclav Smil,
Enriching The Earth, that estimates that two out of every
five humans alive today would not be alive without Haber's
invention. He rates the invention of fixing nitrogen as the
most important of the twentieth century.

The end of crop rotation and the relentless, intensive use
of farmland for producing one or two crops (usually corn
and soybeans) which have been enabled by ammonium nitrate
fertilizer mean that minerals are taken out of the soil
and, if they are put back, are only put back artificially
and inconsistently by farmers. Typically, apart from the
nitrogen in ammonium nitrate, they only put back a few
minerals, the main ones being potassium and phosphorus.
They may also put calcium, sulfur, magnesium and sometimes
boron, manganese, iron, zinc, copper and molybdenum. They
certainly do not put back all the minerals that the human
body requires.

Therefore, what we have gained in the availability of
nitrogen and the quantity of food that we can grow, we have
lost in nutritional value from essential minerals. We
cannot rely on industrial food to provide the minerals we
need.

----------------------------------------------------
I work in information technology supporting the health care
program of a pension system, so am familiar with the issues
of our health care system.
I believe that your health and fitness is a statement - how
you perceive yourself and how you want others to perceive
you. And you can have both at the age of fifty. My site
exists to collect together my reading and experience and
summarize what I have learned:
http://www.healthatfifty.com

Cosmetic Surgery Term You Need To Know

Cosmetic Surgery Term You Need To Know
If you are reading this then you are one of the millions of
women each year who are interested in changing their lives
through cosmetic surgery. But with all the information that
is available there can be confusion, and uncertainty. We
want to make it easy for you to understand the basics of
cosmetic surgery, commonly used words and definitions to
help educate and guide you through this process.

We want you to know that it is important not to rush into
anything. Read as much as you can, get the opinion of a
board-certified cosmetic surgeon and be clear on what you
are hoping to achieve and what the realistic expectations
will be for your unique situation.

When done for the right reasons, the benefits of cosmetic
surgery may be very significant. When we improve our
appearance, we tend to feel more confident, in social
situations or even career paths, and even increasing our
self-esteem. This is true of both males and females.

Terms you need to know.

Abdominoplasty: (Tummy Tuck) Repair of the abdominal
muscle, and remove excess fat and skin/ especially
beneficial after pregnancy or weight loss.

Axillary: Referring to the armpit

BAM: (Breast Augmentation Mammoplasty) Enlargement of the
breasts using an artificial implant.

Breast Implants: A silicone rubber shell filled with either
silicone gel or inflated with a saline solution used to
enlarge the breast. They come in three basic shapes: the
moderate profile, the moderate-plus profile and the
high-profile implant.

Breast Implant Removal: (Remove and Replace) Surgery to
remove implants with or without replacement; for desired
changes in proportions, or due to implant-related
complications and may or may not be replaced.

Capsular Contracture: Shrinkage of the scar tissue around
an implant that causes hardness, distortion, and sometimes
pain.

CRNA: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Dog Ear: A mound of excess skin located at the ends of an
incision.

DVT: (Deep Venous Thorombosis) A blood clot, usually
originating in the deep veins of the leg; increased risk of
DVT after surgery or periods of inactivity.

Fascia: Fibrous tissue found throughout the body and
beneath the skin the and closes muscles and groups of
muscles, and separates and anchors several tissue layers of
the body.

Fat Injections: Fat withdrawn from one body site and
injected into another to smooth lines in the face or build
up other features such as the lips.

Infra-mammary Fold: The crease below the breast.

Liposuction: Removal of localized collections of fatty
tissue using a high vacuum device.

Mastopexy: (Breast Lift) A surgery to remove excess skin,
breast and fatty tissue for lifted, shapely breasts.

Mommy Makeovers: Are designed to counteract the physical
effects of childbearing and to enhance your appearance
after pregnancy and breastfeeding has left its mark. A
mommy makeover typically includes a tummy tuck, breast lift
(with or without breast implants), and liposuction.

PBBS: (Post-Baby Body Syndrome) The name given to the
mothers who have persistent, pregnancy-induced body changes
that cause them embarrassment, anxiety, and fear. Those
feelings can and most often do cause the disruption of
normal daily functions and social settings.

Rhinoplasty: (Nose re-shaping) Surgery of the nose to
re-shape the nose for a more aesthetically desirable
appearance.

Thigh Lift: Is performed to tighten sagging muscles and
remover excess skin in the thigh area.

Tuberous Breast: A condition in which the bottom part of
the breast remains attached to the chest wall, causing the
breast to grow forward rather than dropping down. Because
of the forward growth of the beast, it is said to resemble
a "tube."

The most important step to take is to schedule a
consultation and get the recommendations of one of our
Board-Certified cosmetic surgeons.

Write a list of questions down before you arrive and make
sure you ask them, even if they seem embarrassing. We
strongly encourage you to bring a friend or family member
with you, they might think of questions you don't. By
bringing someone with you, there is the benefit of having
the opinion of someone you trust.

Get as much information as you can about the procedures you
are interested in. As your surgeon what you can expect to
achieve by having anything done, and make sure that you are
both clear on what you want to achieve with cosmetic
surgery.

We hope that this article has given you a better
understanding of the basics of cosmetic surgery and please
contact a Board-Certified cosmetic Surgeon.

----------------------------------------------------
The Avalon Clinic for Cosmetic Surgery is located in
Lakewood and Olympia, Washington. Each of our surgeons is
Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
and has over 20 years of experience. Patient safety and
satisfaction is our #1 goal. Our art is to help patients'
look and feel their best. The Avalon Clinic wants you to
know that It Is Possible! Contact us at
http://www.avalonclinic.com or call 1-800-408-4444!

A Health Savings Account Can Help You Set Your 2008 Health Goals

A Health Savings Account Can Help You Set Your 2008 Health Goals
People who have a Health Savings Account benefit from lower
premiums and reduced income taxes. But the biggest
long-term benefit for many will be the hundreds of
thousands of dollars they will have in their Health Savings
Accounts as they enter their retirement years. Of course,
the only way to build up a significant amount in your HSA
is to fund it every year, get a good return on your money,
and avoid making withdrawals. And the easiest way to avoid
withdrawals is to stay in good health.

People have much more control over their health than most
of them realize. If you want to take more personal
responsibility for your health, forget your New Year's
"Resolutions" (if you're like most, you probably already
have!), and make some real goals to improve your health and
prevent future degeneration.

You Have the Power

The first step in the journey towards optimum health is to
realize that you, indeed, do have the power to influence
your health as you age. While the genes you inherited from
your parents do affect your risks, for most diseases this
influence is tiny compared to the role your lifestyle plays.

Here's the way it plays out for the average American: by
the time they are in their 30's or 40's, most are on at
least one regular prescription drug - typically cholesterol
medication, blood pressure medication, and/or Viagra. By
their 60's, most people are basically falling apart, on 2
or 3 medications, and suffering from arthritis pain,
obesity, depression, insulin resistance, and a host of
other complaints. Within 10 years, many are dropping like
flies.

But of course it doesn't have to be this way.

Imagine the Future

How do you imagine your life playing out? Pour yourself a
beer (do it now, before we get to the part where we
actually write out lifestyle goals), kick back, relax, and
dream. Imagine that you're 70 years old. Are you still in
vibrant health, playing tennis, running on the beach? Or
are you old and fat, with just enough energy to get off the
couch and make it to the refrigerator and back during the
Wheel of Fortune commercial?

Then imagine checking your Health Savings Account balance.
Does it have $350,000 in it, or $350? If you're not in the
best health, chances are your HSA won't be either.

If that's too far in the future, just imagine January 2009,
and where you'd like to be. It's mostly your choice.

How Are You Going To Get There?

Once you've imagined the perfect future, its time to get
serious about getting there. And the key here is to focus
on lifestyle habits, not end results.

Diet

Nothing is more important to your long-term health than
eating a healthy diet. So your focus, as much as possible,
should be the quality of your diet.

Base your diet on real, whole, unprocessed foods. Fruits,
vegetables, fish, lean meat, nuts. Until 10,000 years ago,
humans did not have access to bread and potatoes, and it is
only in the past 100 years that we've begun eating high
quantities of sugar, corn syrup, white flour, and other
modern foods.

If losing weight is one of your objectives, going on a diet
is NOT the answer. Chances are you've tried that before,
and you know it doesn't work. But what does work is
permanently changing your eating habits, and where most
people get stuck is they start out with a feeling of
denial. Whether its wings and beer, or Twinkies and root
beer, whatever you eat that's gotten you to this point is
probably what you feel like you "deserve" to eat, and you
may feel that its not "fair" that you won't get to eat this
way anymore.

Get over it. The fact is that no one eats that way without
consequences. Instead, choose to eat good food. Not
temporarily, or just until you lose the weight. Don't tell
anyone that you are "on a diet". Tell them that this is the
way you eat, period.

Exercise

We are built to move, and anyone can improve their body's
functioning by moving more. The basics: muscle strength,
cardiovascular fitness, and flexibility.

Here's what your prescription should be:

1. Lift weights 3 times per week. Join a gym, or simply buy
some 20 and 30 lb dumbbells. Each week make sure you work
out your arms and shoulders, chest and back, and legs.

2. Do something aerobic 3 times per week, for 20 minutes or
more. Don't just go for a stroll, but actually do something
that makes you breathe hard - whether it's jogging,
rollerblading, basketball, or whatever.

3. Stretch every night. 5 minutes or less ought to do it.

The Power of Written Goals

So at this point you should have two ideas in your head.
One is a picture of you at some point in the future. How
you look, how you feel, and how you function. The other is
the permanent lifestyle changes you plan to implement to
get you there.

Now is the time to put it on paper. This is a powerful
exercise that will make your thoughts more "real," and more
likely to come to fruition.

First, write out a detailed description of your future,
exactly as you would like it to be.

Then write out your lifestyle habits in positive wording.
What kind of food are you going to eat? What kind of food
are you going to have around the house? Where and when will
you eat out, and what kind of food will you order?

Remember, it is very difficult to make changes if you have
feelings of denial. Fighting hunger is virtually
impossible. Instead of focusing on what you won't eat,
focus on what you will eat, and on the end result. And if
you want to splurge on some Ben and Jerry's occasionally,
go ahead.

How Much Will You Have In Your HSA When You Retire?

In 2008 the maximum annual HSA contribution is $5800 for
families. If a family makes the maximum contribution each
year, gets an 8% return on their money, and has $500/year
in medical expenses, they'll have $261,885 in their HSA
after 20 years. If they have $3000/year in medical
expenses, they'll only have $138,354 after 20 years.

Stay healthy, get wealthy. They certainly go together. And
with looming Medicare insolvency, you will certainly want
to have as much of your own money available to pay future
medical expenses when they do happen.

At one time it wasn't uncommon for me to have wings and
fries for dinner, washed down by a few beers. At other
times it was beer for dinner, supplemented by a few wings.
Amazingly, the human body is able to take these raw
ingredients, and produce eyes, lungs, heart, and everything
else that keeps us going. But if we were able to look more
closely, we'd see poor ingredients produce a poorly
functioning body.

If optimum health hasn't been a focus in your past, make
2008 a year of change. You'll be glad you did.

----------------------------------------------------
By Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (
http://www.health--savings--accounts.com ) - The nation's
leading independent health insurance firm specializing in
individual and family coverage that work with Health
Savings Accounts.

10 Tips for Coping with Grief and Loss

10 Tips for Coping with Grief and Loss
Grief is an incredibly agonising human experience but also
a natural reaction to loss. In life it is almost inevitable
that we will experience grief and loss. Although it is a
painful experience, grief is also a process that gives us
strength to take on the challenges we face in life.

People cope with grief in different ways. Some can overcome
it relatively quickly whilst others take time to get
through it. However, it is important that when those that
are close to us experience grief we help them. In this
article I discuss ten ways that we can help those close to
us get over grief.

1) DO NOT SAY YOU UNDERSTAND HOW THE PERSON FEELS:- Even if
you have experienced the exact same losses as the person
who is grieving you can still not truly understand how the
person feels. As stated above, people handle grief
differently so their experience will be unique to yours.

2) AVOID CLICHES:- For example do not try and tell the
person that time will heal the wounds. For some people this
may be true but for others the hurt will always be there.

3) AVOID TELLING THEM TO BE STRONG:- People who are dealing
with grief are very vulnerable. Telling them to be strong
is an unnecessary burden.

4) LOOK FOR SIGNS OF A PROLONGED PROBLEM:- You need to
understand the grieving process and if you see signs of a
long-term problem developing then aid the person
accordingly.

5) WRITE A PERSONAL NOTE WHICH DISPLAYS COMPASSIONATE
KINDNESS:- Written words are permanent and can be a real
source encouragement for the griever in times ahead.

6) MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE:- Sometimes the person who is
grieving just needs you to be there and offer a listening
ear or a shoulder to cry on.

7) ENCOURAGE THE GRIEVING PERSON TO WRITE DOWN THEIR
THOUGHTS:- This is a powerful way to get the grieving
person to release their emotions and not keep them bottled
up. It can be a great healing process.

8) ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO:- People who are grieving may care
less about day-to-day activities such as cooking, shopping
or housework. Therefore, you can offer to do these tasks
for the person whilst they grieve.

9) UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOSS:- Make sure you do
not trivialise the loss in the words you use to communicate
with the person who is grieving.

10) SHARE YOUR FEELINGS ON LOSSES YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED:- In
doing this you can empathise with the person who is
grieving. Whilst you are not telling them that you
understand what they are going through, you are making the
attempt to connect with them.

When suffering from grief people often feel isolated and
alone. If they choose to be alone then you should respect
that. However, you should not avoid the subject completely.
By talking about it you are showing that you truly care for
the person and you want to help them get through it.
Continue to show kindness and this will go a long way to
helping another human being get through a dark period in
their lives.

----------------------------------------------------
The Free Fitness Tips Blog provides you with fantastic,
free advice on all aspects of fitness including mental
fitness. To find out more about dealing with emotional
issues such as anger, fear, grief, loneliness and worry
head over to http://blog.freefitnesstips.co.uk/