Lifestyles have changed in the past decade. For most of us it is like living in the fast lane every day. There is so much to be done and there is so little time. As a result, we become stressed and this results in many illnesses and even death.

Studies show that stress is the common cause of anxiety. It damages our body and mind, causing panic attacks, lack of sleep, phobias and many more. Apart from these, it also triggers health diseases such as heart problems, high blood pressure, asthma, eczema, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome and alopecia.

Other signs of stress include headaches, palpitations, wheezing, irritability, low energy, poor memory and increased emotions.

Stress is often caused by finance, work and relationships. Treatments vary and drug induced ones can sometimes cause more problems instead of fixing it. We must keep in mind that in the end it is up to us. Our perspective and choices lead us to the kind of life we choose.

Here are some tips to reduce stress:

Identify what causes you stress and do something about it. It may be easier said than done, but let’s face it, we only get stressed if we let it get to us.

Reduce stress by being more organized. Make a list of personal and professional priorities and make time for them. Keep an organizer, so that you won’t forget anything.

Allow yourself to be emotional at times. You are human and it is normal to laugh or cry when needed. Keeping these emotions can result to long term issues.

Learn how to value yourself. Make a list of your positive qualities and go through it whenever you feel down.

Find your passion. It may be a hobby, a sport or even volunteering for a cause. Outlets help you cope and make you feel good about yourself.

Learn to relax wherever you are. If you feel like losing control, take deep breaths until you feel better.  Meditate when you can. Simply close your eyes and imagine yourself in a beautiful spot where you would want to be.

Write down how you feel. It lets you release your feelings and makes you feel better. Keep a journal. It is always nice to look back and know how you were able to cope.

Take a break. Go on a holiday whenever you can. It allows you to recharge. It also helps you learn new things and gather new experiences. Plus it gets you away from stress.

Lastly, learn how to do nothing. Keeping quiet and still helps you think clearly.

Image from judacoregio

About the Buddha. The word “Buddha” is an adjective, which translates to “enlightened one.” Therefore, Buddha should actually be referred to as “the Buddha.” The Buddha was a real person who lived in India around 400 BC. He was a famous teacher and social reformer, who owned slaves and died of diarrhea (no joke). His wise words were not printed until five centuries after his death.

Buddhist atheism. Those who practice Buddhism do not acknowledge any God, but rather stress that true spiritual enlightenment comes from practicing mindfulness, leading a moral life, and pursuing wisdom. They don’t worry as much about finding =installment loans online= or buying a new car as much as they are concerned with living a peaceful life free of burdens. Buddhism is not a religion as much as it is a philosophy of life, and Buddhists are tolerant of all religions.

War over Buddhism. Unlike most other religions (especially Christianity), there has never been one war fought over Buddhism. That is because Buddhism does not stake a claim in the world of religion, and does not acknowledge labels associated with religions.

The law of karma. Everyone has heard the common cliché that personifies karma as a not very nice woman. The truth is that many people don’t even know what the law of karma is all about. Karma is about intention. Therefore, those who hope or intend negative outcomes for other people in the name of karma are actually bringing negative karma to themselves.

The life of Buddhist monks. Pop culture would have you believe that Buddhist monks live high on some mountain temple where they are completely shut off from the rest of society, and that they live their lives completely ignorant of the ways of the modern world. Buddhism requires that monks actually maintain ties with the outside world, in order to maintain balance, and Buddhist colonies must rely on the population for food to force this interaction.

Hopefully these interesting Buddha facts surprised you a bit, and inspired you to see the world with an open mind. Things aren’t always what they seem, or what popular opinion would have you believe. There is more to Buddhism than meets the eye, and much that you could take away from this knowledge in order to better your life and the world around you.

The Benefits of Meditation

Meditation has a number of great health benefits. Not only can meditation help lower your blood pressure and heart rate, but it can also enhance your immune system and reduce PMS symptoms. Of course, health isn’t the only beneficial reason to use meditation. Meditation is also used for psychological and spiritual reasons. The psychological reasons behind mediation can range from increasing one’s willpower to decreasing the potential for mental illness. Those who work for places like payday advance lenders, correctional facilities, or other busy environments find their jobs stressful and need to rebalance themselves. Meditation has even been known to help those with aggression and phobias. When it comes to using meditation for spiritual reasons people find that it gives them a closer relationship God, but it can also be beneficial in helping people find themselves and understand their true purpose.

Choosing the Type of Meditation

Just as there are many types of benefits of mediation, there are also many different types of meditation. The type of meditation you use is based on what you hope to achieve from the practice. It is also believed that there are opposite forms of mediation for each type. The following are the types of mediation as well as their counterparts: upward/downward, mind-centered/heart-centered, monastic/in-life, observed/lover, passive/active, fantasy-based/reality-based, trance/awakening, denial or dualistic/inclusive and religious/heart-centered.

The Technique Matters

The first step is to determine what you hope to achieve from the process. You can then choose a type of meditation that best suits your needs. Next, it helps to meditate in a quiet and scenery atmosphere. While outdoor meditation can be more beneficial, it isn’t necessary. While it is recommended to focus on your breathing, you can also focus on a sound. The key is to empty your mind so that you can focus on the outcome you’re trying to achieve.

Meditation has many health, psychological and spiritual benefits. The exact type of meditation you need will depend on the outcome your hope to achieve, but there are a variety of techniques you can use to make the process easier to master.

The Beginner’s History of Philosophy by Herbert Ernest Cushman. This book starts at the birth of philosophy and takes the reader through all of the three major periods of philosophy: ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, and modern philosophy. It’s a great starting point for understanding how the collective mindset of man has changed over the ages, and how deeply philosophy is ingrained in culture and society.

A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. As the title suggests, this book provides a basic overview of Western philosophy’s growth and evolution over history. It contains a thorough analysis of must-know Western philosophical views, such as those of Kant, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Dewey and Nietzsche. Russell was an extremely educated man, with a well-rounded knowledge of everything related to philosophy, and his writing is clear, easy to follow, and never obscure.

The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. No matter where you begin in your quest to understand philosophy, it will no doubt be a mentally taxing task. The Oxford Companion is the most comprehensive philosophy dictionary available, and should be readily available when you delve into any philosophy text.

Plato’s Five Dialogues. These expound on the basic arguments of philosophy, and are written as a discourse between student and teacher, making then not only educational, but also entertaining and easier to read than many of the other philosophical writings.

Reading Philosophy by Guttenplan, Hornsby and Janaway. This is a guide to reading philosophy. It primes the reader to the mindset and critical thinking skills that are necessary to effectively reading, understanding, and assessing any work of philosophy, using actual philosophical texts as examples.

If you want to learn about philosophy, then prepare yourself with the knowledge that getting acquainted with philosophy will be a real labor of love. However, it will be worth the effort, as philosophy can open your mind and life in ways you might’ve never imagined. Begin with these texts, be patient, and eventually you will have the mental foundation necessary to taking on any work of philosophy you choose.

Block out societal pressures. This doesn’t mean you have to go live in a cave somewhere. However, you must learn to focus in on what your inner voice is telling you, and discard societal pressures to live up to material definitions of what is expected of you. YOU know best what is best for you, and you are not a cookie-cutter creation. You are an individual with unique strengths, talents, and potential. Discover them by listening to YOU.

Believing is seeing. Look at this as an experiment, if you need to, until you’ve gotten the hang of it: believe that anything you desire is possible. Open your mind to these possibilities and make the conscious decision to acknowledge that the world will open up to you in return. Let go of the societally-imposed cynicism that dictates to you your limitations, and instead CHOOSE to believe that you have everything you need to accomplish what you want.

Make yourself available to opportunity. Once you believe anything is possible, you must make yourself accessible to the possibilities. They most likely won’t come knocking at your door (although sometimes they will). If you believe anything is possible, then you must be willing to try anything to open yourself to those possibilities. For example, if you’ve always fantasized about being an artist, then you must put yourself in a place to become an artist: join an artist’s club, take art lessons, attend art shows, etc. Open yourself up to the world of being an artist and that world will, in turn, open up to you.

Goals. Begin by setting some small goals, just to get into the habit of using your positive mindset to achieve success. Choose things that might’ve seemed too far off for you to focus on, and really focus in on them. Be conscious every day of your determination to live out those goals and you will subconsciously make choices that are in line with those goals, eventually seeing them to fruition.

There is perhaps nothing more satisfying in life than knowing you hold the key and the power to create your own success and happiness. You are NOT a victim of circumstance, but rather the master of your own experience. What an empowering realization Achieving success with your mindset is a skill that can be developed, so start today.

World events of the past decade have wrought considerable pain and discomfort on people the world over. There have been terrorist attacks, wars, financial turmoil, shootings, robberies, one natural disaster after another and outbreaks of disease.

No wonder we’re all a bit wracked. Philosophers call it an existential crisis.

From this calamity develops a sense of doubt; where the logic of our very existence is challenged. The pain we feel makes us wonder, “Why am I even here?” The existential crisis is a deep introspection of self-worth that is driven by a traumatic event or some other similar causal factor.

Nietzsche and Camus

These great thinkers knew this rocky terrain well.

Camus’ father died during World War I when he was 1-year-old. He was raised in extreme poverty in Algeria by his nearly deaf mother who had few options for earning reasonable wages. That left them to live with a dying grandmother and paralyzed uncle. And you thought you had it bad.

Kafka was born into a Jewish family in Prague in the late 1800s. This was not a good time to be a Jew in Eastern Europe and Kafka’s father was verbally abusive at home. Kafka suffered from a hypersensitivity to noise; was a hypochondriac; and fought bouts of manic tendencies. Not so hard to understand why the term “Kafkaesque” arose in relation to the surreal scenes described in his writing.

Given that context, it’s no wonder we share a bit in common with two of Existentialism’s Hall of Famers. But it will get better.

After all, “That, which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” Nietzsche said that – another existentialist.

Roderick Campbell’s life centers around a personal philosophy of “Do what you do if you can be proud of it.” He believes in personal responsibility and optimism. Roderick is also an expert in Bakken formation, Bakken Companies and anything related to Bakken and Oil.

I have never really thought of work in a strictly philosophical light. Neither have I associated the philosophy of work with being an American. I suppose I am no different from my neighbor or my colleague. I go to work because it is part of life. It is necessary. Without working, I would not be able to live the life that I have now.

Yet those thoughts in themselves are already the start of some philosophical analysis. Why do Americans work? Why is work so much part of our lives? These things – and more – were brought to my attention when I ran across Jason J. Campbell’s article titled Americana and the Philosophy of Work. In it, he highlights how the “American culture is intrinsically tied to labor.” He states:

We are a culture of laborers and Americana habituates its citizens to the necessity of work. We are a culture of workers and therefore any attempt to understand Americana must be met by an equal attempt to understand how Americans work.

In discussing Americana, the vast majority of the population has to work because of an acute sense of economic necessity, that is, they work because they have to. Generally speaking, only the very wealthy or those who have retired have the “luxury” of working for its sheer satisfaction.

True enough. I myself believe that I am part of the former group described in the preceding paragraph. Why do you work?

A friendly reminder: If you don’t win the argument you’ll need to drink the hemlock but if you win Socrates will drink it for you. Of course it is really difficult to win against Socrates but there are some who have won.

If you wish to take more than the free argument clinic though you’ll be disappointed since the link to the InterQuest homepage no longer works.

Have a good time arguing with Socrates!

Fear not those who argue but those who dodge. – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Such is the situation that we all find ourselves in. Times are hard and despite such philosophical beliefs and traditions through the years, the fact remains that some adjustments that include having to suck up our pride and live according to how we can today is apparent.

People who are hard-headed and want to stick to their original philosophies are commendable. But it has been months now and the future looks bleaker by the day. We see the realities of an economic catastrophe and even the big names in the business and entrepreneurial industry are following suit. Given all these factors, how long can we hold out before we admit that we must make the necessary moves to adhere towards wise living moves?

It is not easy to go back on your original personal philosophy. Some would even call it sheepish. But today you just have to make the adjustments and find a way to survive. Pride certainly will not help and if people are mature and rational, they would agree that today is not the best time to be hardheaded.

Changing jobs is part of life. We all need to move on at some point in our lives. In this day and age, we can’t very well be expected to stay in one place for the rest of our lives. Yet even in cases like these, we are expected to think things through and to follow certain ethics.

Take this example. Company A has been in operation for several years. After 4 years of operation, most of its employees feel frustrated. They have gone as high as they could in the ranks and discontent is the general prevailing feeling. A competing company opens within the city, unknown to the upper management. This competing company offers a higher salary and better terms. The people within the company also deemed it necessary to try and hire the most skilled people in the original company.
Naturally, these things are kept secret from the original company.

The question now is the ethics involved – not from the perspective of the newly formed rival company but in the part of the employees who are being pirated, for the lack of a better word. Is there something wrong in them wanting to leave their current job for greener pastures? Isn’t that something normal and expected?

I’d have to say that leaving for greener pastures is all well and fine BUT leaving and immediately working for a rival company when you have an agreement with your current company NOT to work with a similar group until after 1 year of leaving is something else. Oh, did I leave that fact out in the beginning?

Here’s your question – would you do what these employees are doing? Or would you be more ethical (and perhaps less practical)?