Sukses Terbesar dalam Hidup Saya

Saya memiliki sebuah impian sederhana, tapi merupakan sesuatu yang besar dan berdampak jauh lebih baik bagi kehidupan. Selama ini, sepanjang kehidupan saya yang singkat saya habiskan untuk mengajak teman-teman agar mereka sering membaca. Bagi saya, menyaksikan orang lain membaca buku untuk menambah pengetahuannya adalah sebuah kebahagiaan yang luar biasa, apalagi ketika saya ketahui bahwa sebenarnya orang tersebut bukanlah tipikal seorang kutu buku. Keberhasilan membangkitkan minat membaca seseorang adalah impian besar saya, dan merupakan indikator kesuksesan saya. 

Selama ini saya berada dalam lingkungan yang menuntut perkembangan dan mengembangkan. Saya menemukan ada banyak sekali pemuda-pemuda potensial, mereka memiliki modal untuk bisa menjadi seorang pemimpin dengan kemampuan dan kepercayaan diri yang baik. Namun yang sangat disayangkan adalah bahwa mereka tidak gemar membaca, mereka hanya bermodalkan pengalaman yang minim dan mungkin pengetahuan-pengetahuan yang hanya didapat dari kegiatan keseharian. Ibarat perang, mereka tidak mencari senjata yang lebih canggih agar bisa menang dengan mudah.

Akan sangat disayangkan jika mereka tidak mengisi diri dengan membaca. Oleh karenanya pada setiap kesempatan saya bisa berdiskusi atau membawakan materi, hal yang terus menerus saya dorong adalah bahwa setiap orang harus banyak membaca, bukan untuk siapa-siapa, tapi untuk mereka, atau mereka akan berkembang dengan lambat. 

MENEMUKAN KELUARGA DALAM KELUARGA

Sore tadi, 23 Agustus 2012, menjelang senja yang menunggu kumandang adzan magrib di malam Jumat. Tak seperti biasa, kebetulan entah mengapa hari ini ingin pulang lebih awal. Twit terakhir menyisakan tulisan yang menyatakan keadaan tersebut, entah kapan terakhir saya pulang ke rumah ini ketika matahari masih berada di bagian langit. Seringkali saya datang ke rumah dengan mengetuk pintu dan membangunkan sepupu yang tertidur pulas atau pulang paginya saja untuk mandi dan makan sebentar lalu lepaslah lagi menemui sahabat dan menemui momen hangat ketika bertemu dengan mereka.

MEMILIH PERJUANGAN (Part 1)

“Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!”
Pernah suatu ketika saya mengupdate status  tersebut melalui sebuah akun organisasi dalam rangka memperingati hari 17 Agustus tahun lalu. Kemudian datanglah komentar miring yang menyindir-nyindir negeri tempat kita berpijak ini. Tidak hanya tahun lalu, sebagai facebooker saya juga sering memantau beranda dan alhasil mendapati banyak komentar sinis mengenai kemerdekaan Indonesia tahun ini, komentar tersebut rata-rata berasal dari anak muda. Berasal dari mereka yang dulu waktu kecil merayakan HUT kemerdekaan dengan mengikuti lomba-lomba tujuhbelasan dengan penuh semangat, berasal dari mereka yang dulu mungkin saja mantan-mantan paskibra, pemimpin upacara, paduan suara atau sekedar peserta upacara tujuhbelasan dan mengikutinya dengan khidmat di masa dulu. Ternyata semakin dewasa dan semakin banyak tahu seseorang, maka akan semakin kurang Ia memaknai sebuah perjuangan, seperti lirik lagu Epica berjudul Sensorium “the more we learn is the less we get”

What You can learn from Poverty

Who likes poverty to come to us? No one I think. But being in a poverty doesn't look bad at all. There are so many lessons of life you can take from it. This is how we see poverty in different perspective that gives a lot of lessons to our lives.

I've been trying to find its benefits, and I found many things. Here they are:

1. Guidance from one's Higher Self is most appreciated.
2. Addictive behaviors become evident and reveal energy blocks.
3. Humility and Reverence can be frequently experienced.
4. Meal planning can become personalized and more healthful.
5. Innovation and creativity can provide unique solutions.
6. Assertiveness is easier to learn and practice for fear of loss and coerciveness of power have little to threaten against.
7. Meditation can be a low cost anxiety relief with no adverse side effects.
8. Self-sufficiency adds to one's self-esteem and provides independence, security; and freedom.
9. Challenges provide opportunities to improve one's coping skills.
10. Time management skills can be more easily developed with less distraction.
11. Experience facilitates empathy with the many with similar incomes.
12. Healthful exercise (walking) often goes with low cost forms of transportation.
13. Mass media is less available and less distracting -- TV, radio, movies, papers ....
14. Friends who are sincere are recognized apart from friends-of-convenience.
15. Planning and organization skills help one conserve and better utilize space.
16. Foods are less costly if freshly prepared, not overprocessed, nor requiring toxic chemicals for preservation and artificial flavoring and color.
17. Persons who manipulate and deceive in order to personally gain, avoid you.
18. Freedom from debt, and credit, reduces your obligations to others.
19. One can choose to spend more time with family members and friends.
20. Changes in career, educational level, skill expertise and choice of relationships become less resisted by relatives, friends and associates --- and often receive encouragement.

Yes You Need to Know The Benefits of Smoking

This may seem very strange, but we feel that smoking is actually good for you. There has to be a good side to smoking, otherwise nobody would be doing it. Here is a list of some of the benefits of smoking:

• Enjoyable
• Cope with stressful situations
• Relaxing
• Combats boredom
• Keeps weight down
• Helps focus
• Fights loneliness and depression

Smoking is one of the main ways people handle stressful situations. Just the simple act of smoking allows you to go outside to smoke. Think about it. Going outside:

• Allows you leave the stress
• Puts you in a different environment
• Allows you to clear your head

Also, the way you smoke can be relaxing. Taking a deep puff and holding it in for a few seconds is very similar to what’s called relaxation breathing. In relaxation breathing, you take a deep breath, hold it in for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly.

Another benefit of smoking is that is lessens feeling of depression or anxiety. It’s the nicotine in your cigarettes that is responsible for making these feelings go away. Think of the nicotine as a medication, and your cigarette as a medication delivery device.

After taking a puff, the nicotine in the smoke travels to your brain where is causes a chemical reaction. This reaction is what picks up your mood or lessens anxiety.

The nicotine travels to your brain in less than seven seconds. That’s faster than if you were to inject it into your veins, and it’s one of the reasons why nicotine is such an addictive drug.

The anti-depressant and anti-anxiety properties of nicotine explain why so many people who smoke suffer from depression and anxiety. The cigarettes are treating those conditions with every puff!

If you smoke as a way of dealing with depression, then quitting may make you feel depressed. The quit smoking medication Zyban helps in two ways:

1. Wards off withdrawal symptoms
2. Fights depression

Another beneficial aspect of smoking is that it keeps the weight down. Cigarettes do this by:

• Keeping food in your stomach longer
• Suppressing your appetite
• Artificially speeding up your metabolism

Not everyone gains weight. The typical amount gained is 5 pounds, but some people gain more. There are many effective weight control methods designed to keeps the pounds off when you quit.

Focusing on the benefits of smoking is a good first step because:

• better prepares you to quit
• allows you replace the good side of smoking with things that are safer and healthier for you, while achieving similar results

Good News: Go and Hug Someone You Love!

Do you like to get a hug from the ones you love? I do believe that no one denies that when we get hugged we'll feel better of relationship, feel more comfortable and keep us in better mood to face the day. This simple act accomplishes many things that you may have never considered. Hugging is a natural activity of nurturing and the sign of care to others.

According to family therapist Virginia Satir:

“We need 4 hugs a day for survival.

We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance.

We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”

Is it so great, isn't it? and Here are some benefits of hugging I've concluded from some articles.

• It feels good.
• It dispels loneliness.
• It overcomes fear.
• It opens doors to feelings.
• It builds self-esteem.
• It fosters altruism.
• It slows down aging (huggers stay young longer).
• It helps curb appetite (we eat less when we are nourished by hugs and when our arms are busy wrapped around others).
• It eases tension.
• It fights insomnia.
• It keeps arms and shoulder muscles in condition.
• It provides stretching exercise if you are short.
• It provides stooping exercise if you are tall.
• It offers a wholesome alternative to promiscuity.
• It offers a healthy, safe alternative to alcohol and other drug abuse (better hugs than drugs!).
• It affirms physical being.
• It is democratic (anyone is eligible for a hug).
• It is ecologically sound (it does not upset the environment).
• It is energy-efficient (saves heat).
• It is portable (you can take it with you).
• It requires no special equipment.
• It demands no special setting (a fine place for a hug is any place from a doorstep to an executive conference room … from a church parlor to a football field).
• It makes happy days happier.
• It imparts feelings of belonging.
• It fills up empty places in our lives.
• It keeps on working to dispense benefits even after the hug is released.
• Reduces heart disease
• Diminishes stress
• Promotes longevity
• Strengthens social ties
• Lowers blood pressure
• Lowers heart rate
• Benefits the hugger and the huggee equally

Look, we list it so much, still not enough? Go and huge someone you love, your family, your best friend, your child and all the ones who have less of it and then add good things you get by hugging them into the list.

Good News: "Have a nice Dream" could be meant "Have a Nice Life"

Sometimes dreams make a lot of sense — like when we’ve been working hard and we end up dreaming, alas, that we’re still at work. Other times the meaning of dreams is less clear. That doesn’t mean the dream isn’t important to our well-being, however. Retired teacher Barbara Kern can vividly recall the details of a dream she had nearly four decades ago, for instance.

“I’m lying on my back, holding the bottom rungs of a fireman’s ladder that has been extended to its full height,” she explains. “A boy is at the top of the ladder, swaying it back and forth, while I try to control it, but I can’t and I’m afraid he’s going to fall.”
For Kern, 79, who now lives in Lakewood, N.J., the dream was a symbolic expression of real-life concerns about her ability to reach a boy with severe learning problems whom she remembers as “one of the most challenging students I ever taught.” She characterizes the dream as a nightmare, recalling that it kept her up half the night.

Dreams, memories, and emotions
The dream — likely a means of coping with a major life stress — helped Kern, explains researcher Rosalind Cartwright, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology at Rush University in Chicago. “It’s almost like having an internal therapist, because you associate [through dreams] to previous similar feelings, and you work through the emotion related to it so that it is reduced by morning.”

Although some researchers believe dreams are just a byproduct of sleep, others think dreams are important for memory consolidation or conflict resolution. Cartwright has found clues to suggest that dreams may help with mood regulation.

Dreams occur during both REM (rapid-eye-movement) and non-R.EM sleep, but sleep studies show that brain activity is heightened during REM periods. When sleep-study participants are wakened during the first non-REM period, those who recall their dreams tend to report thinking about a piece of emotional unfinished business. The dreamer may then restate or reshape the problem in a different form during the next REM cycle, and so on, through the night.

Dreaming may help depression
Sleep is without a doubt beneficial. According to the National Sleep Foundation, humans spend more than two hours dreaming each night (with the most vivid dreams occurring during REM sleep). Rats deprived of that precious REM sleep for four days produce fewer nerve cells in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center.

Among humans, dreaming may also help alleviate depression. In sleep studies of recently divorced women with untreated clinical depression, Cartwright and colleagues found that patients who recalled dreams and incorporated the ex-spouse or relationship into their dreams scored better on tests of mood in the morning. And they were much more likely to recover from depression than others who either did not dream about the marriage or could not recall their dreams.

“It really shows that there was an ongoing working through the night in the dream material, and eventually that the depression lifted in those people,” Cartwright says.
Looking back now, Kern says she was highly stressed at the time and the dream helped her realize how much the boy had been controlling her life. “It didn’t solve the problem,” she says, “but it helped put it in perspective.”

Good News: There's nothing like deep breathing, You should try!

Deep breathing involves flexing your diaphragm while taking deep, even breathes. When done correctly deep breathing can be therapeutic and have noticeable health benefits. With enough practice it can even become your standard way of breathing. Deep breathing is very often used as therapy for problems like hyperventilation and anxiety disorders. By simply adding a few minutes of deep breathing here and there through your day you can greatly increase your health while decreasing your stress.

How does deep breathing help your general health? Well first off it can reduce stress. When stressed people have the tendency to take shallow breathes. Some studies can shown that a fast breathing rate is linked to high blood pressure To relax you do the opposite. In the same vein of thought it can help to clear and focus your mind. Deep breathing can increase your energy level and helps turn off racing thoughts.

Deep breathing also releases endorphines into the system. These are our bodies natural painkillers. This can help relieve general aches and pains, as well as help ease problems with sleeplessness. Deep breathing also relaxes muscles, a major cause of neck, back and stomach pains. Some studies have shown that deep breathing can also benefit asthma sufferers. This is partly because deep breathing can strengthen weak abdominal and intestinal muscles, and who doesn’t want that?

To try deep breathing you must draw air into the lungs while expanding the stomach rather than your chest. Sit or lie down somewhere quiet and get comfortable. To be able to feel the difference between your regular breathing and the deep breathing you can place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. This will let you feel when you are breathing correctly.

Take breathes that are long and slow. This gives the body the ability to absorb more of the inhaled oxygen. Breath in through your nose, nice and slow. Exhale through pursed lips just as slowly. As you breath feel the motion of your stomach. If your rib cage is expanding, keep trying and focus on breathing with your diaphragm. Relax and repeat until you are comfortable. If you don’t get it right away, don’t worry. This is supposed to relax you, so do not let it cause stress. Try again later if you become frustrated.

After you become comfortable with the exercises, take them on the road. Try to make deep breathing a habit. You can do it while driving to work, sitting at your desk working, waiting in line sitting, while watching television, just about anytime. at the computer, standing in line at the grocery store, sitting in traffic. It can help deal with the stress of daily life.

Good News: Contagious and Healthy? It's Yawning!

Though it is said that Yawning is often connected to sleepiness.Yawning is not just a human response. Most animals yawn as it provides relaxation too.Technically, a yawning is a reflex widening of the mouth which is followed by the the process of deep inhalation and slow exhalation of oxygen .

It is an involuntary reflex action controlled by the spinal and nerve centers of our body.A yawn lasts about six seconds.One should very well know about the physical benefits of yawning,it is generally seen on a plane, as it aids to balance the air pressure between your middle ear and cabin air during take off and landing of the airplane.thus we notice that we yawn because oxygen levels in our lungs is ow.A wide prolonged yawn has some benefits. It helps in exercising our jaw and facial muscles and stretches our lungs too. It also increases blood flow to the brain, raises our heart rate and helps with breathing. The out come is that we feel a little more awake after wards.

Researchers has also found out that our brain burns up to 33% of the calories we consume and generate heat.yawning cools our brain cells as it is involved in a process of long inhaling of oxygen and thus make them more efficient as it is known fact by know that oxygen activates the cells ,It has also been found that the process of yawning increases the blood flow and helps maintaining the optimum level of functioning ,They say we are hard wired to yawning .It helps us to stay alert and protect our self from danger.

Finding show that fetuses have been observed yawning in the womb,even though they don't inhale oxygen in through their lungs.Moreover it is also observed that we yawn when we get up in the morning, even after a good night's rest.May be we start a day with a long yawning because inhaling plenty of oxygen help us to activate our mind for a day's work.

Studies have shown that during our normal, at-rest breathing position, we often don't use our lung to their full capacity and breathe enough air,our body typically just use the air sacs at the bottom of the lungs, these air sacs called alveoli,when do not get enough fresh air, they partially collapse and our lungs stiffen a bit. As a result,our brain send message to our body to take a yawn to get more air into the lungs by deep breathing.

Good News: Express yourself by Painting! Get the relaxation!

Painting is a good expressive activity. It has good benefits to our mind. And Quite literally, painting will change your life. You will gain self-esteem and a confidence you never knew you possessed. Painting provides an excellent source of personal relaxation and even physical therapy.

It allows you to associate creativity with every aspect of your life, not just on the canvas. Many have been led to find pleasure in music, reading, writing, sewing, gardening and much, much more as a result of painting. Through painting you will discover in yourself a greater awareness of the beauty of nature.

Good News : Screaming as loud as you can! and your stress will go away!

It's not a secret how highlights screaming can be so effective to reduce our stress. So many people agree of this statement because everyone can do it themselves. Some studies find that highlights screaming is one of the most effective and cheapest ways to reduce stress and increase your chances of passion between the sheets.

And The research assessed the physiological and physical benefits of having a good scream and the results were very positive for both domestic and work scenarios. All 10 of the volunteers in the study had their stress levels fall sharply following a brief scream and couples reported feeling more loving and passionate towards one another afterwards.

Other key benefits from screaming highlighted in the report include:

• Increasing strength and stamina
• Reducing tensions
• Feeling less inhibited
• Burning off calories
• Drawing couples together
• Feeling more energetic and exhilarated

The problem is, in today's society, there are very few acceptable opportunities for letting out a full-throated scream. However, you still can freely do this such as going to a beach, mountain or even in your bed room. Screaming whether at home, at work or in the car will leave a you in a better frame of mind to cope with life's unavoidable stresses and strains and could even put the passion back into an uninspiring sex life.

Good News: And Now It's necessary to have a Pet in Your Home!

The companionship of a pet is something man-kind has done for thousands of years. Dogs have worked by our sides, and provided us with endless affection and love. There is an incredible bond between human and furry companion that can't always be explained. Most of the time it can only be felt with the heart.

Not only do animals provide us with physical and social benefits, they also work on an emotional level that enriches our lives. The following are just some of the ways a pet will help provide more meaning, balance and structure to your daily life.

Nurturing a pet makes you feel needed. It gives you a reason to get up on days you may not feel like it. The dog needs to be fed and let out. Having this responsibility gives you a sense of accomplishment. The wonderful thing about a pet is they are always so happy you care for them and they ask for nothing in return. For senior citizens, having an animal can help take away their loneliness and give them a reason for living.

You feel safer when a pet, especially a dog, is with you at home. If you tend to not like to be alone when your spouse is gone, having a dog may help you feel less anxious because you feel safe knowing your dog will protect you.

The stress of your day will just melt away when you open your front door to a wagging tail. You can't help but smile when your dog is happy to see you. Petting your dog can melt away your problems and worries and possibly help you put all your challenges into perspective.

Animals can help you if you are grieving the death of someone close to you. If you don't have the emotional support you need, a pet can help you feel less depressed. Just the mere presence of your pet will give you hope. They will motivate you to look for the good in all situations.

A pet provides the much needed importance of touch. Having a cat to stroke, or dog to pet, nurtures you physically and emotionally to the powerful healing a touch has. They help you feel connected to something bigger than yourself.

Walking your dog daily not only has a positive effect on your physical health, it gets you out and meeting others in your neighborhood. Dogs are natural at making friends, furry or human. This can help you feel less lonely and also feel connected to others around you.

Even though we may not want to admit it, we all crave structure in our lives. Pets help keep our lives in order and keep us on a routine.

Acceptance of others and not judging is something animals teach us all the time. Also animals accept death as part of life, and that can help us with not fearing death and taking our queue from them.

Pets don't ever judge, they make us laugh with their funny antics, always trust and love us unconditionally, make us feel needed and are always willing to just sit and listen. With all these qualities, I think you can see why they have such a powerful and positive impact on our lives.

Good News : Forgiving, Why not?

Betrayal, aggression, and just plain insensitivity: People can hurt us in a million ways, and forgiveness isn’t always easy. Whether you’ve been cut off in traffic, slighted by your mother-in-law, betrayed by a spouse, or badmouthed by a co-worker, most of us are faced with a variety of situations that we can choose to ruminate over or forgive. But forgiveness, like so many things in life, is easier said than done.

Forgiveness can be a challenge for several reasons. Sometimes forgiveness can be confused with condoning what someone has done to us: “That’s OK. Why not do it again?” Forgiveness can be difficult when the person who wronged us doesn’t seem to deserve our forgiveness -- it’s hard to remember that forgiveness benefits the forgiver more than the one who is forgiven. Ultimately, forgiveness is especially challenging because it’s hard to let go of what’s happened. However, it’s important to let go and forgive. Here are some reasons why:

* Forgiveness is good for your heart -- literally. One study from the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found forgiveness to be associated with lower heart rate and blood pressure as well as stress relief. This can bring long-term health benefits for your heart and overall health.

* A later study found forgiveness to be positively associated with five measures of health: physical symptoms, medications used, sleep quality, fatigue, and somatic complaints. It seems that the reduction in negative affect (depressive symptoms), strengthened spirituality, conflict management and stress relief one finds through forgiveness all have a significant impact on overall health.

* A third study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, found that forgiveness not only restores positive thoughts, feelings and behaviors toward the offending party (in other words, forgiveness restores the relationship to its previous positive state), but the benefits of forgiveness spill over to positive behaviors toward others outside of the relationship. Forgiveness is associated with more volunteerism, donating to charity, and other altruistic behaviors. (And the converse is true of non-forgiveness.)

So, to sum it up, forgiveness is good for your body, your relationships, and your place in the world. That’s reason enough to convince virtually anyone to do the work of letting go of anger and working on forgiveness.

See this article for some simple strategies on how to forgive, or scroll down for more resources.

Sources:

http://stress.about.com/od/relationships/a/forgiveness.htm

Karremans JC, Van Lange PA, Holland RW. Forgiveness and its associations with prosocial thinking, feeling, and doing beyond the relationship with the offender. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, October 2005.

Lawler KA, Younger JW, Piferi RL, Billington E, Jobe R, Edmondson K, Jones WH. A change of heart: cardiovascular correlates of forgiveness in response to interpersonal conflict. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Octover 2003.

Lawler KA, Younger JW, Piferi RL, Jobe RL, Edmondson KA, Jones WH. The unique effects of forgiveness on health: an exploration of pathways. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, April 2005.

Good News: Complaining? Yes You Need

It's really hard when we try to resist complaining about anything bad around us. Sometimes it's just like hiding a ready-to-blast bomb inside our head and make bad feelings. This is a natural thing.

Humans have a capability to see the right and the wrong. When we see anything disorder, our brain immediately knows it and then show image of correction inside our head and force us to do it, then if we can't correct it and being disturbed, it gets us irritated. This is one of the reason why we need to complain.

When does complaining become a good thing?

Complaining is not resemble to the anger. Complaining becomes so useful if we do it creatively. Creative complaining isn't attached by anger, it's just to show how to do something well and point the wrong then being corrected. That's it!

Creative complaining is healthy for individuals and groups. It exposes problems, generates actions to correct them, and keeps people’s energy high. As the process continues, people get honest about their resistance. It lets them hold new and unfamiliar changes at arm’s length until they realize it won’t hurt them. As we deal with new things, our actions become more positive, and defenses aren’t needed.

By way of summary, creative complaining means:

• Be brief
• Be clear
• Be honest
• Be humble and use humor
• Avoid hurtful words.

What are the benefits of complaining?

One benefit is venting bad feelings. It really works for me, when everything gets right it feels like that the God loves us because we do it well!

Another benefit of complaining is that it highlights what’s wrong. If we don’t know something is broken, we can’t fix it. So complaining airs the problem. When I complain about something at home or work, I’ve developed a habit of stating the complaint once and then shutting up. Next I determine what I can do and take steps to correct it. Even if I can’t completely fix the problem, doing small things helps me feel better. Eventually, whatever I complained about is no longer broken; I’ve done what I can. If I can’t fix it, I think about something else.

Complaining brings people together in a common cause. And that is usually good because of the energy it generates. But gathering chronic complainers spreads negativity. Breaking the cycle means limiting the amount of time spent complaining. Keep time, and allow five minutes for complaints. When time expires, complaining stops; focus on what you can do. It’s been shown that when people act on a small part of a problem, they improve their well being and lower stress.

And that's all! So, if you want to complain, become smart on doing it and it won't take you into along bad feelings but satisfaction.

Good News : You Bloggers Should Read This Good News!

Today I try to find a good news that is directly pointed to the most readers here because It's important to me to give you a good information and make you happy of what you do now, and sure you're doing this good thing now!

Yes, It's about the benefits of blogging! I've decided to write this because about 90% visitors here are bloggers. I've been googling and searching through some articles and surprisingly I found many information about this.

What's blogging? is it a beneficial activity?

Blogging is an activity about writing our experiences, thoughts, ideas or knowledge and most of bloggers do it just to share to others. Scientists have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

Some scientists believe that blogging can be a placebo effect of getting satisfied and it reduces mind stress. This argument is supported by fact that humans are a social creatures that need to communicate and share to others.

Besides, blogging can build friendships. By visiting each other, commenting or just doing a small talk to others, it will raise our happiness by making friends. For business blogging can make it easier to advertise and meet the consumers or business partners in global chances.

Those are small benefits of blogging I concluded from many articles. You could find more its benefits here :

Health benefits of Blogging
Benefits of Blogging for business
Benefits of Blogging in practitioner's perspective (This is interesting)

Good News : Anger is Not Always Destined to Go Wrong

Although uncontrolled anger can be quite costly, when channeled properly anger can also be very positive. Among other things, anger can motivate us to work harder to accomplish our goals. This could mean playing harder on the defensive end in a basketball game, studying longer for an exam, or putting in more time when learning to play an instrument.

Anger can sometimes lead to newer, higher level goals, possibly fueled by the desire to prove others wrong. Perhaps anger and frustration due to getting cut from his high school basketball team are what inspired Michael Jordan to achieve such greatness in his sport.

Anger can also alert us that something is wrong and that we need to respond. When we defend ourselves or defend someone else, it is often our anger that spurs us into action. This can be the love of a mother protecting her child, a classmate or colleague standing up to a bully, or an innocent bystander intervening on behalf of a victimized stranger.

Generally speaking, anger is what prevents us from passively accepting societal wrongdoings and ignites us to take action. Many of society’s most important changes have come about because people got angry with the way things were and set out to correct those injustices. Some examples include the Women’s Rights Movement, the abolishment of slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Over the years, many groups and organizations have formed in an effort to channel their anger in a positive, constructive manner. Among them are Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and the numerous anti-hate groups that exist today.

Outraged by the mistreatment of others, many have pushed for new laws over the years including those to protect children, the mentally ill and mentally challenged, people of different religions and ethnic backgrounds, the handicapped and disabled, and many other groups. Countless people have been helped by the actions of those who experienced anger and decided to do something positive to make things better.

So the next time that you lose your cool and say or do something that you regret, just remember that anger does not have to be your downfall. Instead of blaming someone else or wallowing in self-pity, take responsibility for your actions and get to work on improving your anger management skills. After all, look at all the great things that can be accomplished when anger is channeled properly.


Source: http://www.angermanagementgroups.com/AngerCanBePositive.html

Good News : Eat Using Hand? No problem!

Have you ever eaten using your hand? I do it in each meal time. Traditional society in Indonesia prefer to eat using hand than using spoons or forks. I try to find it myself why I do it too and get some reasons and benefits of eating with hand. Here they are:


1. It's so simple, using hand makes us easier to take some foods or mix the flavors.
2. Make food more delicious, it's because we can mix the flavor completely.
3. It's healthier, I had ever read that upon our fingers there's an important chemical compound that affect to our health. So when we're using hand to eat we put that chemical compound inside the body.
4. It builds good solidarity, why? it's a natural things, it's fun, it's the sign of freedom of yourself. When you eat by spoon it looks more formal, too much rules, and not making free at all.

So try this! it's fun especially when you eat together with friends in one big plate using your hand!

Note: Absolutely you have to wash your hand to do this :)

Good News : Organic Food: Not Dangerous, Healthy and it's even Delicious

With so many food choices available at the supermarket these days, it can be overwhelming to try to choose quality foods. The dizzying array of labels also adds to the confusion stating things like “organic”, “all natural”, and “hormone free”.

While many of the foods containing these labels can often be a bit more expensive, the question of “is it really better for me?” is bound to arise. The answer is a resounding yes. Not only is organic food better for your body, it is also better for the environment.


Toxins
While significant numbers of research studies have not been conducted comparing organic foods and conventionally grown foods, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Organic foods do not contain large amounts of harmful herbicides and pesticides. A single strawberry contains over 27 different chemicals, many which do not disappear upon washing. This means your body has the job of trying to break down the chemicals and excrete them. Unfortunately, our bodies have a tough enough time trying to identify these harmful substance let alone be able metabolize them. Studies have linked pesticides to cancers, birth defects, damage to the brain, nervous system disorders, and Parkinson’s disease. Children absorb far more pesticides than adults do when compared with similar exposure because children have more skin per surface size, take in more breaths per minute than adults, and have yet to be developed detoxification pathways. A study conducted in 2006 analyzed the urine of children aged 3 to 11 who ate only organic foods. Upon commencement of the study, researchers found no pesticide metabolites in the children’s urine. However, when the children resumed eating a non-organic diet, metabolites of 2 toxic pesticides, malathion and chlorpyrifos, were found in their urine in concentrations as high as 263 parts per billion.

Nutrient Density and Flavor
When comparing organic produce with conventionally grown, studies have shown organic foods are significantly higher in many vital nutrients. A 2003 study found that organic produce was about 50% in cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventional produce. An independent review found that organic produce had higher amounts of 21 nutrients, including vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorous; as well as greater amounts of trace minerals. Organic food also tastes better, try a home taste test with your family and see which foods they like better. A main reason for the better taste is that organic food is close to how you would find the food in nature, as it doesn’t have anything added, or anything taken away.

Environment
Organic farmers practice sustainable agriculture, meaning they optimize farming methods that will preserve the land for generations to come. In addition, organic farming practices do not produce chemicals that remain in our soil, spread through the environment via air, or end up poisoning our waters. Organic animal products also ensure the animal was treated humanely and was allowed to graze in open pastures.

Value
Organic food does tend to be slightly higher priced than conventional foods but it important to look a little closer. The price difference, on average, ranges from 22 – 65 cents higher. That results in only pennies a day, a small price to pay for better health. Considering organic fruits and vegetables can contain as high as 50% greater nutrient content, you would have to eat double the amount of produce you currently eat and that would certainly add up. Current US statistics reveal Americans spend 90% of their food budget on unhealthy and fast foods.

In the long run, choosing organic is the better choice for you and your family. Review our Organic Baby Food – Know the Facts post for additional information on organic baby foods.

References:

* EC Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, 1997
* Committee on Toxicity (2002) Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment: Risk assessment of mixtures of pesticides and similar substances, Crown Copyright, September 2002
* Worthington V (2001) Nutritional quality of organic versus conventional fruits, vegetables, and grains. The Journal of Complimentary Medicine, vol. 7, No. 2, p. 161 - 173.
* Carbonaro et al M (2003) Modulation of Antioxidant Compounds in Organic vs Conventional Fruit (Peach, Prunus persica L., and Pear, Pyrus communis L.). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2002, 50, p. 5458 - 5462).
* http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/16/dining/16WELL.html
* Davis D. et al. "changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops 1950 to 1999" J of the Am College of Nutr. vol 23, no. 6; pp.669-682

Source : http://www.mummums.com/2008/03/Organic-Food--The-Benefits-of-Eating-Organic

Good News : Walking, walking, and walking!

When the last time you walk by foot? Scientists agree that walking is one of the healthy thing we should do daily. They suggest 30 minutes a day of walking or at least 10.000 steps. Nowadays we are eased by modern technology on transportation. Cars help us to go anywhere easily.

This easy of going anywhere makes us getting lazy ourselves to walk by foot even just to near place. Here are some benefits of walking you should know :

* Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
* Lower blood pressure
* Reduce high cholesterol and improve blood lipid profile
* Reduce body fat
* Enhance mental well being
* Increase bone density, hence helping to prevent osteoporosis
* Reduce the risk of cancer of the colon
* Reduce the risk of non insulin dependant diabetes
* Help to control body weight
* Help osteoarthritis
* Help flexibility and co-ordination hence reducing the risk of falls

So, this kind of exercise is necessary to us. At least do it 30 minutes a day, just walk to the near place you could reach and making friends on the way, it's cool!

Good News : What's the most economical-healthy-safe activity in the world? it's absolutely biking!

Okay, we all know bikes are one of the few methods of getting there that doesn’t produce carbon dioxide emissions. But biking also offers far-reaching benefits to you.

Find out what biking can do for you and the planet:

Easy on the Earth
Rather than adding to the pollution problem, biking is a completely clean form of transportation. The only fuel it burns is your own calories!

Biking is also quiet, a huge plus for all of us suffering from the ill effects of noise pollution.

Fitness
Not only good for the atmosphere, biking is good for your derriere, and lots of other body-parts as well. Firming, toning, calorie-burning: Biking has it beat over driving any day of the week.

How many calories will you burn in a hour of moderate biking? Or 30 minutes? Find out with this handy biking calorie-calculator.

Boosting Your Mood
Even moderate exercise, like a leisurely bike ride, will boost levels of euphoria-producing hormones called endorphins. Translation: You can bike away your blues.

Enjoying the Scene
When we whiz past scenery in a car, we miss so much. The slower pace of biking enables ups to experience the beauty of locale. Avid bikers report the satisfaction of smelling newly mown grass, or flowering trees, or the fertile damp earth as one of the added bonuses of cycling.

Meeting Like-Minded Others
You can bet that fellow cyclers are probably health-and-environmentally-minded. Many bikers say that deep friendships often form among cycling enthusiasts because of their common ground.

Source: here