Thursday, April 28, 2005

 

Aliveness

Good morning. Today is another beautiful Spring morning. The sun is straining to come across the clouds, the birds are singing while building their nest, my lilac edge is beginning to show traces of green and I am getting over the flu. Life is good.

How alive are you? Have you created a life that makes you fell fully alive or do you search for some form of aliveness in things or people, out there?

You have a wealth of inner aliveness. Your life and various experiences have obscured it. You can access your inner aliveness by learning to re-connect to your inner child, the part of you who was once free to run barefoot in the rain, to make castles out of mud, to delight in the shape of clouds, to sing at the top of your lungs, to practice imitating the cry of the loon, to eat with your fingers and to be totally captivated by the beauty of a butterfly or the sound of a bird.

Coaching challenge: choose one activity and spend at least 5 minutes each day doing it. This kind of practice will slowly feed your soul what it usually searches in "things". This kind of sustenance is also called slow food for the soul.

Your coach
Marguerite Tennier

http://www.canadascoach.com

http://www.probonocoachingcanada.com

Saturday, April 23, 2005

 

Eat to un-stress: foundation of self-care

No, I don't mean to eat when stressed. What I am saying is you can eat in such a way that it will help you manage the stressful events in your life, have more energy, live longer and feel a lot better

Most people do it all wrong. Sorry, but that's the truth. I don't know where we got it that the main, biggest and heaviest meal of the day should be in the evening.
The two most important meals of the day are breakfast and lunch, unless your day starts at 3 p.m. or you work nights. The two first meals of your day are where you get the energy to do your work. Most people have a mini or no breakfast at all, some sweet at mid-morning and a salad or sandwich for lunch, only to feel famished and in a slump by 3 p.m. and go on the hunt for more sweets. There is another way.

Coaching challenge:

Do yourself a favour - try it for one week and let me know how it worked for you.

Have a breakfast with some protein and some carb and some fruit, eat a fruit mid-morning or some raw vegetables or a V-8, then have a lunch with more protein than carb and at least 2 servings of veggies (lettuce does not count) and finish your day with a lighter meal comprised of more carb than protein, and another 2 to 3 servings of veggies. Make sure to eat at least 3 hours before your bedtime.

Eating this way will energize you when you need it most.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
http://www.canadascoach.com

http://www.probonocoachingcanada.com

Monday, April 18, 2005

 

Do it for yourself

Do you keep the best dishes for company? Did you stop smoking while pregnant only to start again when the baby was born? Do you treat your lover to expensive restaurants but eat a sandwich at your desk or would'nt think of eating alone at your favorite place? Do you feed your family healthy dinners but get fast food or a bowl of soup for dinner when you are alone? Do you put your life on hold when you are not in a relationship? Do you do for others what you won't take the trouble to do for yourself?

STOP! I am sorry to tell you that you won't get any medal for playing the role of a victim or martyr. What's more you are also likely to become resentful and maybe to act out your frustration.

The secret to having a great life is to put yourself in high enough esteem that you consistently make the best choices for yourself.

Coaching challenge: If you recognize that you treat yourself less than you do others, make a list and start making changes, one a week. You can decide to be bold, like treating yourself to an expensive restaurant by yourself in the middle of the week, or start slowly by bringing healthy snacks to work - oranges, apples, almonds, V8 are healthy choices.

Have a healthy week

Your coach
Marguerite Tennier
http://www.canadascoach.com

http://www.probonocoachingcanada.com

Monday, April 11, 2005

 

Stress relief tip

Do you find that you have so much to remember and so many things to take care of? Errands, auto shop,calling for a hair cut, etc. Give yourself a break. Instead of forcing yourself to remember it all, get a small notebook and write down everything you have to do, when you think about it. Once it's recorded in your book, you can use your energy for the tasks at hand. Make a ritual of checking your notebook twice a day. Around noon, and again before bedtime.
Update the info, write down in your daily planner the appointment date and time and cross off the corresponding "to do" in your notebook.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.,
http://www.canadascoach.com

http://www.probonocoachingcanada.com

Thursday, April 07, 2005

 

Do you procrastinate?

Those of you who have subscribed to my monthly ezine remember that last month's subject was that pain is not normal.

One way we inflict pain on ourselves is through procrastination. There are a few reasons why we procrastinate. One is fear. Fear of change, of conflict, of......
Another reason why we procrastinate is because we don't particularly enjoy the task.
I tend to procrastinate around cleaning the fridge - probably my most disliked house duty and around tax time. And you guessed it, now is tax time and here I am, talking about it!!! Whatever the reason we have or the excuses we find, procrastinating gives us pain because it increases our stress level. Anything we tolerate in our life as "unfinished" be it cleaning the garage, or the fridge or any other matter, we up our level of stress every time.

Coaching challenge: Take a sheet of paper and a pen. Write down everything you are postponing, procrastinating on or otherwise avoid. Make an exhaustive list. Besides each item, write down whether it's fear or dislike, or a possible third reason, not wanting it bad enough. Then assess the level of pain (stress) it's causing you. Keep the list in full view and decide which items you want to tackle first. (First scratch the ones you don't really want)

Then, imagine how it will feel like after you have completed each project. Choose one and take action to complete it. As you work on your list, evaluate the benefit of each action on your wellbeing. There is a great chance that the benefit will outweigh the work involved.

I am off to completing my income tax.

Have a great weekend.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
http://www.canadascoach.com

http://www.probonocoachingcanada.com

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