What stress really does to your body – and how to stop it making you sick

If stress dominates your life,  you’re not alone. In a global survey for World Mental Health Day in October 2023, 56 per cent of UK residents said they had felt so stressed in the past year it affected how they lived their lives, and 52 per cent had felt so stressed they felt they could not cope. The cost of living, world events and post-pandemic health worries have all had their impact.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, stress is now one of the most common causes of long-term sick leave at work and, along with work-related anxiety and depression, accounted for in excess of 17 million working days lost in the UK in 2021/22, or 51 per cent of all cases of work-related illnesses in the UK in the same year.

What stress really does to your body – and how to stop it making you sick

This is the best way that we can benefit others

* Times are difficult globally; awakening is no longer a luxury or an ideal. It’s becoming critical. We don’t need to add more depression, more discouragement, or more anger to what’s already here. It’s becoming essential that we learn how to relate sanely with difficult times. The earth seems to be beseeching us to connect […]

This is the best way that we can benefit others

In this world where there is so much unfairness, unrighteousness, hunger and suffering we have to do away with the bleakness of negativism, and spread more positivism.

Please, ¬ ‘Look at the bright site of life’ 😌😍😉

Worries for parents in America Today

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid reports of a growing youth mental health crisis, four-in-ten U.S. parents with children younger than 18 say they are extremely or very worried that their children might struggle with anxiety or depression at some point. In fact, mental health concerns top the list of parental worries, followed by 35% who are similarly concerned about their children being bullied, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. These items trump parents’ concerns about certain physical threats to their children, the dangers of drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy and getting in trouble with the police.

Parenting a child of any age is tough—”the toughest job you’ll ever love,” to quote a line from the Peace Corps — but parenting a teenager can be challenging on a whole other level. It’s as if the day your first child turns 13, you get a force-fed dose of Morpheus’ “red pill,” causing you to fall down the rabbit hole of The Matrix and into a disorienting reality where every aspect of your psychological existence is not as it seems.

When asked about their aspirations for their children when they reach adulthood, parents prioritize financial independence and career satisfaction. Roughly nine-in-ten parents say it’s extremely or very important to them that their children be financially independent when they are adults, and the same share say it’s equally important that their children have jobs or careers they enjoy. About four-in-ten (41%) say it’s extremely or very important to them that their children earn a college degree, while smaller shares place a lot of importance on their children eventually becoming parents (20%) and getting married (21%).

There are sharp differences by race and ethnicity when it comes to the importance parents place on their children graduating from college: 70% of Asian parents say this is extremely or very important to them, compared with 57% of Hispanic parents, 51% of Black parents, and just 29% of White parents.

In a nod to the adage about family life that parenting is the hardest job in the world, most parents (62%) say being a parent has been at least somewhat harder than they expected, with about a quarter (26%) saying it’s been a lot harder. This is especially true of mothers, 30% of whom say being a parent has been a lot harder than they expected (compared with 20% of fathers).

At the same time, most parents give themselves high marks for the job they’re doing, with 64% saying they do an excellent or very good job as a parent; 32% say they do a good job, while just 4% say they do an only fair or poor job as a parent. Mothers and fathers give themselves similarly high ratings, but there are differences by income and by race and ethnicity (upper-income and Black and White parents are the most likely to say they do an excellent or very good job).

 

Come to read more:

Parenting in America Today

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Teenager

2023 February 06 – Stories about health we think you should read

Five health treatments you should go private for With the NHS in crisis and its waiting lists growing longer, more people are taking control of where and when they have procedures. Learn more

The telltale signs that you’re completely drained – and how to recharge Feeling low and lost your get-up-and-go? This science-backed guide has the solutions you need for reigniting your spark. Get the tips

Why HRT may have health benefits beyond menopause Research shows HRT could help prevent Alzhemer’s in at-risk women – so should it be available as a pre-emptive health measure?A new study published in the Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy suggests HRT may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease in millions of women at risk of developing the condition, which has prompted a ripple of excitement in the world of women’s health. Instead of simply being a go-to remedy for hot flashes, brain fog and joint pain, should HRT be used as a preventative health measure? Instead of thinking of HRT as a replacement therapy, Dr Newson believes it should be considered a ‘hormone support treatment’ with the new, safer formulations enabling individual patients having access to it earlier as a preventative measure if they wish, rather than simply as a treatment only for menopause symptoms. Read on

	‘My symptoms seemed embarrassingly trivial – then I was diagnosed with MS at 49’. In his new book, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst explores the shock of having a life-changing illness.
	How do you know which symptoms to take seriously? We ask the experts which health conditions warrant a trip to A&E and which are the ones that don’t. Read the list.
	With more and more young people choosing to cut their alcohol intake, could drinking go the same way as smoking? Boudicca Fox-Leonard investigates.
	‘My wife is fitter than ever while I’ve let myself go’. Our anonymous author feels fat, grumpy and old before his time – but can’t face the effort needed to get himself fit. Read more.

The Whale | What we can learn about morbid obesity from UK’s fattest man

How the typical British diet is fuelling the risk of cancer It is well known that processed foods are unhealthy, but a new study provides the most compelling evidence yet. Laura Donnelly, our Health Editor, explains how half of the items in everyday British diets are adding to our risk of developing cancer and reveals the biggest culprits – some of which may surprise you.

Health | The lessons I learnt from doing Dry January

British Columbia Vancouver just legalised possession of heroin and crack cocaine – this is what it looked like on the ground By Jamie Johnson, US Correspondent, in VANCOUVER I had been in Canada for less than 45 minutes when I came upon a desperate scene. A drug addict laying on the ground inside Vancouver’s Waterfront underground station, being treated by paramedics. He groaned as they rolled him over. Commuters kept walking. Vancouver is widely regarded as one of the most livable cities in the world – and for many it is. A bustling centre, burgeoning food scene, reliable public transport, nature on the doorstep and skiing nearby – it has it all. But the province in which it sits, British Columbia, has just decriminalised hard drugs. Adults in possession of 2.5g or less of heroin, crack cocaine, fentanyl or ecstacy will not be arrested and will not have their substances seized. For those who live on the periphery of society, this liberal attitude appears to be both a blessing and a curse. Addicts will not be punished for their actions, but the new law introduces no measures to help them become sober or make the drugs they are taking safer. An article describing East Hastings street in the Vancouver Sun was headlined: “Welcome to Hell.” I still wasn’t prepared for what it looked like up close. A small packet of crack cocaine CREDIT: Jamie Johnson/Daily Telegraph Just one block in, crouched in an alleyway, a crouched hooded man searched for a vein. He stabbed at it with a needle before plunging it in. I checked my watch. It still wasn’t 8am. Soon after I met Nicola, a blonde 40-something who had been hooked on drugs since she was a teenager. More placid than her neighbours, we started to talk as she pulled out a small plastic bag containing crack cocaine. It was an orderly process: place a small ‘rock’ on a piece of foil. Heat it from below using a blowtorch lighter. Inhale the vapour and fumes through a plastic tube. I reached out and asked to hold the bag. Being in possession, according to the new regulations, wasn’t a criminal act. After handing it back, raised voices boomed. Two men were fighting over a lighter ending with one pulling out a kitchen knife. I turned to leave, a syringe crunched under my foot. Justin Trudeau’s government insists the new drug laws will help, it’s just not clear yet who.

‘I’m holding crack cocaine in my hand – but in Vancouver, the police don’t care.’ Thanks to a radical new policy introduced by British Columbia, one of Canada’s most liberal provinces, adults in possession of 2.5g of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine or ecstasy will not be arrested or even have their drugs seized. More than 11,000 British Columbians have died from drug overdoses since a public health emergency was declared in 2016. That’s six people a day for six years in this province of just five million people.

Why did experiencing mental illness make me question becoming a mum?

When Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett weighed up the decision to have a child, she found herself frightened by the prospect of being a parent who’d struggled with mental health – and may struggle again

Why did experiencing mental illness make me question becoming a mum?

It is often said that we are in a mental illness epidemic. Such language is sensationalist, but there is no denying that the world in which we live doesn’t always seem designed to facilitate psychological wellbeing. One in four of us will experience mental illness in our lifetimes, and the conversation around it is increasingly open, writes Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett. For my generation, there is far less shame attached to “admitting” that you have experienced anxiety and depression (though it is worth noting that there are other mental health conditions that are far more stigmatised), or have seen a therapist, or are taking medication. This can only be a good thing, and when I suffered my own bouts of mental illness – two episodes of post-traumatic stress disorder in my twenties – I was moved but not surprised by how many friends and relatives opened up about their own struggles. There was one part of life, however, where I did feel that historical stigma, and that was when I was weighing up whether or not to become a parent. Parenthood, after all, would mean being totally responsible for the life and wellbeing of a child, and I was haunted by the idea that I might negatively impact that child’s life were I to become unwell again.

For the full story click here >

Depression, High cholesterol, heart attack risk and happiness matters

Three stories you should read today ‘How I’m reducing my heart attack risk – and you can too’ Now is not the time to be rushed to A&E with cardiac issues, so what can we do to reduce our risk? Liz Hoggard has the answers Statins help lower bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. They reduce the amount of cholesterol laid down in the wall and stabilise plaques and furring up the arteries. But they can’t instantly reverse a process that has been going on for decades. Seven lessons from the world’s longest-running study on happiness Starting in the 1930s, researchers tracked the mood of 700 people throughout their lives. Here’s what they learned Ask any group of people what they want out of life – or what they want for their children’s futures – and most will reply, “Happiness”. We are a complicated species that desperately wants contentment, while being remarkably bad at knowing how to get it. Just look around us: adverts promise that a happy life can be bought with the perfect holiday, the perfect wedding or the perfect house, while our culture suggests that fulfilment comes from finding professional success while building the ideal 2.4 family. Enter The Good Life, a book that uses hard science to debunk much of that. ‘Chinese yoga helped me lose three stone and freed me from pain’ Manuela Roche was struggling with body confidence and had lost direction – but a Qigong class changed everything Friends suggested I try Qigong classes – a Chinese form of yoga – run by a Chinese Practitioner called Katie Brindle on Instagram. I felt the benefits after the first class. I loved the slow movement, the connection back to breath and the emphasis on mindfulness – it was the focus I needed.

‘What I wish I’d known before my daughter became depressed’

As increasing numbers of children and teenagers struggle with their mental health, we reveal what parents can do to help. Parenting a depressed or anxious child can be frightening, frustrating, traumatic and exhausting.  Understanding that their behaviours are neither your fault nor your child’s can really help, especially given the latest stats. Child referrals for serious mental health problems in England rose by 39 per cent last year – and in parts of the country, the waiting period for the first assessment is over a year. Ian Williamson, child and adolescent psychologist and author of parenting guide We Need to Talk, says the reasons for this rise are complex. “Lockdowns saw children losing 18 months of social development,” he says. “Social media now brings all sorts of pressures.”

Solitude

The Little Mermaid

“There are two types of solitude-one that pulls you into darkness and another one that pushes you towards light. While the former drowns a person in the tangled inferno of harrowing isolation, bottomless depression and lugubrious despondency; the latter transforms him to a fireball of energy when he is fully connected to his own being, thereby allowing the individual to get a glimpse of quintessential empyrean.”

-The Little Mermaid, MMXVI

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Our desire is to feel alive

”Our greatest desire is to feel alive.
Meaninglessness, depression, and many other symptoms are reflections of our disconnection from our core vitality.

When we feel alive, we feel connected, and when we feel connected, we feel alive.
Although it brings mental clarity, aliveness is not primarily a mental state;
nor is it only sensory pleasure.
It is a state of energetic flow and coherency in all systems of the body, brain, and mind.
Human beings respond to shock and developmental/relational trauma by dissociating and disconnecting.
The result is a dimming down of the life force that leaves a person,
to varying degrees, exiled from life.

~ Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship by Laurence Heller Phd, Aline Psyd Lapierre.

 

Do you want to take control of your life?

A danger for our own personality is when we allow other people to take over our mind and control ourselves.
Mind and body have to be in unison with each other and when there is an unbalance we should find our way by meditative arts. Kounovsky, Yoga, Mindfulness and meditation a.o. can help to get back in balance, having a healthy body as a covering of a healthy spirit.
A lot f people also forget that there is a Word Which can bring us back on the right path and make us stronger to cope with all the difficulties of life. That book of book is available in so many languages that everybody, wherever living in the world, can get to read that Guide to live in the best way we can.

Anita's Perspectives on Life.

What are boundaries and how to set them?

As discussed in my last article on” Gaslighting”, some people try to control other people around them. The main reason behind this kind of mentality is gaining power over others through their actions. If you are in this kind of situation, it becomes very important to gain control over your own life, so that no one can overpower you and your life.

What is the most crucial part of taking charge of your life?

You should have full control over your body and mind. Mind and body connection is the link between a person’s thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. Everyone knows now that emotions can affect our physical health and longevity.

You must have experienced that your body responds to stress and anxiety or depression. When you are stressed, you might develop high blood pressure or headache. While feeling depression or anxiety, you…

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2020 a year of having more idols but also more personal problems

The Spring of 2020 brought something new to the world which made everyone and everything coming to a standstill but brought also many to having psychological problems. At first, it seemed incredible to hear certain churches calling for their members to come to church, even when the governments asked people to avoid contact with many. Some pastors dared to go so far as telling people that if they would become infected with Corona that would be because they had not enough faith. Such saying we can only call “criminal”. Several Christian groups, mainly in Holland wanted people to believe that as faithful people would come to the service they would not be harmed because they would do what God expected from them.

Lots of people got in problem with their mind, having become pulled away from their social contacts by the lockdown. Depression, bipolar episodes, and anxiety attacks were hindermost in the running.

Because depression isn’t often discussed in churches, a great deal of misunderstanding has popped up in this year when there were so many more people with a lot of psychological problems, who could not be helped by medical staff.

We want people to believe that the first step is realising what this disorder isn’t:

“It’s not a character defect, a spiritual disorder or an emotional dysfunction. And chief of all, it’s not a choice.”

Also we want Christians to be aware that it is not, like some Trinitarian preachers wanted their flock to believe

a penalty from God.

When you do not feel well in your skin it is not that God would be punishing you because you would have done something wrong or that you would not have enough faith in Him.

We also must be aware that just because someone seems “happy,” that doesn’t mean they’re healthy or that they really would be happy. Look at the very popular Flemish influencer. Social media seemed to take more people in its ban this year. The advertising flow is drying up, so professional users of social media tell more about their concerns and they seemed for many to provide some good information. After the death of that 21 year old boy more than ever, several influencers came to understand their role in the youthgroups and to realise that good mental health is important.

This way NokNok wants to teach young people that it is normal to not always feel perfect. Staff member Eline De Decker:

“Nobody walks on clouds every day. Sometimes you get up and immediately feel that it is going to be a terrible day. Sometimes you doubt yourself or feel insecure. Or are you stressed or disappointed with friends or family. That is normal.
And that’s all okay. ”

NokNok wants to convey that message clearly and shows young people between the ages of 12 and 16 what they can do to gain more self-confidence, have less stress and go through life as positivo.

Instagram has been around for ten years, and what the app has perhaps achieved best during that period is creating the illusion that users can “work independently” via the platform. Certainly influencers, people who live off sponsored photos on their Instagram profile, are an example of this bogus self-employment.
They live off Instagram, but much more for Instagram – they tweak their entire lives to create the best photos and videos. And once their Instagram goes down, they have nothing to fall back on.

With the rise of social media, the phenomenon of fanship has changed drastically. About ten or twenty years ago, an idol was someone you idolized by hanging posters on the wall, playing CDs, maybe watching movies or TV shows. The relationship fan-
Idol was pretty one-sided: the fan was occasionally thrown a treat – a new song, a TV appearance, a message about a wedding in a gossip magazine – and he or she had to settle for that.

But with digitization, the relationship between fans and idols has turned inside out,
British sociology professor Ellis Cashmore writes in his book Kardashian Kulture, in which he examines how celebrity culture has changed in the 21st century. No longer are fans from outside looking at the world in which their idol lives – they are right in the thick of it.

Certain churches used those idols also in church and wanted to attire people to their meetings by using a lot of music and disco settings. In 2020 we saw a continuation of the pulpits shrinking and even disappearing while bands and lighting have grown. But faith does not come from music, dynamic experiences, or supposed encounters with God. Faith is birthed through the proclamation of God’s Word (Rom 10:17).

Our assurance is threatened.
Whilst certain churches kept calling their flock to the church building, others tried to bring entertaining video presentations. All that attention or focussing on those idols and entertainement made many youngsters feeling even more alone, when there was no such church meeting any more. If we associate God’s presence with a particular experience or emotion, you can ask what happens when we no longer feel it.

We search for churches whose praise band, orchestra, or pipe organ produce in us the feelings we are chasing. But the reality of God in our lives depends on the mediation of Christ not on subjective experiences.

Musicians are given priestly status.
When music is seen as a means to encounter God, worship leaders and musicians are vested with a priestly role. They become the ones who bring us into the presence of God rather than Jesus Christ who alone has already fulfilled that role. Understandably, when a worship leader or band doesn’t help me experience God they have failed and must be replaced. On the other hand, when we believe that they have successfully moved us into God’s presence they will attain in our minds a status that is far too high for their own good.

Division is increased.
If we identify a feeling as an encounter with God, and only a particular kind of music produces that feeling, then we will insist that same music be played regularly in our church or gatherings. As long as everyone else shares our taste then there is no problem. But if others depend upon a different kind of music to produce the feeling that is important to them then division is cultivated. And because we routinely classify particular feelings as encounters with God our demands for what produce those feelings become very rigid. This is why so many churches succumb to offering multiple styles of worship services. By doing so, they unwittingly sanction division and self-centeredness among the people of God.

Scripture is full of exhortations to God’s people to sing and make music to Him. Our God has been gracious to give us this means to worship Him. But it is important to understand that music in our worship is for two specific purposes: to honour God and to edify our fellow believers. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to grant music a sacramental power which Scripture never bestows upon it.

Intense relationship
Those churches who by the years focused more on the show element of their services brought their members now in a situation where the lockdown is felt more as a restriction and limitation. Some even came to find that they could not serve God any more or did not give Him the full worship they had to offer Him. The fact they felt they could not serve their God any more made them feeling very bad. Instead of making them to understand they also could worship God in their own house in their own small bubble, some churches gave them even more a feeling of guilt by keeping to tell them they should not stop coming to the church building.

Against the lonely feeling they said what’s needed was the gathering and coming to feast again for God. But what is really needed is a loving community where people are encouraged to speak up and get help. And that speaking can be done by internet meetings and help can be giving by phone calls as well as by sending material by land mail.

People should know that when fear comes into their heart, they themselves can call to God. They not only should trust on the entertaining sessions of their church.

God Loves You

The fundamental message of the Gospel is that God loves you.
Do you understand?
God loves you. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, God will always love you. Dr. Kenneth Hutcherson describes it like this,

“No matter what kind of situation you may find yourself facing, don’t be afraid, because God will always be with you and have your best interests in mind since He loves you.  Whenever feelings of fear creep into your life, turn to God for the help you need to overcome them and successfully navigate your circumstances.  Whenever you sense God calling you to do something that requires taking a risk, move forward without fear because God will empower you to do whatever He calls you to do.”

It’s Alright to Feel Sad

No one likes to feel sad. We frequently try to avoid feelings of pain, or bury them under the weight of our daily routines. But sorrow cannot and should not be ignored. Accepting our sorrow doesn’t mean we’re weak, or a failure, it means we’re human. Just look what Ethan McCarthy of Christianity Today had to say,

“Our faith is predicated on sadness. As we grow in Christ’s service, we begin to recognize ourselves in Christ’s sad gaze in the icons. The sadness of Jesus exemplifies the sadness of Christians everywhere, and through it the whole world is redeemed. For the sadness of Jesus is not an ultimate sadness: the Bible also promises the end of sadness, and the wiping away of all tears: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matt. 5:4).”

After bad times better times

2020 may not have been an ideal year, but we should know there have been lots more worse years in the past. When looking at those horrible years of illnesses, pains, horrible situations and wars, we should see that we did not have it as bad as some want us to believe.

Hope is a frail thing, but it’s hard to kill. If you’ve found yourself struggling in the valleys of life, please don’t give up. Surround yourself with friends who will comfort you and mourn with you. If you’re suffering from depression, have courage and make an appointment with a doctor. Above all, remember that God loves you, and that will never change.

2020 has been a year where a lot more people had psychological difficulties. The helplines got a lot more calls. Lots of people were struggling with depression.  More than 1 in 5 youngsters this year had difficulties with the isolation brought unto them. Christians should see signs and then should come to help.

Every suicide is a tragic end to a life that’s precious to God. If you’re willing, God can empower you to help save the lives of people he loves from ending their lives before they’ve completed the lifetimes he intends for them. Here’s how you can help prevent suicide by reaching out to struggling people you know:

Recognize warning signs.

The American Association of Suicidology says that people who are at risk of committing suicide often display warning signs such as: communicating a desire to kill themselves, looking for ways to kill themselves (like seeking access to guns or medications), expressing a lack of purpose or hope in life, demonstrating dramatic mood changes, behaving in significantly anxious or angry ways, sleeping too much or not sleeping enough, feeling trapped in a challenging situation, taking reckless risks, abusing alcohol or drugs, and withdrawing from relationships with family and friends.

Listen well and offer unconditional love, like God does.

Pay attention to the troubling thoughts and feelings that people share with you. Listen carefully to what they express, and ask them questions to clarify and seek more information. If suicidal people know that you’re genuinely interested in them and that they can trust you not to judge them, gossip about them, or avoid them when they tell you something disturbing, they’ll likely open up to you. Ask God to help you love suicidal people unconditionally – like He does – and that will give them hope they desperately need while struggling with embarrassment and shame.

Pray specifically.

Let people know that they can count on you to pray for them about every specific issue they’ve shared with you. Ask God to bring them the help and healing they need, and pray in Jesus’ name against any form of evil that may be attacking them spiritually.

Give people a fresh perspective on themselves and their problems.

Suicidal people often become so preoccupied with their own failures and the problems in their lives that they blow them out of proportion. When that happens, they feel overwhelmed and can’t see how they can ever find solutions to their problems or find relief from their suffering. Mistakenly thinking that there’s no hope for them to experience better lives, they then may choose to simply end their lives. If someone tells you that she hates herself or feels like a burden on others, you can encourage her by pointing out specific ways she has enriched your life. When someone you know is distraught about a problem that seems insurmountable, you can gently and respectfully point out other aspects of her life that are positive to help her gain a better perspective. Refrain from giving unsolicited advice, which can seem judgmental to someone who is struggling. But remind your friend that there’s plenty of good in her, and in her life, despite the bad aspects that trouble her. You can also point out that every problem – no matter how severe – is temporary, but suicide is permanent. Encourage suicidal people to give themselves time to see how their problems can resolve in unexpected ways, rather than prematurely ending their lives.

Strong churches don’t “fix” depression.

Even large churches may not have the framework currently in place to deal with mental disorders. So, what’s needed?

“Healing comes from a prayerful, loving community that seeks to truly understand major depressive disorder and related conditions, and one that develops a positive response.”

Depression can feel like a huge weight that keeps pulling a Christian down again and again. Breaking free from the clutches of this disorder may seem impossible, but Margaret Ashmore (of the Association of Biblical Counselors) says that one of the most important things a sufferer can do is “the next thing”:

“So ‘doing the next thing’ might mean getting right with someone you’ve wronged, making restitution on outstanding payments, putting away once for all that website or magazine which feeds a monstrous, lustful appetite, taking back a purchase of self indulgence whose only outcome was more debt – you will have your own list. I certainly have mine. But be assured, this principle alone can take you from a shrugging Atlas with the weight of the world on your shoulders to that of renewed vigor and reviving refreshment….”

“The choices we make to obey despite our feelings or to give in to the downward pull of a fallen world filled with fallen people – mean everything.”

If you suffer from anxiety of depression, you’re not alone.

The one true source of freedom: Jesus.

People who kill themselves are trying to break free from their pain. But suicide just makes people dead, not free, and it actually causes more pain by spreading grief around to deceased people’s loved ones. Tell struggling people you know that while suicide can’t make them free, Jesus Christ can. Jesus is the way to God. He is the mediator between God and man, and having been here on earth as a man of flesh and blood, he very well knows the pains man can have to face.

No matter how difficult, certain things may look for us, when we pray to God we may find solutions to get over those difficult situations.

 

(With parts of articles by a.o. Todd Pruitt, John UpChurch, Ryan Duncan, Whitney Hopler of Crosswalk.com)

 

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The self and the other in times of insecurity

In these times of insecurity, we can see that lots of people are not sure about themselves and get lost.

Insecurity, primarily due to social and economic instability, but also exacerbated by a weakening of the perception of ethical principles makes man feeling very bad these days.

The perception of ethical principles that underpin the law and personal moral attitudes, which always give strength to the rules that govern society, have so much weakened or moral and ethical values have been placed in the cupboard and are way forgotten.

People should know even when churches may be closed, it are those institutions which can bring some light in the darkness. Modern thought has developed a reductive view of conscience, according to which there are no objective references in determining what has value and what is true; rather, each individual provides his own measure through his own intuitions and experiences, each possesses his own truth and his own morals. When each individual has and keeps to his or her own morals we shall come to see chaos.

People have forgotten that the Creator has provided a Guide for life. Whatever the situation may be, man should be able to find answers to his questions and find solutions for the crisis encountered. All those who feel depressed, feeling down by the present Corona situation, should know that when everybody would keep to the regulations prescribed by the government everybody would soon find it much easier to cope because it would not take such a long time as it has taken now.

Because there are so many people who do not know the Scriptures or have forgotten or abandoned the Gospel announcement, they no longer identify themselves in a community of brothers and sisters where agape love is the most important rule.

Many environments, even in traditionally Christian societies, are reluctant to open themselves to the word of faith and have placed the “Self” or “I” in the first place, giving not much place for protecting the other. today we can see a lot of people who pu their self interest at the beginning of their activity line. They are not concerned what their presence might do on a shopping street or in a shopping mall. One can wonder why they were not able to go online to buy the goods they so urgently do need to have.

Whilst a lot of worry circles around, many do not seem to worry about the effect of their presence on the streets or in the shops. Is it out of ignorance or out of selfishness that they are not concerned about taking more precaution measures to avoid spreading the coronavirus?

When one could place the “self” more aside and give more thought to the “other”, especcially to all those working in the health sector, for sure all the measures the goverment asks to follow would be so much easier to follow and would not feel as a limitation or restriction of our liberty.

So many people are complaining that they would be not able to celebrate Christmas. Why and how does it come they would not be able to have some sacred time together with their own household members? How does it come they can not make it cosy and pleasant for their own little bulb?

If they want to go to church, why can they not enjoy the virtual church service their church may be offering? Or is their church insisting, contrary to the governmental advice, to come together in the church building?

Each sensible person should know it is his or her duty to do everything to protect the other. Under duty of gratitude towards recognisance, each should muster the brotherly love to work for the good or welfare of the other and as such keep to the safety measurements.

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Read also:

1. Tinderbox for domestic violence
2. No time yet to relax the CoViD-19 restriction measures
3. Just to remember for the coming Winter holiday period
4. Challenges of the Post-Pandemic period
5. What ethical principles do we need in the Covid-19 pandemic?
6. Turning Your Home into a Sacred Space

Recrafting our World

According to psychologist Peter Kramer, resilience is the ability to cope with life’s frustrations without falling apart. And reslilience, not happiness, is the opposite of depression.

• essence of a good life =  how well we pay attention, compassionately accept our situation, take action toward meaningful goals, learn from our choices, and move on, with as much trust + love as we can.
• time at home = opportunity to reflect on life >  how to live closer to your credo => opportunity to re-evaluate + change way we live, work, produce, + distribute goods + services.
• shift away from mindless consumerism => begin living for higher purposes, mindful of our impact on other people & planet.
• Clarifying + aligning with our priorities.

key = how we respond to new challenge. 

• slowing down & reflecting
• waking up to a new reality.
• isolation =/= loneliness.

Essence of a good life: how well we pay attention, compassionately accept our situation, take action toward meaningful goals, learn from our choices, and move on, with as much trust as we can. And remembering that what matters most is love. {Happy or Resilient?}

writing to freedom

Recrafting our World

It’s impossible to avoid the news and impact of coronavirus.

I’ve progressed from denial to concern, to acceptance and opening to new ideas. I’ve been sick for the last few days wondering if I have the virus, flu, a cold, allergies, or am simply run down. I’m considering whether to go to a doctor and be tested for the coronavirus. The virus is forcing us to slow down and live differently, at least for a while, Maybe asking us to consider how we can become healthier, more resilient, and more helpful in a connected world. Here’s a related post I wrote about resiliency a few years ago called Happy or Resilient?  From that post; the essence of a good life is how well we pay attention, compassionately accept our situation, take action toward meaningful goals, learn from our choices, and move on, with as much…

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Anxiety Management During Pandemic Days~

When living in Lockdown places, even in cities when still able to go some kilometres away from home, even if it has now become more limited in several places, those not limited by (1-1-1 or 1 person 1 meter from home at a time) may be happy to count themselves to the lucky ones who may still move around and should be enjoying to see all those things for which they previously had not taken enough time to notice them.

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To remember:

• shrieking headlines > increasing anxiety, worry, sleep disruption, feelings of helplessness, panic, and/or depression.
• some ideas that can help:
  • a customized anxiety toolbox to pick and choose
  • looking at positive images = objective + powerful anxiety reducer.
  • Self Talk Reframing (Cognitive Therapy)
  • Guided Imagination/Visualization
  • Exposure Management
  • Progressive Relaxation
  • Distraction in Action
  • Self Soothing
  • Spiritual Meditation/Prayer
  • Second Voice
  • Exercise, Diet & Good Health Practices
  • stay well informed + safe >> constant media onslaught = psychologically overwhelming + add to an unhealthy level of anxiety => reduce exposure to news.
  • Look for positive imagery +  Write blogs + stories.

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Continue reading: Hope on the Horizon: Pandemic Anxiety Management II~

Preceding

CoViD-19 warnings

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Please find also to read:

1. Using fears of the deadly coronavirus
2. Europe in Chaos for a Pandemic
3. Making deeper cuts than some terrorist attacks of the near past
4. The unseen enemy

Cindy Knoke

Many of us are experiencing emotional distress from the pandemic which can affect each of us in different ways, but often presents as increasing anxiety, worry, sleep disruption, feelings of helplessness, panic, and/or depression.

The shrieking headlines don’t help do they? So what can we do to manage these feelings and feel stronger emotionally and psychologically as we prepare ourselves to face the difficult days ahead?

As a psychotherapist who has practiced for many decades, I have some ideas that can help. So if you are interested, read on.

We are going to make a customized anxiety toolbox. One approach doesn’t work for everyone, pick and choose what feels right for you. Of course I’m including relaxing photos intermixed in this post because looking at positive images is an objective and powerful anxiety reducer. What you perceive influences how you think and feel.

ANXIETY TOOLBOX:

Self Talk Reframing (Cognitive Therapy)

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Summer Breeze

JamieAdStories

For many months we wait to be warmed,

Till leaves have blossomed and bees have swarmed,

The winter, cold and bleak and long,

Finally is submerged under a blanket of song.

As birds rush out and insects thrive,

Us humans grab our cars and drive,

To places full of sand and fun,

Our summer of love has just begun.

And as the evenings draw out wide,

Our barbecues fire up outside,

As parties start and drinks will flow,

And sun tan lotion helps our new tans grow.

We emerge into the summer bright,

Absorb the heat and sweat through each night,

We cherish every moment with ease,

Just waiting for a summer breeze.

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When you are at your lowest point,

At the lowest point in your life you need the guts and strength to see further than the horizon, but know that deep in you there is often more than you would think. Even when we do not feel like a great change could be coming, you should get out of the pitch trusting that also for you somewhere there (perhaps far away) shall shine the light of a bright morning-star willing to give you new energy and at last opening the doors which seemed so tightly closed.

Purplerays

When you are at the your lowest point, you are open to the greatest change.
Strength doesn’t come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming
the things you thought you couldn’t do.

Text & image credit: Spiritual Awakening
https://www.facebook.com/Spiritual-Awakenings-ॐ-105433989565465/

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Life Goes On

Today’s guest-writer with his decease knows that  whether we’re going through the worst of times or the best of times, history and our own experiences show us that life does go on.

Though we can not say this to everybody at any time.

“There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven —
A time to give birth and a time to die…
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

I thought about the above passage last week when our daughter gave birth to a beautiful seven pound girl on Wednesday, then a close friend died of cancer on Friday – “A time to give birth and a time to die.”

Twenty years later after our guest-writer Bill was diagnosed with ALS he still goes strong and inspires many people with what he writes on the net, reaching many in countries who would never come to. His writing are clearly inspired by God’s Spirit, Who is able to give incredible powers to those who are willing to give themselves in the hands of God.

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To remember

life’s great highs + lows = day-to-day life > seem so trivial

we tell ourselves that we’ll never again settle for the trivial life

our emotional or spiritual highs & lows gradually find their old balance => return to a mundane normalcy

=> root cause of much of addiction + depression we see around us

answer? = “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

focus not on the personal and professional “highs” missed => make  conscious effort to focus on  good things in life

Life = hard == much easier if we surround ourselves with people that won’t only rejoice with us in the good times but will also support us in the difficult times.

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Preceding: Why are you afraid?

 

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Further reading

1. What Would You Say?
2. Time slowed
3. Courting Joy
4. Still Life
5. Survivor or Fighter?
6. 5 Things You Need to Know About Life (1 min read)
7. Opportunity Meets Impression! (2 min read)
8. The Road Ahead
9. Solace Can be Found
10. It starts again….
11. Silent Screams
12. Just
13. On the topic of crying
14. Fibromyalgia and remission
15. Suicidal thoughts
16. Behind the face,  the mask. 
17. Dignity
18. 005 Coping with depression
19. Losing Friends, Making Friends
20. Experimenting
21. Daily Shorts – Can I Run Away?
22. Perfect Love
23. Depression I
24. It feels weird 
25. The Steps of Falling Apart
26. Better Days: Creating Change
27. 02.47

Unshakable Hope

“Life Goes On”

Whether we’re going through the worst of times or the best of times, history and our own experiences show us that life does go on. This is true, but I don’t recommend saying “life goeson” to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

“There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven —
A time to give birth and a time to die…
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

I thought about the above passage last week when our daughter gave birth to a beautiful seven pound girl on Wednesday, then a close friend died of cancer on Friday – “A time to give birth and a time to die.”

Those who are grieving and those who are rejoicing have this…

View original post 549 more words

Allow yourself a chill-out day

” I miss the simplest things the most during my detention. To see the horizon! A nightly sky full of stars! Sleeping in a tent, far away from concrete that wears me down here. After many years of detention, I was allowed my first “day out”. I took the train to the coast and, on top of a dune, I stared at infinity for hours. My soul and heart were filled with so much beauty”.

A prisoner of our thoughts.

Is there such a big difference between what we need – outside the walls – in order to be a better version of ourselves? Can we still do it, break through the walls of our thoughts and take a little while to relax? Even on holiday we seem sometimes caught in our everyday thoughts, our mobile phone which is never quiet.

And yet to do nothing for a little while is just as important as to write off your to-do list. Check the most recent books on management, burning the candle at both ends, can have serious consequences.  Because our mind – just as our body – needs a break every now and then. When year in year out we continue, we run the risk to get a burn-out or depression.
A chill-out day is then the valve with which you release the tension.

A right to slow living

Full Steam Ahead Thoughts of escaping life in the slow lane as this steam traction engine heads north out of Pontefract towards the M62. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everyone of us knows the feeling : a whirl of thoughts in your head which stops you from sleeping, the pressure of the things you still have to do. When we have high expectations, we increase our inner stress. When something is not going according to plan, we cannot be creative anymore. In the poem ‘Recht op traagheid’ of Alexis de Roode in ‘Gratis tijd voor iedereen’ the question ‘why all this is required’ is raised. Who is asking this and why today?

Another pitfall can be that we hide behind a full agenda. Because the place – where nothing is required and where it is quiet – can be quite confrontational. In that way we do not have to think about our own uncertainties and fears. We avoid the confrontation with ourselves. But this confrontation can be very revealing in order to have a positive attitude to life.

A detainee has no problem with a full agenda . To stand still is a must. It is not possible to  escape from yourself and the ways in which one is stuck.

 

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Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Gun jezelf een dagje lummelen

Holiday making and dreaming

Going on holiday is… silence in your head

Family happiness and little things we do

Home-stayers and their to do list

May, for many a month for mothers and many celebrations

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Additional reading

1. Moving around looking for a homeland
2. Holiday tolerance
3. Month of many special moments
4. Holidays, holy days and traditions
5. Raising digression
6. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
7. Joy: Foundation for a Positive Life
8. Remember there’s a light in the next day
9. Be an Encourager

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Further reading

1. Home sweet home
2. Digital Detox
3. Simplify Your Life Week!
4. Friday Vibes
5. Vacaciones!
6. ring.
7. Year of Joy: July
8. Heart of darkness: Life in the Northern Triangle and the failure of international protection (part 1)
9. Sleeping in…
10. It’s Okay To Be Silly
11. Rain
12. Stuck
13. Taking A Break
14. Pause. Have some dessert.
15. Tranquility…
16. Meditation: You Should Try It!
17. Find a tree
18. De-Stress in 15 Minutes or Less
19. Be Like Grass
20. Tea! Coping with depression #1
21. Sunny garden breakfast
22. How to have the perfect, psychologically fit staycation
23. Staycation 2016 | A Photodiary
24. BB-8 : Relaxing Weekend.
25. 15 Tips when travelling
26. Off to the mountains
27. Photo of the day: Tiger sunbathing at Orana Zoo
28. Fall in Love with Florence
29. Berlin as a tourist and a local.
30. Spontaneous Camping
31. Freaking out! Only 78 days left until our Florida holiday!!!
32. A tour of Hollywood
33. The ruins of Mỹ Sơn
34. Picture Diary: Exploring Cornwall
35. Bigger and better: the expanded Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks await
36. Interrail Part 1: Prague, Czech Republic
37. Hello from Belgrade!
38. Mytilini Travel Diary
39. Shades of Greens & Blues
40. The Three Stages of Climbing Mount Fuji
41. What I wore in Corfu, an outfit diary…
42. Packing List for Women – Your Island Holiday Packing List (Bali, Vanuatu, Fiji, Thailand, etc)
43. West Palm Beach Travel Diary
44. 2 weeks of Sweden 
45. Our Weekend at the Frio River
46. Borneo – Tunkyu Abdul Rahman National Park
47. Reggae Falls
48. Britain to Bali, my brief summer experience!
49. Best End of #SummerVacation Spots
50. Relax & Get Your Zen On | White Noise | Tinnitus Relief

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Related articles

• To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
• Five Analog To-Do List Systems for Better Productivity
• The Teacher’s Summer To-Do List
• Using the gifts differing according to the grace
• Luck
• Countless miracles each day
• Nothing noble in the flesh left to itself
• A heart in the right place and brightly burning faith

Winter and Spring wonders of nature showing the Master’s Hand

In the early 1860s, Gregor Mendel developed the concept of the gene to help explain results obtained while crossbreeding strains of garden peas. He identified physical characteristics (phenotypes), such as plant height and seed color, that could be passed on, unchanged, from one generation to the next. The hereditary factor that predicted the phenotype was termed a “gene.” Mendel hypothesized that genes were inherited in pairs, one from the male and one from the female parent. Plants that bred true (homozygotes) had inherited identical genes from their parents, whereas plants that did not breed true (hybrids, or heterozygotes) inherited alternative copies of the genes (alleles) from one parent that were similar, but not identical, to those from the other parent. {Encyclopedia, topic Genes} When you know that we have about 140,000 genes which instruct the body’s cells to put amino acids in the right sequence in order to build proteins, you might wonder how this all was provided in the first instance.

Mørketid or Polar night at the South Pole, Antarctica.

One type of light therapy lamp for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder

After the “Majestic darkness”, the “Mörketid,” or the time when the sun does not rise at all in northern Norway the Northern Europeans may see light coming up the horizon. For two months, only a gray-red twilight glow was visible for a few hours at noontime. Having 21.2 percent of Norwegians living beyond the polar circle suffering from Winter depression they now may come back to life. Some looked for their therapeutic ‘sunlights’. The fresh light shall have the melatonin, a hormone produced in the brain, to increase again. They do know that an increasing number of tourists, however, are enticed to the polar circle by the flickering aurora, the glistening of the snow in the moonlight, and the cozy light of scattered villages. Also for them it are wonders of nature.

In Winter the social activities could have helped to keep people enjoying life. According to a Harvard University study, elderly people who participate in social activities, such as going to church, restaurants, sports events, and movies, live an average of two and a half years longer than less social people. It has long been assumed that it was the physical part of such activities that helped people, said Harvard’s Thomas Glass, who led the study. However, he added that this study provides

“perhaps the strongest circumstantial evidence we’ve had to date that having a meaningful purpose at the end of life lengthens life.”

Glass noted that doing more, regardless of the activity, extended life in almost every case.

With warmer weather awaited and the days becoming longer we should look forward to more outdoor activities which shall give us more fresh and hopefully better air. Though we do have to think seriously about preserving that fresh air and doing much more against the pollution.

TV watching may come in second to relax, after listening to music (according to a study of 2000), people should find more leisure in going to do outdoors leisure activities and socialising more. In this system of things throughout Europe more and more people are feeling pressed for time, reported in 1999 the German newspaper Gießener Allgemeine. The same is true whether people are working outside the home, doing housework, or enjoying leisure time.

“People sleep less, eat faster, and feel more rushed on the job than 40 years ago,”

says sociologist Manfred Garhammer, of Bamberg University.Part of that sleeping less is brought on by watching more television which is recently pushed more in the background by the youngsters who are spending lots of times on social media. Though they seem to accumulate lots of friends on them, they seem to be more lonely and prone depression than some years ago. We also hear of many more borderline personality disorders and eating disorders and broken families which do not help to have some good relations or making people happy.

The second decade of this century daily life continued to accelerate in all the European nations. You would think labour saving household devices and a reduction in hours at work would have brought about any “leisure society” or “time prosperity.” Instead, on average, time for meals has been reduced by 20 minutes and for a night’s rest by 40 minutes and people take less time to look at the beauties around them. The magic of nature, plants growing, animals going around, all seems to pass their eyes unnoticed.

In case they would give it more attention they not only would enjoy life much more but they also would come to see that all that vibrant exuberant activity is marvellously orchestrated and that there is a Master Brain behind it.

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Preceding:

Time to Unwind

Earth’s Unwinding

Autumn is in the land

Spring playing hide and seek

Spring-migration is on at the Holler

Beauty for beauty

Shy beauties

Time to bloom

3 daffodils

Echo

How to make sustainable, green habits second nature

We all have to have dreams

Savouring pictorial entertainement

Engagement in an actual two-way conversation with your deities

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Find also to read:

1. Democratic downfall
2. USA Climate Change Action Plan
3. 20 Best Gratitude Quotes
4. Bad company ruins good morals
5. Cleanliness and worrying or not about purity
6. Man in picture, seen from the other planets
7. Inequality, Injustice, Sustainability and the Free World Charter
8. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #1

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Further readings

1. Gratitude; by Lights media
2. Living Life to the Fullest
3. Animal Spirits: The Raven/Crow and The Hummingbird
4. The “Pursuit” of Happiness
5. Our State of Health and Happiness
6. Leisure-time – boredom-issues concerning college-students

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Related articles

• NASA data leads to rare discovery: Earth’s moon wandered off axis billions of years ago
• Climate Change Shifting Wine Grape Harvests in France and Switzerland
• India starts survey of elderly people to address their needs
• The genesis of schizophrenia
• Even if GMOs are safe, mandatory labeling is a good idea
• Is it “Wrong” to Believe that the Earth is a Sphere?
• Loneliness (as seen by Tess Connor)
• “Unnoticed”
• Lonely Life

From Guestwriters 2015 in review

From the start in 2014, April the 26th

On 2014 April 26 we started offering a readers digest to you. We wanted to have different writers presenting their selection of most interesting articles found on the net. We regret we did not find enough people interested in co-operating to create a free lifestyle magazine where people could find uplifting stories.

We started talking about the dreams we all have or have to have, because he who beams never walks in the dark, and looked at our position in this world and how positivism should enter this world more. Our invitation to you reader to share those read articles you liked is still counting. We would love to present more interesting articles people can find on the net. For this reason we started the Reblog section in 2014, when we looked if we or you have something to say or not.

At the opening of 2016 we would like to remind you that you too are invited to share with us. You too may be sharing your words with us and many more readers. You don’t have to stay in the shadow.

At this site we want to speak about feelings and started to look at the worst feeling, the one which pulls us down. Depression is when we can’t walk in the light of life any more. Our intention is to show that each of us matter in this world and that we can get fate in our change to positiveness. You and us we all can contribute and help to create a positive attitude. You have to get the right attitude of an unstoppable success, and once more we do bring a call to help to create a positive attitude.

You may consider your own journey in life but we dared to ask which kind of attitude you want to take. In 2014, when we started we asked our readers to begin their day by living their positive attitude and in started also to point out to look at the way to come to the truth. We went in defence of it. For that, we also started looking at Who should be your closest friend.

Though we may be lonely in the crowd we wanted to build up a place where many could find each other and could overcome hurt feelings. we do not ask people to be some one else, but would love to see you smiling and with a positive attitude or positive disposition.

Perhaps what we hope for is what you hope for. In September 2014 we repeated our call to come to write for us and to share what you think interesting. A year after our question what our readers are seeking we did not receive many answers. We expressed our love to find more contributors who could show ways of fulfilling our dreams. We do hope you could find inspiration here and follow your dreams.

In 2015 finishing our first year

On the first of January we, like many others looked back at the previous year and presented our first review: 2014 in review.

Our first year we got visitors from 71 countries in all. 13 countries were added in 2015 bringing the total to 84 countries in all, with most visitors again coming from The United States (2467). Netherlands (351) & United Kingdom (341) were not far behind. Based in Belgium we only could get the attention of 181 viewers in Belgium in 2015, which is not much, but which can be caused by not many writings being in Dutch, French or German. We are pleased we also got 141 viewers from Down Under.

Knowing that we need light on our path in life, near the end of 2015 we also started placing some reflections or meditations texts, which we shall continue to do. Because we did so often got questions why we referred to some ones website article, or got requests to take some listed article out of the list of “Further reading” we shall enter less references or note lesser further readings. Normally you would think people would be pleased when there is placed a link to their site, but at several of our websites we got an other impression, hearing people not being pleased they being mentioned on one of our sites. Not being appreciated we bringing others to their writings or commenting on their writings, plus they not understanding we are helping them to get more readers and to get higher on the Google ranking, whilst we take them away from our own website, we will not any more invest so much time in looking for appropriate articles worth mentioning. Therefore in the future you will find lesser links and we shall be pleased keeping you more to our own websites.

Treats, fear and discussions in 2015

2015 was again a year were many civil rights were tread under foot. The Syrian war continued for its fourth year and brought many war refugees into Europe, a region where many do not seem to know themselves very well because kindness to others seemed to be far off. Though we are born to shine, not to fear, lots of people got over-manned by fear. At a time where there is not much knowledge of the truth, but lots of doubt and/or blindness, we tried to convince that less is still enough.

While viral moments and trends or fads, that took up lots of people their time and their Twitter feeds included viral phenomenon The Dress, pizza rat, dad bods and adult coloring books we looked at the major refugee crisis in Europe as well as numerous instances of terrorism and mass shootings. Whilst July, Caitlyn Jenner made her big debut via a sexy and scantily clad Vanity Fair cover shot…and her new reality was officially underway we also look at how we human beings manage with birth, our being and our behaviour and acceptance or not of certain situations. Bringing articles around abortion and life we were pleased to have as our 5 most active commenter  Blackhorn33 who is Comanche – Irish and a half-breed that’s Full Blooded American, who with “Our Circle of Friends” met on Google and was willing to contribute about Child Abuse -The Facts, and show the world the importance of the unborn life.

A place for a Higher Being and for His Creation

“Stockholmsfyrens” ungefärliga utseende vid Ropsten med vy från hotell Forestas entréplan på Lidingö. Det runda 187 m höga tornet innehållande både bostäder och kontorslokaler är föreslaget att uppföras omkring 2014-2015. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With less for more we looked at one of the major discussed issues of the year, bringing global warming and climate change at the second place and the refugees at the first place as major topics for 2015. Pointing out that it is important that we do know that we have to find the meaning of life and reach a state of peace, of old and new ideas to sustain power and to feel good by loving to be connected and worship something, we brought to the attention that we have our duties in this world and have to take our responsibility,making the right engagement in an actual two way conversation with your deities or more important to build up a good relationship with the Only One True God, the Divine Creator.

Throughout the year on this and our other sites we wanted to bring to understanding that we do have to come in a good relationship with others and with the Most High, even when we sometimes have to deal with the silence of God.

We asked not to forget that falsehood darkens the pure knowledge of God and that we should always turn to the Book of books, the Bible, to find the truth and Guidance. But to come to know the Creator and His creatures and creation, we do have to look with our eyes and to see with our heart. Some may think “God plays hide’n seek“, but He is always around us and sees everything we do.
The Almighty God above all other gods greater than all gods has given us His infallible Word, the Bible, helmet of salvation, God’s Words put in the mouth of prophets for perfecting, to reprove and correct. Searching or overlooking God’s presence more people do have to find His Word and take up that book that is Written by inspiration of God for our admonition, to whom it shall be imputed if they believe.

2015 once more showed to the world that human beings need a lot of correction. It was good to see that in France many nations also came to conclusion we have urgently to take care of mother earth. In this world were many have to learn that stuff is just stuff, it became time that man takes his position about materialistic desires.

The terrors which came over Europe should make those who call themselves Christian to think and have them remind and hear God’s voice, bringing them into the habit of dealing with God about everything.

Statistics for 2015

In 2015, there were 295 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 525 posts. On the 12th of January in total 534 articles have been published on this site. 

The busiest day of the year was October 19th with 175 views. The most popular post that day was Whoopi Goldberg commandments and abortion. But the most commented on post in 2015 was Bible, helmet of salvation, God’s Words put in the mouth of prophets for perfecting, to reprove and correct.

For 2016

We are thankful that you came along on this site and do hope to find you more than once at this and some other of our sites. We wish you all the best for 2016 and do hope you may be like a tree planted by streams of water.

Have faith in your faith…doubt your doubts and don’t throw a curtain across tomorrow… the star of its performance just may be you !

There still has to be done a lot before we shall have sustainable, green habits as a second nature, but at this site we do hope to bring incentives to work at it.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Preceding: 2014 in review

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Additional reading

1. A look at materialism
2. Our you taking a step back to think
3. US must do more to protect its children
4. A year coming to its end and our Spiritual Senses
5. Summary for the year 2015 #1 Threat and fear
6. Summary for the year 2015 # 2 Strewn with corpses and refugees
7. 2015 In the Picture
8. 2015 Human rights
9. 2015 Health and Welfare
10. 2015 Ecology
11. Vatican against Opponents of immigration
12. Greenpeace demands scale up of ecological farming
13. Building a low-carbon world: the sixth industrial revolution
14. Republican member of Congress from Arizona to boycott pope’s address over climate change
15. Vatican meeting of mayors talking about global warming, human trafficking and modern-day slavery
16. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #1
17. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #2
18. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #3
19. 2015 Summit of Consciences for the Climate
20. A Miracle of Unity at COP21
21. Charlie Hebdo
22. Belgian Bible Students review of 2015
23. Bijbelvorsers Blogging annual report and 2015 in review
24. Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
25. Before you blame All Muslims for the terrorist attack in Paris
26. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
27. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
28. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands
29. Hidden potential for helping others
30. Only one person who has the power to cast the deciding vote that will kill your dream
31. Have faith in your faith…doubt your doubts
32. The inspiring divine spark
33. Healthy life can be found in sacred books
34. Bible, best Book of books to get to know the truth
35. Written to whom it is about to be reckoned
36. No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation
37. By temptations, by signs, and by wonders we can see the Works of God
38. A Bible Falling Apart Belongs to Someone who isn’t
39. A heart in the right place and brightly burning faith
40. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness
41. If you want to go far in life
42. Spread love everywhere you go
43. Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair
44. The truest greatness lies in being kind
45. Kindness
46. Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness
47. Be kinder than necessary
48. He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass
49. Taking care of mother earth
50. No curtain placed over tomorrow

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Further about what happened in 2015

1. MSN 2015 in review
2. 2015 in review: Memorable Journeys on EP
3. 2015 Wrap Up!
4. My most difficult travel moments of 2015
5. The 2015 Eternal Hunt Awards, pt. 2: The Hobbyists
6. Stay within the lines – or not!
7. coloring to de-stress; I’ve joined the craze!
8. Art and the Holidays
9. Whatever Is Lovely
10. Intuitive Coaching 101–Zen & The Art of Coloring Books
11. Adults Coloring Kaleidoscopic Creatures
12. Unique Sugar Gliders Chinchillas Reptile Adult Coloring Books
13. Adult Coloring Worldwide & Tangle With Jessica Palmers Hidden Treasures
14. What Amazon’s 2015 Bestsellers Say About Us
15. Winter 2015: The rest of the field…
16. Grandad, I can smell you …
17. Kaleidoscope of 2015
18. Reflecting on 2015
19. My 2015 In Year Review
20. 2015 In Review… (adventuretimealpacamybag)
21. 2015 In Review (ingridandjimmy)
22. 50 Things that made me smile in 2015
23. The Year That Was…2015
24. Favorite-est things from #2015
25. Be Looking at 2015 in review
26. 2015 in Review: Paradise River, Dusk
27. The Obsessive Viewer Podcast – Ep 148 – 2015 in Review – Best and Worst Movies of the Year and Viewing Stats
28. Looking Back at 2015
29. Year in Review
30. New Zealand’s 2015: the year we hid from a world in need
31. End of the Year Survey 2015!
32. 2015 in transit
33. A New Year: 2015 In Review and Plans for 2016!
34. Bye bye 2015 and welcome 2016
35. Start 2016 with a Backwards Slide
36. Let’s Commence to Coordinate our Sights
37. Flee from Idolatry

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• Do you have a writer or presenter in you?
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One can buy a lot in the supermarket, but not hope

A thermometer in the proverbial mouth of society would measure a high temperature. We are all feverish. Psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter calls our society ‘borderline‘. Are we aware of a kind of collective delusion? ‘Hypermarkets’ , that offer up to 30.000 articles, have increased their turnover from 616 to 4.823 billion euro. A good and strong pupil who perfectly meets our economic model of better, faster… and always more.

The supermarket is a temple of consumption.
Every product cries out to be bought . With an agressiveness that borders on hysterical, our advertising boys try to convince us that margarine produces a more harmonious family life and that coca cola creates friendships. They shamelessly use insights of psychology to encourage people to consume. And they do not spare anyone, not even children.

The energy that is required of human beings to produce 30.000 articles, to distribute them and to sell them is colossal. This whole chain mobilises gigantic forces and realises this with such passion, that it betrays the conviction that to produce and consume material things will give us what we are looking for.

Does it still surprise you that we are drawn into consumption with forever stronger stimuli , at the cost of other things ?
 
It is a kind of psychological materialism that makes that we are more preoccupied with ‘having’ than ‘being’. If there even is time for ‘being’. Recently a study with 8000 students at the Catholic University of Leuven has shown that 1/7 has serious emotional problems: fear, depression, suicidal thoughts. Philosopher and author Hein Stufkens said in an interview :

” People that think about suicide, do not really want to stop living, they want to stop living ‘in this way’. They want to live differently. They are looking for real life “.

These are hard facts that in the West we are strongly ego-centric. Isn’t it high time that we look beyond the borders of the ego? One can maybe buy a lot in the supermarket, but you do not buy friendship there, no hope and no trust. Just like it is impossible to buy happiness, which is a good thing!

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Preceding

Dutch version / Nederlandstalige versie: In de supermarkt kan je (g)een hoop kopen

Looking for the consummation of presents

Luxury

Summermonths and consumerism

Your position about materialistic desires having conquered the world

Learning that stuff is just stuff

Fear, struggles, sadness, bad feelings and depression

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

Family happiness and little things we do

Why “Selfishness” Doesn’t Properly Mean Being Shortsighted and Harmful to Others

Looking at a conservative review of Shop Class As Soul Craft

Life isn’t unfair

Soft values? Needed heart- and- soul!

Watch out

You’re Lighter Than Air~

How do Other People Feel About Mental Health?

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

Misleading world, stress, technique, superficiality, past, future and positivism

O’ Captain! My Captain!

Just be yourself…

Searching for fulfillment and meaning through own efforts, facing unsatisfaction and depression

Less… is still enough

Less for more

A bird’s eye and reflecting from within

We all have to have dreams

Forward ever backwards never!

“Der Grad der K… De mate van creativiteit – Degree of creativity

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Additional reading

1. Capitalism
2. Increasing wealth gap of immense proportions in the Capitalist World
3. Capitalism and economic policy and Christian survey
4. Migrants to the West #3
5. Materialism, would be life, and aspirations
6. Poverty and conservative role patterns
7. Forms of slavery, human trafficking and disrespectful attitude to creation to be changed
8. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #3 Right to Human dignity
9. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #9 Consumption
10. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #3
11. Message of Pope Francis I for the 48th World Communications Day
12. société, crise, esprit
13. From Winterdarkness into light of Spring
14. Parenthood made more difficult
15. Living Apart together
16. Being Charlie 6
17. Land not an ordinary asset
18. Securing risks
19. Reflect on how much idolizing happens
20. Looking to the East and the West for Truth
21. Oh god, this is never going to end!
22. Depression Is and When
23. What IF you’re only driven by stress?
24. A little ray of sunshine.
25. Getting fate in your change to positiveness
26. Remember there’s a light in the next day
27. Pieces
28. Joy: Foundation for a Positive Life
29. Be an Encourager
30. Four Pressing Needs in Rural Communities, and How the Church Should Respond
31. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #2 Instructions and Laws

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Further reading

1. What I Want
2. Materialism or Emotions?
3. Snail
4. The choice of being “choiceless”
5. Convenience Store | Grocery Store in Delhi-NCR, India
6. Gloomy retail outlook for the first quarter
7. Walmart – World’s Largest Retail Chain
8. The Supermarket is the Nexus of Existential Dread
9. Battle Of The Supermarkets
10. Grocery Chains Aren’t Building New Supermarkets Where Most Needed
11. there’s more to stacking shelves than you think
12. These are the dirtiest places in every supermarket
13. Grass hair clip..?
14. Russian supermarket slammed for selling chopping boards with photo of Barack Obama as a monkey
15. Russian store sold ‘monkey Obama’ chopping boards & apologized
16. Day 7 – An Educational Day at the Supermarket
17. What’s the Best Way to Sell a Product?
18. Overhaul the world’s money policy
19. Intermittent truth
20. Global economies shape our cities: is it acceptable?
21. Woes and Watch-out Warnings
22. Listening to the Web
23. Please Sir, I Want Some More
24. I am rich and famous. Now what…?
25. The truth about Consume
26. How Much Do I Consume?
27. Rule #105: Cyclical consumption
28. Materialistic Wants? Not.
29. “money is the reason we exist, everybody knows it, it’s a fact, kiss kiss”
30. Top Risks for a Consumer-Driven Society
31. Cotton and cocaine
32. The Culture of Excesses- Losing Humanity
33. Contrasts.
34. Contented Consumer?
35. The foolish man
36. Being No One One, Precis: Part 2
37. Turning the Poor into Consumers
38. Capitalising on Christmas
39. Lighting up Christmas
40. Christmas fragment 1
41. Holiday Shopping For Your Token Atheist Friend
42. Holiday gift-giving between adults is a needless, consumerist chore
43. To Save Pandas, We Must Eat them
44. Things I’ve learned from killing consumerism #13 – We want beauty for ourselves
45. Obama: Stop pretending you care about Syrian people
46. Should We Be Scared?
47. Its 100% OK to offend people in my world
48. Life..a never ending..
49. Born Privileged
50. {quote of the day}
51. Only to be Lost
52. Run
53. Self Harm
54. My Only Way Out
55. Ahhhhhh
56. the curtain comes up
57. I Have This Urge
58. Letter Of Departure
59. The truth about approuachable
60. Officially Trumped: When “being Real” gets too Real
61. Contented Consumer?
62. Magic
63. First Feelings – Sonnet No. 4
64. Friends
65. Universe
66. 2015/2016

+++

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