It seems like the whole country had been pulling for the New Orleans Saints Football team to win the Superbowl this year. Sure, some of us were looking forward to the commercials. Or for the great Superbowl party and food we were going to have. But the overall mood and feeling of the country, seemed to be that they would of liked to see the New Orleans Saints win the championship not only for themselves but for their city, their state, their region of the country.

New Orleans which has been financially, structurally, and still emotionally devastated by Hurricane Katrina was looking for a sign of some sorts to give them hope that the city was moving forward in the right direction. Towards change. Towards progress. Looks like they got their wish as the New Orleans Saints are the new Superbowl champions.

Will this win improve the city’s mood? Will it improve their city? I think so. That is why professional sports are so popular around the world. They have the ability to mobilize and bring together people from all walks of life to support and cheer and hope for the same cause. In this case, this team’s journey to the Superbowl seemed to have brought together many people all over the U.S.

This great win and honor for the city of New Orleans may bring back more tourism. It may bring back more industry. It may bring back or rather increase the already rising spirit of the city and attract people who want to come back and live there.

What New Orleans needed after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina was a big emotional lift to get them out of the light of a city who was “pitied” and rather a city who is now admired and one that people are genuinely happy for.

Around this time of the year, you hear endless commercials and promotions about getting in shape. New gym memberships. New weight loss plans. New exercise equipment. People want to get a fresh new body and fresh start for the new year. But here’s something, what about getting a mental fresh start.

Let’s face it, these are trying times. Money is tight. People are barely holding onto their jobs, if they still even have one. Couples and families and single folks are trying to hold on emotionally and not break down. But no one rarely talks about how to keep our emotional health and our mental health in good condition. How to you stay mentally fit?

That’s why I love this new type of “gym membership” for the mind called The Growth Zone. It truly is like a regular mental workout! Learn more about this exclusive membership to audio downloads that energize and inspire your emotional well-being.

In a growing trend of serial soap opera cancellations on television, CBS soap opera As The World Turns has been cancelled and will air it’s last show next September. This follows the recent cancellation of another CBS soap – Guiding Light earlier in the year.

For many of us who love to watch our favorite soap characters dating, married, scheme, and all the other various ways their relationships unfold – it is a big disappointment.

While it probably is very expensive to write, shoot, and pay all the characters on a soap — I still say that it is a wonderful television art form that should survive, and not just die because of today’s tough economic climate.

Statistics show that the average daytime viewer is a lower-income, middle-aged, African-American female. The demographics that advertisers want to reach is a younger more affluent buyer. That use to be housewives years ago when the Soap Operas first began.

Today, many of the younger viewers that use to watch the soaps are using their DVRs to watch or catching up on cable channels such as SoapNet, which is making advertising dollars for daytime television slots decrease. I must admit I am guilty of this. I use my DVR and fast-forward through all the commercials:)

In case you have been living under a rock for the past 48 hours, here is the latest apology statement made by Tiger Woods in regards to his car accident and subsequent infidelity accusations made my several young women since the night of the crash.

My question is this, if you were his wife, what would your response be to this?

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.”

Let me know your thoughts…

This story tickled me, so I thought I’d share it with you. There is a company out there who has acquired the rights to DNA hair samples of dead celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Joan Crawford and more. The company will be creating signature scents made with the DNA of these celebrities. Will people buy this stuff? Probably. Like I said – very funny. Here is a bit more about it…

November 11, 2009 Beverly Hills, CA ~ Carlton Enoch, CEO of My DNA Fragrance, a perfume manufacturer of exclusive one of a kind fragrances engineered from your DNA genetic code, has joined forces with John Reznikoff, the world’s most renowned celebrity hair collector to obtain the DNA from the locks of hair of more than 100 deceased celebrities to begin the company’s secret process to engineer and formulate the exclusive “Antiquity” Fragrance collection. Fragrance formulations from the DNA of Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Joan Crawford, and Katherine Hepburn are a few of the VIPs amongst the list of famous people to be included in the line.

Producing exclusive one of kind signature scents from human DNA genetic profiles since late 2007, My DNA Fragrance has received global media attention for its indescribable blend of environmentally friendly fragrance. The alcohol free elixir will be packaged in 3 oz aluminum bottles for the “Antiquity” fragrance collection representing each celebrity in unique shapes and colors from bust of Marilyn Monroe to blue leather pouches for Elvis Presley.

The fragrance will be available for retail distribution in 2010, but can be pre-ordered now online for those wanting to take advantage of the promotional offer of $59.99 before the product is marked up in the stores. Once it hits the stores, it will no longer be available for purchase online.

Each bottle of fragrance will come with its own certificate of authenticity verifying that is an exclusive fragrance engineered from the DNA of each individual celebrity giving customers an opportunity to register and validate their collectors fragrance online.

For those wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to create their own personalized fragrance there is My DNA “Exclusive” or My DNA “Reverse”, engineered from your DNA genetic code or the genetic code of your loved one. Because no two people have the same DNA, your fragrance will be exclusive to only you.

Website http://mydnafragrance.com

Late night talk show host David Letterman is all over the media for outing a man who was trying to blackmail him into paying $2 million dollars for keeping quiet about an affair that Letterman had with an employee of his show. Evidently a few female employees. Mind you David Letterman is married, with a young child, and has been with his wife for many, many years. Definitely during this time of infidelity. This latest scandal led pop legend Donny Osmond to say publicly “Where Is Your Moral Compass David Letterman?”

I thought it was kind of brave to say in this age of “let’s have a free for all”. Especially in the entertainment world.

Honestly I’ve been asking myself the same thing, because lately in the media I’ve been hearing all these stories about pastors who are scandalously cheating with women in the church. On a popular radio show, I heard this woman say that her minister husband had an internet user name of candylick69. Now while I completely understand that leaders of the church (of all faiths) are first human beings with flaws, another basic understanding I have is that when people “specialize” in something that they ought to walk the walk and talk the talk.

On this site, I specialize in helping folks with life issues especially relationships. I have studied the subject and have degrees, certifications, and licenses. But more importantly I am a married woman with three children and a family history of several issues that I heavily talk about on this site including depression, mental illness, alcoholism, marriage, dating, and substance abuse.

I am not currently advising you to try my natural depression treatment plan, but doing nothing about my own depression. I am not advising members to fight for their marriages when I haven’t fought for my own. While I am not perfect, I try to walk the walk of the part of my life which I “specialize” in. Life Coaching.

That’s why I kind of expect ministers, pastors, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders to have some sort of idea of how to follow their moral compass. Soliciting women online, cheating with women (or men) in the church, sexually abusing children etc. is not my idea of following your moral compass or walking the walk. And if you find that you are a spiritual leader, but that you feel that you have veered off the path of leading by example — it may be a good idea to reevaluate and reassess your specialty or your career choice. Take a break and get back on track. Or find a new path – one that is more aligned with who you really are and where your moral compass honestly directs you.

“Please enjoy this excerpt from today’s featured author G.E. Wilson’s book Dying To Live, Confessions of Suicide. If you have ever battled depression or another mental health disorder (or a loved one has), thought about giving up, then this book may hit home for you in many ways. Enjoy…”

Isn’t it time to smile again?

Dying to Live, confessions of suicide.
By G.E. Wilson

“Dying to Live, confessions of suicide” is an ebook offering remarkable insight into mental illness and what can truly push us over the edge.

The book’s title sums up the courageous confession of the author’s plight, together with her triumphant battle to overcome.

Met with challenge after challenge, a mentally abusive father, rejection, the divorce of her parents, homelessness, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, social anxiety disorder, suppression, and a tremendous struggle to live in a world she felt unjust, she finally imploded.

It was a failed attempt at suicide that would eventually…. Shock her world.

Physically she withstood the ordeal, mentally and emotionally proved to be a battle, but one of which she was determined to conquer. A new mission in life was to combat the fears and pain that ultimately led her down the road of despair.
Upon immediate release from a county run mental health facility the author started writing about the journey that spiraled towards self destruction, including time spent in the asylum. A new found wisdom from the wake up call gave rise to a different perception of life. She is now medication and depression free.

This courageous book will open your eyes, as it gradually unravels the power of self help and how we can turn our lives around.

Many books have been written about depression, each educating us on how a specific ailment can be treated, others offering remarkable insight into the phenomenon of our biochemistry. This particular book however, provides an alternative approach to mental illness through the eyes of those who have suffered.

Authors Note: I am bringing this book into the light of day because I have fought hard for something I believe in, having suffered, having communicated with people who suffer, and having listened to their tragic yet empowering stories. Some felt banished by society because they attempted suicide after living a life of hell, others because they were sexually abused as children and are now suffering extreme consequences. There are those who are oblivious and fail to comprehend why, perhaps it is genetic, a chemical imbalance, or it could have been a tragedy, again there is no shame. So let us discuss this “Taboo” subject, and shed some light instead of turning our backs.

Packed with resource; whether you are suffering, know of someone who is suffering, need a source for understanding or wish to gain knowledge….. This book may help.

The Excerpt:

LIVING IN DENIAL

How many of us actually live in denial of our pain, our issues, our problems, our heartache, and our depression? I would suspect a very high percentage considering most of us find it an excruciating challenge to ‘re-live’ our pain. We would rather bury it within our sub conscious and forget it exists, the problem with this is that we will always endure the consequences, we are never truly, or even remotely healed. We will continue to experience the side effects that once hurt us so intensely. We fear the truth of our underlying pain, we fear the confrontation, so we crush it and tuck it away until another pain penetrates us and we crush that also. Eventually we either explode or we suffer with a conglomerated mush of issues we have not dealt with, how can we possibly think lucidly with all that mush floating around in our head?

A woman I once knew had endured the most horrendous amount of pain as a child. The beatings had eventually taken its toll as the fear and pain she suppressed became evident in her bi-polar behavior. She confessed “The pain is too intolerable to bring to the surface.” Instead she suffered every~single~day living in a galaxy of her own alien to any form of happiness. It was torture for me to watch a friend whom I loved writher and accept the pain as a comfort zone.
I could not express to her the importance of unleashing that pent up fear because I was accused of ‘patronizing.’ I incessantly walked on eggshells not knowing when she would snap at me for no apparent reason. If you are one of these people, go and get help. You do not have to suffer for the remainder of your life; you do not have to make your loved ones suffer for the remainder of theirs.

By suppressing and living in denial we are not evolving, we are ignoring, and remaining stagnant, or, we are regressing. It takes strength to confess, even by admitting we have a problem, and this my friends, is the first triumphant step towards recovery.

Eventually with baby steps a gradual peace of mind will prevail, we have to believe that, and above all we have to believe in our ‘self’. Nobody has the ability to cure you but YOU. Strength and encouragement can be gained from others but we have to undertake the work in order to achieve. If we choose not to help ourselves, and are affecting the lives of others mentally, emotionally,or physically, isn’t that a pretty selfish act?

BREAKING THE CYCLE

It is a sad possibility that if your parents beat you emotionally or physically, argued incessantly throughout their relationship, or even molested you; the cycle could well be carried over to you. If your father had patronized you, or you endured watching a parent fall prey to abuse, the cycle could well be carried over to you. A young boy who grew up watching his father strike his mother assumes it is okay to hit women, he witnesses his beloved daddy execute this intolerance so it must be okay, right? Wrong! There is no excuse when you have the resources and ability to break the cycle! It is not okay to physically or mentally abuse another human being. Deal with your issues.

In our parents and grandparents day there was minimal assistance for their behavioral problems, or as I mentioned previously there was way too much of a stigma surrounding mental health. Today however, we are quite fortunate, we have the ability to break the cycle of abuse through receiving the help we need.

The only true legacies one should pass down to their children are love and positive guidance. It takes more than shelter, food and clothing to successfully lay down the foundation for growth.

WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE

Do you find yourself easily manipulated? And if so, do you consider yourself weak for allowing it to happen? Are you aware that inside of you, you have an inner strength so powerful that you have the ability to stop the manipulation?

I once had a partner who was a very clever mind manipulator, it drove me crazy. In fact it became so intolerable that I could not take anymore, even though I was in love. It hurt tremendously to have to break away but I knew I was going regress if it continued. Situations were constantly reversed making me out to be the aggressor, when I had done nothing wrong, yet would apologize nonetheless. I became so confused that I would often question myself, and had no idea what I had said to amplify an argument, and of course it was never explained when asked so I could rectify it or at least understand. A simple sentence was taken out of context and all hell broke loose. Consequently the relationship was on again off again, and was told at one point “I cannot venture any further into this relationship with you because I have failed to see your ‘ugly’ side.” I stipulated that I did not have an ‘ugly’ side, and was met with “Everybody has an ugly side.” So I got to thinking, hmmm! What is my ugly side? It drove me nuts trying to think of one so I asked a few of my friends to assist, all of whom assured me I did not have an ugly side.

So, I had fallen prey to being manipulated because I was in love. I was given a second and third chance and a fourth through a ‘Pass or fail’ test. I failed of course, though somehow managed to hang on to the relationship. I did however eventually let go for the sake of my sanity.

This is where you draw the line; in fact ‘way prior’ do you draw the line. Mind manipulation is one of the most damaging forms of abuse a person can have over us, we really do not have to tolerate it. I was not weak though acted with my heart instead of my head. The manipulator is the weaker of the two because there are underlying and unresolved issues.

What causes another person to assume the authority of manipulation? There is one word, an embedded “Insecurity” It is not you! What is you is that you feel you have to take it.

HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS?

Do I really want to die, or do I just want the pain the end?
If I can somehow erase my pain I would be much happier
If I was not in so much debt and felt like drowning every day, I would be able to enjoy my life.
My life is so boring, what is the point?
If my heart was not broken I would be able to love again.
If I did not feel so sad all the time I would be able to laugh again.
If I did not have a problem with my weight or appearance I would be happy.
If people liked me I wouldn’t be so depressed.
If I wasn’t so ill I would be able to do so much more with my life.
If my spouse didn’t beat or manipulate me I would be at liberty to do the things I want to do.
If my job wasn’t so stressful I could focus more.
If only I could see a light at the end of the tunnel.
If I had time for me and wasn’t so focused on others I would enjoy life more.
I feel suicidal, nobody understands.
If I had wings, I could learn how to fly.

Think about that last statement for a second.

If I had wings I could learn how to fly.

If you identify this as ‘running away’ you are definitely in the wrong mind set. If however you perceive it as having the ability to overcome your situation and soar, you are on the right conscious path.

All of these observations can be turned around to work in your favor, eventually.

Do you really want to die…?
If we could ask those who have died by suicide if they really wanted to die, I wonder what percentage would say in my heart of hearts yes, or no it was more a desperate cry for help. Was it long pre-meditated, or was it spontaneous. If it was pre-meditated could they have been saved? These are all questions we will never know the true answers to, but we do know from some who have attempted that it was a desperate cry for help, a way in which to make others feel and acknowledge their tremendous pain.

If you have contemplated, or are contemplating putting a gun to your head or downing that bottle of pills, truly think about this! You will be ending your life! Gone, departed, kaput. If you do not believe in reincarnation you will not get a second chance, if you do believe you may well have to come back and go through it again, on the other hand, being a suicidal case will you even come back? This is a controversial subject that could be a whole book in itself, which again boils down to our religious preference. Do the untold tests that have led us to break make us sinners? I think not, at the same time my whole purpose of writing this book is to help those suffering to LIVE.

We need to face our untold challenges in order to become stronger wiser individuals. We need to work at overcoming our pain instead of allowing it to eat us alive, and we need not put our friends and loved ones through such excruciating pain because we couldn’t hang. It simply is not fair it is also unfair to deny our soul, spirit and being of happiness in this world. Today is a brand new day. We should….Grasp it, breathe it, live it! It is NOT time to end our life….It is time to repair it!

Erasing the pain…
First and foremost we need to determine what is causing our pain; we can then slowly begin to eradicate it. If you are oblivious as to why you are depressed there’s a chance it may be a chemical imbalance. This is where medication comes into play. Remember 80% of those receiving treatment are treated successfully.

This eye opening book is available to download now as a PDF file for just $8.95. Please visit: www.unveilingthestigma.com
Kindle version is available through Amazon.com.

I thought this was kind of a funny one from our friends over at TMZ. Just goes to show that there is a lid for every pot!

See the entire article over at: TMZ

Eating is a part of life. Your body gets its nutrients from food. Sometimes we can go overboard with our eating habits and it can result in gaining weight. One issue with food is emotional eating.

The problem of emotional eating may end with the scale but it begins in the mind. Stress takes its toll on your life. When your defenses are compromised your health takes a hit and so do your emotions.

Everyone has good days and bad days. How we deal with the bad ones brings emotional eating into play. You look for comfort for your hurts. People who turn to food for comfort find a coping mechanism that wonít judge them, hurt them or tell them no. To complicate the issue, eating pleasurable foods can stimulate the release of endorphins just like exercise. So, after you eat, you feel better.

Emotional eaters use food to relieve stress. They hide behind the food instead of seeking solutions to the problems. This is not uncommon when the stressor is something horrible such as physical abuse or a death.

But, how do you know you are using food in this way? The first sign is obvious. You will gain weight if you eat too much. In light of the weight gain, examine other areas of your life:

* Have you been under stress lately at work or at home?
* Has anything traumatic happened in the last year?
* Are you dealing with a problem but havenít found a solution?

Answering yes to any of these questions could mean that you are an emotional eater. You eat but you are not necessarily hungry at the time. The foods that you choose are what we term comfort foods:

* High fat foods like French fries, fried foods
* High carb foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes
* Sugary foods like ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake

There is help for emotional eaters. The first step is recognizing that you have a problem. You’ll experience feelings of helplessness and guilt. The guilt is over potentially ruining your health and the helplessness lies in the fact that you donít see a way out.

Secondly, seek counseling. There are many types of counselors out there that can meet your need. Emotional eating has nothing to do with dieting or changing your eating habits but gaining control over your emotions.

A counselor might suggest things like visualization, practicing problem solving skills, relaxation techniques and family support. Visualization helps you to see your problems in a realistic way and not blown out of proportion. You will also learn to see food as nutrition for the body and not an emotional crutch.

Thirdly, your family can learn your triggers for stress and be on the lookout for changes in your eating habits. They can help you be aware of the foods you are eating, assist you in making healthy food choices and exercise along with you. Proper diet and exercise increases immunity, blood flow and positive thinking. Yoga enhances the mind/body connection so you don’t eat when you aren’t hungry.

Finding new ways to solve your problems and deal with stress will push food out of the equation. You’ll feel good about finding solutions which will replace the dependence on food.

Recommendations:
Try These Easy Vegetarian Meal Plans
Start Fresh With A Easy Master Cleanse
Weight Loss Hypnosis

Studies show that hypnosis is not hype but a proven technique that works for many people.

Try some of these new hypnosis downloads today or if you don’t see what you are interested in, visit the complete hypnosis directory.

1. Connect with your New Baby

2. Drink in Moderation

3. Stop Being Lazy

4. Be Comfortable with Silence

5. Project Management Planning