worry

Anxiety & Stress Are They Stealing Your Joy

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

Anxiety and stress can have debilitating results. For years I suffered through stress, work-related, home, you name it, I could find a way to stress myself out!

Over the past couple of years now, some fantastic results have passed through my life. Yes, I still stress, but boy can control it been enhanced. I will share with you my daily routine and habits that help.

prayer, faith, hope

First, let me say that if you’re struggling to get help from a licensed health care professional. What I am sharing with you is just daily habits that you can try to see if they help. By no means should you feel this is a cure-al?

Simple daily routine changes can help with stress & anxiety:

  1. Learn to quiet the mind. This is just a simple relaxation method that can help you with a clear mind. When the rhetoric in your head can slow down and quiet. Amazing results begin to appear.
  2. This can be a simple walk around your neighborhood. Or you can join a gym. Working out the tension in your body, getting stronger can help you not get so fatigued that your anxiety just increases.
  3. Take a moment often during the day to just breathe. Sixty seconds to breathe in through the nose and out through your mouth. Nice cleansing breaths.
  4. Regulate your soda, coffee, and high caffeine drinks. For most of us, we don’t need more help to get anxious.
  5. Take the time that’s just for you. Watch a sunrise by yourself. Sit by a creek. Do something that is just for you (retail therapy is a no-no. Credit card debt is a stressor). Go shoot baskets at the park, kick a ball, ride a bike.
  6. Stay connected with people that uplift you. Debbie-downer is not your friend. Choose wisely. Don’t hibernate.
  7. Set boundaries for people that bring stress into your experience. If someone can only talk about negative things. Cut them short (YES YOU CAN) politely excuse yourself from that situation “oh I totally forgot ______” hopefully that person gets a clue. You are not anyone’s sounding board for garbage.
  8. Home or office is a mess. Guess what? That is the state of your noodle. Clean up, organize, and enjoy the environment around you. People often tell me the disorganized desk in the office, “that’s just the way I am.” So, you’re a chaotic malfunctioning human, and we should all get over it? I regularly must organize myself, it’s a habit I highly recommend.
  9. Sit down and prioritize your life. I mean down to the last detail. If you tell me you’re a free spirit, you fly by the seat of your pants. Then I say super if you’re a well-adjusted, NORMAL functioning human being I will shut up. Otherwise, organize based on the importance of what you need to do every day. The reason being, if you have a real sense of accomplishment, wow, is that life-changing! Activity vs. Productivity learns the difference now!
  10. Patience and faith. If you can learn to allow life to unfold (yes you must do the work) knowing full well, you’ll be fine. Even when you can’t see a way, you believe with everything that is you, all will be well. Spiritual connectedness will indeed bring about peace in your life.
  11. Learn to be grateful right where you are. If you want more out of life, you must be thankful where you stand. If you want more from the Universe, why would that occur if you’re miserable where you are (NO, I am not suggesting you be grateful in a situation that is emotionally or physically harmful to you). However, if this is not the case and you’re simply aggravated at your lot in life. Be grateful you have a car that gets you to work, you have a job it may suck, but you have one, a roof over your head, food to eat, your health and clothes to wear.

You can find a million reasons to stay in the crap. I just gave you eleven reasons not too. What’s more, you can do each of these with just a little effort.

The real question now; “What are you prepared to do?” Until you make the decision to change your life, expect the same outcome.

No guarantee this will be easy. Nothing worth having is ever easy. I am going to let you in on a secret. For most of our lives, we’ve been taught to run away from pain. Sounds reasonable.

Ponder this:

When you first go to the gym and workout hard, what happens? Soreness from hell hits you. Can’t brush your teeth, can’t raise your arms high enough. You can quit or go back to the gym and work out a bit more until the soreness subsides.

Coaches will push you beyond your mental and physical breaking points. Why? Your head will quit far sooner than your body or mind can handle. Marathon runners are prime examples. “The wall” as marathon runners will tell you hits about the twenty-mile mark, and your brain says your body it’s time to stop. The physical pain that is causing damage to the point if you don’t stop, you could injure yourself or worse die.

Medical studies have proven this is all in your head. Runners are not hurt, injured, or dying. What is happening is our limiting beliefs take over, and it’s; fight-or-flight.

Before you give up, take one more step. If you took the step, then maybe we can go more. It’s all up to you. The ONLY PERSON ON THIS PLANET THAT CAN SAY YOU CAN OR CANNOT. IS YOU!

Don’t let anxiety and stress take your joy. If you need professional help go, get it. I am putting a resource to help you get started. This is not a paid endorsement, nor an endorsement by me. It’s just a great place to get started.

Buy me a coffeeBuy me a coffee

National Institute for Mental Health

Living Today will Give You a Blessed Tomorrow

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”–Earl Nightingale

One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is how to live in the moment. Not have my mind worried about the end of the month bills or some other monster that’s not even in the room.

We tend to project ourselves down the road as it were. Worrying about what might happen instead of focusing on tasks at hand. Solving problems takes immediate action. Not something you delay. Focus yourself each day.

prayer, God, Spiritual,

When we worry about problems that are looming but not yet come to fruition. We stifle any real progress we could make. Take each day and give it the full attention of your efforts. Learn the difference between activity vs. productivity.

If for example you’re worried about the rent and you still have two weeks work left. Lot’s of things can happen in two weeks. Ask your boss if you can volunteer for overtime. Take a coworkers shift. Sit down and breathe for a moment and see what solutions could be available. Consult with someone you trust.

Answers can come when cooler heads prevail. Freaked out, worried minds, produce the same result. Learn to get rid of stress, meditate, breathe, pray, walk, workout, and if needed, take time for YOU!

Get busy living now. Make yourself do something that gives you pleasure. You can’t stress 24/7 and ever expect a good result. It’s difficult to begin; it was for me at the beginning. Now I can let go of my day and recharge my batteries to face a new day tomorrow.

With practice and commitment, you can do the same. Find time to let your head relax. So go take a walk and enjoy the moment!

Questions or Comments:

Are you Ready for Hope

A guide to help you find change and hope. How to change your life guide that is easy to read and follow. Introduction: For most of us, we can find something within our lives we need to change. Perhaps even a full life makeover. Whether it’s one thing or several, this guide will help you make lasting change. Doing this will take work, the strength of mind and commitment if this cliché is your life; sick and tired of being sick and tired. If this is, you are welcome here. Last year into this year my own life required me to make many changes. It’s taken some education that I want to share this information with you — saving you lots of time and heartache. Evolution has many challenges that come with it. Sadly, many will quit before lasting change can occur. Let me guide you through these rocky shoals to your new life. It took me at times through incredibly difficult paths, dark moments and simple trial & error before all this made sense. If you follow what you learn here, I trust it will help you further your efforts changing your own life. It doesn’t matter the reason what is essential is the process of change. We will discuss in depth process, actions and results.

$2.99

Tomorrow will not come happy Without taking care of Today, Be in the Moment

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

“Tomorrow is only found in the calendar of fools.”–Og Mandino

Being present in the moment! Are you present at the moment or looking forward? How much could you get done today if you did not worry about tomorrow?

I included it’s easier said than done to not worry about tomorrow. Especially when our lives are broken up into months, monthly payments and so on. How we get productivity vs. activity is to focus our efforts on today. There is no tomorrow if you do nothing today!

plan, schedule, success

Organize your day if necessary hour to hour. You will be surprised if you focus solely on productivity how much you can get done.

If we focus on the day tomorrow will have brighter dawn to wake up to.

Have a blessed day!

Comments or questions:

Patron, Support, Donation

Click on Photo to support, and thank you!

 

The How Is Not as Important as Belief

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books – especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.” — John Wooden

Adversity comes with a sense of “I can’t do that” or “I don’t know how this will ever change.” What changed for me was believing that the how will come if I understand. You can’t merely want something to turn, sit on the couch and wait for it.

Problems can seem to be insurmountable to the point we don’t see how that anything will change. I heard something that resonated with me. If God can put stars in the Universe, he can probably figure out a way to help your issue. All it requires is a belief deep in your heart.

If your problems are financial for example, you cannot just say, God, I need to pay my bills. You still need to go to work and do your part. How many times in your life has something happened that was unexpected out of the blue.  Believe that God can work miracles in your life.

faith, Jesus, God, hope

What happened to me especially with my financial issues and my relationship was the catalyst I needed for change. I let them go. They’re so big that I could not do it on my own. The mountain was too big for me to climb on my own. In the natural world, I was on my own. This book is teaching you how to live in the supernatural world where God lives. Trusting that behind the scenes he is working to help me.

Worry and self-doubt stifled any progress that I could have made. It made nothing better. My hand in trying to fix everything only made it worse. You can choose to worry all day long if you want. The alternative is let it go, believe that faith does it. Do not worry about the how that’s God’s job. I promise he does not need your help. He does not work well with others; in this, he prefers to work alone. It’s your job to let him.

Little by little my financial worries are dissipating. All my bills are getting paid, sometimes just getting paid. Not sure how I am even going to eat yet I have not gone hungry. My credit is intact, and the phone calls have stopped. I am doing my part every day. God sees that I work, I work with a smile, I don’t complain that there is not enough, and I smile to be a friend to all.

The other day I received an email from one of my favorite Church’s that they were going to fall short of their budget this year. The reasons I understood why. So, I could only give $10.00. I did so joyfully. I left my job to run an errand. Came back a customer caught me outside and asked about a trailer I had for sale. Long story short my commission for this small trailer was $100.00. The deal fell into my lap. A ten-fold return for something I just believed in my heart.

It’s the hardest thing I have ever done, belief in God. Believe in promises from a book written thousands of years ago. Even if you’re skeptical about God, be open to learning something new by studying the word of God to change your life.

What if the story is true. How as a father could you bear seeing your son beaten to a pulp, then forced to carry his instrument of destruction (the cross) to your death? The strength that took to endure is beyond mortal comprehension. I think we can believe after that sacrifice in his word. The word that gives me life.

From all of this, you can rest assured that his promise is real. All you must do is believe. Praise God every day for your life. Thank him and directly through prayer and your excellent work blessing will come. When the enemy says, “see it’s not changing fast, God has left you.” That’s when you can rest assured that just around the bend, just a little further in faith, your life is about to change. All we must do is believe when everything suggests nothing is happening. That’s when you need to sit down relax and enjoy the ride.

Belief must be a total commitment. You cannot just say if you must believe in your heart. It’s easy to say I believe in God. If, however, I do nothing to back up that belief its words nothing more. When you hop up on a chair, you have unwavering faith that it will hold you. What if a spring is Broken just below the surface of the seat cover. You flop down and drive a spring right into your behind, ouch. Every day without a thought or care, flop you go. The real question is how we can believe in something so innocuous so entirely and yet struggle believing in God?

The real question for us all is how do we get unwavering faith in God so that we can flop in his chair? The short answer is prayer and letting go. We must put down the luggage we carry and let God have it. Way easier said than done. With faith the how does come! Imagine the wonder if you could put down the backpack of worry we all carry.

Having an unwavering belief will require that your role with the punches, pardon the cliché. Did I mention this is where the test comes? What you didn’t say anything about a test! What do you think tough times are? A check of your faith, your belief that everything will be okay. OR, you sink into a Pitiful Pearl state of mind. I’m also not talking about major life events like death or divorce. I’m talking about regular life stuff.

Life will throw you test to check your resolve. Okay, you’re going to get over this. We’re always going to have something to contend with in our lives. How we handle issues that get in the way is how God will judge us. Mine alter ego Pitiful Pearl would many times say “just my luck” “why can’t I catch a break” when just handling what comes with grace will get us through quickly.

When God knows that WE know he is in charge, that all things are possible through Christ. Guess what all things are possible through Christ. We can’t see the HOW but what we can see is that God will handle whatever comes down the pipe. Do what is in front of you every day. Remember you can’t sit on your backside and say okay God handle it. You still must get up and go to work, you still must be a friend, you still must be a parent, and life will move on. What will be different is if you are different, meaning if you handle the next season of your life with grace. Or does Pitiful Pearl visit you? It’s a choice you must make.

Keeping focused on believing God has us in his hand when life just kicked you right in you know what. God sees you taking a shot right in the gut but letting him know that yep it hurt but God I’m standing with you. I have done this now many times only to see his grace work in my life. I went from horrible dark places scaring my family for my safety. To realize that if I stay out of God’s way, peace does come to me.

My problems may not resolve themselves as quickly as I would like. I could jump in and start trying to solve problems that are just too big for me to handle alone. Instead, I am using what I am telling you to try, and it works. Nothing happens in the time frame I want. It does happen in God’s good time. When I let God handle my life and realize I may even miss a deadline for some significant life event but allow God’s timing to reveal itself. Somehow even at the brink of disaster, it all works out. Nothing blew up, nothing life changing happened, it resolves itself without my help. I did the work in front of me each day.

The how for me is not as important to me as letting God know that I believe. That in times where I think my world is blowing up, I without hesitation trust him. Am I 100% on this NO! That only makes me human subject to make mistakes. Quickly I will let God know that I am sorry, my forgiveness given to me. Presented in the words of the Bible; you might want to get a copy (study bible).

This chapter will close with this thought. If your child got deathly ill, you would have no problem going to God. In fact, you will probably go to God every moment of every day until your baby gets well. You will thank him if your child pulls through, earnestly you will thank him.

 My point is if you want God to perform a miracle in your life. You don’t have to have a catastrophic event for that to occur. If you want your life to be about beautiful blessings and happiness, go to God every day in faith prayer. Thank him for the blessings you have even if they have not manifested themselves in your life.

Don’t wait as I did until life blows up and now you have a huge mess to clean up. We all go through hard seasons in our life. Would it not be nice to have the tools now to help you weather the storm?

Buy Me A Coffee

Give Up Control Have Faith

/ Robert Bruton / Leave a comment

One of the hardest things for me to let go of is my wanting to control aspects of my life. If you’re going to have faith in the Universe (God) you have to give, go. It can’t be a negotiation with God over what part of your life he will run and what role we will run.

 No matter what we must give him full control. It does not mean that you say okay God I need my life saved because of this issue whatever that might be. Then do nothing. It will take work on your part to have the patience that God works in his good time.

Learning to become a better person, doing good works in your life to bring a better you to the world. Worry about that over what the outcome will be. The result is entirely out of your control. The moment you say I got this and you impose your will to that which is in disarray. Nothing positive happens, form that.

We must learn to live not in our head but our soul. You must think about this for a while. How do I do the work?

Here is an example of working in faith:

Let’s say your marriage is at total risk of divorce. Separated, not talking it’s terrible. You want to call your spouse all the time, trying to work it out. How do we get through this time letting God work through us? Let’s say you know you want this person, you know you want the marriage, but the other partner does not at this time.

Here is how we work from our spiritual side and not our head.

 

  • Pray to God for guidance for YOUR life. Ask him where he would like you to be. Don’t beg him to fix your marriage, never begin prayer. He hears you, don’t beg.
  • Start doing things that bring a better you to the marriage should it come to pass that you get back together. Read books, go to therapy, pray for God’s will to be done in your life. God’s will not
  • Allow for time to pass. If it’s God’s will for the two of you to be together, you will be. Be open to the idea that maybe this person is getting moved out of your life so that your destiny can reveal itself. You don’t know! Let life open to you, not because of you! Think!
  • The pain you suffer will pass. It’s the equivalent of someone passing away when we lose a spouse. Don’t listen to all the garbage in your head, “well if I could tell them this, they would understand” stop it now. If you look to the trash in your head, you will lose for sure.
  • Have faith that no matter what happens your life will be better for this trial. If you get back together and all is well. Or if you end up divorced and life presents a NEW season for you.

If you seriously want change, then you must be willing to change. Some pain will come to our heart. Here is the real kicker. It may not work out but on the other hand, it might. Have faith that everything will turn out just as it should. Be open-hearted to receive God’s favor.Happy, Marriage, Spouse

However, should you desire change to happen naturally? Then who knows what life has in store for you. Believe me, and I do understand the pain of a breakup. At times it can be debilitating. We have to look up and say “okay God I don’t understand, and right now I don’t get it” then be willing to help ourselves, but let God handle our outcome.

I don’t doubt your pain. What I can tell you is if you follow in faith that life will open up to you as it should, life will get better. It will begin to get better quickly with confidence. You may have to talk to God hundreds of times a day. That’s okay. He has an open ear ready to hear from you. In situations like divorce, financial and loss we tend to beg God. Don’t beg in prayer.

When you pray, have it be about the outcome you desire. “I thank you, God, for the healing you have brought to the hearts of my spouse and me.” Pray as though you already have that which you desire as if you already have it. Don’t ask for something to be fixed; it already is through your faith in God.

God will unfold for you the destiny of your life. That may be something completely different than what you expected. The fantastic news is that it will be bigger, better, more joy, more peace and so much more than you could have ever supposed to happen. That is the fantastic gift that awaits you if you will only have faith!