Shakabuku- A Spiritual Kick To A New Self!

“Shakabuku.” It means a swift spiritual kick to the head that changes everything.

Have you ever just heard yourself give up? Ever felt just stuck? A lot of people our age have reposted that “Quarter-age Crisis” blog post. Well guess what --- it can’t possibly be true for everyone. It’s just easier to accept facts that are true now, like the helplessness, but not the discomfort that a little change might bring.

Not that bringing in a change will always be horrible. It takes 12 tastes of new food before your brain registers the taste as “ok,” much in the same way that habit forms after 21 repetitions. So how could a young 20-something do some change?

1. Know Your Goal – Before you start any endeavor, you have to know your goal --- you have to know what you want to become. Pick a change that you genuinely want for yourself. When you try on a new hobby that you don’t feel good about, it shows --- much is the same with personal change. The 28-Day Challenge Online Planner has goals mapped out corresponding to the days it’ll take to get you there, so that’s a nice start.

2. Become Behaviorally Flexible - It usually takes 12 samplings of a new flavor before it starts registering in our brain if its good (gives pleasure) or bad (repels the tongue!) for us. Keep at it! If you start to feel like you’re not going in the direction of the desired change, try a different approach. Know when you have to stop or keep a certain approach, and then alter your behavior accordingly.

3. Commit! – Would you rather be open to change or be uncomfortable? Anxiety when trying out something only tells us that we’re doing something new, and it would take the body a while to adjust for that action. Power through and you’ll find that confusion precedes understanding.

4. Learn From Everything – “There are no mistakes, only feedback,” as one of my mentors once told me. Mistakes are for mapping out things that you’ll be avoiding for the next time.

5. Track Your Change! – Keeping a journal of the change from average everyday-you to becoming that Travel Savvy girl, Beach Babe, or Corporate Catch helps you keep a measure of what exactly is new with you. Try the 28-Day Challenge Online Planner --- it has a built-in calendar to show you that in less than a month, you’ve become something more than your present self.

How To Cope With Stress

The first step to coping with stress is identifying what stresses you and doing everything you can to minimise these triggers. It's important to take action to relieve damaging stress before it affects your physical or mental health.

While it’s not easy, try to keep a positive attitude and accept offers of practical help if necessary. Be aware of spending time in the company of people who are critical and draining and accept that there are just some events you can’t control.

When it comes to family stress, it is your ability to handle the stress, not suppress it, that makes the difference. When problems begin to arise (as they always will), find the time put them on the table for family discussion. Avoiding problems almost always intensifies them. Discuss them, come to an agreeable situation, and move on!

Get everyone involved in family chores and tasks around the home. This is especially necessary when both mom and dad work. Everyone should know what needs to be done, and when. Get the children involved, too. It is insanity to have mom or dad running around like an idiot trying to get things done while perfectly capable children sit and watch. The most common response to this seems to be "they do more damage than good! It's better that I just do it myself." That situation arises only out of lack of training and direction. In years past, young children were often responsible enough to handle certain "age specific" tasks.

An unhealthy lifestyle aggravates stress. Think about your diet, habits, work environment and family lifestyle.

Do you start the day well rested?
Do you have a good nutritious breakfast to get your energy levels up?
Is your diet healthy?
Do you regularly rush into work late, or stressed by the journey?
Do conditions at work add to your stress - overcrowding, lack of personal space, too much noise, dirt or mess?
Do you need caffeine, cigarettes or alcohol to get you through the day?

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