The Cooling Stream

• They celebrate with food when they are happy. They feel loved. They eat and laugh and jeer. Eating has become a means to have fun.
  
• They eat like a glutton when they are depressed or worrisome. They do not feel loved. They eat and cry and mourn. Eating has become a means to pour out all their complaints.

Some people eat whenever they have physical needs:

• They eat because they are hungry.
• They eat to stay alive.
• They eat to get that extra energy to do work.
• They eat because they are fatigue.
  

Some people eat whenever they have social needs:

• They eat merrily whenever they are together with family, friends and colleagues. They have so much to share and to learn about. Eating has become a means to fellowship.
  
• They eat like a wild man whenever they are alone and bored. They have so much to scream and shout. Eating has become an outlet to release all their grievances.

Some people eat whenever they have personal needs:

• Some eat to gain weight.
• Some eat to lose weight.
• Some eat because they simply love food.
• Some just love to eat certain food items.
  

Some people eat because that is what normal people will do:

• They eat because the clock says that it is lunch time or dinner time.
• They eat because the food is there. And they just can't help themselves.
• They eat because the company is celebrating a happy occasion, or mourning for a sad loss.

Whatever is your reason, eat slowly and chew your food properly. Eat heartily. Relax and smile. Shout and jeer if you must.

Enjoy your food, enjoy your work, and enjoy your life.

Works are getting more stressful in today's hectic lifestyle. Many are looking for ways to get rid of stress effectively after a hard day's work. And many are looking for extra energy to uplift, to boost and to energize them and to fill them up with extra power to go through yet another busy day.

Some go for indoor and outdoor exercises to help improve their body's metabolism. They enjoy outdoor exercises like walking, slow jogging, cycling, or mountain hiking. And they enjoy indoor exercises like stationary bicycle, rowing machine, treadmill, stair climbing and home aerobic activities.

Some look for indoor and outdoor games. They play billiards, chess, carom or bridge. They enjoy outdoor games like playing catch with the ball, baseball, or basketball.

Some just love to sit somewhere, sipping a cup of coffee or tea, and relishing plate of snacks while discussing ideas with friends. Others prefer to spend time relaxing with their family somewhere.

There are some who prefer to be alone and unwind in private. They do meditation and yoga to reduce stress, and to attain mental peace and physical well being. They listen to music and sing along to their favorite songs. They watch movie or video to entertain themselves and to stretch their imagination. They read cool books to relax or relieve stress, or as a form of escapism, or as a chance to use their imagination. Some enjoy surfing the web.

There are others who enjoy bars and restaurants. There are also those who enjoy dance clubs and night clubs. And there are some who enjoy all sorts of shopping, including food, clothing, and handbags.

And... there are some who lounge around and doing nothing.LOL

Whatever you do... enjoy your hard-earned leisure and your recreational time.

Sitting on a rocking chair, staring at the distance hill, admiring the beauty of the surrounding housing estates and landscape, drawing longer breaths of fresh and cool air, and beholding busy people chasing after hectic lifestyles can really bring peace and joy incomprehensible. All of a sudden, everything seems to calm down and life seems to have come to a standstill.

Sometimes, getting away from our normal pace of life for a time of rest and relaxation can really do great wonders to both our body and our soul. All of us know and recognize that, but only few who are really striving to create times to enjoy that little moment of rest and leisure.

Modern life is too fast-paced. More and more people are feeling increasingly stressed and impatient. We all need to calm down a little to recover ourselves and to once again enjoy our life. After all, the chief end of man is to worship and to enjoy God forever.

I enjoy my 10 minutes break rocking a chair. Sometimes it drags on for another few minutes. Sometimes I eventually doze off in the afternoon breeze and start to snore. Whatever it is, I feel refreshed and ready for another round of activities.

I never intent to have an afternoon nap in the first place. I just want to rock my chair, relax my mind and enjoy my moment of peace, my moment of rest and my moment of inactivity. I rock my chair back and forth, I swing my hands, and let my foot and my leg kind of jiggle lifelessly. Should I go into a nap, I do it unintentionally...... It just happens naturally.

So I sleep... so I snore... so I am relieved, refreshed, and renewed for new challenges...Come what may... I'm ready...LOL.

Enjoy your life.

When we are stressful, we feel very tired. Our moods change all the time. And we cannot concentrate on our works.

When we are stressful, some of us will cry or laugh for no reason. Others just can't sleep. And some may have serious headaches and heartaches all the time.

When we are stressful, some of us become fearful of our surroundings. Others have nightmares every single night. And some may have sweaty palms all the time.

When we are stressful, some of us always feel hungry and thirsty. Others easily provoked and wanting a fight or a quarrel. And some may prefer to indulge in sinful living.

Some stress really hurts and spoils our life all the time.....

Nonetheless, we must manage our stress well.

Let's...

• Avoid all negative thinking.
  
• Avoid jumping to conclusions too fast.
  
• Avoid over-exaggerating the real situations.
  
• Avoid being too sensitive about what others think and say.

Let's...

• Face our stress positively.
• Take a time off if necessary.
  
• Pursue a new hobby or sport if we must.
• Just cry. Crying can relieve anxiety.
• Look for a hiding place to calm down. Read my article concerning the River Of Life.
  

Remember

• Good stress management can spur us to greater success in life.
• In life, there is no easy way out; no pain no gain.
  

Enjoy your life by managing your stress. Do you agree with me?

I find pleasure in everything I do. I spend times perfecting my skills and abilities. I enjoy every bit of my work. I prioritize my work and complete my tasks properly on time. I seek to enjoy every task given and do it properly and satisfactory. I will find ways and means to improve on everything I do. I have committed more than 20 years into my work, and I desire to enjoy it for another 10 years more.

I clean and arrange my workspace until I am comfortable and can enjoy deep breath whenever I need. I prefer a quiet corner with less disturbances. I enjoy soft music and soft conversations in the background. I enjoy seeing flowers and plants whenever I get tired of my tasks.

I withdraw from people who are full of complaints about their workload and who just cannot stop grumbling. They affect my tasks and disrupt my peace and joy in my workspace.

I treasure colleagues who have the organization's goals in them every time they reach their workplace. These are people who seek to improve the working environments and who endeavor to implement the organization's goals efficiently and effectively. They always make my tasks easier and my working life happier.

I enjoy friends who are full of good tips and good jokes. Sitting close to them always helps in acquiring new working ideas and reducing stresses and strains of my working life. I love friends who have a lot of patience and can maintain their composure. They always have clear thoughts and they reason well. These are people who enjoy their workplace.

I stay away from negative people who complain virtually everything they see. They are not happy about the workplace, the colleagues, the customers and the bosses. Joining them only make me negative in my working life.

Yes, I make friends with my bosses. I seek to listen and understand what they want me to do. I carry out my tasks properly and on time. I seek their advices on things I have difficulties to comprehend and implement. I know my limits and I wouldn't volunteer on tasks that are beyond me. And I will state my stance with my bosses at the correct times.

I have the organization in my mind when I reach my workplace. All other things are secondary. I will help in planning, implementing and monitoring all the organization's goals. I understand that God put me in this organization for a purpose.

I will avoid negative people in my workplace, including my bosses. They are a hindrance to my work pleasure.

I think I will ask for transfer when I can't enjoy my work here anymore.

Life has its many ups and downs. By sleeping through and forgetting the reality of life is just not the correct way to solve problems.

Set up your plans for the day and work through them carefully one at a time. Enjoy every bit of your life. Be more sociable and more caring, sharing love with those in need and learning more from others.

Enjoy life. Take a deep breath and clear you throat. Move a little, shake a little, and smile and laugh more often. Walk around, look around and enjoy a wider and a fuller view of everything you see. Wash your face and blow your nose if you must... but please don't go to sleep.

There are so much to do... both for yourself and others. And the world cares and God cares.

Enjoy work. Work is fun. Work is nothing but a game. lols.

If we approach our job like a game, we will enjoy it more and we will likely to succeed at it.

When we play game, we are fully absorbed in it, we want to take control, and we enjoy every bit of it. Nothing else matters. And time just seems to fly.

If your "game" is too tough, find out the skills you need to improve and work on it. Increase your skills and you will win the game.

If your "game" is too easy, make it more challenging by increasing the level of difficulties. It may take you a lot of thinking to figure out how to do that, but keep at it and you can find a way.

If your "game" is too boring, make it more interesting. Be creative and figure out something to cheer up your surroundings or give yourself some motivations.

Whatever it is, always find a way to become absorbed in your work. You will surely enjoy it more.

After all, work is only a game.

Some of us work so hard just to fulfill our own needs and wants. We need food, clothing, and shelter to survive. We also want things that can give us a better life. Getting satisfied is one of the main goals of most people today. We spend so much time and effort chasing after sensual pleasure, and we will do anything just to enjoy life. But we can never truly be satisfied because the moment we die, we have to leave our body behind.

Some of us work so hard just to accumulate possessions, status and wealth. Getting rich and famous is yet another main goal of most people today. We spend so much time and effort chasing after wealth and popularity, and we will do anything just to possess them. But we can never truly be rich and famous after all because the moment we die, they all go to others.

Some of us work so hard just to provide for others. We will do anything just to keep our family, relatives and friends together. We enjoy company and we just cannot stand a moment staying alone. Getting near and staying close is what most people are seeking today. We spend so much time and effort throwing parties and enhancing quality relationships, and we will do anything just to get close. But we can never truly be close after all because the moment we die, the furthest our family, relatives and friends can stay by us is up to the grave.

Few of us labor for our soul. We often neglected our soul in our pursuits of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. Yet it is the only thing that follows us wherever we go. The soul is our most loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining our wealth and business as well as taking care of our household. A soul well-nourished will give us peace and harmony, and provide us with a fully satisfied, a truly rich, and really close life with God and men.

It is high time for all of us to labor for our soul rather than to wait until we are on our deathbed to lament for all our loss.

Some of us get moody, very bad-tempered, and contentious while having a formal discussion. We will engage in any argument, usually over trivial matters, that then escalate into full-blown fights. Stern remarks and emotional outbursts follow and become unbearable, causing uneasiness, strife and broken relationships among our colleagues.

The main reasons behind nasty quarrels are purely the results of the inability to hold back the built up emotional pressures, which eventually give way to outbursts and throwing out of senseless remarks that are both hurtful and painful. Prolonged and intense arguments can cause great harms to relationships over a long period of time.

Calm and restrained arguments are both necessary and helpful in any organization. They help to clarify our roles, reduce misunderstandings and improve communications. They help to encourage group works and team efforts. They help the organization to implement and monitor its plans and policies more efficiently and effectively.

It is advisable not to bring in private and personal matters while you are having any formal discussion. Speak professionally according to your expertise. Be courteous and considerate to others as you come forward and stress your points.

Enjoy your inner peace while dealing with your daily activities.