The Gambling Peak

Stress, America’s #1 health problem, is a leading cause of major illness. In fact, heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression are just some of the harmful effects of stress. Research has shown that releasing stress and learning how to relax promotes a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life.

Here are 3 easy ways to reduce your stress fast.

1. Breathe Deeply

Take 3 slow deep breaths. Taking the breath from your diaphragm, through your nose, holding for about 2 seconds and then slowly exhaling through your mouth. Why slow deep breaths? Because when we are under stress, we tense up, constricting the oxygen to our body. Taking slow deep breaths brings oxygen throughout our body resulting in feeling centered and releasing stress. Giving your body much needed oxygen will release tension and stress fast.

2. Meditate

The purpose of meditation is to relax and to release stress. Meditation allows the body to relax and permits a means to release the “chatter” in your mind. It is important for you to know that there is no right or wrong way to meditate. Meditation is simply a form of concentration and focus; it is a process that quiets the mind. Since much of our negative stress is caused by our own thoughts, this is an especially useful method.

Here are steps for a popular, quick, and easy guided mediation:

1. Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes.
2. Take 3 deep breaths.
3. Visualize all the stress in your mind and body as a cloud of gray smoke. Allow this cloud to be released through the crown of your head. Imagine the gray cloud floating into the sky and disappearing. Feel the weight of the stress being releasing out of your body and into the cloud. Allow your shoulders to drop and continue until you have no more gray smoke or for about 10 minutes.
4. Imagine a healing white light that has surrounded your body. Feel the warmth of this light and allow it to infiltrate your body. Slowly open your eyes.

3. Try Hypnosis

This technique involves sitting comfortably with your eyes closed while listening to suggestions. Hypnosis is relaxation, focus, and suggestion. Using these three elements your mind and body will enter into a deeply relaxed state that gives you an overall sense of well being and tranquility. Hypnosis is one of the oldest and most natural modes of healing dating back to 1000 B.C. In 1958 the American Medical Association approved the therapeutic use of hypnosis. This brought mainstream recognition that hypnotherapy was a valid and legitimate form of healing. During this time hypnotherapy was respected and accepted in America.

Meditation & Guided Imagery are techniques that use the natural power of the mind in creating what you want in life. Einstein estimated that we only use 10% of our brains. In practicing Meditation and Guided Imagery, we have access to the other 90%. Since thoughts are one of the most powerful possessions we can have, it is important to keep the thoughts and images positive. Meditation and Guided Imagery works because the Physical Universe is energy, this energy is vibrating at different speeds. Energy is magnetic causing similar thoughts to attract other similar thoughts. What we dwell on, we will attract. Thoughts and ideas are high vibrating forms of energy and are very powerful. Form then follows ideas. This is the reason that thoughts and ideas in Meditation and Guided Imagery particularly must be in a positive form.

Here are some steps to make

Meditation and Hypnosis more effective.

1. Desire- You must have the desire to make a positive change in your life.
2. Belief- You must believe in the power of the mind.
3. Acceptance- You must accept the process of Meditation and Hypnotherapy including the results.
4. Set you goal- Decide on what you want and be committed to it.
5. Create a Clear Idea or Picture- Create the vision in your imagination and make it clear.
6. Focus on it often- Keep the images of your goal in your mind as often as possible.
7. Give it Positive Energy- Keep your frame of mind and thoughts positive.
8. Look For the Positive Changes- Look for the subtle ways Meditation and Hypnosis are changing your life, and believe in the magic of life!

Marla Sloane Ph.D. is a successful author and speaker. Her Daily Positive Affirmations subscribers have reached world-wide proportions, and her book, “The Masks We Wear and How to Live Without Them” is at the heart of her teleclasses; Live Your Best Life. Marla has also produced, Trilogy of Meditations, for your Mind, Body, and Spirit, which is distributed nationwide, and in Europe. You can visit her web site at: www.marlasloane.com.

marla@marlasloane.com

If you have a credit card (most Americans have over 10) then you’ve probably received an offer called a “payment holiday”. You’ll receive a letter that says something to the effect, “That because XYZ Credit Card Company understands how difficult it is for some families around this time of year to make ends meet (or whatever other excuse they can come up with) that you are being given the opportunity to take a month off from making your monthly payment as a ’special gift’ and thank you for being such a valuable customer.”

Sounds Good on the Surface but Why Are They Doing It?
Typically, payment holiday offers have a high acceptance rate. A high percentage of individuals feel it’s a wonderful thing to be able to take a month off from the stress of having to make another payment. However, what they don’t usually realize is that these so-called “holidays” really aren’t a gift at all. They are simply are way to increase profits for the credit card companies.

It’s a Win-Win For the Credit Card Companies
Hmm… So how can letting me skip a payment earn them more money? Well, here’s where the slight of hand comes in. If you read the small print in any credit card agreement you’ll quickly realize that the payment holiday isn’t interest free. You are still being charged interest and because you’re not paying anything back for a particular month that interest will be there next month for you to pay compounded interest on or interest upon interest.

Here’s an example that hopefully with help clarify the principal I’m trying to convey. Let’s say you were paying back $1000 of debt at 1.5% per month (or about 19.5% per year) with a minimum payment each month of 2% (or about 26.82% per year).

If you made the minimum payment for all 12 months, you would have paid back $233.51 and you would still owe $941.62 at the end of the year. Your debt has been reduced by $58.38 and you’ve lost $175.13 in interest.

However, if you were to take a payment holiday you would pay 2% per month for only 11 months or (24.3% on your debt) or $217.80 and you would still owe $960.55 at the end of the year. You end up paying about $38 for the privilege of not making a single payment of about $20 (2% of $1,000). In other words, your month off cost you almost two months of payments.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand all the math – it’s suppose to be confusing. In fact, it was specially designed by mathematicians and marketers to be as confusing as possible to keep you from being able to figure out what a bad deal you’re getting. Case in point, if you hadn’t read this article would you have thought twice about turning down the next “payment holiday” offer you receive? And remember… don’t fall for it because the more you owe, the more that “holiday” will cost you. Instead, you should consider doing everything you can to pay off all your debt as quickly as possible.

If It Sounds Too Good
The old saying, “if it sounds to good to be true then it probably is” certainly applies here and remember that no-one ever gives away anything of value for free, that is with no strings attached – especially the credit card companies. Anytime they offer you anything, it’s because they are going to make a profit and if you can’t see how they benefit, be suspicious because it’s probably just the next slight of hand trick to come down the pipe that is being used to quietly milk you out of a little more interest.

This article may be reproduced only in its entirety

Kevin Erickson is a contributing writer to: Debt Management | Credit Card Debt | Consolidate Debt