Stress and anxiety is a part of our lives that we can’t escape. There will always be a moment where we feel uncomfortable, worry a lot more than usual, or respond with signs of physical stress. If you happen to deal with anxiety symptoms on a regular basis, you will know that they can feel like they are completely dominating your system. One moment you can be in a party and having a blast with your friends, and the next you could be cowering in your mind about a memory you’re triggered by and can’t seem to say a word. You could be on a date with the man of your dreams, and something he says sparks a mass of mental stress that you can only get rid of unless you politely leave. Or, you could watching your favorite show and out of nowhere a certain scene reminds you of a hurtful memory that immediately takes a negative toll on your mood.

If any of these situations ring a bell, know that you are not crazy or alone in this process. Going through anxiety symptoms is incredibly isolating, as everything seems to be caged in your mind. You want to just crawl out of your body and feel normal again so you can function. You are not the only one, as anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health problems that people today experience. However, don’t mistake having a mental health problem as being a “problem” yourself. Your current anxiety disorders do not define you or your future. It’s only a matter of knowing what side effects to expect, managing your symptoms better, and receiving an expert’s care to improve your health.

What Anxiety Disorders Bring

You will not lose your mind or go into a state of existential crisis with anxiety symptoms. At the same time, anxiety disorders can be incredibly disheartening and cause you to think that you can do nothing about your situation. You can feel powerless, negative, and like life is just throwing endless hurdles your way on purpose. Rest assured that this is your anxiety talking, and it’s not truly your life situation. When a person, no matter what their age is has anxiety symptoms, their body will begin reacting to a huge spike in adrenaline that immediately switches on their fight or flight system. This is the dose of hormones that allow you to run extremely fast in a dangerous situation, fight off someone possibly attacking you, or stay alive in an extreme environment. This is normal, as our ancestors relied on this reaction to get out of the most risky situations to keep on surviving. You can feel like these episodes are relentless, but it is simply the work of chemicals in your brain that you can take control of once you understand them better.

Anxiety Symptoms

Watch out for these signs if you feel like you might be having an attack from your anxiety disorder. A common thing that many people with anxiety attacks say is that they feel like they’re having a heart attack. This is very normal, as symptoms can include having a sudden chest pain, like your insides are about to burn up.  It can affect one area of your chest to the entire chest area so make sure you are prepared. Another anxiety symptom is having a lot of difficulty breathing normally, as your body is starting to demand oxygen more than usual. This results in breathing much more faster and feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or even like you have a huge headache. Another big sign is having muscle tension or soreness, as your severe anxiety causes muscles to have fatigue out of nowhere. You will likely feel weak or like your body is aching during some of your anxiety attacks. Lastly, you may feel like you’re shaking or trembling a lot to the point where you’re losing complete control. Remember that this is common and it’s only a temporary side effect that won’t directly affect your health overall. You will be okay and attacks don’t have the power to put your life in danger!

Taking Control

If you want to deal with your anxiety symptoms, there’s a few tips that experts have shared over the years that can help you calm down and manage your system. You might feel like you’re freaking out and there’s no way that you can just switch your symptoms off. However, if you take the time to first breathe deeply, you can better make sense of what is going on and decrease your levels of stress.

Deeply inhale and exhale for a couple of minutes, even if you’re trembling or dizzy out of nowhere. Getting enough oxygen to your body is important so you can have ample blood circulation and mental clarity to get through your anxiety attack.

Additionally, make sure you can get a drink of water and move your body enough so you are stuck sitting in a certain place. You want to be moving your limbs so your symptoms of lightheadedness or aching can dispute with enough time.

Lastly, remember that you may have been in an environment or around a person who could have triggered an anxiety attack. Make note of this as you are using measures to calm down so you can hopefully prevent a similar episode from happening in the future. For example, if you find yourself in an area that has negative memories attached to it, do your best to avoid it in the future so you aren’t as triggered by the visions and sounds it brings.

Gain Insight

Remember you’re in control in this process. Make sure you know what the signs are for anxiety attacks and do your best to gain as much information as possible. Take an anxiety quiz to learn more about your thought process and get recommendations for treatment if you wish to seek an expert. You’re not alone in this and you can get the help you need!

There is a lot of negative media today that surrounds the use of drugs and people who use them. As we all know, drug abuse is not good for the person using them. However this does not mean every drug abuser is trying to throw away their lives on purpose. There are many influential and successful people who have turned to drugs in their darkest hour. This does not mean that these people are hooligans and murderers trying to ruin everyone else’s lives that they come across. For example, they may have made one bad decision on a night when they were broken about their recent divorce, and from thereon they were hooked on whatever poison they chose. This does not allow us to judge them and pin them as bad people because their unfortunate circumstances led them to a place where they felt they needed to turn to drugs. This means we should feel lucky we did not experience that and try our best to help them, not put them down. Everyone deserves a second chance and no one deserves to feel ashamed and guilty for one bad decision they made. The stress for that person; maybe the head of the family, to turn to his wife and kids and tell them he is struggling with a drug addiction might be so overwhelming that he never finds the courage to do so. From this point on, who knows what could happen? His addiction could worsen and one fatal overdose is all it takes for his life to be taken from this Earth. It is much the fault of the media for the shame and guilt from drugs that many people feel when confessing they have an addiction and it shouldn’t be that way. That’s why I want to help those suffering from a drug addiction, and I want them to give them the courage to step forward and confront their problems head on.

How does it make you feel?

If you were to step in front of the mirror, take a long look at yourself, and confess to yourself that you are an addict, with no control of your addiction and no idea how to turn it around. How does that make you feel? How does it make you feel to admit you are helpless in your situation? Imagine trying for months, maybe years, to turn it around but never could. Maybe this is the toughest moment of your life to confront this issue. However, this moment is the biggest moment on your path to recovery.

Being able to step up and admit your problems and be honest with yourself is crucial. This allows you to let go: to let go of the anger surrounding your frustrating addiction, to let go of the emotional roller coaster you have put yourself through multple attempts of giving up, and to let go of the idea that you must face this alone. This moment allows yourself to surrender to the addiction and seek the help you need without judgement. This is because you have been fighting with yourself, not allowing yourself to see your reflection as a drug addict and as someone who has lost all control. But it’s the truth, and the truth must now be dealt with in the appropriate manner.

Having that conversation

As soon as you have allowed yourself to accept that your struggle is real and that you need help, you need to find the nearest loved one and have a serious talk with them about what is happening and how long it has been going on. Even the most embarrassing or messed up stories need to be confessed and out on the table so they know what is going on and you can both be on the same page. This is a major second step for a struggling drug addict and do not think for one second that this conversation will be easy. If you thought confessing to yourself was tough, this will be just as tough as now you are disclosing issues you have fought so long to keep under wraps. There may be a lot of shame and guilt associated with this conversation, however if you picked the right loved one there should be no judgement: just acceptance of the truth and a massive willingness to help with your problem. This conversation should shed a lot of light on your situation and all and every question they have for you, you must answer it truthfully no matter how painful it could be for you. From here, you can start to formulate a plan together, and you feel like you have someone else there with you to fight this tough addiction.

It takes a village

One of my favorite sayings is “it takes a village”. This means to say that nothing great was achieved by a single person. Every champion, every genius, and behind every success story there was a team of people helping that person strive for their very best. There is no reason why this saying should not be true for someone fighting an addiction. Just because the media has shed a negative light on it does not mean to say someone overcoming some of the deepest rooted addictions in their life isn’t as big as achievement as someone graduating from college. It takes a lot of conscious effort, a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of pain and tears to overcome any type of drug addiction. We do not understand their struggle and therefore should never judge someone before walking in their shoes. There should be no shame and guilt associated with these addictions, just forgiveness and whole hearted kindness and sympathy. Let’s keep our thoughts to ourselves and be grateful we did. Next time you see someone struggle, help them and don’t judge.

With technological advances moving at such a great speed these days, it’s tough to know what the newest trend is or where society is heading. It seems only 10 years ago that the smart phone was introduced and now we have the arrival of a smart home? For many, the smart home is something that scares them as they don’t know how to use it and don’t want to deal with the hassle of learning new things. This is especially the case with older people, as technology has almost created a divide between the younger generation and the elderly. Young kids are now growing up surrounded by technology and begin to learn how to use it at a very early age. Some elderly people never had this technology introduced until they were 60 or 70 years old. These devices are so alien to them that they almost avoid them altogether so they don’t have to deal with the stresses and annoyance of them. Even one of the most successful people, Warren Buffet, says he still likes to use a flip phone. He is a major believer in Apple and holds a lot of their stock, however he does not want to bother to use a device he did not grow up around. Not growing up around technology is one of the many reasons why people don’t want to tackle smart home automation, they feel there is a learning curve and they don’t want to have to deal with it.

The early stages of a smart home

With the introduction of Google Home, Amazon Alexa and now Apple’s Home Pod, a lot of people have brought artificial intelligence into their home and have had the ability to scratch the surface of smart home automation. These introductory level devices lead the way for people to become accustomed to technology in the home and start syncing some of their home appliances to one of these devices. Alexa can turn lights off and on, lock your doors and soon apparently turn ovens and microwaves on and off. This is very basic home automation but nonetheless it helps people get into and learn how to use it. From there, should someone decide to automate their home more , then they at least have some knowledge of how that would work and the time saving benefits of it. For this reason, I think smart speakers are a simple and an affordable way to start your journey to a fully automated home, making life easier for everyone in your family!

The efficiency of a smart home

Installing a smart home could be one of the best decisions you have ever made if you are a fan of ease and comfort around the house. Everything can be automated and more easily adjusted if you were to install some smart home features around your house. In my opinion, saving time is a big thing, especially in our busy everyday lives, so having things around the house made simpler and easier is never a bad thing.

How can you make your home smarter?

If you are seriously debating making your home smarter but don’t know what to do, then leave that up to the professionals. There are many services that can assist you in making your home smart that you don’t even have to break a sweat. They will handle most of the details for you and make the process as smooth as possible. So if you have been considering giving a smart home a go for a while, don’t hesitate to contact a professional service to give you the ins and outs of what smart home automation can do for you. I promise it will be one of the best decisions you have ever made!

Sometimes a normal activity can start to become an addiction if the behavior begins to repeat itself. These types of addictions can manifest themselves in many ways in people’s lives, almost to the point of obsession. These can range from shopping addiction, eating addiction, gambling addiction, exercise addiction and any other activity that indicates that the behavior could be considered repetitive to the point of abnormality. Obviously, some kind of addictions can be more detrimental than others. Someone addicted to working out could overdo it, but at least they are practicing good habits and really care to be healthy and try their best to achieve this goal. Other types of addictions are clearly not as good for someone to keep repeating, such as a gambling addiction or maybe an eating addiction. These habits become ingrained into one’s daily life and are then very tough to stop. I want to give you guys a few tips on what to look out for, so you can figure out if any family members or close friends are exhibiting any of the initial signs of a process addiction. From here, we want to be able to combat these habits effectively and have steps in place to reign in their current addictive nature.

Signs that a process addiction is brewing

A few of the first signs that someone is beginning to develop process addiction are as simple as looking out for very repetitive and excessive habits in their daily routine. For example, if they are going to the casino everyday this is probably not a good thing as the casino usually wins. A gambling addiction can lead people to losing everything they own. Another way to tell if these signs are turning into a process addiction is if they are acting unlike themselves, such as nervous or anxious all the time or having deep and aggressive mood swings. This would come from the rewarding feeling they get when they win or perform that behavior. The withdrawal symptoms they experience when they are finished with the addictive activity leave them craving more. That is how the vicious cycle is created and the repetitive behavior begins. If you find someone close to you exhibiting these habits, there are a few ways you can step in and help!

How to help a loved one recover from process addiction

If a loved one or friend begins to exhibit the initial signs of process addiction, this could be a major concern. The best thing to do if you think they are getting caught up in a repetitive behavioral habit that isn’t good for them is to just confront them. However, confronting them with planned out thoughts in mind is definitely a better approach than improvising on the spot. If you write the things you want to say down on paper this is much better, so you don’t get sidetracked or dragged into an argument if they start to become defensive about their habits. It is tough for many people to admit they are experiencing some issues in life and that they are becoming too overwhelmed for them to deal with it on their own. This is why going in with a plan and giving the discussion more of a conversational tone is a good way to steer clear of an argument. If you begin by acting condescending and judgmental of them or start to accuse them of things which actually may not be true at all, then not much will be accomplished and it will probably spiral into a verbal fight very quickly. Once you have confronted them and your suspicions turn out to be correct, it is best to be convey very confidently that everything will be ok and from this very moment you will both start to work in their best interest to tackle the addiction. Closely monitoring their activity is best in the early stages as you want to make sure they are not regressing back into their old habits and starting the cycle of process addiction all over again. Also, giving them something else to focus their mind on and giving them other goals to become obsessed with is a good way to do it. For example, if someone was going to be addicted to something, if they become addicted to their work or addicted to eating healthy foods this may not be the worst thing. It is easier to work with process addiction if it’s a more normal activity than something like an alcohol addiction or drug addiction. If nothing you are trying seems to be working and they are sneaking off when you aren’t watching or being non-compliant, seeking outside help may be the best thing for the person involved. There are many places that offer world class help for these types of issues, so getting help is never a bad thing and should never be something to be ashamed of. Everyone makes mistakes, and the only real mistake is not addressing a mistake because you are too ashamed of it. So, take action today, speak out if you know someone negatively affecting their life with bad habits, or try to start your own path to change if you feel you have a process addiction to something you don’t think is helping you get to where you want to be in life!

There are so many good reasons to start improving your home that it’s tough to list every single one. Home improvements can range from adding space, redecorating rooms or even a total makeover. However, not many think of home improvements as making your home ‘smarter’. Living in a smart home is definitely a new concept for many people and it definitely hasn’t become a stipend in society just yet. Many people have started their quest to a smarter home by utilizing Amazon Echo, Google Home and now the newly released Apple Home pod. These new speakers are able to talk to you and give you answers to a lot of your daily questions. Such as what the weather will be tomorrow. Or where the traffic is on the route to work. On top of that, these speakers of course produce good quality sound for the home, so for a lot of people that is enough. However, sometimes it might be worth taking it a little further and installing a surround sound system in the house for multiple reasons.

For a start, who doesn’t love good quality sound? If you don’t this probably isn’t the right blog to be reading but I know I certainly do. Coming home and putting on the music I want to hear and being able to listen to every note is something that I always crave. There is nothing better to relaxing or enjoying yourself with music bumping in the background and there is no better way to achieve this than by putting in high quality speakers for surround sound. Especially if you were to make your home smart with it. By this you would be able to change songs at the touch of a button and dim the lights maybe just by telling your Amazon Echo to do so. You really don’t realize just how many neighbors you can annoy until you install a fully equipped surround sound system.

Another great reason to install it is having cool and innovative devices around the home can increase the re`sale value when you want to sell it. People really pay attention to the details and having something that makes your home stand out to buyers is a great thing. When people are looking around many houses to find which one they want their new home to be, a home that is the most memorable definitely has a good chance to be picked. So this means that if your home is more marketable and the resale value is increased then installing these devices can somewhat pay for themselves. Who doesn’t love free stuff? I know I do!

To go with this is the fact that you would now be able to watch movies without hearing the phrase “pass the remote I can’t hear anything”, only to realize the TV volume is all the way up. Once you install the surround sound system get ready to be fully immersed in the movie and be taken to new inspiring lands. You will sucked into the movie from the first second to the last feeling like you are right there with the characters as the surrounds are echoing around your room. If you wanted to take this immersive experience one step further, you could install a home theatre along with the surround sound system to bring the movie theatre to you. The only issues you’ll have with this idea is your friends will always be begging you to come over and watch the new release of Avengers at your place. Hope you guys like popcorn if you go with this idea!

One final and simple reason for doing it is just because you can. If you can make your life easier and have a cooler home why not? Having a smart home can make doing things around the house much easier and that’s always a good thing. Life is tough enough so when you come home you want to feel comfortable and relaxed every second you spend. Make it your own and add your spin and creative taste to create the home of your dreams. So don’t wait, go make those smart home improvements you have always wanted too and blow your friends away. Just make sure you’re ok with hosting every family holiday from now on!