Habits

Female Genital Mutilation: The Tale of a Victim 1

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Female Genital Mutilation Tale of a Victim (1)

Amina’s 10th birthday marked a turning point in her life. Instead of celebrating, she was taken to a village where she was forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). The experience was traumatic, and Amina witnessed the devastating consequences of FGM, including the death of a young girl who underwent the procedure before her.

Morning Routine – Habits for Success and Productivity

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Morning Routine - Habits for Success and Productivity

How you begin your day has a powerful effect on your productivity and success. Establishing a morning routine enables you to plan for the rest of the day. It also assists you to take crucial steps to complete your goals.  When you build a morning routine, you are sure to do your daily tasks with positive results. At the end of this article, you will learn the benefits of a morning routine. Tips for creating your morning routine for success.  Let’s look at some benefits of a morning routine. The Benefits of Morning Routine Improve Productivity- A morning routine has the energy to handle your daily schedules. It will also prepare your mind for positive results. By planning your daily activities, you will judiciously use your time. A morning routine also increases alertness and prepares you for the task ahead. Stimulate Energy –  A productive routine boosts your energy level. You may feel tired from early morning sleep. Engaging in physical exercise has the power to strengthen. It allows you to stay motivated for your daily schedule. Reduces Stress – Early morning planning is a way to achieve productivity and success. When you plan, making a list of your tasks from the biggest to the smallest helps reduce stress. Meanwhile, knowing what you want to achieve and how to achieve it helps reduce tension. and helps you have control of the task to complete at any time Build confidence –  Planning your daily schedule, helps you know which task requires more attention. You will have the mind of believing in your ability to deal with issues facing you for the day. Thus, believing in yourself enables you to complete your daily tasks. Improve mental well-being – Meditation and mindfulness are ways to have a sound mind. It sustains both physical and emotional stability. It helps you to focus and plan well. There are individual successful individuals with morning routines that contribute to their success. Jeff Bezos, Arianna Huffington, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama, among others. You may use this as an inspiration to create your morning routine for productivity. Now let’s dive into tips for building a morning routine. Tips to Develop a Morning Routine for Success A healthy morning routine helps to improve your physical and mental well-being. It has the power to boost your productivity and success. If you want to begin your day, Here are must-have 6-morning routine tips for a productive day ahead. 1. Rise Early  The saying goes thus, early to bed, early to rise. Waking up early has an impact on your success for the day. It enables you to concentrate on your objectives. By waking up early, you have a better chance to prepare ahead for your main daily task. If you find it difficult to wake up early, try setting an alarm 15 minutes before your normal time of waking up. It will assist you in creating a morning routine for productivity. 2. Drink Enough water Drinking water helps boost your performance and increase energy. It also helps in replenishing lost liquid while you are sleeping. Taking a glass of water boosts internal performance and concentration.  Drinking water helps you stay hydrated and lively.  3. Practice Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation helps to relieve anxiety and stress. Early morning meditation straightens you and allows you to stay focused. Cultivating the habit of meditation, and mindfulness is a powerful tool to sound mind. You will experience peace and calmness that will prepare you for the day.  4. Exercise Early morning physical exercise lessens stress. It increases emotional state, boosts cognitive performance, and stimulates happiness. Incorporating morning workouts will help boost your mental well-being. The exercise may be a workout, yoga session, or a few stretches. Integrating this into your morning routine is necessary for an effective result. 5. Eating Healthy Breakfast Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So it is beneficial to begin your day with breakfast. A nutritional breakfast helps to increase your attention level. It also improves concentration, supports your brain, and controls your emotions. You can start your breakfast with vegetables, whole grains, or your preference. Breakfast helps you to reason well and plan for the day’s activities.  So it is necessary not to skip breakfast to have the utmost support to carry out your daily tasks. 6. Plan your Activities  Planning your day before starting your normal activities is necessary. Listing your task according to others of preference is necessary. It will help you carry out strenuous tasks before handling simpler ones. It will also help prepare you for the day.  Consider prioritizing your task to know the task to handle first before others.  If you practice this every morning you will realize that you will achieve success daily.  Finally, developing a morning routine helps you to start your day on a fresh note. When you invest in building a morning routine in your life, you are sure to be productive. You can study successful people and use their morning routine as an inspiration. Having said this, it is time to choose the right one that will work for you and follow it. . . .  

10 Habits that Will Change Your Life Positively

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10 Habits that Will Change Your Life Positively

Developing good habits is a vital tool for achieving your goal. It positively impacts your relationships, career, and personal development.  A good habit can positively transform your life. It flows from within and then manifests physically. You may have been experiencing setbacks in your daily life, and the cause of them is not far-fetched. When you lack good habits, all your dealings will be limited, resulting in an unproductive lifestyle.  Meanwhile, embracing a good routine that positively changes your life would be best. Once a habit is established, it will help you remain focused, organized, and productive. Wayne Dyer said, “Our lives are the sum of our choices.” Once they become habitual, these choices become automatic. Thus, we have the power to consciously create new and healthier habits to make choices that can lead to our physical and mental well-being.  10 Habits to Develop in Your Life for Positive Results 1. Get Enough Sleep Many people stay up late because of their workload, but no matter how heavy your workload is, getting more sleep is necessary. Working late at night and finding it difficult to sleep is a habit. To avoid this: Create a relaxing sleep environment. Reduce your caffeine intake, especially at night. Put your phone away and remove any distracting objects. Find the number of sleep hours that energize you when you wake up. 2. Get Up Early  Getting up early in the morning is a habit, as is waking up late. However, it is essential to develop the former if you want to be productive. Early from bed lets you plan and prepare for the day’s activities. When you wake up a little before your regular time every morning, you will experience success and complete your daily tasks on time. Ensure you develop this habit, as it will help you achieve success. 3. Learning Always Always focus on learning. Learning new things is a habit you need to develop. Avoid learning only from instructors, as this will limit your knowledge of things happening around you. Develop yourself by practicing self-learning to broaden your understanding. As you know, life teaches a lot. You can learn from what is happening around you and other people’s mistakes and develop good habits to avoid those mistakes. So, learning and adjusting yourself is necessary to stay more productive. 4. Meditate Daily Meditation is a powerful tool for establishing calm and a positive mindset. A morning meditation allows you to begin your day on a positive note. It also helps you stay focused and productive. Meditation increases self-awareness, enhances concentration, and enables you to remain calm, resulting in peace of mind. 5. Eat Healthy Eating healthy is vital to our well-being. Nutritious meals are necessary for physical and mental soundness and productivity. When you develop the habit of eating well, it will not only nourish your body but also propel you to think and reason well. Eating healthy can also help you stay fit in your daily life. 6. Create Daily Routine Establishing a morning routine is another habit that can positively affect your life. Establishing a daily routine will help you plan and complete your daily tasks. It will also allow you to focus on the critical task first and prompt you to have a to-do list.  7. Exercise Regularly Physical exercise is another habit that benefits mental well-being. It can enhance physical and psychological health and prepare your mind for positivity. It may be a morning workout, yoga, or indoor exercise. These activities positively impact overall wellness. 8. Positive Mindset Keeping positive thoughts within yourself is another great habit that can transform your life for good. Doing this solves half of your problems. It will automatically help you produce good results in all facets of life.  9. Hard work  Hard work is a positive habit that you should practice. As you know, there is no shortcut to success.  Hard-working people usually experience success, although it depends on the kind of work they do. Although it may seem difficult initially, success will surely come to them as time passes. 10. Limit your Time on Social Media  Many people have become more addicted to social media. Excessive scrolling on social media delays productivity. Limiting the time you spend on social media will have a positive impact on your success. In other words, reduce your frequent scrolling on Social media and do something productive for your success. Finally, having extensively discussed habits that can change your life, it is time to put them into practice and make them part of your daily routine. Acquiring these habits will have a positive result, which may lead to a more fulfilling and successful life.

Self-Acceptance – Key to Building a Healthy and Positive Relationship

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Self-Acceptance - Key to Building a Healthy and Positive Relationship

Self-Acceptance

Self-acceptance is the key to building a healthy and positive relationship with oneself.

Key Components of Self-Acceptance

  1. Self-Compassion: You must learn to treat yourself with kindness and understanding, especially in the face of challenges or mistakes. This involves offering the same compassion to yourself as you would offer to a friend.
  2. Self-Appraisal: You need to have a realistic and balanced view of yourself, and acknowledge your strengths and areas for growth without overly criticizing or inflating your abilities.
  3. Self-Approval: Self-acceptance is about relying on internal validation and approval rather than seeking constant validation from others. Understanding that external opinions do not solely determine your worth. Look inward and capture your real personhood.
  4. Self-Love: One thing you must always do is cultivate genuine love and care for yourself. This involves prioritizing self-care and making healthy choices that contribute to your overall well-being.

 

  1. Self-talk: Be watchful and sensitive about the self-conversation or inner conversation you carry in your mind. What do you tell yourself? Are they positive or negative words?

“I am a good and caring person.”

“I am capable of achieving success in my life.”

“I am intelligent.”

“I am not alone in this. I know there are people who love me and will be there for me when I need them.” etc

WHAT IS SELF-ACCEPTANCE?

Self-acceptance is the ability to embrace and fully accept oneself, including one’s strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and imperfections. It involves acknowledging and appreciating your individuality without judgment or the need for external validation.

1. Embrace What Makes You Unique

A good place to start is to think of the things that make you special. Ask yourself how these differences may benefit you in the future and how they add value to your life.

2. Let go of the Things you can’t Change

It’s important not to focus on the things you can’t change. You may find it helpful to write a letter to yourself about letting go of what you can’t change and welcoming the things you love about yourself. Self-acceptance is essential for your mental and emotional well-being. It’s important to learn to love yourself and the things that make you unique.

Self-acceptance is learning to love yourself, inside and out. It’s about letting go of the things you can’t change and appreciating what makes you unique.

3. Identify your Strengths

Write down the things you’re good at and/or love to do (e.g. sports, watching movies, music, art, etc.). Practicing these activities regularly can help you feel more confident in your abilities.

4. Set Goals

Set a few realistic goals for yourself and create a plan to meet them (this may also help with your self-esteem).

Don’t forget to reward yourself when you meet a goal!

5. Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Make a list of everything you’ve accomplished so far and add to it regularly. Post your list someplace where you can see it often. Be proud of yourself!

6. Plan ahead

If you can, try to avoid the people and/or things that challenge your self-acceptance.

8. Show Gratitude

There’s so much in our lives that we can be grateful for. Get two jars and label it Gratitude Jar and the other Happening Jar.

At the end of each day, write down what you are grateful for and what happened that overwhelmed you or got you angry. At the end of each year, you will be surprised at how much God has done for you/saved you from.

8. Be Kind to Yourself

Consider a few things you can do to treat yourself and spend quality time on your own (e.g. taking a warm bath, going for a walk in nature, going to the spa to be pampered, etc.).

It’s also important to take care of yourself by eating right, sleeping enough, and exercising regularly.

9. Think Positively

Remember to speak kindly to yourself and turn any self-critical, negative thoughts into positive thoughts.

Don’t be too hard on yourself or compare yourself to others. Positive thinking naturally draws positive energy to you. If you want to practice this, you can have your time frame. It’s a personal decision

10. Get Involved

Try a new extracurricular activity to learn more about yourself, what you enjoy, and what you’re good at.

You can NEVER get it wrong with volunteering, the feeling of satisfaction is usually awesome. I’m sure you don’t want to deprive yourself of this.

11. Find Support

You can always share your feelings with people you trust such as family and friends. (You could even try asking them to name two or three things they like about you.)

In conclusion, everyone’s journey to self-acceptance is different, but you can learn to be comfortable in your skin. NEVER compare yourself to anyone else

What is the opposite of self-acceptance?

  • self-rejection
  • self-abasement
  • self-contempt
  • self-denigration
  • self-disgust
  • self-hatred
  • self-loathing
  • mortification
  • humiliation

Don’t do any of this opposite to yourself !!!

 

 

 

 

 

Emotional Control and Regulation

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Emotional Control

Emotional Control and Regulation

Sally sat down with a deep sigh and fuming at the same time. Her head burns hot and her body generates heat. She had just finished giving a piece of her mind to her colleague who stepped on her foot. Everyone knows she’s a no-nonsense person. No one dared cross the line and anyone who does would bear the brunch of her wrath.

The adjoining door to her office opened and Mr Benneth, their HR Director entered. He looked in the direction of Sally and their eyes locked. He beckoned to her to come and see him. Sally sighed. Without a doubt, she knew she couldn’t escape a query this time if she managed to escape a dismissal.

Emotions are powerful and can override thoughts and influence actions.

Our emotions have a huge amount of power over our choices and actions – and we can either become a master or a slave to them.

When you’re a slave to your emotions, they can motivate you to do things that are negative and destructive. For example, feeling angry while in a heated argument and then retaliating with insults or aggression. Resulting in lots of disruption and disharmony on sets. This will affect the spirit of unity and purpose.

And when you’re a master of your emotions, they can motivate you to do things that are positive and constructive. For example, feeling inspired by someone and then using that as fuel to do something creative, such as write, paint, act with great excitement, dance or make music.

Understanding Emotional Control and Regulation

Emotional control and regulation refer to the ability to manage and modulate one’s emotions effectively. It involves understanding, expressing, and responding to emotions in a balanced and constructive way. Developing emotional regulation skills is essential for mental well-being, building positive relationships, and navigating life’s challenges.

Here are some strategies to enhance emotional control and regulation:

  1. Self-Awareness: Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness techniques to increase awareness of your emotions without judgment. Mindfulness involves being present in the moment and observing your thoughts and feelings.
  2. Identifying Emotions: Label Your Emotions: Identify and label your emotions. This can help you understand what you are feeling and why.
  3. Healthy Outlets for Expression: Articulate Feelings: Healthily express your emotions, whether through verbal communication, writing, or artistic expression. Bottling up emotions can lead to increased stress.
  4. Pause and Reflect: Take a Breath: Before reacting impulsively, take a deep breath. This pause allows you to gain perspective and respond more thoughtfully.
  5. Coping Strategies: Develop Coping Mechanisms: Identify healthy coping mechanisms that work for you, such as exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature. These activities can help regulate emotions and reduce stress.
  6. Cognitive Restructuring: Challenge Negative Thoughts: Practice cognitive restructuring by challenging negative or distorted thoughts. Replace irrational thoughts with more balanced and realistic ones.
  7. Problem-Solving: Address Underlying Issues: If possible, identify and address the root causes of your emotions. Developing effective problem-solving skills can contribute to better emotional regulation.
  8. Social Support: Connect with Others: Share your feelings with trusted friends, family, or a mental health professional. Social support can provide comfort and perspective.
  9. Set Boundaries: Establish Limits: Learn to set healthy boundaries to protect your emotional well-being. Saying “no” when necessary is an important part of self-care.
  • Time Management: Prioritize Tasks: Effective time management can reduce feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed, contributing to better emotional control.
  • Regular Exercise: Physical Activity: Engage in regular exercise, as it has been shown to have positive effects on mood and emotional well-being.
  • Healthy Lifestyle Habits: Balanced Diet and Sleep: Maintain a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and sufficient sleep. Physical well-being contributes to emotional well-being.
  • Seek Professional Help: Therapy: If emotional struggles persist, consider seeking the guidance of a mental health professional. Therapy can provide tools and strategies for improving emotional regulation.

Emotional control and regulation are skills that can be developed and refined over time. It has built resilience in you over time and helps balance your emotional health.

Importance of Emotional Control

This skill is crucial for several reasons:

  1. Improved Decision-Making:

Emotional control allows individuals to make decisions based on rational thinking rather than being swayed by intense or impulsive emotions. This can lead to better choices in both personal and professional life.

  1. Enhanced Interpersonal Relationships:

People with emotional control are better equipped to handle conflicts and disagreements calmly. This contributes to healthier and more constructive interpersonal relationships, whether in friendships, family dynamics, or the workplace.

  1. Stress Reduction:

Emotional control helps in managing stress by preventing emotional reactions that can escalate tension. Individuals who can regulate their emotions are more likely to approach challenges with a clear and focused mindset.

  1. Increased Resilience:

Emotional control is closely tied to resilience—the ability to bounce back from adversity. When faced with setbacks or challenges, individuals with strong emotional control can maintain a positive outlook and persevere through difficulties.

  1. Enhanced Mental Well-Being:

Managing emotions effectively contributes to overall mental well-being. It reduces the risk of emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and promotes a more positive and balanced emotional state.

  1. Improved Communication:

Emotional control enhances communication skills. People who can regulate their emotions are better able to express themselves clearly, listen attentively, and engage in constructive dialogue without becoming overly emotional or reactive.

  1. Better Conflict Resolution:

In both personal and professional settings, conflicts are inevitable. Emotional control allows individuals to approach conflicts with a level head, facilitating more effective and solution-oriented conflict resolution.

  1. Increased Empathy:

Emotional control is linked to emotional intelligence, which includes the ability to understand and empathize with the emotions of others. This contributes to more meaningful and positive social interactions.

  1. Career Success:

Emotional control is highly valued in the workplace. Employees who can manage their emotions effectively are often more adaptable, resilient, and capable of handling pressure, leading to increased career success and advancement opportunities.

  • Health Benefits: Chronic stress and negative emotional states can have detrimental effects on physical health. Emotional control contributes to stress reduction, potentially leading to improved physical well-being.
  • Positive Impact on Others:

Individuals who demonstrate emotional control often inspire and positively influence those around them. This can create a more positive and supportive environment in personal and professional settings.

  • Personal Growth:

Emotional control is a key component of personal development. It allows individuals to learn from their experiences, adapt to change, and continually grow as individuals.

In summary, emotional control is vital for navigating the complexities of life, fostering positive relationships, and achieving both personal and professional success. A great workplace skill.

 

 

 

 

From Hobbies to Personal Effectiveness

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guitar guitarist girl musician 5531027

Transforming Positive Habits and Hobbies into Learning Power Learning is the process we go through to acquire new knowledge, skills, attitudes or values. We tend to think of learning only in relation to formal study but we are learning all the time through our experiences. Understanding how we learn is a critical building block to personal effectiveness. Everyone is different and some of us appear more effective at learning than others. Curiosity contributes alot to learning by making sense of trial and error, determination and learning from experience. We sometimes forget about some apparently ‘unconscious’ aspects of learning process. Understanding our hidden skills will help us to be a more effective learner in all aspects of our life. Positive habits and hobbies that we formed have the ability to lead our actions into efficiency and can help our learning power domain to exploring beyond the simple styles of doing things which we have mastered overtime. Habits and hobbies here focus on a broad range of behaviours, beliefs and preferences of the ways we learn in different situations, like, how we respond to new tasks, information, ideas and people. By responding to actuality against planned activities, we present ourselves positively to others and we show sensitivity to their needs by unconsciously obtaining their commitment. The following are real life simulations which we carry out daily without knowing their full import on our personal effectiveness and impact on others. Real-Life Experiences If we love keeping and grooming pets – it portrays us: As someone who shows interest in others welfare, we care! As a time-keeper, As punctual in meeting up with schedules and shifts, As humane, empathic and tender in relationship. If we have ears for news, love watching documentaries, love memoirs or history – it shows we are: A curious person, Willing to learn new skills, Methodical in resolving issues, Analytical in approach, Logical from the beginning to an end of a task, Deploying different techniques in arriving at result. If we love to cook especially for multitudes – it may imply that we: Could organize and prioritize our preparation and can keep to plan, Are willing to do things for other people, Could stick to a plan or a set of instructions, Pay attention to minute and detailed manual, Could be time conscious. If we are always regular and punctual in keeping appointments – this shows that we: Could use a diary to remind and organize ourselves of important dates and times, Could stay motivated, even in the face of challenges, Could stick to a laid down plan and act on information or instruction in a timely manner. By participating in entertainments and games, particularly team sports – it shows that we: Could play a defined role within a team work, Could listen to instructions and advice from a team lead, Could understand the importance of practicing and preparing before commencement of tasks, Are alert and ready at a short notice, Would enjoy celebrating team’s success and accomplishment, Understand that a good team relies on all the members working together, Believe in strategic planning. If we tend to garden – this shows that we: Could work constructively on our own, Are creative and could use our imagination, Could look after tools and equipment that we work with, Could take time out and reflect positively on things that are happening around us, Are meek, tender and patience, Are Hands-On and a practical person. If we have been mobilizing our community – it shows: We have leadership ability in us, We could co-ordinate plans and people, People around us trust us with responsibility for tangible results, We are a rallying point, We are opinion moulders. If we are living with other people amicably – it is likely we: Could work within stipulated ground rules, Have skills such as negotiation in order to help relationship work well, Could cope with challenging behaviour and not lose our cool, Could show consideration and respect for other people, Could speak up on behalf of others less able to do so themselves. If we travel around quite a lot, perhaps with a small group of people – this could mean: Ability to coping with many changes and adapt to them especially in new environments, Ability to working within a system that was new to us, Ability to use a diary or other method of reminding ourself of important dates and times, Ability to sticking to a plan and act on others advice. Personal Effectiveness of Self on Others in a Work Place Personal effectiveness describes how our behaviour impact and influence people around us. We exert this influence in the way we communicate and interact. Underpinning this communication and interaction are the things that are going on in our bodies, hearts and minds. The need for personal effectiveness applies in our daily social interaction with people we relate with at all levels in the society especially in a work place, whereas staff can exercise discretion in their work. The need for personal effectiveness applies to many jobs in any particular organisational level. It is a life skill set transferable between job roles, which can be acquired through practice. Impediments to Personal Effectiveness In order to know what is right to do, we need clarity. It is clarity of purpose that allows us to figure out what is truly important. The biggest enemy to clarity of purpose is noise. Noises are impediments and distractions like procrastination, lack of self confidence, running away from responsibility, fear of failure, low self-esteem, failure in taking initiatives and taking no actual action. Way Forward Knowing what is right to do is just half the question. It is useless to know what we are supposed to do if we do not actually do them. To do what is right, we need to overcome distractions to do otherwise. All distractions can be summarized as short-term pleasures. So, the action we need to take is ignoring short-term pleasures. Since the things we are supposed … Read more