I'm grateful for these things

36 CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps,etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most.)
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Thank you Lord for giving me such wonderful friends who never fail to remind me of your presence in my life.

Silver linings

It’s been a very productive 2 days. At least now I can see more clearly what seems to be bugging me.

It really helps to be able to process yourself once in a while. I should have done this sooner.

I woke up at 4am today and it dawned on me that I’ve been letting all my insecurities get to me instead of focusing at what I am GOOD at.

I know that I am good at certain things. Not a whole lot but some.
What are these?

1. I’m good at researching.
2. I like to learn and read a lot.
3. I like to write about what other people are doing/experiencing and tie these up with my own experiences.
4. I am good at motivating and encouraging others.

Plus, I have friends that also like to travel and some of them might be interested in contributing articles to my blog – if they don’t have one yet. There are 3 who already said yes, but only one of them has submitted her article.

And then, yesterday, a friend of my mom sent me an essay about her life and her experiences as a newbie mountaineer. She is 49 years old!

The essay is a bit too long but it has potential. And I can help her shape it up so it will be more interesting for the readers. Initially, I wanted to tap the international audience for my blog. But lately, I guess I realized I cannot really compete in that arena yet. They’re far more knowledgeable and far more experienced than I am (than most Pinoys are). And I don’t really want to sound pretentious. I am not a seasoned backpacker yet, though I have every intention to be one.

But the reality is – right now, at least for the next year I can’t afford to do a RTW (round-the-world) trip yet. And I really just want to concentrate on promoting my country first. The Philippines is so full of possibilities. And I know that it would be worth anyone’s while to go here and explore whatever it is we have to offer. And it would be to my advantage that more and more people do it.

It would also be to my advantage if more and more Pinays and Pinoys travel backpacking style and blog about their experiences. That would help backpacking become a more acceptable means of going from one place to another. It’s cheaper and hopefully, a more responsible and responsive way.

So, what’s the plan again?

1. Continue being a one-man team but recruit other writers. Follow up Nadia, May and Arlynne’s articles.

2. Comment on other blogs regularly. Just pick 5 or 6 local bloggers and 2 international preferably those who’ve been to the Philippines already.

3. Right now, Crystal is my writer self. Isis should be the one doing the editing and the marketing/promotions.

I think I should differentiate it some more. I should have 3 code names for my own personal use just so I can compartmentalize my roles. I am after all, a multi-faceted person.

*** Isis is the mother, nurturer, fertility goddess. She is the one who is supposed to be nurturing Crystal, and other writers-- and encourage them to be more productive. She is the one planting seeds of possibilities – that the Philippines is a Backpacker’s paradise. She is my higher self. She is the promoteur.

*** Crystal is my brilliant writer self. She has clarity of purpose, which is to be open and transparent. She can shed light on many issues. She can be entertaining as well as informative. She likes to teach and she likes to eat – a lot! Those are 2 of her strongest passions aside from writing. But she is a child and as such, she needs lots of affection, appreciation and guidance.

*** Athena is the athletic/sporty type. She likes adventures. She is my more daring self. She likes to take risks and do extreme sports. She can, however, weigh things more level-headedly. She knows the difference between risky and dangerous. She is my more adult self. She is the one I aspire to be.