Having worked in hospice setting for a number of years and being at the bedside of those who only had a few months and then days left to live, I have come to believe that if we knew definitely that our time was limited, we would look at the world with different eyes. We would suddenly begin to see things more clearly.

It started with just wanting something to happen...

In an exercise program, the muscle groups you concentrate on are the ones that improve. In a garden you can tell what is negelcted and what is lovingly sprayed, weeded, and enriched. Our spiritual lives are no different. Here are four ways to measure spiritual growth. Can you tell you are making progress?

While the majority of people do at some time or another worry about something in their life whether major or trivial, there are some people who worry constantly on a day-to-day basis, week in and week out. If you are one of these people then you have what is classed as a generalized anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder is classed in those who feel anxious or fearful on the majority of days. The feelings they have with the fear are varied and the depth at which they feel the feelings can be different from one day to the next. The feelings associated with generalized anxiety disorder are the same as those anyone who suffers any anxiety disorder feels. The most common are a fast heart rate or beat, palpitations of the heart, a sick feeling in the pit of the stomach or stomachache, sweating, a dry mouth, chest pain and a feeling of not being able to get enough breathe.

In this day and age when there is so much more potential stress in our lives we need to find more ways to relax. That does not mean that all of us are living with an overly stressful job or relationship. But it does mean we need to make sure that with all the things that we must do in our lives we do not forget the opportunity to do something special for ourselves to help us relax.

Human evolution is conflict-driven to provide the crises from which each person can generate better beliefs and attitudes. If we never have crises there would be little change to challenge our existence and develop us gradually to realise our potential.

It is okay! There are many ways to do it. It can be fast, slow or a bit of both. If you enjoy pain or will like to punish yourself for a particular reason, there are even more options for you, but before you do, read this!