Still haven’t switched from coffee?  Here are some health benefits that just may spur you to action.  Studies have shown that tea, and particularly green tea, relaxes arteries and lowers blood pressure.  Green tea is also being studied as a preventative for Alzheimer’s disease.  Green tea has been known to prevent kidney stones, and it also helps keep bones strong, which fends off osteoporosis.  Green tea gives fat metabolism a boost and its main antioxidant may even prevent cavities!  Green tea has less caffeine than black tea, which has lots less caffeine than coffee but if you want to make sure you avoid that stimulant altogether reach for the decaffeinated variety.  Many brands also have green teas flavored with peach, orange or even mango!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

We’ve all done it, put things off, delayed doing things, thinking that it will somehow be easier, or more interesting, at some time other than now.  But then we get stressed out, and feel under pressure because our “to do” list has grown and our time allotment has shrunk.  Why do we do this to ourselves?  Procrastination is not laziness, it is an active process of delaying things until we “feel better” about them.  It’s a kind of perfectionism in the sense that we think everything has to be “just right” when in reality, there’s no time like the present, and we really “feel better” when we have gotten something done.  If procrastination is becoming a habit, there are things we can do about it.  First, address what is making you uncomfortable about completing a necessary task.  It the task seems too daunting or overwhelming, break it down into smaller chunks, and start from there.  Once you get going, you’ll start to feel a sense of accomplishment, and the rest will go much more easily.  Another strategy is to sit yourself down with a timer give yourself 10 or 15 minutes on the clock to get as far as you can into the task.  Chances are, once the time is up you’ll be so involved that you’ll be happy to keep going until you finish.  And you can also reward yourself for the completion of a task.  We may readily put off something that makes us uncomfortable, but we are less likely to delay gratification.  The reward can be anything that will spur you to action: a dinner out, a new DVD, or a bubble bath, for example.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

We do so much to keep ourselves healthy, diet, exercise, sleep and now there is evidence that shows something else we can do: turn down the volume!  University of Michigan scientists found that the blood pressure of factory workers rose 2 points for every 10-13 decibel increase in workplace noise.  Another study, done in Germany, found that living in a noisy neighborhood, where traffic raised decibel levels above 60, doubled a man’s chance of a heart attack, a tripled a woman’s chance of a heart attack.  How does this happen?  Excess noise increases stress hormones that constrict arteries, and that’s not good.  The simple solution is earplugs.  When you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone just 3 feet away, that’s when you need earplugs.  Watch the volume level on telephones, iPods and appliances, too.  Be aware of noise levels at concerts and social events, and protect your ears when flying.  And spend some time in silence every day.  Silence is a wonderful rejuvenator for body, mind, and spirit.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

The past few months I’ve spent a lot of time visiting hospitals.  A hospital isn’t anyone’s favorite place to be, certainly not if you’re a patient.  But I was impressed with all that some hospitals are doing to make the experience less stressful.  For example, Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles has a music program, and volunteers go around to the rooms and the waiting rooms singing or playing music.  At one point we were serenaded with a beautiful harp, and another time were treated to a lovely folk song.  Many hospitals also have programs where dogs come to visit.  A study at UCLA reported that when patients were visited by these canines, they had a 24% drop in their anxiety scores, and a 17% dip in the stress hormone epinephrine.  The same results did not hold when patients were visited by friendly strangers instead.  The lead researcher noted that there’s no social effort for patients when the dogs come to visit, so the patient can be more relaxed.  The dogs I met were wonderful, and although they take their job seriously, they each seemed to enjoy the experience.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

I’m sure you’ve seen many of the online greeting cards that you can send from various websites.  Some are free, others are membership based.  I’ve sent a lot of these cards for all kinds of occasions.  As much of a selection as I’ve seen, there have been times when what I wanted to get across just wasn’t on the page.  So, I decided to create my own online postcards, or “Coffey Cards” and share them with you!  I took some of the most popular messages from Wisdom News and categorized them under headings, or reasons you might want to send a card.  Then I found some beautiful images that I hadn’t seen anywhere else.  Basically, you pick the image you want, and pair it with the message you want, add your own greeting if you’d like, type in the recipient’s name and send your card on its way!  It’s that easy – and, it’s completely f/ree!  Check it out, I think you’ll be excited.  The cards are much more meaningful than anything else I’ve experienced with online greetings, and I think that recipients will be touched with the thought.

https://www.coffeytalk.com/coffeycards/

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

It’s interesting to take note of the people in our lives, how we met, when we met, why we met, and what they mean to us.  My friend Dick Sutphen has a new book called “Soul Agreements. It’s about understanding our relationships and the influence that they have on our lives, how they shape the very direction of our lives.  This book is really a collection of stories, case studies, where real people discover how the soul agreements in their lives work, and how they can use these to overcome obstacles and create their own reality of love and success.  It’s fascinating!  It really got me thinking of some of the people who have been there for me at certain times when I needed them most.  Some of these people are still in my life, and others I have lost touch with.  You might call them angels, or you might say that we had this“soul agreement” to fulfill with each other.  Whatever the case, it is an opportunity for growth to recognize these agreements, and to live up to our end of the agreement.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

When Freddy and Brian were little, their Uncle Dave gave them a box turtle.  Freddy right away named the turtle Shelby and proclaimed it to be his, since this little Ninja Turtle fan “always wanted” a real turtle.  Of course Brian had to have a brother turtle to keep Shelby company, and promptly named his companion Shellshock.  Shelby and Shellshock live in an atrium inside our house, which is pretty much like a turtle paradise.  They’re easy to take care of, most of the time we don’t even know they’re there.  In the spring when the weather is warmer, they start getting a little more active, more playful.  I think turtles are marvelous creatures, and there are lessons we can learn from them.  We can look within for wisdom, and come out when our ideas are ready to be expressed.  We carry our home with us.  Sometimes we need to slow down and take our time.  My friend Lindsay shared with me this wonderful book that looks at the symbolism of animals – it’s fascinating!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

When we talk about “purpose” I think that we each have our individual purpose, a reason why we’re here in this specific place and time and that’s up to each of us to figure out for ourselves.  And then generally, we all have the same purpose, which is three-fold:

1. To learn and grow.  It seems to be our natural instinct to progress in this way.  We can’t grow backwards!  We look for opportunities to better ourselves, and we find them in our relationships, in classes, in books.  We practice behaviors that help us to understand who we are.  We look within. Journaling is an example of a way for us to keep track of our thoughts, dreams and desires.  It’s also a way that we can look back and see how far we’ve come.  Spiritual growth is a strong desire, one that propels us forward.

2. To express ourselves and our unique gifts.  We are not meant to sit in a shadow and be quiet.  We have something to say, both literally and figuratively.  So, just what are these unique gifts that we have to share with the world?  It’s personal for each one of us.  To find what this is for you, look at what you love to do.  Look at where you love to spend your time.  Look at what comes easily to you.  There is your talent.  Now share it!  It takes all of us, and all of our varied and diverse talents, to make this world function.

3. To help each other and serve.  Many times this goes really well with the second part, and we can use our talent to help others.  For example, my mother loves to crochet, and she can whip up a blanket in no time at all.  She and a group of her friends at the Senior Center knit and crochet items for children in hospitals.  And when they heard about our young soldiers in Iraq needing supplies, they put their sewing skills to good use and started making “cool ties” to send over in care packages.  Helping feels good.  It’s really a gift we give to ourselves.  And we have so many chances everyday to really make a difference in the world.  I started a page on coffeytalk.com called “Involvement Opportunities” that can give you ideas for places to start – and I’m sure there are opportunities right in your own neighborhood, too.  It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, as the bumper sticker says: “Think Globally, Act Locally”  It all adds up to a better world.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Are you tired of being inundated with bad news all the time?  It seems like every time we turn on the TV there’s something else disastrous going on.  It’s very depressing.  There is good news out there – but that’s not always what is reported.  Now there’s a way for us to find out about it: HappyNews.com.  This is such a terrific site – you’ll find good news stories both national and international, and stories about heroes, new breakthroughs in science, and so much more.  There is a lot to be happy about, and HappyNews.com brings it to our attention.  I, for one, say thanks for that! http://www.happynews.com

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)