Personal motivator Betty Cosgrave will give a free 90-minute talk on “Finding solutions in these challenging times” at the Radisson Hotel on Tuesday October 6 at 7pm.
Her motivational talk coincides with the release of her new book The Whispering Soul.
A life coach and corporate business coach, she has been featured on television, radio and in the print media. She has worked with people from all walks of life including celebrities and politicians.
While we are living through the most difficult economic times of the last 100 years, it’s important not to lose heart, she says.
“After all, if we’re able to approach the current challenges with a positive frame of mind, then we will quickly realise that these same challenges are merely opportunities for us to grow. We can certainly benefit from putting into perspective the things that are most important to us and learn to be grateful for the treasures we have.
“When we consider those things that make most of us anxious, the leading contender in these challenging times would, in most cases, be a financial/ job security issue. Is my job safe? Will I be able to keep up my mortgage payments/school fees, etc?”
When faced with worries of this nature, our bodies usually respond in ways that are not helpful to us, she says.
“Hence we find that we become increasingly anxious and fearful. The symptoms of anxiety only serve to make our bodies very toxic. They flood us with chemicals which not only make us feel as if we are in a constant state of stress but also erode the feel-good hormones that we need to help us think flexibly and creatively. There are some simple things we can do to help counteract the potential damage.
“The most natural way to create more feelgood hormones and burn off stress hormones is exercise. Exercise releases endorphins. The more endorphins we have, the better we feel. The most helpful exercises for people with anxiety symptoms are meditative in character. Yoga, for example, is a form of active meditation and has been shown in clinical trials to have positive effects on anxiety symptoms. Walking, running and swimming are also wonderfully meditative, all of which can be done outdoors, bringing us closer to nature - restorative in itself. We are not designed to be passive, our bodies crave movement.”
