• About me

I don't want to be stressed

~ Life, stress and baking in no particular order

I don't want to be stressed

Monthly Archives: June 2014

More things that I have learned from watching the World Cup

26 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Andi in Advice, Life Lessons, Self growth

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

ball, biting, lessons, self growth, World Cup 2014, World Cup soccer

Since our lives and routines are still so full of the World Cup, I thought I would share a few insights that I have learned while watching soccer (or football if you wish) with some help from my son.
What can we actually learn from soccer that applies to life? Quite a lot when you think about it.

If you’re having a bad day, don’t bite anyone!
Just because you are frustrated, you shouldn’t take it out on anyone else. Find a way to deal with your frustration that allows you to let it go without hurting anyone else (physically, emotionally or spiritually) in the process.

If you’re slightly hurt, there is no need to act out
Nobody likes a drama queen.  Everyone has bad days, everybody gets stressed.  There is no need to tell the whole world out loud about how terrible your life is.  You don’t need to post it on Facebook or be passive aggressive about it.  Look inwards and find better ways of coping without the need for having everyone around you feeling sorry for you.

If you are actually badly hurt then by all means scream and shout and perform
If you feel that your stress, depression or anxiety is getting to a point where you can’t manage it on your own, shout out loudly for help. And make sure that you get that help.

Don’t waste time blaming somebody else for your fall
It may be their fault, it may not be.  But all the energy and time you spend blaming them is wasting time and energy that you could rather spend building yourself up.

Sometimes even the greatest players or teams fail
We all make mistakes, we all fail.  But make that failure matter by learning from it and moving in a new direction rather than digging yourself into a hole of self pity.

Be a good sport
Be proud of other people’s achievements.  It doesn’t mean that you are a failure just because somebody else has succeeded. You could learn from them and their success may push you in the right direction too.

Keep your eye on the ball
Never lose focus of your goals and dreams.  It is easy to let the routine of life distract you from where you want to be.
Go out and be brilliant!

Share the calm:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Lessons from the World Cup… so far

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Andi in Advice, Attitude, Life Lessons, Success

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Brazil 2014, failure, lessons, Olympics, Spain, success, Torvill and Dean, World Cup, World Cup 2014

In our house, we are in full swing of World Cup fever.
We always have bets on pretty much everything that there is to bet on (usually with a dinner reward for the winner) and of course, the betting for a World Cup winner was hotly debated.  The big issue was if more than one person could vote for the same team to win and the team that everyone was fighting for was Spain!
Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? Nobody should have wasted their energy trying to pick Spain but then again, nobody could have predicted that the reigning champions would be knocked out in the first round with millions of people witnessing their downfall. (Sorry to the Spanish supporters out there).

Imagine if we knew exactly how our decisions in the present would affect our future?
We would probably do so many things differently!
But we blindly move forward, always trying our best to do what we think is best and we have no idea whether those decisions are going to work for us.
Our choices could absolutely break us down or they could be the most positive thing that we have ever decided to do.
Unfortunately, no matter what, we don’t actually know how our choices today are going to affect our tomorrow.  They could be carefully measured, thought out and calculated or they could be spur of the moment impulsive decisions but neither is guaranteed to work.

So, how do we deal with this?
Well we don’t, really.  We have to do what is best for ourselves at the time and trust that it is going to work in our best interests.  But we also have to know that it may not work out.  Either way, it is part of the journey of our lives.  To really enjoy and celebrate success – especially if it related to something that we have done for ourselves, but then to also have the ability and insight to understand that if it goes wrong, we can learn from it, we can grow from it.
It could be the building block for a very successful future if we don’t punish ourselves for our mistakes and feel sorry for ourselves.

My idols – skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are most famous for having won the Olympics in 1984 with perfect marks.  In 1994, they decided to have another go at the Olympics and everyone presumed that they would definitely win gold again.  They didn’t. They ended up with a bronze medal and a lot of people having a lot to say about that.  Most people saying that they should not have gone back to the Olympics.  The thing is though, that although it seemed that they failed (though winning a bronze medal in the Olympics is hardly a failure in my eyes), they got more support and actually seemed to become more popular.  That is using “failure” as a building block.

Keep moving forward, keep trying new things, make choices despite what other people think about your choices because whatever happens, you still win!
And… take comfort from the fact that if you don’t win, there are not millions of people watching you fai!

Share the calm:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Can cheesecake make you happy?

12 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Andi in Chocolate yeah!, Creativity, Food for the soul, Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

cheesecake, cheesecake recipe, chocolate, chocolate cheesecake, creative, espresso, happy, recipe, stressfree

Can cheesecake actually make you happy?
I’m sure that if I looked hard enough and consulted Dr Google, I would find all kinds of scientific reasons why cheesecake could be good for you – things like boosting serotonin levels….
The simple answer to this question is:
Definitely! But (of course there has to be a but!) it is not just the eating of the cheesecake that can make you happy, there is a lot to say about making cheesecake.
There is the beating and crushing of the biscuits (by hand of course) to ease your frustrations of the day.
Blending those biscuit crumbs with warm butter and gently soothing it into a lovely, smooth base; the choreographed elegance of folding cream into cream cheese; and not forgetting the most important step – the licking of the spoon.

Last week was a Jewish holiday – Shavuos – where part of the custom is to eat dairy foods (read: cheesecake, and a lot of it) so when I usually write and post this blog, I was eating!
Stepping away from the mundane, stressful routine of life and just spending some time creating something beautiful can be one of the best ways of dealing with stress and giving your mind a chance just to calm down.
If baking is not your thing, then make sure that there is something that you can do to move away from the stressful and have something amazing and creative to show for it at the end.
This is your reward for all of the hard work, effort and exhaustion that goes into just living your life.
It can’t just be about trying to avoid stress and continually trying to cope with the all of the stressful work/family/financial/social situations.
It needs to be about letting yourself enjoy moments and to create those moments that are enjoyable.

So while I try to settle back into the hectic routine of actually working a full week, here is my recipe for a

Chocolate, chocolate, espresso cheesecake:

Base:
250g chocolate biscuits – crushed in which ever way you find best
160g butter (melted)

Combine the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter and press into a 20cm tin
Place into the fridge until firm

Cheesecake filling:
250g cream cheese
1 cup cream
3 eggs (beaten)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons espresso (drink the rest of the espresso while making the cake)
1 slab of milk chocolate (about 180g) – or white chocolate, or dark chocolate, or a mixture (is it really fair to have to choose?)

Place all ingredients, except the chocolate into a bowl and beat until smooth
Pour this glorious mix over your base
Melt the chocolate and get creative by pouring it into the cheesecake mixture – I like to get a marble look but swirls, dots, or just random lumps of chocolate are good
Bake at 200°C for about 40 minutes until firm.
Let it cool completely and place in the fridge.

Glaze:
½ cup sweetened coffee (or coffee flavoured liqueur or chocolate liqueur)
250g dark chocolate
60g butter
½ cup cream

Place coffee or liqueur into a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat until mixture is reduced.
Add chocolate, butter and cream and continue stirring until it is melted and smooth
Remove from the heat and rest it until the mixture is cool and has thickened.
Pour all over your cheesecake and then return to the fridge to set.

Share the calm:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

I don’t want to be stressed

I don’t want to be stressed

idontwantstress

  • https://t.co/jQJnho2eOJ 3 years ago
  • Write a new story idontwanttobestressed.com/2018/11/08/wri… 3 years ago
  • Be brave enough to fail idontwanttobestressed.com/2018/08/30/be-… 3 years ago
  • Happy Women’s Day idontwanttobestressed.com/2018/08/09/hap… https://t.co/DO68jl7TH4 3 years ago
  • Speak butterfly idontwanttobestressed.com/2018/07/05/spe… 3 years ago

Calm....Calmer......Calmest

Join 737 other followers

Feeling stressed?

Advice Anxiety Attitude Being brave Change Chocolate yeah! Coping skills Creativity Depression Fear Food for the soul Freedom Gratitude HIV Illness Life journey Life Lessons Lists Mental health Mindfulness Moods Positivity Projects Quiet and slow Recipes self esteem Self growth Shades of Grey Stress Success

Recent Posts

  • Write a new story
  • Be brave enough to fail
  • Happy Women’s Day
  • Speak butterfly
  • Rest, recovery and reflection

Archives

  • November 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • I don't want to be stressed
    • Join 737 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • I don't want to be stressed
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: