Paleo Diet Recipes: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Paleo Diet and recipes

On first impression you may be thinking that, like most diets, the Paleo diet is going to be too restricting/complicated and mealtimes could become an 'issue'. Not in the least! Do not even consider for a moment that Paleo diet meals and recipes are going to be boring, complicated or lack in variety. Paleo diet recipes result in wholesome flavoursome meals.

Personal Diet

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Protein plays a vital role in Paleo diet and meals should consist of approximately 60% to 70% percent of your daily food intake. The balance of course being fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds with additional oils used in preparation of the meals such as avocado oil, nut oils etc.

Paleo Diet Recipes: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

NO GRAIN OR DAIRY IS TO BE CONSUMED

Remember shop fresh, organic, natural and wild. To be totally Paleo, eat seasonal as well - this of course being carbon footprint friendly.

Lunch and dinner Paleo diet recipes and meals can be adjusted according to your own personal lifestyle and requirements. To start out take your usual recipes and merely substitute the 'cannot have' with a 'can have' - you will be amazed how quickly you adjust and how capable you are of making your own Paleo diet recipes.

Some ideas for your three main Paleo diet meals for the day:

Breakfast:

2 Poached eggs on a bed of lightly panned spinach Bowl of mixed berries with nuts and cashew cream A 2 egg omelette with filling of your choice eg - no dairy though Chicken liver and bacon with grilled tomato. Fruit smoothy of choice eg banana and nut; berries and fresh coconut blended with ice cubes. Steamed/grilled fish with grilled tomato and mushroom. Absolutely nothing wrong with having the leftovers from dinner the night before.

Lunch and Dinners

These can be adjusted according to your daily routine.

Mushroom burger with salad Roast chicken, vegetables and salad Meat and vegetable kebab with broccoli and walnut salad Bolognaise - made with zucchini spaghetti Prawn, avocado and fresh asparagus salad Wholesome chunky soup. Steak, vegetable bake and salad.

Sauces/Dressings

Salads and vegetables can be enhanced with various sauces and dressings eg any easy to make dressing of the combination of honey, lemon juice, seasoning and fresh, finely chopped herbs of choice. Paleo tartar sauce made from Paleo mayonnaise can be added to seafood, be it fish, shellfish or crustacean. A basic Paleo diet recipe for mayo is as follows:

3 - 5 Garlic cloves peeled (large)

Approximately 2 cups of organic olive oil

2 room temperature, lightly beaten free range egg yolks,

juice of 1 organic lemon

small quantity of lukewarm waster

Crush garlic cloves into a paste and add to the lightly beaten egg yolks. Lightly beat with wooden spoon until the mixture turns pale yellow.

While blending the garlic and egg yolk very slowly (drop by drop) add 3 tablespoons of the olive.

Blend gently until the mixture is thick and creamy then add ½ to 1 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice.

Continue stirring while adding the olive oil in a very fine stream. If the mixture becomes too thick once again add 1 teaspoon of water and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Continue like this until all the oil is used.

Always mix by stirring in one direction only.

Should the mixture split - put it over into a clean bowl and add a teaspoon of lukewarm water and mix continue like this until fixed.

Most important have fun inventing your very own Pale Diet recipes and meals.

NOT FORGETTING YOU GET DESSERT AS WELL!

Paleo Diet Recipes: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

For More free Paleo Diet Recipes. Visit my website at http://www.paleodietscave.com.

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How to Recognize the Symptoms of Gall Bladder Disease

Due to inappropriate diet and obesity, many people suffer from gall bladder disease. Gall bladder disease commonly affects overweight people as a result of high blood cholesterol levels. The consumption of foods that are rich in fat also contributes to the development of gall bladder disease and many people suffer from gall bladder affections as a consequence of inappropriate diet.

Gall bladder disease is usually caused by gallstones, solid structures formed from cholesterol, calcium and bile salts. Gallstones can cause cholecystitis (inflammation and swelling of the gall bladder), choledocholithiasis (occurs when gallstones accumulate inside the bile duct) cholangitis (infection of the gall bladder and bile duct) and pancreatitis.

Personal Diet

Judging by the seriousness of gall bladder disease and its rate of development, there are two forms of the disorder: chronic cholecystitis (biliary colic) and acute cholecystitis. In the chronic form, the symptoms of gall bladder disease are milder and have a recidivating character. In the acute forms, the symptoms of gall bladder disease are very intense and in some cases suggest the development of complications.

How to Recognize the Symptoms of Gall Bladder Disease

The generalized symptoms of gall bladder disease are: abdominal pain, indigestion, vomiting, nausea, bloating of the abdomen, discomfort and pain when ingesting fatty foods. These symptoms of gall bladder disease are common in patients with chronic cholecystitis. However, apart from gall bladder pain, many patients may have no other symptoms of gall bladder disease. Gall bladder pain is characteristic to all people who suffer from gall bladder disease and it usually occurs after meals. This major symptom of gall bladder disease usually intensifies at night and after physical effort.

Persistent bitter taste in the mouth, bad breath and headaches can also be symptoms of gall bladder disease. Other symptoms of gall bladder disease are constipation and discolored stools.

In its acute form, the symptoms of gall bladder disease are accompanied by fever, sweating and severe pain attacks. Pain attacks are very intense in acute cholecystitis and they may last for a few hours. Pain episodes usually occur after meals and at night. The pain usually occurs in the abdominal region, the mid back region and under the right shoulder. Fever suggests the aggravation of gall bladder disease, occurring due to bacterial infection. Other symptoms of gall bladder disease that may indicate the development of complications are: yellowish aspect of the skin and eyes, chills, sweating and ongoing abdominal pain.

Gall bladder disease can become serious if it not treated appropriately. It is very important to pay attention to the symptoms of gall bladder disease in order to timely spot the presence of the disorder. If the symptoms of gall bladder disease don't ameliorate after medical treatment and appropriate diet, surgery may be the only option left. However, gall bladder surgery is uncomplicated, involves minimal risks and allows patients to recover quickly after the surgical intervention. Many people with recidivating pain often decide to have their gall bladder removed even if their condition is not serious. Gall bladder surgery is a very effective way of overcoming the intense symptoms of gall bladder disease and it is also considered to be very safe and quick to recover from.

How to Recognize the Symptoms of Gall Bladder Disease

So, if you want to find out more about gall bladder removal and especially about gall bladder symptoms we recommend you these links. You will find one of the bests informational websites about gall bladder.

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Graves' Disease Diet Tips You Probably Don't Know About

Before I discuss some Graves' Disease diet tips that can help restore your health back to normal, let me first tell you that not only am I a licensed healthcare professional, but I was personally diagnosed with Graves' Disease. And nutrition definitely played a huge role in restoring my health back to normal. I will warn you that being a holistic doctor I am biased towards natural treatment methods, so while most endocrinologists label Graves'' Disease as "incurable", based on my own personal experience I believe that Graves'' Disease can be cured, and one's diet is important in restoring their health.

So if you are looking for Graves' Disease diet tips that will help restore your health back to normal, then you are going to enjoy reading the following information. As I just mentioned, diet can play a big role in treating Graves'' Disease naturally. However, I will tell you that while eating healthy and incorporating nutritional supplements can be beneficial, there are other factors that will also play a role in your recovery, which I will briefly mention in this article.

Personal Diet

I also will warn you that different doctors will have varying opinions as to what is considered to be "healthy" with regards to one's diet. And let's be honest for a moment...nobody eats the "perfect" diet, as in my opinion it's okay to be "bad" every now and then. For example, I consulted with a patient once who loved milkshakes, which as you might guess isn't too healthy. And while it would be ideal for this person to completely eliminate milkshakes from her diet, having one every so often usually isn't a big deal. And the same goes with other foods.

Graves' Disease Diet Tips You Probably Don't Know About

Of course there are exceptions. For example, someone with celiac disease probably won't be able to eat a gluten-based food "every now and then" without having a bad reaction. Another example involves someone who can't "settle" for a milkshake every now and then, or an occasional slice of pizza, etc. In other words, some are better off staying away completely from the "bad" foods, or else they begin consuming too much of it.

Testing For Food Allergies Is A Good Idea

Anyway, one of the first things I will recommend before anyone changes their eating habits is to get tested for food allergies. Going to a regular allergy doctor might not be the best option, as usually they will test for only IgE antibodies. You might want to visit a holistic doctor and receive an ELISA/EIA panel, which also measures the IgG antibodies, and is usually more accurate (although this does depend on the lab that performs the test).

Another alternative is to consider a GI Health Panel. The company Diagnos-Techs offers this type of test, which measures the health of the gastrointestinal tract and includes over one dozen tests that utilize saliva and stool specimens. They also offer a FIP-Food Intolerance Panel, that will determine whether you are allergic to four of the most common foods (gluten, soy, milk, and egg proteins).

A less costly method is to conduct an elimination diet, where you eliminate all of the common food allergens (wheat, soy, dairy, etc.), and then slowly introduce a potential allergen, one at a time. There are different ways of doing this, but here is an example. You can go on a purification program (described shortly), and then once the purification program is completed, introduce wheat for 3 days, and see how your body reacts. Just make sure you don't add more than one potential allergen, as if you were to add both wheat and dairy for example, and had a bad reaction, you wouldn't know which allergen was responsible.

A Purification Program Can Be Beneficial

As I just mentioned, many people can benefit from a purification program. There are different types of these programs, and when doing one it is wise to be under the guidance of a competent healthcare professional. When I put one of my patients on a purification program, I prefer having them avoid gluten, dairy, soy, and other common allergens for at least twenty one days. Once again, the reason for this is because they are common allergens.

On the other hand, I encourage them to eat plenty of vegetables, some fruits, as well as chicken, turkey, and certain types of fish. I do recommend that they purchase organic food, at least with regards to the meats. While it would be great if they can buy everything organic, I realize some people can't afford this, and so if you must pick and choose, I'd recommend to eat organic meat, and try to stay away from non-organic vegetables and fruits that are high in pesticides. These aren't necessarily the only foods I recommend, as most people can consume a small quantity of raw nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds, etc.), as well as some other foods.

An Actual Example Of A Graves'' Disease Diet:

Here is an example of a daily protocol when I first went on my Graves' Disease diet. Keep in mind that this is just an example, and is not a diet that I stayed on permanently (although it did train me to eat better, and I still eat healthy to this day):

Breakfast:

• Protein drink which contained 2 cups of purified water, I cup of mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries), a healthy form of protein powder, and 1 teaspoon of flax seed oil (after one month I added one raw organic egg to this).

Mid-morning snack:

• Organic apples and raw sunflower seeds

Lunch:

• Grilled chicken salad: organic mixed greens and spinach, organic grilled chicken

Mid-afternoon snack:

• Another protein drink (very filling, and actually tastes pretty good)

Dinner:

• Organic roasted turkey

• Some type of vegetable (i.e. squash)

After-Dinner Snack:

• 1 cup of raw nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, cashews)

Although this diet is relatively healthy, you'll notice that it isn't perfect. I probably should have incorporated more vegetables, but overall it was a healthy diet. Today I still eat healthy, but I do incorporate some whole grains occasionally (for example, I will have a turkey wrap or sandwich with whole wheat bread), and every now and then I'll even go out and get some pizza, eat some chocolate, etc.

If you currently eat a lot of junk food and/or have strong sweet and carbohydrate cravings, I wouldn't expect you to change overnight. Under such circumstances it is best to take it slow, and when I first consult with a patient that has strong sweet and carb cravings, I put them on a protocol to help them get rid of these cravings, and thus make the transition to a healthier diet much easier. I personally was brought up eating foods like Fruit Loops, Burger King Whoppers and fries, and drank plenty of Hawaiian Punch. And while I was already eating much healthier when I was diagnosed with Graves'' Disease, when I first began trying to eat healthy it did take some time.

Drink Plenty Of Purified Water

You also want to drink plenty of purified water during this time, and avoid any soft drinks, and even most juices, which can be high in sugar. As for what type of water you should drink, different doctors have different opinions, but I recommend either water that has gone through a reverse osmosis process or distillation, and then is enhanced with minerals. Some will disagree with me, preferring water without minerals added. Either way, stay away from the tap water, and I'd also be cautious about drinking spring water unless if you know the source is a good quality.

What Are Goitrogens?

There are also certain goitrogens you should try your best to avoid. Goitrogens interfere with the function of the thyroid gland, which admittedly isn't as big of a factor in someone with a hyperthyroid condition like Graves'' Disease as it would be with someone with a hypothyroid condition. But still, you want to at least minimize the following foods, and some of them you will want to avoid completely. I personally ate some of the following goitrogens in moderation (i.e. spinach and broccoli), while completely avoiding others (i.e. soy). Anyway, here are some of the goitrogens to be aware of:

• Soy
• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Spinach
• Turnips
• Peaches
• Strawberries

Where Should You Shop?

As for where should you shop, although you can shop at your local health food store, I personally like Trader Joes, which is a national chain that has plenty of natural and organic food at affordable prices. Some "regular" grocery stores, and even places like Wal-Mart sell some natural and organic food as well. While my wife and I love shopping at Trader Joes for most of our items, we do buy some of our foods at a local health food store, and a few items in a "regular" supermarket.

Other Factors Besides Diet Can Impact Your Health

Besides eating healthy, there are some other factors that can affect your health. Since it's difficult to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need through your diet, taking some quality nutritional supplements can be beneficial (i.e. B vitamins, Vitamin D, iodine, essential fatty acids, a multi-mineral supplement, etc.). As I'm sure you know, it's also beneficial to be on a regular exercise program. Another big factor for people with Graves'' Disease is to manage the stress in their lives, as while just about everyone has to deal with stress, we all have different coping mechanisms. And those people that don't do a good job of managing the stress in their lives are more likely to have stressed out adrenal glands, which can both lead to and exacerbate an autoimmune condition.

Should You Consult With A Natural Endocrine Doctor?

While many endocrinologists label Graves'' Disease as being incurable, the truth is that many people like myself are turning to natural treatment methods to help restore the function of the thyroid gland, and thus avoid anti-thyroid drugs and radioactive iodine. A competent natural doctor that focuses on endocrine disorders can help you with your diet, recommend quality supplements, and put you on a complete program that can potentially restore your health back to normal. While not everyone is a candidate for natural treatment methods, most people can benefit from following a natural treatment protocol.

So for those looking for an ideal Graves' Disease diet, hopefully you have a better idea as to what foods you should eat when diagnosed with this condition. Truth to be told, most people should eat a healthy diet consisting of whole foods, regardless of whether or not they have an autoimmune thyroid disorder or not. Doing so can actually help prevent the development of such conditions, along with incorporating other lifestyle factors, such as exercising regularly, obtaining quality sleep, and doing a good job of managing stress. But for someone with Graves'' Disease, eating healthy can definitely help to improve their health, and is thus extremely important.

Graves' Disease Diet Tips You Probably Don't Know About

Dr. Eric Osansky is a licensed healthcare professional who personally used natural treatment methods to restore his health when he was diagnosed with Graves' Disease. For more information on how to use natural treatment methods to treat Graves' Disease, including a free video and 46-page guide that shows you how to treat your autoimmune thyroid disorder naturally, please visit his website at http://www.naturalendocrinesolutions.com.

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The Best 4 Cellulite Remedies Reviewed

Women in search of cellulite remedies may have tried everything from home tricks to expensive creams. Which are truly effective cellulite remedies? In this article we review 4 popular methods for reducing cellulite and ask do they really work?

1. Exercising

Personal Diet

Exercising helps not only with cellulite decrease, but also with improving a person's overall health. Obviously it's harder to do than apply creams, but the results are definitely more noticeable & more long term. Exercise is effective because it does 2 things: improve the blood circulation and burn the calories which are forming the cellulite appearance. Exercising is the best way to reduce cellulite. You can take up cardio workouts such as running, swimming, brisk walking and hiking in order to lose those unwanted fats from your body.

The Best 4 Cellulite Remedies Reviewed

Be warned though - you need to do the correct targeted exercises to build lean muscle behind the cellulite - doing the wrong exercises could make you cellulite worse!

2. Massage

Massaging the parts of your body that have cellulite is also effective in getting rid of cellulite. This ensures increased blood flow which stops cellulite from accumulating underneath your skin. Massage the mixture into your thighs, hips, and buttocks, then cover with plastic wrap. Hold a heating pad over each area for 5 min". Some people say that massage is effective but it does not cure cellulite for good.

3. Diet

A healthy diet will put you on the right track for reducing cellulite. Eating lots of fruit and veg high in anti-oxidants. Eat them steamed, raw or juiced and enjoy the reward of healthy, beautiful skin. Eating these and other healthier foods is a great way to help fight the buildup of cellulite. However diet alone will not cure your cellulite, it needs to be used as part of a complete anti-cellulite program.

4. Anti-Cellulite Creams

Creams: If there exists a simpler home cellulite treatment, it has not been found! Get an anti-cellulite lotion online - make sure it has a good reputation - and begin using it every day. Creams should be used in conjunction with other treatments such as massage. Daily moisturizing will help skin look its best during any time of the year. There is much hype surrounding cellulite creams and the jury is still out on how effective they are. They may make your skin look and feel good but will they actually remove cellulite? It has yet to be proved.

The Best 4 Cellulite Remedies Reviewed

There is a really good anti-cellulite program available which takes a combination of the right exercises along with diet to deliver good solid results. Read my personal review of the product and see how it helped me here Cellulite Remedies That Work. http://celluliteremediesguide.com

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How To Work At Home With No Investment Today

Contrary to popular beliefs there are many ways to work at home with no investment. I know you have visited tons of web sites and every where you turn there seems to be someone requesting a fee to work at home.

Are you feeling discouraged?

Today

Chances are you getting frustrated and believe that there aren't any legitimate free work at home jobs out there. Don't give up so easily! Finding work at home is not as daunting as you may think.

How To Work At Home With No Investment Today

You just have to know where to find these jobs and what type of work at home can be done relatively quickly.

Scam Artist Are Preying On Your Limitations!

Too often people limit themselves to data entry or clerical work at home jobs. The scam artist know this and they prey on work from home seekers like yourself by flooding the internet with their scams targeting data entry or clerical jobs at home.

You being the work at home seeker that has limited yourself to one type of work at home job is just bound to run into these scams.

The secret is to expand your search to different no investment work at home jobs that are not saturated or of any interest to scam artist. This way you have more legitimate choices and less scams to filter through.

So what should be I looking for if I want to work at home with no investment?

Well surprisingly you can work at home doing data entry per se but it's not "traditional data entry". Most of you probably visit message boards or forums related to topics you love. A message board or forum is a website where people come together and type in questions, comments or information. These are referred to as posts. Posting is very similar to just emailing someone but where an email only goes to one person or a group of people you added, a message board or forum post is placed on a website where thousands of people can respond and view your message.

So for instance, parents may go to google.com search for parenting message boards. Dog lovers may be an active participant in a pit bull forum. There are thousands of various forums.

Problem Solved!

And how does this apply to finding work at home with no fees or data entry jobs? Well, there are companies that will pay you to participate in forums or message boards of interest to you. So many times when a website is just starting out or if they're trying to get more content for their forum, they are willing to pay people to make post on their website! This is great for someone like you that wants to work at home as a data entry person. You can easily get paid up to to enter posts about various topics of your interest.

So instead of looking for "data entry work at home" in google.com try the following:

"Paid Forum Posters"
"Forum Posters"
"Forum Poster Jobs" You'll find a lot of available opportunities for you right now!

This is by far the easiest way to work at home with no investment! And best of all there isn't a lot of people that know about it! So you won't find as many scams or competition. The key to working at home legitimately is to think outside the box. When you do, you'll find a lot of free work at home jobs and less scams!

How To Work At Home With No Investment Today

This article appears here courtesy of http://www.WorkAtHomeCareers.com which provides various work at home jobs.

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Download Free Wii Games Today

Downloading free Wii games is an idea that makes every console owner foam at the mouth. Wii's are pretty hard to find these days, and are slowly winning the next generation console war. In the rest of this article we'll show you how to download free Wii games..

The humble, affordable, underpowered Wii has already left a large impression on the history of games consoles. There are more Wii owners than any other current generation console, and most of them want nothing more than to download free Wii games. In order to do that, there are a few things every Wii owner should know about downloading free games...

Today

1-Firstly, you need to decide on your definition of "free". It is possible to download free Wii games of a few different kinds. The most obvious kind is the new games and big releases that you'd find in stores. You can usually find these to download if you know where to look, but it's only legal for you to download them if you already own the original. You may wonder why people bother, but it's purely to use as a backup, so they can use that version and save the original from being scratched or whatever. It may sound crazy but it's true, and yes people do download free Wii games just for this purpose.

Download Free Wii Games Today

2-The other kind of game is the homebrew kind of game. A game that's been home brewed is just what the title suggests, a game that's been made in someone's home, IE, not a big professional release. These games are obviously of a slightly lower quality than the big releases, but hey they are free, and you can find some genuinely interesting stuff. It's quite common for new gaming ideas to first be used in homebrew stuff, things like physics and ragdoll effects.

How To Go About It:

If you are intent on downloading free Wii games as backup software for games you already have, you can't just slide the copied disc into the Wii and have it work. Nintendo are far too smart for that, any disc that doesn't contain special code and manufacturer information will be rejected. To prevent this you'll need to install a new chip inside your Wii, on one of the empty serial buses. That's right, I said inside. You'll need to open your Wii, and there will be soldering and everything. Feeling queasy? Doesn't seem like such a great idea now does it?

You'll be glad to hear that it's a lot easier to download free Wii games of the homebrew variety. You'll need a few different things - An SD card, an Action Replay for Gamecube, an SD card adapter, and some software called Sdload. If you have all these things it's literally as simple as connecting it all together and using the SD card with the code in Memory Slot A, and using the Action Replay in Memory Slot B. Once you've got all this done there are a big list of codes you'll need to use to unlock the Action Replay cartridge, there's not room here, but these are readily available on the net.

Hopefully this article has opened your eyes a little to the various methods to download free Wii games. If you'd like to see some of the best download sites on the net, check out the links below.

Download Free Wii Games Today

Click HERE to get free downloads for your WII, 360 or PS3-whether you want games or movies it's right here, and it's fast and easy.

If you are looking for the best WII, 360 or PS3 download resources on the net, CLICK HERE and we'll tell you where they are-this will save you a fortune

Herb Peterson is webmaster at yourdownloadreviews.com

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Coping with Change: Develop Your Personal Strategy

Why do we resist change?

As the saying goes, the only people who like change are busy cashiers and wet babies. We find change disorienting, creating within us an anxiety similar to culture shock, the unease visitors to an alien land feel because of the absence of the familiar cues they took for granted back home. With an established routine, we don't have to think! And thinking is hard work.

Personal Diet

Change is a business fact of life

Coping with Change: Develop Your Personal Strategy

Is your company is currently undergoing major changes that will affect the lives of all of its employees? These changes are probably in response to the evolving needs of your customers. They are made possible because of improvements in telecommunications and digital technology. They are likely guided by accepted principles and practices of total quality management. And you can expect that they will result in significant improvements profitability--a success that all employees will share. Because our customers' needs are NOW, we must make changes swiftly, which means that all of us must cooperate with the changes, rather than resist them.

How do we resist change?

We tend to respond to change the same way we respond to anything we perceive as a threat: by flight or fight. Our first reaction is flight--we try to avoid change if we can. We do what futurist Faith Popcorn calls "cocooning": we seal ourselves off from those around us and try to ignore what is happening. This can happen in the workplace just by being passive. We don't volunteer for teams or committees; we don't make suggestions, ask questions, or offer constructive criticism. But the changes ahead are inescapable. Those who "cocoon" themselves will be left behind.

Even worse is to fight, to actively resist change. Resistance tactics might include negativity, destructive criticism, and even sabotage. If this seldom happens at your company, you are fortunate.

Take a different approach to change

Rejecting both alternatives of flight or flight, we seek a better option--one that neither avoids change nor resists it, but harnesses and guides it.

Change can be the means to your goals, not a barrier to them.
Both fight and flight are reactions to perceiving change as a threat. But if we can change our perceptions, we can avoid those reactions. An old proverb goes, "Every change brings an opportunity." In other words, we must learn to see change as a means of achieving our goals, not a barrier preventing us from reaching them.

Another way of expressing the same thought is: A change in my external circumstances provides me with an opportunity to grow as a human being. The greater the change is, the greater and faster I can grow. If we can perceive change along these lines, we will find it exciting and energizing, rather than depressing and debilitating.

Yet this restructuring of our perspective on change can take some time. In fact, coping with change follows the same steps as the grieving process.1 The steps are shock and denial that the old routine must be left behind, then anger that change is inevitable, then despair and a longing for the old ways, eventually replaced by acceptance of the new and a brighter view of the future. Everyone works through this process; for some, the transition is lightning fast, for others painfully slow.

Realize your capacity to adapt.

As one writer put it recently:

Our foreparents lived through sea changes, upheavals so cataclysmic, so devastating we may never appreciate the fortitude and resilience required to survive them. The next time you feel resistant, think about them and about what they faced--and about what they fashioned from a fraction of the options we have. They blended old and new worlds, creating family, language, cuisine and new life-affirming rhythms, and they encouraged their children to keep on stepping toward an unknown but malleable future.2

Human beings are created remarkably flexible, capable of adapting to a wide variety of environments and situations. Realizing this can help you to embrace and guide change rather than resisting or avoiding it.

Develop a coping strategy based on who you are.

Corporate employees typically follow one of four decision-making styles: analytical, directive, conceptual, and behavioral. These four styles, described in a book by Alan J. Rowe and Richard O. Mason,3 have the following characteristics:
Analytical Style - technical, logical, careful, methodical, needs much data, likes order, enjoys problem-solving, enjoys structure, enjoys scientific study, and enjoys working alone. Conceptual Style - creative and artistic, future oriented, likes to brainstorm, wants independence, uses judgment, optimistic, uses ideas vs. data, looks at the big picture, rebellious and opinionated, and committed to principles or a vision. Behavioral Style - supportive of others, empathetic, wants affiliation, nurtures others, communicates easily, uses instinct, avoids stress, avoids conflict, relies on feelings instead of data, and enjoys team/group efforts. Directive Style - aggressive, acts rapidly, takes charge, persuasive and/or is manipulative, uses rules, needs power/status, impatient, productive, single-minded, and enjoys individual achievements.

Read once more through these descriptions and identify which style best describes you. Then find and study the strategy people who share your style follow to cope with change:

Analytical coping strategy - You see change as a challenging puzzle to be solved. You need plenty of time to gather information, analyze data, and draw conclusions. You will resist change if you are not given enough time to think it through. Conceptual coping strategy - You are interested in how change fits into the big picture. You want to be involved in defining what needs to change and why. You will resist change if you feel excluded from participating in the change process. Behavioral coping strategy - You want to know how everyone feels about the changes ahead. You work best when you know that the whole group is supportive of each other and that everyone champions the change process. If the change adversely affects someone in the group, you will perceive change as a crisis. Directive coping strategy - You want specifics on how the change will affect you and what your own role will be during the change process. If you know the rules of the change process and the desired outcome, you will act rapidly and aggressively to achieve change goals. You resist change if the rules or anticipated results are not clearly defined.

Realizing what our normal decision-making style is, can enable us to develop personal change-coping tactics.

How can we cope with change?

Getting at least this much comprehension of the big picture will help us to understand where each of us fits.

2. Do some anchoring. - When everything around you is in a state of flux, it sure helps to find something stable that isn't going to change, no matter what. Your company's values (whether articulated or not) can provide that kind of stability for you. Ours include the Company Family, Focus on the Customer, Be Committed to Quality, and Maintain Mutual Respect. These values are rock-solid; they are not going to disappear or rearrange themselves into something else. Plus, each of us has personal values that perhaps are even more significant and permanent. Such immovables can serve as anchors to help us ride out the storm.

3. Keep your expectations realistic. - A big part of taking control of the change you experience is to set your expectations. You can still maintain an optimistic outlook, but aim for what is realistically attainable. That way, the negatives that come along won't be so overwhelming, and the positives will be an adrenaline rush. Here are some examples:

Invest time and energy in training. Sharpen your skills so that you can meet the challenges ahead with confidence. If the training you need is not available through Bowne, get it somewhere else, such as the community college or adult education program in your area.

Get help when you need it. If you are confused or overwhelmed with the changes swirling around you, ask for help. Your supervisor, manager, or coworkers may be able to assist you in adjusting to the changes taking place. Your human resources department and any company-provided counseling services are other resources available to you.

Make sure the change does not compromise either your company values or your personal ones. If you are not careful, the technological advances jostling each other for your attention and adoption will tend to isolate you from personal contact with your coworkers and customers. E-mail, teleconference, voice-mail, and Intranet can make us more in touch with each other, or they can keep us antiseptically detached, removed from an awareness that the digital signals we are sending reach and influence another flesh-and-blood human being.

Aware of this tendency, we must actively counteract the drift in this direction by taking an interest in people and opening up ourselves to them in return. We have to remember to invest in people--all of those around us--not just in technology.

The "new normalcy"

Ultimately, we may discover that the current state of flux is permanent. After the events of September 11, Vice President Richard Cheney said we should accept the many resultant changes in daily life as permanent rather than temporary. "Think of them," he recommended, "as the 'new normalcy.'"

You should take the same approach to the changes happening at your workplace. These are not temporary adjustments until things get "back to normal." They are probably the "new normalcy" of your life as a company. The sooner you can accept that these changes are permanent, the better you can cope with them all--and enjoy their positive results.

Notes

1. Nancy J. Barger and Linda K. Kirby, The Challenge of Change in Organizations: Helping Employees Thrive in the New Frontier (Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publ., 1995). This source is summarized in Mary M. Witherspoon, "Coping with Change," Women in Business 52, 3 (May/June 2000): 22-25.

2. Susan Taylor, "Embracing Change," Essence (Feb. 2002): 5.

3. Alan J. Rowe and Richard O. Mason, Managing with Style: A Guide to Understanding, Assessing and Improving Decision-Making (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Management Series, 1987) cited in Witherspoon, "Coping with Change."

4. Emily Friedman, "Creature Comforts," Health Forum Journal 42, 3 (May/June 1999): 8-11. Futurist John Naisbitt has addressed this tendency in his book, High tech/high touch: Technology and our search for meaning (New York: Random House, 1999). Naisbitt co-wrote this book with his daughter Nana Naisbitt and Douglas Philips.

Coping with Change: Develop Your Personal Strategy

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Copyright ©2006 Steve Singleton

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles. He has been an editor, reporter, and public relations consultant. He has taught college-level Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses and has taught seminars in 11 states and the Caribbean.

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