MEN: 10 Ways to Reduce Stress

                                
Stress has become a major modern-day factor affecting men's health. The tension and emotional strain of day-to-day living has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure,migraine headaches,back pain,diabetes, cancer, and a weakened immune response to disease.
Men experiencing high levels of stress can experience anxiety,insomnia, fatigue, and depression, and may turn to unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, overeating, or drug abuse to help deal with their stress.

Stress is harmful because it presses biological buttons inside men that have long outlived their usefulness. When a man had to battle wild animals to save his family, that stress prompted certain fight-or-flight responses within his body:

• The heart rate soared to send more blood to the brain, improving quick decision-making.
• Blood shunted into the large muscles of the arms and legs to provide more strength and speed, and away from the gut.
• Blood sugar rose to provide more fuel for quick energy.
• Blood began to clot more quickly, to prevent blood loss from wounds or internal damage.

It's not hard to draw lines from those natural responses to the diseases now associated with stress.

Men’s Health: 10 Ways to Deal With Stress

So what should modern man do to short-circuit his ingrained tendencies? Here are 10 ways to reduce stress and its toxic effects on the body:

• Exercise regularly.Exercise has been proven to reduce stress levels, helping you burn off pent-up energy and tension. It also improves overall health.
• Eat and sleep well. Good nutrition and 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night can help your body recover from past stress and be better prepared to deal with new stress. Avoid caffeine and other stimulants that might promote stress and sleeplessness. Avoid alcohol, which might deepen any depression you may be feeling.
• Meditate. Spend at least 15 to 20 minutes a day in quiet contemplation. Depending on your preference, you might like to devote the time to meditation or prayer, or practicing yoga or tai chi if you want more of a physical component. Breathe deeply and clear your mind.
• Solve the cause of your stress. Dealing with the problems that cause tension can relieve you of that stress. Inaction just allows it to build. If your neighbor's dog barks constantly, talk with him about it. Talk to your boss to figure out solutions for problems at work. Ask for help if you can’t meet all the demands placed on you.
• Avoid stressful situations. Recent research suggests that men’s stress levels soar 60 percent in traffic jams — seven times higher than women’s. If possible, time your driving to avoid rush hour. Shop when you know the store won't be packed with people. And cut down on the time you spend with people who get on your nerves.
• Accept things you can't change. There are going to be things in your life that you can't control, no matter how hard you try. For example, there's no use allowing snow or rain to bother you — how would you go about changing the weather? Instead, look for ways to enjoy uncontrollable circumstances. Play in the snow like you did when you were a kid; spend a rainy day reading, another stress reliever.
• Don’t take on more than you can handle. We often create our own stress by over-scheduling ourselves and failing to say no when too much is asked of us, whether it’s the boss, spouse, or friend making the request. Don't overpromise, and give yourself time to finish the things you do agree to tackle.
• Try a “glass half full” attitude. Always looking on the sunny side sounds cliché, but it can make a world of difference. Having a negative outlook can turn even the most minor annoyances into huge problems in your mind.
• Tackle first things first. Become a master at triage — that’s determining the most important of the tasks you’re trying to handle and methodically completing those first, then moving on to less critical jobs. Resist trying to do multiple projects at once.
• Savor your victories. When you accomplish a personal goal or finish a major project, do something nice for yourself. It can be as simple as getting a massage or as extravagant as taking a weekend getaway. Celebrate your achievement before you jump into the next project.

Your outlook is such an important factor in how your body deals with stress. Following these 10 steps will help you put stress in perspective and start enjoying your life again.

Written by Jennifer Acosta Scott
Jennifer Acosta Scott is a writer for Healthday. She resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with her husband, Mark, and two sons, Patrick and Hayden. A native of the Mobile, Ala. area, she attended the University of Alabama's College of Communications and Information Sciences in Tuscaloosa, graduating with a major in journalism and a minor in history. Her career began in newspapers, and she has previously worked as a news reporter for the Tuscaloosa News, the Phenix (Ala.) Citizen and the Weatherford (TX) Democrat, covering health, environment and local government. Acosta Scott's work has also been published in outlets like Health, Bankrate, Society Life, The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is also the publisher of a popular Dallas-Fort Worth area blog, Fort Worth on the Cheap, and a running blog, Little Blue Sneakers.  When she's not writing or spending time with her family, you can usually find Acosta Scott running. Her main goal is to to stay injury-free long enough to get to the starting line - and eventually, to become fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Ansbach explosion:German Bomber pledged allegiance to Isis

                                              

The Syrian man who blew himself up in Ansbach, Germany, on Sunday made a video pledging allegiance to the leader of so-called Islamic State, Bavaria's interior minister says.

Joachim Hermann said two phones, multiple SIM cards and a laptop were found with the body of the 27-year-old asylum seeker or at his accommodation.
The man threatened a "revenge attack" on Germans in the video, he said.
IS has claimed it was behind the attack and the Syrian was an IS "soldier".
Fifteen people were injured, four of them seriously, when the man's explosive device went off close to a music festival in the small town, which is near Nuremberg.
The attacker announced in the video "in the name of Allah that he pledged allegiance to [IS chief] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi... and announced an act of revenge against Germans because they were standing in the way of Islam," Mr Hermann said.
Germany was already reeling after five people were wounded on a train in another part of Bavaria a week ago by an axe-wielding teenager from Afghanistan who had pledged allegiance to IS.
On Friday nine people were killed by a teenage gunman in the state capital, Munich, who then shot himself dead. That incident was not believed to be jihadist-inspired.

Vcacancy for Professional Multimedia IT Program/PA in Lagos

                              
DOF MEDIA EMPIRE (an emerging imagery Company) is looking for a smart and knowledgeable Photography and Multimedia "INTERN" / PA to the CRO to help create and implement a project plan to update its online and offline presence with specific focus on marketing, social media, Photography and Tele Marketing For Customers Relationship Management.

Ideal Candidate
Excellent writing, editing and communicating skills in English
Capable of working with his/her own initiative
Strong Reporting & Analysis capabilities
Organised & Confident
Required:
Create a project plan to tell us what’s out there, what’s needed and how to get where we need to be
Set out the stages and costs to complete each part of the project and setup
Once we’re setup, help us define what’s required to continually improve our online and offline reach
We are looking for someone to bring us into 2015/2016 and beyond with all things digital communication related:
WHAT THE SHORTLISTED APPLICANTS STAND TO GAIN
Learn Advance Photography, multimedia documentary, TV content presentation and Social media maximizing skill
Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube etc.
Nice to have:
1 years + experience in a similar role
Pass Mark:
Should be interested in Photography, Digital Communication and TV content production
Content Writer experience
Graphic Design Experience
Project Management Experience
Customers Relationship Management Skill

Who to apply;
New Graduates
NYSC
Industrial Training student of 1Year.
And Anyone who desire to work in a Photography, multimedia or digital communication field for 1Year.
Compensation:
15, 000Naira Fix Monthly with additional compensation plan if he/she has special skill like Website development and management
A performance based bonus of 20,000Naira MAY also be offered.
Certificate will be awarded.
Interview Date is Saturday 30th July by 10am at
DOF MEDIA EMPIRE (The Topnotch Studio)
2, Thomas Salako, Adjacent Tantalizers,
Beside Emmanuel Church,
Ogba Bus Stop,
Ogba-Ikeja,Lagos
Send your CV to iamdayofalade@yahoo.com

Verizon Agrees to Buy Yahoo for $4.83 Billion

                                          
Verizon Communications Inc.on Monday said it would buy Yahoo Inc.’s Web assets for $4.83 billion in cash, ending a drawn-out process for the beleaguered internet company.
The price, which includes Yahoo’s core internet business and some real estate, caps a remarkable fall for the Silicon Valley web pioneer that had a market capitalization of more than $125 billion at the height of the dot-com boom in early 2000.
For New York-based Verizon, the deal adds another piece to the digital media and advertising empire it is trying to build.
The companies said the purchase is subject to regulatory and other consents, including approval by Yahoo’s shareholders. Until the closing, which is expected in early 2017, the companies said Yahoo will continue to operate independently.
The sale doesn’t include, among other things, Yahoo’s cash, its shares in Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd, its shares in Yahoo Japan, and Yahoo’s noncore patents, called the Excalibur portfolio. These assets will continue to be held by Yahoo, which will change its name at closing and become a registered, publicly traded investment company.
Yahoo intends to return substantially all of its net cash to shareholders under a plan that it will disclose at a later time.

The importance of the father-daughter relationship

                                     

A girl’s father is one of the most influential people in her life, from infant to toddler to tween to teen. Learn why Dad has such a big impact on his little girl’s development into a strong, confident woman.

A father's influence in his daughter's life shapes her self-esteem, self-image, confidence and opinions of men. How Dad approaches life will serve as an example for his daughter to build off of in her own life, even if she chooses a different view of the world.
 What matters in the father-daughter relationship is that Dad seeks to live a life of integrity and honesty, avoiding hypocrisy and admitting his own shortcomings, so that she has a realistic and positive example of how to deal with the world. He should try to model a reflective approach to life's big questions so that she can seek to do the same

Dads and daughters: From infant to toddler

We now live in a culture where Dad is an equal partner in care giving. From day one, dads are encouraged to be hands-on, changing diapers, giving baths, putting Baby to sleep and calming her cries. That presence and effort is the beginning of a very important relationship.
According to Austin, this quality time together is crucial at all stages of a girl's life. "Dads need to spend time with their infant daughter, taking care of her physical needs and supporting her Mom," he explains. And once the little lady starts toddling around, "[i]t's essential that Dad gets down on the floor — on her level — and plays with her,".

Fathers and daughters: From tween to teen

It's those pesky "hormonal" years that can often have dads shying away from their moody and sometimes standoffish daughter. When there's a tween girl in the house, "[d]ads should focus on cultivating a trusting relationship so that their daughters feel secure talking with them about what's going on in their lives," Austin explains. "When necessary, dads should apologize and ask for forgiveness, as this both shows respect and love to our daughters and heals the hurts that are inevitable in daily life together."
As a girl continues to grow and her teen years become fraught with complicated issues, dads should continue to work on building a trusting relationship, give affection and support her as she learns more about who she is and what kind of person she wants to become, Austin says. "It's imperative that, no matter what, dads avoid the temptation to pull away or withdraw during this sometimes challenging stage of growing up."

A father's influence on a daughter's self-image

A dad's involvement in his daughter's life is a crucial ingredient in the development of a young woman's self-esteem. Austin identifies positive elements of "common sense" parenting for dads so they can help support their daughter's self-image and curb any possibility of low self-esteem: Verbal encouragement, being consistently present in her life, being alert and sensitive to her feelings, taking time to listen to her thoughts and taking an active interest in her hobbies. "It's important to actually do these things, which can sometimes be quite challenging," Austin adds. Direct involvement and encouragement by her father will help diminish a girl's insecurity and increase her confidence in her own abilities.

How dads influence their daughter's relationships

The type of men that women date and have long-term relationships with are also directly related to the kind of relationship a girl has with her father. Obviously, the hope is that the father figure in a girl's life will aim to skew that young lady's opinions of men in a positive way. "He must, first and foremost, treat his daughter with respect and love. Whether or not he is married to or still together with his daughter's mom, showing respect to her mother is essential as well," explains Austin. "He must also value women as human beings, and not as persons to be used. Daughters will see what their dads believe about women by how they value and respect women, or by how they fail to do so."

Written by Elizabeth Weiss McGolerick
Elizabeth is a freelance writer and editor who contributes regularly to SheKnows, MintLife, AOL, iVillage and other sites. In her articles, Elizabeth covers a variety of subjects including relationships, pregnancy, parenting, health and beauty, finance, fashion, education and pop culture. She also specializes in web content development and blog writing for corporate clients.

9 Unforgettable Lessons on Fatherhood

                           
In public, my dad was one of the great pastors of his generation. He served most notably for twenty fruitful years at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, where John and Noel Piper worshiped during their Fuller Seminary days. Dad and John were dear friends.
In private, my dad was the same man. There was only one Ray Ortlund, Sr. — an authentic Christian man. The distance between what I saw in the New Testament and what I saw in my dad was slight. He was the most Christlike man I’ve ever known, the kind of man, the kind of father, I long to be.
In no particular order, here are ten lessons on fatherhood I learned from watching him, each lesson living on in my life from memories of his care for me.

1. He was never too busy.

My dad was a busy pastor, but he was never too busy for me. When he felt he hadn’t had enough time with me, he’d say, “Hey Bud, want to skip school tomorrow and go down to the beach?” It didn’t take me long to agree to that! So off we went. We surfed and talked and had fun together. The next day he’d write a note to the school to explain my absence, and when I took it to the principal’s office they always marked my absence “Unexcused.” I guess the reason didn’t count with them — a father wanting to catch up with his son. But dad didn’t care. I mattered to him. And I knew it.

2. He was a Bible man.

My dad was wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus. On my seventeenth birthday, he and my mom gave me a new Bible. In the front he wrote the following:
Bud,
Nothing could be greater than to have a son — a son who loves the Lord and walks with Him. Your mother and I have found this Book our dearest treasure. We give it to you and doing so can give nothing greater. Be a student of the Bible and your life will be full of blessing. We love you.
Dad.

3. He praised God.

As a kid growing up, I didn’t need an alarm clock most mornings. I woke up to the sound of my dad singing in the shower down the hallway. Every morning he sang heartily and cheerfully this hymn:

     When morning gilds the skies 

 My heart awaking cries

         May Jesus Christ be praised

     Alike at work or prayer

     To Jesus I repair
         May Jesus Christ be praised.

 Many men are hard to read. I have no idea what they stand for. But I 
never wondered about my dad — what he cared most about, what he was 
living for. Never once. At all. Not even a little. He did not take a 
keep-a-low-profile approach to life. Jesus was too wonderful to him. He 
praised the Lord throughout his life, in public, in private, in a clear 
and winsome way that could not be ignored.

4. He cheered me on.

My dad set me free to pursue God’s call on my life. He guided me in appropriate ways, of course, but he did not fearfully cling to me or hope I would always live nearby. Just the opposite. He urged me to follow Christ anywhere. Now and then he’d make this speech: “Listen, son. Half-hearted Christians are the most miserable people of all. They know enough about God to feel guilty, but they haven’t gone far enough with Christ to be happy. Be all-out for him! I don’t care if you’re a ditch-digger, as long as you love the Lord with all your heart.”

He was not impressed with worldly success and going to the right schools and all that pretense and bluff. He wanted something better for me, something I had to find on my own. But I never doubted how urgently he desired for me a clear call from God on my life. And I did receive it, partly because my dad didn’t intrude himself into it but cheered me on as I followed the Lord myself.

5. He had a real walk with God.

I remember going downstairs early one morning and walking in on my dad in the living room. There he was, on his knees, his face buried in his hands, absorbed in silent prayer. He didn’t know anyone else was up. It wasn’t for show. It was real. My dad had a real walk with God. It never occurred to me to wonder if Jesus was the Lord of his heart and of our home. Dad loved the gospel. He served the church. He witnessed to our neighbors. He even tithed when he couldn’t afford it. He set the tone of our home, and our home was a place of joy, honesty, and comfort. Jesus was there.

6. He taught me theology in the backyard.

One day when I was 11 or 12, while we were doing yard work outside — I can’t remember the context — my dad stopped, looked me in the eyes, and said, “You know, Bud, before time began, God chose you.” I was floored. Almighty God thought of tiny me? Way back then? I felt so loved by God. Years later, when I became aware of the doctrine of election as such, I had no problem with it. I loved it. My dad had begun my theological education in my boyhood in the course of everyday conversation.

7. He loved us when it wasn’t easy.

My mom told me once that dad had a practice as he came home at the end of each day. He worked hard throughout the day and he came home tired. So as he walked up the back steps, before he reached out to open the back door, he would lift a simple prayer to God, “Lord, I need some extra energy right now.” And God answered that prayer. I never saw my dad walk in with no positive emotion to give. Instead, he’d walk over to my mom, kiss her with a huge kiss, and then turn to me and say, “Come on, Skip, let’s wrestle!” And we’d go out to the front room and wrestle on the floor and tickle and laugh and have a blast. The moment-by-moment reality of God in my dad’s heart gave him energy to love his family when it wasn’t easy.

8. He helped me love the church.

The fact that dad was a pastor made me “the preacher’s kid,” obviously. Every now and then well-meaning church people said foolish things to me, as if I had to be perfect or superior or something they expected. So dad said to me once, “Son, when people say things like that, they don’t mean any harm. But it isn’t fair. They don’t realize that. I want you to know, you can ignore it.”
Dad had high standards for Christian living. But he was wise enough to know that a ten-year-old follows Christ in a way different from a forty-year-old. He was realistic and compassionate. He made allowances for me to be a Christian kid. And he is the primary earthly reason why I love the church today. He wisely showed me how church life does not need to be oppressive.

9. He lived his faith simply and practically.

Dad showed me how to walk with the Lord in practical ways. For example, here is a statement he settled on as his own daily path:

My Morning Statement of Faith
I believe that today:

1. God is sovereignly directing my life as I yield myself to him, and that he loves me unconditionally, and I love him and put him first in my life.
2. Christ is my Lord and Master, and I seek to abide in him and do his will immediately and exactly.
3. The Holy Spirit is my friend, teacher, and guide, who will open and close doors today and fill me with himself to make me an effective servant.
4. I now commit my wife and family to the Lord, who loves them as well as others I love. They too are in his sovereign care.
5. I step out in bold faith and relax in the Lord, and enjoy this day given to me by him. I trust him to use me today.

It’s simple, but valid. Dad exemplified how to make daily Christianity accessible and practical.

Written by Ray Ortlund