| How to Cope with Nightmares Posted: 12 May 2016 05:00 PM PDT Having nightmares can be a difficult experience. While you can limit the chances of having a nightmare, they can't always be prevented. When nightmares occur, there are a few techniques you can employ to help you better cope with them. EditGrounding Yourself - Calm down quickly. When you wake up from a nightmare, chances are you will be in somewhat of a panic. Take the following steps quickly to help you break this panic and start to ground yourself:[1]
- Sit up quickly after awaking from your nightmare.
- Sit on the edge of the bed, with your feet on the floor.
- Focus on your surroundings. Start naming the things in your room.
- Calmly reassure yourself. Tell yourself you are safe and fully awake.
- Try to sleep again. If you can't after fifteen minutes, do something relaxing until tired.
- Ground your senses. While you can reassure your mind that you are awake and safe, it is also important to reassure your senses and body as well. Ground each sense by taking the following steps:[2]
- Taste. Try eating something strong, like a mint. Avoid sugar as it will affect sleep.
- Touch. Touch something with a rough texture or cold temperature like an ice cube.
- Smell. Keep a comforting and strong smell next to your bed such as coffee or cloves.
- Sound. Choose a comforting sound or listen to gentle music.
- Learn how to breathe calmly. Calm breathing can help lower heart rate and reduce any state of panic or stress that a nightmare can have on you. By following the steps of this technique, you can greatly improve the speed at which you recover after a nightmare:[3]
- Breathe in through your nose, with mouth closed, and hold for five seconds.
- Exhale slowly. Mentally think of a word such as "relax" or "calm" as you exhale.
- Hold for five seconds and then inhale again.
- Practice this breathing throughout the day, before bed, and after any nightmare.
- Don't dwell on your nightmares. Right after you wake up from a nightmare, try not to think about what it was you experienced. Sitting in bed dwelling on the nightmare will only increase anxiety, which will make it difficult to fall back asleep, as well as increase the likelihood of another nightmare.
- Wait until the morning to analyze and examine your nightmares.
- Get out of bed and ground yourself immediately. Try making a cup of tea and reading a calming book in low, soothing lighting.
- Reassure yourself that you are safe, check that the doors and windows of your house are locked.
- Remind yourself that although frightening, the nightmare is over and it was only a dream.
EditFinding the Causes of Your Nightmares - Journal your nightmares. When you are awake, during the day, write your nightmares down in a journal. Keeping a good record of the details, themes, images, and dialogues of your nightmares will help you examine them and possibly find any causes in your waking life.[4]
- Get as much detail as you can when you write your nightmares down.
- Look for any relation to your waking life. For instance, having nightmares about someone yelling at you or hurting you might be related to a hostile work environment.
- Talk with trusted friends and family. Tell anyone you trust about your nightmares. The support of your friends and family can also help bring comfort to you and reduce the likelihood of nightmares occurring.[5]
- Talking with others about your nightmares can help you recall details and come to better examine your dreams for any links to your waking life.
- Only speak to people you trust and feel safe describing your nightmares with.
- Look for any causes of your nightmare. Nightmares can be caused by a number of activities and removing or altering these behaviors can put an end to the nightmares. Examine your daily actions and look for anything that might be causing your nightmares, which may include:[6]
 - Extreme stress in your life. Any source of stress in your life can carry over into your dream life and cause nightmares. Look at your daily routine and see if any part of it is overly stressful. Try to improve that situation, making it less stressful, and see if your nightmares are reduced.
- A traumatic event or PTSD. If you have experienced a traumatic event in the past, this may be responsible for your nightmares. Generally, nightmares stemming from trauma will have elements of that trauma within them and are often repetitive.
- Stopping or starting a new medication. Talk with your doctor to learn more about any prescriptions you may have been given, or ordered to end, to learn if they might cause nightmares as a side-effect.
- Abusing alcohol or drugs. Alcohol and drugs can interrupt sleep mechanisms and patterns, resulting in nightmares. Examine your consumption of substances such as these and their possible relation to your nightmares. Speak with your doctor for help ending substance abuse.
- Visit your doctor. If nightmares persist more than once a week or are preventing you from getting good sleep, call your doctor and schedule an appointment. Prepare yourself by expecting the following questions and procedures during your visit.[7]
- When and how often do your nightmares occur?
- How well are you sleeping? Do you often awake suddenly and have difficulty returning to sleep?
- Does the nightmare cause intense fear and anxiety?
- Have you recently been ill or under a great deal of stress?
- Which medications are you currently taking? Do you use any drugs or alcohol? How often and how much? Do you use any alternative medicines or therapies?
- You may be given a physical and a neurological/psychological examination.
EditUsing Imagery Rehearsal Therapy - Learn what Imagery Rehearsal Therapy is. If you have nightmares as a result of trauma or reoccurring nightmares, you may want to employ imagery rehearsal therapy. Imagery rehearsal therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing the frequency of nightmares.[8]
- Imagery rehearsal therapy involves the active rewriting of your nightmare.
- Imagery rehearsal therapy has been proven effective and is a simple technique.
- Talk with your doctor or therapist to learn how imagery rehearsal therapy can work best for you.
- Write your nightmare down. Recall your nightmare while you are awake and write it down as if it were a story. Try to capture the narrative of the nightmare and any details you feel are relevant.[9]
- Don't be afraid to recall your nightmare. Remember why you are revisiting it.
- Be as honest and accurate as you can in your recollection.
- Make your changes. Take charge of your nightmare and rewrite any part of it you want. The main idea here is to transform the negative aspects of your nightmare into positive aspects. By restructuring your nightmare, you eliminate the original mental cause of the nightmare. Try changing the following aspects:
- Change the ending to a positive one.
- Change the overall theme.
- Change the story line to take the dream to a better place.
- Change any details you would like.
- Mentally rehearse your new script. Actively imagine the nightmare during the day, this time with the changes you have made. Rehearsing your nightmare in this way will help tell your mind that the positive new narrative you have crafted is to replace the old nightmare.[10]
- Do this for at least once a day, for a few minutes.
- Repetition of this re-imagining can help the effect.
- You are not alone. Nightmares are extremely common, affecting eighty to ninety percent of people at some point in their lives.[11]
- Most often, a counselor or psychologist will help you to overcome your nightmares.[12]
- Try to remember that sounds you may hear in the dream could actually be sounds you hear in your house everyday.
- Even though you might think it's childish, having a little nightlight near the darkest area of your sleeping space can help reassure you.
- Know that nightmares don't foreshadow anything that will happen, so don't worry about anyone in the dream.
- Nightmares that interrupt your sleep or keep you from being well rested, over a long period of time, require a visit to your doctor.
- If you have nightmares more than once a week, talk with your doctor.
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| How to Schedule Your Day Posted: 12 May 2016 09:00 AM PDT Keeping a schedule for your day will help you manage your time more efficiently. You can get more done and are less likely to forget tasks or become sidetracked. Although it may seem simpler to take things on as they come, you may find yourself overwhelmed, disorganized, and forgetting things. Making and keeping a schedule can take a little getting used to, but soon you'll be glad you did--it will help you decrease your stress and make you feel more in control of your life. Scheduling your day allows you to self-regulate and track your own behavior by keeping records of what you need to do and have done.[1] EditMaking a Schedule - Obtain a calendar or planner. Make sure the calendar has appropriate space for you to list your tasks. Some calendars offer weekly, daily, or hourly planners. A notebook can also be used. Choose whatever best suits your wants and needs.[2] Whatever you choose, commit to your choice. Do not try to have one planner for work, one for school, etc. Everything should be in one place.[3]
- There are also many digital calendars for your phone or laptop that can synch to all of your electronic devices so that you always have ready access to your calendar wherever you are. There are also a number of apps that can help you schedule your day with reminders and timers.[4]
- You might want to choose a digital or paper calendar that has some extra space so you can add notes to your schedule. This can help you keep track of not only what you've done but how you did it and/or how it made you feel. For example, maybe below the section "Go to the gym" on your calendar, you want to not only check it off but also note that you "Ran an extra mile today and felt great!" Adding notes can help you keep better track of your behavior.[5]
- If you are making the switch from a paper to digital calendar, you may find things a bit hectic for a day or two as you get used to the new system. Keep both with you for the first few days and check to make sure nothing has been left out or double-booked.
- Organize your tasks. Electronic calendars allow you to color coordinate different tasks. For example, you can color work-related things red, school-related things blue, housework green, vacations orange, and exercise pink. You can also do this easily if you're using a paper calendar or notebook; simply use colored pens or pencils or highlighters. Once you've differentiated the different types of tasks you need to schedule, you can work to prioritize them.
- Organizing and color-coding your tasks will also help you visualize and understand where a lot of your time is going. You might see, for example, that there is a ton of red (work) and green (housework) on your schedule, but very little pink (exercise). Noticing the dearth of exercise might help you get motivated to try to schedule more time for it.
- Prioritize your tasks. It's important you determine which tasks are most important and should be done first and which can wait. Let's use an example to understand prioritization. Let's say you have two tests, a lab report, an essay, and presentation all in the same week. Yikes!
- Ask yourself some questions in order to figure out what should be done first and for how long: Which task is due first? Which tasks will take the longest time to complete? Which tasks are most important, relative to their value? For example, how much are the tests, lab report, essay, and presentation worth in terms of your final grade? Which task will be the most challenging?
- Ultimately, you will need to decide whether the deadline, length of time needed or relative value of your scheduled tasks is your priority. You know yourself and your abilities best. Choose a priority system that fits you.[6]
- Mark your prioritized tasks. Once you've decided how to prioritize your tasks, mark them down on your schedule. You can go through your daily schedule and write "A" next to important items that must be done first, "B" next to items that must be done before tomorrow, "C" next to items that must be done by Friday, and so on.
- Schedule a time for each task. Write how long you expect to spend on each task. For example, you may have scheduled time in a given day to study (2 hours), workout (1 hour), write two emails (30 minutes), and walk the dog (30 minutes). It's key to allow you the necessary amount of time to complete each task; you'll only stress yourself out if you schedule yourself too tightly and aren't realistic about the amount of time things take.
- Remember to incorporate travel time into your scheduling. For example, do you need to drive from the library where you are studying to the gym?
- Add time cushions to your schedule. Most people generally underestimate the amount of time tasks take. Considering all of the time that goes into even preparing to do certain tasks and winding down from them afterwards will help you schedule your day with better accuracy.
- Always try to overestimate how long something will take by a few minutes. Try adding 25% to the time you allot for tasks in your schedule. For instance, schedule something that technically takes 4 minutes for 5 minutes, and tasks that technically take 8 minutes for 10 minutes, and so on. These extra minutes will add up and provide a cushion which can help you avoid being late or falling behind.
- Ask yourself whether there are any additional small tasks surrounding the bigger tasks that need to be factored into your schedule? For example, do you need to shower after the gym? Do you usually end up chatting with a friend for 15 minutes in the change room? Most people find that their scheduled one-hour workout is actually more like two hours.
- Leave space in your schedule. Keep some free space at the bottom of your schedule for low priority items or things coming up later in the week. If you have time today or at any other point during your week, you can begin working on those items to get ahead. These additional tasks might include going through your closet or organizing your tax filing system at home. These are low priority tasks that you'd eventually like to get done but are not pressing or tied to a specific deadline.
EditKeeping to the Schedule - Check your calendar/planner. Make it a habit to check your calendar every morning and night to prepare for the day ahead. Each day you should also schedule a few minutes, maybe after you get your morning coffee, or during your daily commute, to review what needs to be done for the day and to add new things or check old things off.
- Surveying and working on your schedule for a few minutes before digging into it can be a great way to start your day motivated![7]
- Use the alarm on your phone or computer to remind you of certain tasks or appointments. Many doctor and dentist appointments are booked far in advance, for example. It can be helpful to set a reminder that will go off a week or so before the appointment. That way, you can plan accordingly.
- Complete your tasks in order of priority. You've already designated your list of priorities in your schedule, so work through them steadily.
- Adjust your schedule as needed. Although you should try to stick to your schedule as much as possible, sometimes things happen and you need to make adjustments. Move flexible items or those that are less of a priority to another day should a scheduling emergency, complication or conflict arise.
- However, be careful not to let your tasks pile up and spill over too frequently into the next day. If you find this happening a lot, try giving yourself more time for each task on the day scheduled, rather than having to rearrange the next few days.
- Check off tasks that are completed. This can be very rewarding for a lot of people! Remember to transfer items not done today to tomorrow's schedule.
- Reward yourself! It's important to give yourself some positive reinforcement after you've completed your tasks and kept to your schedule. After you've completed your duties for the day, reward yourself with a soothing soak in the tub, your favorite TV show, or a sweet snack. You'll feel accomplished and deserving of those rewards when you've earned them.[8]
- Assess and make adjustments as needed. It's important to check in every once in a while and figure out whether your schedule is working for you. One way to do this is to look at your day planner while also evaluating your own mood and feelings. Are you seeing mostly check marks next to tasks and generally feeling positive and productive? If you answer "yes", then your schedule is likely working well for you!
- However, if you're finding that too many tasks often get pushed to the next day (and then the day after that, and so on) and that you feel demoralized, you should probably make some adjustments to your schedule.
- Identify problem areas by looking at your planner and seeing what is falling behind. You may need to reevaluate and re-order your priorities if the thing that is falling by the wayside is important to you (such as exercise). You also might need to reconsider the time allotted for each task. For example, instead of giving yourself 2 hours in the morning to get ready, consider reducing that time to 1 hour three days a week and schedule in a 30-minute jog with the extra time freed up.
- Be aware that re-jigging your schedule is common and totally normal. It takes time for people to develop a routine that works best for them.
- Your time is valuable. Keeping a schedule will help you make the most of the time you have.
- Keeping a schedule can alert you to patterns that otherwise may go unnoticed. For example, maybe you keep waking up extra tired every Thursday because you are going to happy hour after work every Wednesday evening. You can thus readjust your life accordingly once you recognize this habit. Maybe instead of going to happy hour every week, you opt to go every other Wednesday instead so that you still get to enjoy some down-time with your co-workers but also won't be tired every Thursday.[9]
- Creating and sticking to a schedule can help you be more efficient and productive because you're attaching tasks to set times. This means that you can avoid the "There isn't enough time!" excuse.[10]
- Avoid procrastination. It only leaves you extremely stressed, unorganized, and just plain irritable.
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| How to Write a Memo Posted: 12 May 2016 01:00 AM PDT A memo is intended to inform a group of people about a specific issue, such as an event, policy, or resource, and encourages them to take action. The word "memorandum" means something that should be remembered or kept in mind. [1] Here's a guide to writing readable, effective memos. EditSample Memos EditWriting the Memo's Heading - Type "MEMORANDUM" at the top of the page. State that this document is a memorandum at the outset. Label the page "MEMORANDUM" 1.5 inches from the top of the page. Put the word in bold on the first line. You can either center it on this line or left-align it. You might also choose to make the font larger for this word.[2]
- Double space between this line and the next line of the heading.
- Address the recipient appropriately. A memo is a formal business communication, and you should address the reader formally as well. Use a full name and title of the person to whom you are sending the memo.[3]
- If you are sending a memo to the entire staff, you might write: "TO: All Employees."
- Add additional recipients in the CC line. The "CC" line indicates who will receive a "Courtesy Copy" of the memo. This is not the person to whom the memo is directed. Rather, this is someone who may need to stay informed about policies or issues that you're addressing in the memo.
- Write your name in the "From" line. The heading needs to include who is writing and sending the memo. Your full name and job title go in this line.
- Include the date. Write the complete date, spelling out the month and including the date and year. For example, write: "DATE: January 5, 2015" or "DATE: 5 January 2015."
- Choose a specific phrase for the subject line. The subject line gives the reader an idea of what the memo is about. Be specific but concise.[4]
- For example, instead of writing, "Ants," for the subject, be more specific by writing, "Ant Problem in the Office."
- Format the heading properly. The heading should be at the top of the page, aligned to the left-hand side of the page. Capitalize the words "TO:", "FROM:", "DATE:", and "SUBJECT:".
- A sample heading would look like:
TO: Name and job title of the recipient
FROM: Your name and job title
DATE: Complete date when the memo was written
SUBJECT: (or RE:) What the memo is about (highlighted in some way) - When constructing the heading, be sure to double space between sections and align the text.
- You may choose to add a line below the heading that goes all the way across the page. This will separate the heading from the body of the memo.
EditWriting the Body of the Memo - Consider who the audience should be. In order to get people to read and respond to the memo, it's important to tailor the tone, length, and level of formality of the memo to the audience who will be reading it. Doing this effectively requires that you have a good idea of who the memo is intended for.
- Think about your audience's priorities and concerns are.
- Try to anticipate any questions your readers might have. Brainstorm some content for the memo, such as examples, evidence, or other information that will persuade them.
- Considering the audience also allows you to be sensitive to including any information or sentiments that are inappropriate for your readers.
- Skip a formal salutation. A memo does not begin with a salutation like "Dear Mr. Edwards." Instead, dive right into your opening segment that introduces the matter you're discussing in the memo.[5]
- Introduce the problem or issue in the first paragraph. Briefly give them the context behind the action you wish them to take. This is somewhat like a thesis statement, which introduces the topic and states why it matters. You might also consider the introduction as an abstract, or a summary of the entire memo.[6]
- As a general guideline, the opening should take up about one paragraph.[7]
- For example, you might write: "As of July 1, 2015, XYZ Corporation will be implementing new policies regarding health coverage. All employees will receive health coverage and will make a minimum of $15 per hour."
- Give context for the issue at hand. Your reader may need some background information about the issue you're addressing. Give some context, but be brief and only state what is necessary.[8]
- If it's relevant, continue your memo by stating why the policy is being implemented. For example, you might write: "The county government voted to require all employees in the county to receive a $15/hour minimum wage."
- Support your course of action in the discussion segment. Give a short summary of the actions that will be implemented. Give evidence and logical reasons for the solutions you propose. Start with the most important information, then move to specific or supporting facts. State how the readers will benefit from taking the action you recommend, or be disadvantaged through lack of action.
- Feel free to include graphics, lists, or charts, especially in longer memos. Just be sure they are truly relevant and persuasive.[9]
- For longer memos, consider writing short headings that clarify the content of each category. For example, instead of stating "Policies," write "New policies regarding part-time employees." Be specific and brief in every heading so that the basic point of your memo is apparent to the reader right away.
- Suggest the actions that the reader should take. A memo is a call for action on a particular issue, whether it is an announcement about a new company product, new policies regarding expense reports, or a statement about how the company is addressing a problem. Restate the action that the reader should take in the closing paragraph or sentence.
- For example, you might write, "All employees must use the new accounting system by June 1, 2015."
- This can also include some evidence to back up your recommendations.
- Close the memo with a positive and warm summary. The memo's final paragraph should restate the next steps to address the issue at hand. It should also include a warm note that reiterates the solidarity of the organization. [10]
- You might write, "I will be glad to discuss these recommendations with you later on and follow through on any decisions you make."
- You might end with something like, "We are excited about the expansion of this product line. We're confident that this will grow our business and make this company a more sustainable business."
- This should generally be one to two sentences in length.
EditFinalizing the Memo - Format your memo properly. Use a standard format for your memo to ensure that it is easy to read. Use a 12-point font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Use one-inch margins on the left, right and bottom sides.
- Use block style paragraphs. Double space between paragraphs. Do not indent each paragraph.
- Proofread your memo. Review and edit your memo to make sure that it is clear, concise, persuasive, and free of errors. Check that you are consistent in the type of language that you use. Eliminate unnecessary scholarly words or technical jargon.
- Review for spelling, grammar, and content errors. Pay particular attention to names, dates, or numbers.
- Check that it is not excessively long, and cut out any extraneous material.
- Handwrite your initials by your name. A memo does not include a signature line. But you should initial the memo with a pen in the header. Write your initials next to your name. This indicates that you have approved the memo.[11]
- Use memo letterhead. You may have special letterhead designed for memos, or you might use regular business letterhead.
- If you are creating a digital document (to use for emailing, for example), you might want to create your own letterhead in a Word document that has your company logo and basic contact information. Use this as your memo template for every memo you send out.
- Choose your method of delivery. Determine the best way to distribute your memo. You may want to print out hard copies of the memo and distribute it this way. You may also send it via email.
EditUsing Memo Templates - Search for memo templates. Consider whether you want to use a template instead of writing a memo from scratch. If so, your first course of action should be to search online for some good memo templates. Microsoft Word also has memo templates. Templates generally all share the same basic formatting, but they may use different fonts, sizes and designs.[12]
- Download the template that best fits your needs.
- Be sure to read the terms of use before using any templates from a web source.
- Open your downloaded template on your computer. After you have pressed the download button, the template will automatically download into your computer or may take few steps to start download. It is downloaded as a zip file, so you need to unzip the file and then open it in Microsoft Word.
- It's a good idea to use the latest version of Microsoft Word in order to ensure that you will not run into any unforeseen software problems and that the template will operate as it was designed to function. If you are operating on an older version of Microsoft Word, simply update your software before downloading any templates.
- Set up your header. Keep in mind that everything on the template is changeable. You can customize every part of the memo template to fit your particular needs. For instance, you can add your logo and copyright sign in the header section of the template. Just click on the header section and type in your company's information.
- Fill in the fields in the template's header. Be sure to fill in the "TO" and "FROM" fields, as well as "CC" and "SUBJECT" fields. Use caution when filling these fields to ensure that you have not skipped over any field, leaving some of them blank, or that you have not made an error in typing somewhere along the way.
- Type your message. Write the introduction, context, discussion and summary parts of your memo in the body. If you want, you can use bullet points or lists to organize information.
- Maintain the template's formatting. This will ensure that your paragraph alignment is proper and you have the correct margins and font size.
- If necessary, you can even customize the memo to use a table. This is sometimes a good idea, especially if using a bullet list or something similar makes the memo look too crowded or difficult to read.
- Make sure that you have deleted any words that were already in the template. Also, carefully proofread your memo before sending it.
- Make sure to check the footer. The footer is the space at the bottom of the page that often has additional information. You might include your company information or personal contact information here. It is important that you take the time to ensure that this information is correct. The last thing you want to have happen is to write an excellent memo and then have incorrect contact information or have that information missing altogether.
- Customize your look. One of the most appealing things about the template is that you can even change the color of the document. This allows you to exercise a certain degree of personality and makes the entire document stand out more precisely. It also allows you to choose a color that is appropriate for the situation at hand in order to ensure that the memo is visually striking, yet professional.
- Save your memo as a unique document. Be sure to save a copy of this memo. Then you will have a digital back-up document that provides proof of your business communication.
- Save the template so that you can use it again. Whenever you need to use the memo for a slightly different subject in the future, simply change each field to suit the particular memo subject. This will save you time and will also help you create a consistent memo that is professional and that will get the attention of people so the memo will be read in a prompt manner.
- Don't give too many whys. It's important to explain why you want something done, but don't overdo it.
- Memos should be always brief.
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