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Food for Living: Overcoming Anxiety, Fear, Stress and Anger

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Dear Destiny Friends,

As human beings, we are confronted with fear, stress, anxiety and anger in the course of our daily activities. These, if not properly handled and managed, can destroy any organization or a productive being.

Arguably, one of the most dreaded emotions human beings face is stress. Stress can be a silent killer. When the mind and body is stressed, it has a way of affecting productivity. Just like anger is one of the fastest ways of destroying someone, fear is regarded as the greatest force limiting productivity.

Anxiety is another deadly type of fear because it deals more with worry, and the future, rather than the present. Anyone suffering from anxiety is likely to have an increased heartbeat, shortness of breath, difficulty in sleeping, and will always forget and lack focus.

The origin of negative feelings is traced to failed expectations from people, and situations which sometimes do not meet our expectations. When this situation occurs, we tend to have anxiety, anger, stress or even fear of the future.

As a human capacity coach, I constantly come across youths, adults, and parents who are constantly dealing with diverse kinds of pains, stress, anger, and anxiety in their lives. Any productive mind who wants to grow will have to eschew fear, anxiety, anger, and stress. This might be hard, but trust me, it is doable if you are able to train your mind and work with the right people. However, if you have fallen short of any, it’s okay to have regrets because we are all humans.

Anxiety normally creeps in due to expectations of the future, but it can be managed by a combination of medication and cognitive psychotherapy. However, neither lasts forever. A therapist can be used to manage these symptoms.

Happiness is the resultant feeling we have when we are at peace with ourselves and humanity. However, constant negative emotions can also get in the way of happiness, and it has the capacity to compound our level of stress and worry and ultimately damage our health. While there is no magic wand to change negative emotions to positive ones, there are ways to lessen the intensity of the emotion and shorten its duration. With practice, you can learn to disrupt and tame negative emotions.

What Caused This Feeling?

The first step in healing is asking the wh questions? Why did it happen? What caused it? When you understand the cause of a problem, you will be better poised to solve it. You will better understand and interpret memories, judgments, beliefs, values, expectations, and observations. When you understand these thoughts, the next big task is asking yourself if these thoughts will help you to solve any of your problems. You can ask yourself, does this feeling warrant me to be angry or fearful? Who can help me overcome this challenge/problem? How can I fix the problem or focus on the present as opposed to what I can’t change?

Physical exercise

Anxiety and anger can be reduced when you exercise. Exercise has a way of reducing worries, especially when you have music in the background. On a personal note, whenever I am exercising, I usually have music in the background because it has a way of making me feel present. The same is applicable whenever I’m stressed, I usually play music or sleep.

Take a Walk

 Whenever you feel stressed, depressed, pained, or uncomfortable with the way life is treating you, try taking a walk and enjoy the beauty of life. You can decide to go to the beach, walk around the garden, or even take a random walk across the town. It’s normal to always see our deficiencies which blinds us to the beauty of life. When you take a walk, you see people of all kinds, some will be begging on the streets, some might be walking, others might be in a bus. If you can think out of the box, you will discover, you are far better than some of them with what you have.

You can also decide to visualize a happy place. For instance, imagine being in a resort, imagine how life will be when you overcome the stress, pain, anger, or even the tension with the thoughts. This feeling can make it more humane to control your human reaction.

Don’t Beat Yourself

One of the worst things that can happen to you as a human being is trying to be hard on yourself. As a human being, you can’t hide from your shadows. Your shadow is like your thoughts. You can’t hide from your thoughts.  It’s like closing your eyes to the sky. You can reduce looking at the sky by using a goggle. So whenever you have negative emotions, acknowledge them instead of trying to shut them down, and see how you can work on them.

Face Your Fear

The fastest way to kill your fear is by facing them. If you don’t confront your fears, it has a way of robbing you and reminding you of how doomed you are. Facing your fears simply means doing what you dreads. For instance, the best way to become a good writer is by writing as opposed to procrastinating. When you start to write, you will kill the spirit of fear associated with writing. You will be happy you took the bold step. When I began writing many years ago, it felt like writing was stressful, but over time, I became addicted to writing and it’s now fun to me.

Another great way of dealing with fear is by imagining the worst that will happen if you face your fear. Do you know that whether you face your fears or not, the worst will still happen? How about you face it, you never can tell if you will overcome it. You can overcome fear by practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness allows you to become more aware of your fear because it creates awareness that helps you overcome your fear and anxiety.

Share Your Pain

Many people don’t understand the importance of sharing. Do you know that problem shared is a problem solved? When you have pain or feel stressed, please endeavor to speak out. I understand, each one of us is dealing with one pain, but then, there’s no harm in sharing. Keeping it to yourself might not solve the problem. The only concern you should have is the person you will share the pain with. Even if it means sharing it with a professional or trusted person, please do. You can talk to a family member, friend, a trusted clergyman, your doctor or a therapist. Depression is real, anger is real, pain is real, but they can be managed.

Rejoice/Reward Yourself

Celebrating yourself is the best thing that can happen to you. Take time to give yourself a little treat. Most times we are always looking for people to celebrate us. If nobody gives you a platform, create one for yourself. Try and reward yourself with any little success you have recorded. It has a way of boosting your ego and human capacity nature.

Eliminate Triggers

Figure out what are the biggest cause of negative emotions in your life. Is it your job, your schoolwork, your colleague? If you’re able to identify what they are, see if you are able to eliminate them from your life, or at least reduce them.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a  public speaker. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

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Niger Govt Launches Climate Change Policy Document and Action Plan

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Niger State under the leadership of His Excellency the Farmer Governor, Muhammadu Umaru Bago will today launch its Climate Change Policy Document and Action Plan (CCP&AP).

The CCP&AP with support from the Africa Climate Foundation (ACF), technical assistance from the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) and LQY SPV Ltd represents the progressing impact of the Farmer Governors launch of the states blue print for a green economy in 2023. The policy document represents the states efforts to deepen the nations commitment to the goals of the Paris agreement.

On the platform of NDC 3.0 and the blueprint the CCP&AP was developed and will be the launched. This launch will be used to actualize the states’ CIDP, a platform to nurture the implementation of the CCP&AP. The CIDP will work with key line ministries such as the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change, the Ministry of Budget and Planning and the Ministry of Finance as well as key sectoral Ministries such as Agriculture and Energy to develop a pipeline of projects that will have climate benefits and be bankable. The CIDP is part of a three state initiative to develop bankable climate projects at state level. The other participating states are Enugu and Delta States.

Participants at the workshop, post the launch, will break into three technical working groups – Financial Management and Climate Investment, Climate Smart Agriculture and Renewable Energy and the state electricity act. The CCP&AP is the latest in the states efforts from a policy and regulatory level to expand the platform for mobilization of climate resources to the state. Projects identified will be subjected to tests for bankability as well as relevance to policy and be presented at a workshop in the first quarter of 2027 to be attended by bilateral investors, multilateral investors, non state actors as well as domestic development banks. The workshop will be used to obtain commitments for funding to enable implementation.

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Food for Living: You are a Star

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By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

We are all stars, but sometimes we act like the moon and sun. Don’t get me wrong, the moon and sun are all God’s creatures, but in this context, I’m referring to the star as it relates to being a standard, an exceptional being and a leader that will set the pace for others to follow.

Being a star gives you an identity and opportunity to showcase the world what you are made of. Your star will shine when you are working on purpose. At creation, we were all created with a unique purpose which will be manifested on earth. So, it’s fair to say our purpose was made in heaven, but our assignment is on earth.

It’s instructive to note that our start is the embodiment of what makes us to be identifiable, recognizable and traceable.  When our star is shining, the world stands still and observes. Isn’t it true that the world sets apart for the man who knows where he’s going.

Everyone loves a star. Imagine being the best in your class, team, or even in the family, you will be the envy of everyone. Stars attract jealousy.  To understand how a star works, imagine playing soccer, despite each team having captains and star players, it’s whoever that has the ball the attention of the players, spectators and the world will be focused on because at that moment, whoever has the ball is the star, hence the reason why the person is being tackled.

Stars attract favor, blessings, opportunities, and blessings just because they are fulfilling their purpose of manifestation. As a self-discovery coach, I propounded the concept of STAR. S stands for shining, T represents Target, the A represents Action and R represents Recognition.

A brief analysis of the concept of STAR will give a proper perspective. When one is a star, one will be a shining star, and when one is a shining star, they’ll definitely be a target because the sugar will always attract ants. Because one is a star, they’ll be action oriented. A star can’t be hidden. It is the work they do that makes them noticeable which ultimately gives them recognition.

If I may ask you, are you a star? If yes, what makes you a star? Stars are a unique set of people who excel more than their counterparts or contemporaries. Stars defy human logic and understanding, especially when there is a spiritual element attached to it. While humans go to school to acquire knowledge and information, stars have inherent and intuitive knowledge which is revealed to them from God.

A little insight into the inherent and intuitive knowledge of how stars work. One’s profession is what one is trained to do in school or even taught in practice, one’s vocation is what one is paid to do like skilled work or a regular 9-5 work, while one’s ministry is where one’s talent/gift manifests their God given potential. When one is a star, both their profession, vocation and ministry will be working in alignment. They won’t have to do much to excel. Their light will gradually shine effortlessly with little or no support. A little effort by them will magnify their work.

It’s unfortunate that many stars can’t shine because many people are afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone. Some of us are afraid of what the world will say, how their message will be received, and how one can overcome these challenges if their star is not shining as it ought to. This is one of the major challenges why most people fail to activate their star. Trust me, I get it. The fears and concerns are valid. As humans we are bound to have fears, however, our desire for success should outweigh our fear for failure.

Do you know that the grave is considered the richest place on planet earth? Yes, because many talents are buried inside the grave simply because some people failed to unleash their talents, gifts and God given potentials. Here is what I will say, may we not die with what God has given to us.

Do you want to be a star? If yes, ask yourself, what makes you unique? If you discover it, say to yourself, I am a star, I am blessed. I am a child of destiny. I will fulfill my purpose. I will not die with what God has given to me. I will shine and I will possess my possession because I am a star.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright to SuccessUnleash Your Destiny and The Six Pillars of Success . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

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Osogbo Shooting: Davido, Not Gov Adeleke Was the Target – Police

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Music star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, was the target of the attack on the convoy of Osun State governor, according to the police.

Daily Trust had reported how security escorts of the governor engaged some unidentified men in a gun duel during the governor’s visit to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, earlier on Wednesday.

The governor had visited the monarch shortly after receiving his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

His nephew, Davido, who was actively involved in the election, alongside his children, accompanied the governor to INEC office and the palace.

Some residents of Oja Oba Osogbo said gunshots caused panic for over 15 minutes as the men kept shooting sporadically while the governor’s security detail returned fire.

Commenting on the incident, Police Public Relations Officer in Osun, Abiodun Ojelabi, said preliminary investigation revealed that members of Eye Confraternity were after Davido.

“One Adebayo Taoreed, popularly known as “Small Rugged”, an ex convict, a suspected notorious thug and a member of eye confraternity allegedly attempted to gain access to Davido but was resisted by members of his security Team.

“The ensuing confrontation reportedly attracted other suspected gang members in the vicinity, who temporarily blocked the entrance to the palace and obstructed the movement of the convoy of the Governor.”

Ojelabi said a 60-year-old man identified as Tajudeen Yusuf was shot dead during the gun duel.

“Shortly afterwards, the suspected gang members reportedly departed the vicinity and, however on their way, they allegedly shot Tajudeen Yusuf at Itaolokan area of Osogbo.

“Upon receiving the information, the police immediately mobilised a patrol team to the scene, where the victim was found lying in a pool of blood. He was promptly rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, for medical attention. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead by the doctors on duty.”

“The Command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident and intensified efforts to identify, apprehend and bring the fleeing suspects to justice.

“The Commissioner of Police (Election), Osun State Command, CP Samuel Etaifo, strongly condemns the dastardly act and assures members of the public that the Command will deploy all available resources to apprehend those responsible.

“The Command therefore urges anyone with useful information that could assist the investigation to promptly approach the nearest police station or contact the Command through its official channels. Members of the public are also advised to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.”

The PPRO said the Police Command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the shooting incident.

Ojelabi said further updates on the incident would be provided as the investigation progresses.

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