Cut Yourself Some Slack

We all have had our portion of bad days; they are inevitable. Living in the realm of today's busy working schedules, while not allowing our bodies and minds to experience any relaxing time or enjoying life's simple pleasures, has led us feeling physically ill or emotionally worn out. It is time to realize that this is actually a normal outcome of pushing yourself too hard. But what is not normal is allowing this depressing state to continue without doing anything to reverse its negative outcomes.

When the advice of "cutting yourself some slack" is given to you not only by columnists or experts, but also by friends, then you have to reconsider your actions and daily routine and perform any necessary changes to allow yourself some time to breath. Working individuals suffer today from a common problem; being always too busy. Instead of multitasking when you are in the house or simply deciding to stay indoors because you do not think you have the necessary energy to perform anything else, react! Make yourself get out the door and begin experiencing the life you believe you deserve. Begin by calling friends or joining a group of people that are willing to explore life's choices while being outdoors. Close the door behind you and let work problems exist only when you are in the office.

Although this is easier said than done, try to select a precious time during the day or even the week and spoil yourself by going window shopping, walking around in the nearest park, or jogging early in the morning or later, before dinner time. Those precious moments away from it all can give you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that only you can provide to your body and mind. Cutting some slack, should not be considered a luxury. Instead, you should think of it as the necessary time to charge your own batteries and thus cope better with life. Others' expectations, as well as your own, can be a very heavy load for you to carry around, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Make yourself and others realize that engaging in any outdoor activities is one of the few ways you have in hand to become more productive and increase your efficiency levels.

Biking, swimming, jogging, playing baseball, soccer, basketball, football or any other sport of your choice, can direct you to reach a different state of mind and actually begin feeling again useful. Instead of spending the limited available time worrying for things you cannot fix while outside the office, invest in yourself and others will realize the difference as soon as you will.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for http://outdoorstalk.net/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes articles for http://4homelife.net/ and http://familyinformationsource.com/

Dog Vaccinations Defined

Knowing what to vaccinate for and how often to give your dog vaccines are two very important questions that every dog owner must deal with. It is very important to vaccinate your dog. This is also a very important part of any dog health care program. Regular vaccinations can prevent your dog from contracting many diseases and can possibly save their life. Two important viruses to vaccinate for are canine parvovirus and distemper.

Most vets agree that it is vital to vaccinate puppies at 6 weeks of age and again at 8, 12, and 16 weeks for Distemper, Canine Infectious Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and Coronavirus (DHLPPC). It is also suggested that puppies are vaccinated for rabies at six months of age and then to repeat it annually.

Although your new puppy may squirm or even cry when getting his vaccinations, it is just as important for your dog as it is for your children to receive these "annual shots". In fact, by keeping up to date on your dog's vaccinations, you could be saving his life. Basically, dog vaccinations are injections of a small dose of a specific disease, which should prevent your puppy from developing that very disease later in life by creating the necessary antibodies to fight it off.

Some dog owners have concerns whether the repeated dog vaccinations are really necessary and whether they are doing more harm than good. Vaccinations work by stimulating the dog's immune system, encouraging it to readily produce antibodies to fight against many specific types of bacterias and viruses.

Stimulating the dogs immune system this way does come at a price when the vaccine in the dog's system leads to illness. Once vaccinations are given to your dog, your dog's immune system will recognize the presence of a disease and will then create the antibodies needed to fight it off. These antibodies only last from six months to a year, which makes regular vaccinations extremely important for your puppy or dog.

The question on the minds of many pet owners is usually - "is it dangerous to repeatedly vaccinate my dog each year"? Fortunately the experts do agree that the answer to this question is a resounding "no."

While there are rare cases of dogs that have become very ill or even died as a result of receiving a vaccination, there is no evidence to suggest that this practice poses any real danger generally speaking. Oftentimes, the dogs that are adversely affected to vaccines may have already been sick or have some form of allergy to a specific part of the vaccine.

When using a vaccine that must be mixed first, there are four simple steps to follow. First: mix the vaccine by withdrawing all of the liquid from the appropriate vial and then injecting it into the vial containing the dried portion of the vaccine. Remove the syringe, shake the vial to mix up the vaccination, re-insert the needle and then withdraw the entire 1 ml contents of the mixed vaccination.

Two different types of vaccinations exist which are a Killed Vaccine and a Modified Live Vaccine. A Modified Live Vaccine is the live disease being injected, while having been altered by the drug company to be unable to cause the disease it is protecting against. A Killed Vaccine is when the virus itself has been killed before any injection occurs.

Most vaccinations are administered subcutaneously (by injecting the vaccine just under the skin). One of the best areas is located in the shoulder or neck area. Simply lift a tent of skin into a triangle with one hand, and inject the vaccine into it with the other hand. Note: always use a different sterile needle and syringe for each dog and also for each individual injection, and then dispose of all used needles and syringes in a safe location.

I feel that the best advice I can offer is that dog owners continue vaccinating their dogs according to local laws and the recommendations of their veterinarians. Since the annual vaccines are not seemingly harming dogs in any way, there is no cause for alarm and no harm in continuing the same routine until the veterinary community makes up its mind that a real change is needed in regard to dog vaccinations. In the mean time, a little prevention can go a long way to keep your dog healthy.

Copyright 2007. Debbie L. Ray. All rights reserved.

Debbie Ray, owner of http://www.pedigreedpups.com , http://www.the-website-doctor.com , http://www.pedigreeddogs.com and http://www.total-german-shepherd.com is a lifelong dog owner, teacher and internet business owner. Want to learn how to build a website by yourself? Interested in purebred dogs? The German Shepherd? Promote your dog related website? Let me teach you more.