Soccer - A History

Soccer is one of the most popular and celebrated sports in the entire world. This is due in part at least, to the game’s rich and intriguing history that has captured the imagination of many of the fans and player who love it..

The earliest known games of soccer were being played in China during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. In fact there are artifacts from the Han dynasty that depict people playing with a leather ball and kicking it into a net. It is also known that Romans and Greeks would play a similar game to this for fun. Certain facts point to a ball kicking game being played in Japan around this time as well.

Modern soccer as we know it began to develop in the heart of England. There is even a gruesome legend that the head of a Danishman was once used as the ball. Considering the medieval times in which the game rose in popularity, this may not be too far from the truth. The oldest forms of soccer permitted a rather barbaric rule set that allowed for kicking and punching of the opponent. Even gouging eyes and biting ears was common practice. Early forms also allowed for the ball to be carried by a player, making early soccer resemble rugby more than the sport we know today. Fortunately, soon more civilized rules were implemented, and the game evolved in sophistication to become the fan favorite that it is today.

Kathy Nowrey is a businesswoman who also has a passion for soccer, as she has played the game since she was a child.

Mitigating Stressors - Focus on the Now

Being stressed out is no way to live your life. Unfortunately, stress has a profound effect on the majority of people’s lives. This is not only because they have full lives with deadlines, jobs, obligations, and other issues, but because they also have no idea how to deal with stress when it comes their way. 

People become stressed out for many reasons, whether it is because they think their life is not panning out the way that it should, or because something is going wrong in their relationship or their job. Some people even feel stressed out when nothing is going wrong at all. This is because people are always thinking about the past and the future, what has happened and what is going to happen. While this kind of thought does have its advantages for planning and learning, it can often be overused, causing unnecessary and excessive amounts of stress. Whenever you feel as if you are being overwhelmed by all of the stressors in your life, one useful way to prevent that is to focus on the now. Are you sitting at a table, a desk? If so, take a moment to look around at your surroundings. Perhaps return a call to a friend or a loved one.

Sometimes the best way to deal with stress is to simply get out of your own head, to think about the world around you as it is, not as how it could be or how it was. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that life is lived one moment at a time. If you can do that, you can prevent a lot of stress that would otherwise overwhelm you.

Kathy Nowrey is a spa owner that always encourages her clients to focus on the here and now.

Relaxation Techniques - Be Childish

Adults have been known to succumb to the powers of stress throughout their lives not because they have more of it than children do, but because they are not as good at handling it. There is a reason that you do not often see children in a stressful state. While many argue that this is because they have less stressors, this is simply not true. To a child, their problems are just as important as your own. Where they make up the difference however, is the way that they deal with their stress.

Where an adult thinks that things like finger-painting or laying out on the dirt outside is foolish, a child knows that this is a great way to relieve stress and have a bit of fun in the process. The reason that adults often succumb to stress is because they are unwilling to be open to engaging in simple activities that help melt the stress away. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, people have a need to be playful and whimsical, a need that does not end when you enter adulthood.

You would be surprised how a simple act like swinging on a swing or throwing rocks into a pond can affect your psyche. Even digging around in the mud and dirt can be a spiritual and therapeutic experience that many adults simply will not try at the risk of looking foolish. The truth is, it is foolish to feel stressed when a whole world outside exists to help alleviate it.

Kathy Nowrey is a spa owner who strives to create a care-free atmosphere at her wellness center that helps people relax.

Mitigating Stress - Organization

Dealing with stress is an important part of life, especially in the fast-paced modern world that exists today. Mitigating stress has become a necessary skill we all need, in order to succeed both at work and at home. This is a result of the high speed in which stressors bombard us in our daily lives. That is why if we do not address them as they come, they threaten to completely consume us.

One of the problems many people have is that they have no clear structure in their life, which makes things spiral out of control quickly, sending their stress levels through the roof. This is a problem because with just a bit of simple preparation and organization, you could avoid many of these issues entirely. Being organized is important for many reasons, as it will often help you make correct decisions with a clear head. This is the result of a domino effect. If you start the day with a clear goal, as well as a structure and set of instructions to achieve that goal, you can accurately gauge how much progress you are making. This results in less stress and better decision making, only furthering your likelihood for success.

Being organized is a great way to relieve stress, as it prevents things from getting out of hand or seeming out of your control. If you have planned for something in advance, even something bad, you automatically feel less stressed because you have prepared for this scenario.

Kathy Nowrey is a spa owner who advocates keeping your day and your surroundings organized in order to relax better.