Disinfectants may contain one or more of following hazardous substances: ammonia, cationic detergents, cresol, lye, and phenol and pine oil. Air fresheners have been found to contain formaldehyde which is highly toxic and a known carcinogen (cancer causing). Air fresheners may also contain phenol which upon contact with skin may cause swelling, burning, peeling and breaking out in hives. Phenol can also cause cold sweats, convulsions, circulatory collapse, coma and even death.

Some mold and mildew cleaners contain sodium hypochlorite which is corrosive, may irritate or burn skin and eyes, and may cause fluid in lungs which can lead to coma or death. Formaldehyde is another ingredient in mold and mildew cleaners which is a highly toxic carcinogen causing nausea, headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, memory loss and shortness of breath.

Did you know that manufacturers are not required by law to list exact ingredients on a label but rather can use other names to describe ingredients which may appear less threatening to your health? Alarmingly, manufacturers are no longer required to place skull and cross bone symbol on poisonous products.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

- Become an avid reader of labels on household cleaners you purchase and look for ingredients that appear caustic or toxic.

HELPFUL AND HEALTHY TIPS TO AVOID FOOD CONTAMINATION:

- Educate yourself to characteristics of various ingredients to ensure that you are not exposing your family to toxic chemicals - Stop using those products which contain toxic materials - Look for alternative products which are non-toxic, natural, and environmentally conscious and replace your toxic cleaners with these.

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To live a good life, you must develop and use emotional intelligence. The cornerstone of Emotional Intelligence is self-awareness. The StrengthsFinder® profile can show you what your innate talents are, which, combined with education, training and expertise, become strengths.

At same time, you must understand and be able to manage your own emotions and those of others. To know yourself, you must know how you feel, a point which has been ignored in Western society for too long. We are our emotions. Our emotions are there to guide us – toward things that feel good and are therefore good for us, and away from things that feel bad and are therefore bad for us.

One of Emotional Intelligence competencies is Integrated Self. In my EQ teleclasses, I start each session by asking each participant to tell how they are feeling – emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. These four components add up to self-knowledge and to balance in life.

Typically each participant will start in, name three and “forget” 4th. . This “forgotten” one is usually problem area.

Participants report feeling centered and “better” just having gone through exercise. How often, after all, do we ask one another this, or ourselves? And how less often do we honestly answer it. Routinely we ask, “How are you?” and answer with “Fine.”

Midlife is time when chickens come home to roost. So well put by poet Dante, in “The Divine Comedy,” “Midway upon journey of my life I found myself in a dark wood, where right way was lost.”

When in a dark wood, when right way has been lost, least Emotionally Intelligent thing to do is to redouble our efforts at what we’ve already discovered doesn’t work, hoping that more of same, only harder and longer, will bring different results. This is proverbial “beating a dead horse.” As someone wrote, “I’m busy all time – working, sewing, crafts classes, promotions, organizations, networking, activities, teleclasses …won’t somebody please stop me?”

Difficult as it may be, best thing to do is to stop. Take time to pause and reflect. Turn inward to find answers you haven’t been able to find by turning outward. Learn more about yourself and who are you are and then become more of that. Coaching can help you sort through sources of chaos and stress, to get back in touch with who you really are, perhaps for first time. From there you can begin to rebuild your life in a balanced and healthy manner, going with grain, not against it.

All growth requires some discomfort. To turn and face what’s going on takes some courage, but rewards are commensurate with your willingness to do this. Rather than continuing to sweep dirt under rug, go after it.

Work with an Emotional Intelligence coach to get in touch with, yes, your feelings, because we are our emotions, and they are there to guide us. Develop your Emotional Intelligence as foundation for changes you need to make. Discover what your strengths are. Then be willing to try some new things, and to get rid of or stop doing things that are making you miserable.

If not now, when?