For the Upcoming New Year.....Stress Management ....

Stress is energy.  You can choose to put a negative spin or positive spin on it.
Stress is all around us everyday – at our job, through the interaction with others, dealing with our loved ones, no matter how much we love them, with loss, with gain – stress is everywhere and it surrounds us.
Stress is positive as it motivates us to accomplish our tasks and to be, therefore, productive.  Stress, if one allows, can also be destructive – left unchecked and unmanaged, it can insidiously cause physiological problems, it can provide an excuse to violate one’s core beliefs, and it can manifest itself in undesirable behavior.
How do we manage this stress beasty and become its master?  First, we welcome it – remember it can be a great motivator.  Then we manage it.  Ah, well that is the trick, isn’t it?  As a suggestion, here is a three-pronged management plan:
1.         The Proactive Positive Plan of Action.  Develop a proactive positive plan of action (ppp, for those who like acronyms) of converting the negative stress into positive stress.  We begin with the idea that stress is just energy.  When stress that can be easily converted into negative energy comes your way, have a proactive positive plan of action on board to convert it into positive energy.  Here are some examples:  when you feel stressed, have a pre-programmed plan to walk around the block and admire nature; or hit the gym; or call a friend who you know will soothe your stressed spirit; play with your puppy dog; stroke your child’s head and say how grateful you are for your child’s life.  The point here is to choose the PPP ahead of time before the stress hits, so that you have a “positive place” to take the stress when it comes.  This also helps to rewire old habits and negative response patterns to stress.  As an example, if you turn to food when you feel stress, you can replace that negative energy/habit with a PPP.  But keep in mind that this will take time, so be patient, diligent, committed to your new PPP.
2.         The Daily Journal of Gratefulness.  At the beginning and the end of the day, have a journal by your bed and write in the journal one thing that you are grateful for – and I mean one thing.  This is not to add stress to your life so I do not want to suggest that this should be a huge commitment.  Have a journal dedicated only to this idea.  If you miss a day, oh well – there is no guilt associated with missing a day.  But commit to its overall principle and goal.
3.         The Positive Affirmations from Your Core Command Center.  I am a firm believer that the stress that is converted to negative stress is linked to low self-esteem.  people who love themselves, are proud of themselves, feel like they have value have a tendency to intuitively convert that stress into positive results and already have in place positive outlets for that energy.  People with low self-esteem have a tendency to have a whole host of rationalizing techniques to “allow” themselves to engage in negative behavior.  This suggestion to manage stress is a process – first, build your core beliefs – what and who you are as derived from your basic beliefs that command your life.  In other words, what do you stand for in life.  You can call it, if you like, your core command center (CCC).  Examples of this are:  I believe in honesty – I am committed to being an honest person; and I believe in loyalty – I am committed to being a loyal person to my family and friends.   Develop and determine your core command center – write it down, keep adding to it, and keep it with you.  Keep it in your wallet, your purse, but keep it on your person.  It is in “development” as it takes awhile to get in touch with the CCC and “download” that information – but its there.  You think it would be easy but it takes both conscious and subconscious thought.  When you become aware of your core command center, then it is time to create daily positive affirmations from your CCC.  Pick three positive affirmations (and you can change them around – but three is good number) and post them where you can see them – like your mirror in your bathroom or in your car and repeat them often through the day.  Examples of positive affirmations are:  I am a beautiful person; I am full of love; I have infinite value; I have abundant positive energy . . . and so on.  By determining your core beliefs, and then crafting positive affirmations from those core beliefs, you can help yourself rewire your set negative responses to stress and provide a foundation for a positive approach to stress.

Bettina Altizer- Attorney at Law
Altizer and Altizer
324 Washington Avenue
Roanoke, Virginia, 24016
540-345-2000

Dr. John Risher - What an Amazing Man

As a UVA alumni and someone who is passionate about the sport of football, I wanted to share a story by Doug Doughty in The Roanoke Times about Dr. John Risher of Lynchburg, Virginia.  He is a centenarian at the age of 101, who has been tracking UVA football statistics since 1957.  He has missed only one home game in the past 54 years, and that was the 2011 season opener.  Pneumonia kept him away.  Dr. Risher was suited up but did not play in the first football game played at Scott Stadium, which opened 80 years ago this past October.  Dr. Risher played in the opening game of the 1931 season when the Cavaliers defeated Roanoke College.  The end was injured, so the coach put him in.  But he never played again.  Dr. Risher remembered that game well – it was UVA’s only victory in a 1-7-2 season.  He played tennis until he was 85, and then started playing golf, which he gave us at the age of 90.  What an amazing man! 

Do you Have Sufficient Insurance Coverage if You have an Automobile Accident

We would never depend on some stranger to protect us and our families, would we?  Well, that is exactly what you are doing if you do not have enough automobile insurance coverage.  If you look at your policy, and specifically, what is called a Declaration Page, it will tell you the amount of your coverage for uninsured and under insured claim.  This type of coverage is the most important coverage that you have on your policy.  This coverage will cover you if the person who hits you and causes your personal injury has either no insurance coverage or has insufficient coverage to pay for your damages.  I have never met a client who says that their auto insurance agent explained what these types of coverages are and their significances to his or her financial health and well-being.
Virginia requires only a minimum auto coverage of $25,000.00.  Virginia has not changed this amount since the early 1970′s!!  This really, in and of itself,  is outrageous, and Virginia miserably fails to adequately address the needs of its citizens.  But that is the system that we have, until we change it.  So you have thousand’s of drivers driving with only minimum coverage and you, through your own pocket and/or through your own auto insurance insurance coverage, must pick up the balance of the debts and damages created by a moderate to severe auto wreck.  Again, this is outrageous, and we all should get up in arms about this but insurance company lobbyists are powerful — the insurance companies have their way in keeping the minimum limits very low so that they can sell policies at a premium but can keep their company’s exposure to a minimum.  Again, we, as VA. citizens, are not considered in this determination.
Additionally, I will report to you that we have so many drivers who have no insurance at all, and its on the increase.  Driving without auto insurance is illegal, but our society does not punish these folks enough.  They may get a ticket, may pay a fine,  and then off they go, driving again.  And many times, they don’t even have a driver’s license.
So what do you do?  You have to protect yourself.  Go to your insurance agent and request that your coverage be increased.  It is surprising how little extra money that it costs to have medium to excellent coverage.  These days, if you can afford it of course, I would have no less than $500,000.00 coverage — not only for the bodily injury side of things but also for the uninsured and under insured coverages.  And that’s at minimum.  But buy as much as your family can afford as this potentially will save you and your family from great heartache that I see daily because an individual seriously hurt in an auto wreck does not have enough insurance available.
If you have any questions at all, please call Bettina at (540)345-2000 or you can email me at baltizer@altizerlaw.com.  At Altizer & Altizer, we want you to be safe, and well-insured in case something does happen to you and/or your family member.

If You Think Your Seatbelt Will Always Protect You- Think Again..........

The 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Hyundai was liable for the death of a 19-year-old front seat passenger who was ejected from her reclined seat in a rollover crash.  If you believe that your seatbelt will protect you for any reason if you are involved in an automobile wreck, think again.  There is a serious risk of injury or death when a front seat passenger is in the reclined position.  Our vehicles are much safer than in years past, but they are and never will be foolproof.  Assisting clients who have been injured in automobile collisions is but one of the legal services that we provide at Altizer & Altizer.  If you are overwhelmed with the process of navigating the maze of your personal injury claim, please call us.  We can remove the stress and worry, which gives you the time and energy to recover from your injuries.  You can contact us at (540) 345-2000 or toll-free at (800) 310-5777, or you can visit our website at altizerlaw.com.  One of our attorneys would be happy to speak with you.

From Lawyersonline.com

Auto Accidents in Virginia- It's Not Time to be a Tough Guy

You are sitting at a stop, waiting to make a left-hand turn, when suddenly a driver slams into the rear of your vehicle at thirty-five miles per hour.  Your first reaction is that you are stunned and trying to figure out what just happened.
Your second reaction may be anger that the other driver was not paying attention and has crashed your vehicle.  You call 911 to report the accident.  The officer responds as well as the ambulance.  In all of the chaos, someone asks you if you are injured and want to be transported to the hospital.  At the time, your adrenalin is pumping and you do not believe yourself to be injured, so you decline.  You car is towed, and you make your way home.
Once you have a chance to calm down, you begin to notice pain and discomfort that you had not noticed at the time of the collision.  You decide to tough it out.  Maybe you will feel better in the morning.  Well, you don’t.  Your pain gets worse, but still, you try to stick it out – hoping against hope that it will all go away.  You do not want to miss time from work, you do not want to sit in the emergency room, and you do not want to incur medical bills.  But your pain does not go away.  It is getting worse.  Let’s say a week or two down the road, you are still in pain, and you decide that you can’t tough it out any more.  You go to your family doctor.  You are diagnosed with a sprain/strain injury.  You are given medication and told to return if your condition does not improve.  It doesn’t.  You return to the doctor and are sent to physical therapy.  This does not ease your pain, and you are referred for an MRI.  The MRI shows a herniated disc, and you are referred to a neurosurgeon.  She recommends surgery.
So all the while that you were trying to tough it out, you were giving the at-fault insurance company the ammunition they need to devalue your claim.  If you are injured in an automobile collision, it is important that you seek medical attention for your injuries.  It serves no purpose to try and “tough it out.”  You may have a serious but as yet undiagnosed injury.  And you could be hurting your claim.
The bottom line is that you are your own best advocate.  No one can take better care of yourself than you can.
Call us at Altizer & Altizer, your Legal Team for Personal Injury.  We service all of Southwest Virginia including:  Roanoke, Salem, Vinton,Franklin County, Botetourt, Montgomery County, Blacksburg, Bedford, Galax, Hillsville, Pulaski County, just to name a few jurisdictions.  Call us at 540-345-2000 for A&A Legal Team — personal injury, auto collisions, and medical malpractice.