More Stress Tips For Stress Free Living
May 4, 2010
- Avoid negative people
- Use time wisely
- Simplify meal times
- Always make copies of important papers
- Anticipate your needs
- Repair anything that doesn’t work properly
- Ask for help with the jobs you dislike
- Break large tasks into bite size portions
- Look at problems as challenges
- Look at challenges differently
How Yoga and Meditation Can Help You Balance Your Mind and Body
Yoga and meditation are both great activities for bringing your mind and body into harmony with one another. They can keep you calm and centered and may even help shield you from disorders of the mind and body.
Yoga and meditation can be practiced separately or together, although in order to fully get the benefits of a yoga practice, you’d technically be meditating while you’re centered on your yoga breathing.
Once you’ve begun yoga and meditation practices, you can continue to deepen them by practicing every day. Persistence pays off, especially in the beginning while you’re still forming this healthy habit.
When you practice yoga and meditation consistently, you’ll feel the harmony forming between your mind and body. You’ll also look forward to your daily relaxation session that makes you feel so good! In the end, you’ll wonder how you could have ever waited so long to give them a try.
Stress Tips For Stress Free Living
May 2, 2010
- Get up 15 minutes earlier
- Prepare for the morning the night before
- Avoid tight fitting clothes
- Avoid relying on chemical aids
- Set appointments ahead
- Don’t rely on your memory … write it down
- Practice preventive maintenance
- Make duplicate keys
- Say “no” more often
- 10. Set priorities in your life
Controlling Breathing
The first rapid relaxation routine involves breathing in and out nine times in three series of three breaths.
In the first series of three breaths, inhale deeply and, as you exhale slowly, say quietly or think to yourself, “Calm body.” Repeat three times.
In the second series of three breaths, inhale deeply and, as you exhale, say quietly or think to yourself, “Calm mind.”
In the final series of three breaths, inhale deeply and, as you exhale, say (and do) “Smile.”
Identify Stressors In Your life
April 10, 2010
The first step to bring stress under control is to identify it. Regardless of how much stress you have in your life, being able to identify it will be a tremendous help. Once stress is identified then it’s time to identify effective coping skills.
Keep a Stress Diary
Committing to keeping a stress diary will help you gain clarity into when and how you react to stress. This insight allows a better channel for your emotional and physical energy.
Record in your stress diary daily. Even on the days you don’t feel stressed. It will be good to be able to review those great feeling days and see what made them so great. The stress diary gives you valuable insight helping you to manage your stress more effectively.
Date and time each entry.
- What are you feeling right now? What did you feel earlier in the day. Pick words the accurately describe your emotions.
- How did you handle the stressful situation?
- Was there a better way to handle those stressful events?
At the end of each week go back through your stress diary and analyze your stress pattern. Are you experiencing more stress in the morning, or evening? Does you work create more stress. Whatever the answer by making a few adjustments you can proactively handle those day to day stressors.
Strategies for Raising Self Confident Teens
April 8, 2010
The teenage years can be hard on both teens and the parents. Teens are struggling between childhood and adulthood and finding their true selves. Self confidence can prove to be a major issue as they navigate through this time in their lives.
Just as in other aspects of their life, teens can strengthen their self confidence skills. Some have pretty tough situations to overcome, but in the end, everyone can benefit.
Here are some self confidence strategies that you can share with your teen:
1. Start small. You don’t want to expect too much too soon when it comes to making changes in your teen’s life. To say that they must become self confident overnight can prove to be a nearly impossible task, and it might just make your teen pull away from you emotionally.
- Instead, focus on just one small issue and build from there. They could work on standing up to one friend or finding the courage to speak up more in class.
2. Work on forgetting the past. Many times a teen will have self confidence issues because of certain past experiences. Work on those issues first and explain that the past doesn’t have to repeat itself. Tell your teen that, in life, you can’t get too hung up on past issues or you’ll be jeopardizing future opportunities.
3. Remind your teen that they’re not alone. Being a teen can be lonely; sometimes they’re tempted to pull away just because they start to feel uncomfortable talking about their issues.
- Keep an open dialogue with your teen and avoid judging them when they do open up.
- Remind them that you’ll always be there, as well as other family members and friends.
4. Give encouragement. Teens need lots of encouragement because, as they find themselves. Sometimes things work out perfectly for them, and other times they begin to struggle.
- Be there to provide that extra encouragement when they need to get over a hurdle.
5. Allow your teen to try something new. You can provide your teen with a great confidence builder by encouraging them to engage in new things. This gives them extra practice when it comes to confidence and it may help them become more grounded and social.
6. Provide rewards. Use rewards to congratulate your teen when they take a stride toward self confidence. If they take a big step forward, buy them a little something that they’ve been wanting or take them out to dinner at their favorite restaurant.
7. Most importantly provide unconditional love. Unconditional love shows your teen that, even if they make a mistake, you’ll be there for them no matter what.
Remember that being there for your teen is the most important thing. Sometimes they’ll want to be alone and other times they’ll need your help. Either way, they’ll know that you’re always rooting
Calming Your Mind and Lowering Your Stress Levels
April 6, 2010
More often than not, we tend to focus on too many things every day, leading to confusion, anxiety, and annoyance. This stress can be hard on the mind and body, but the good news is that you can lower your stress levels and calm your mind, helping yourself to feel better each day.
In fact, you can overcome these issues with a few simple techniques!
First, acknowledge that you must take time for yourself. Being all things to all people isn’t realistic, and neither is doing everything and solving all problems or concerns in one day. No one should expect that of you! If they do, you must recognize that it’s not healthy, and you must do what’s right and best for you. Your health and happiness could depend on it.
Ways to Calm Your Mind
Meditation and prayer are two of the biggest ways to calm a restless mind, but they aren’t the only things you can do. There are many other choices to help you feel better and live a stress-free life. You might also consider:
- Focusing on helping others
- Exercising
- Listening to music
- Using your mind for joyous pursuits that interest you
- Playing with children or pets
Everyone has different things they enjoy in life, and you should find yours and practice them when you start to feel stressed or your thoughts try to run away from you. Avoid letting your thoughts talk you out of your dreams. Your dreams are yours; embrace them!
Being busy is not the problem when it comes to your mind. Being busy with things that aggravate you and make you feel down is the problem. Instead of dwelling on things that upset you, deal with them, let them go, and move on to things that you enjoy. You can do this with your thoughts, just like you would with a physical task in the workplace or at home.
Lower Your Stress Levels Each Day
Stress begins in your mind as thoughts, but it can manifest itself physically. You may feel tense, anxious, uneasy, angry, or have aches and pains you can’t really find a cause for. If stress continues all the time and becomes chronic, your health could be compromised.
You can let stress go and feel good every day.
Try these strategies to lower your stress:
- Focus on what matters to you. What’s important in your life? Be proactive about your goals and priorities. When you’re working toward something that you want, it makes you feel good about yourself and your future.
- Find both physical and mental ways to release your stress. Releasing your stress every day keeps it from building up inside you. Make the conscious choice to start each day fresh, without the stress from the day before.What relaxes you? Music? Hobbies? Spending time with your family? Enjoy a healthy dose of relaxation every day.Get as much exercise as possible. Exercise refreshes your body with a surge of oxygen and releases endorphins, the “feel good” hormone. Even if there’s no time for an exercise session, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from the building so you can walk, and play with your kids or pets.
- Practice these strategies consistently. Work on releasing your stress every day, even on days when you don’t feel as much stress, so it won’t be a struggle when you really need it. When you’re feeling good, it’s natural to forget about letting stress go, but it’s important to avoid getting complacent.Keep practicing and improving, even when you feel great!
Whichever techniques you choose to calm your mind and lower your levels of stress, ensure it’s the right fit for you and your lifestyle. Only you know what you really need and what makes you feel safe and at peace.
If you practice this peacefulness each day, it won’t be long before you start to feel calmer, even in situations where you would have previously been over the edge. Your thoughts will be clearer, instead of jumbled and racing. Physically, you’ll feel stronger, too, because your body will be free from the affliction of stress and anxiety.
