Stress Management – It’s Easy to De-Stress – Just Say No!

Those most in need of stress management frequently are not the busy executive or the seeker of learning and higher consciousness. Mostly it’s people who are so busy with their hectic stress filled lifestyle they don’t have time to read a book much less meditate for 30 minutes a day. A “half an hour” sputters the busy homemaker, “I could have dinner made in half an hour”. Most of us are a product of the television and technology age. Suffering from have to have it now and it should be faster syndrome.

You take on the extra project and your to-do list becomes even as expansive. You find yourself helping friends or family who seek your assistants with tasks they find they aren’t able to complete. How do you say no and still look like a good guy or good gal.

Unless you have a ready made excuse – you can’t because you’re working or you’re out of town it’s really can be difficult to say no. Saying no we put ourselves on a self inflicted guilt trip. Feeling guilty not being able to help, and overwhelmed and resentful by the prospect of putting another task on the list. After all it’s in our nature to want to help others. It makes you feel wanted and needed.

Women in particular have difficulty with saying no. Being taught to be non-assertive and passive and to always be a help. Look up the word help-mate a companion and helper husband or wife. But let’s face it how many time have you heard the word used when talking about the husband? None right. Women take on the lion’s share of home responsibilities. Couple that with being the breadwinner and you may have a combination that screams “I’m stressed out”.

It’s time to put ourselves as #1 on our to-do list. We have to take care of ourselves first. And that means saying no to adding more on the list. Keep in mind that by saying no when you can’t take on another task is far better for your mental health because you won’t harbor any resentment of doing something for someone else when you essentially don’t have time or desire to do so. One thing you may not think of is to say no to technology. Turn off the phone, turn off the computer and television. They cry for attention, much in the same way as a friend or family does. And when they scream, rest and relaxation will simply float away.

Take care of yourself first. Remember you’re not the rescue squad.

Stress Management – 7 Reasons to Avoid Mismanaging Time With Multi-Tasking

Time management the great illusion. Often we talk about managing our time as if it were as simple as following steps one two three, and I guess in some ways it is. We all know, you can’t get back loss time. So in an effort to get more done on any given day you may decide multi-tasking is the answer. But this leads to mismanaging time and causes stress.

Do you think you can get three things done at once? If you do you’d have better think again. Any attempt to do so is foolhardy. Attempting to do too many task at the same time equals disaster in the form is mistakes, confusion not to mention the excessive stress and anxiety of trying to keep 3 balls in the air at the same time.

7 reasons to avoid multi-tasking time mismanagement

1. Attempting to complete several tasks or projects at the same time, causes overwhelm and incomplete projects
2. Thinking of more than one project at any given time causes errors and misjudgement
3. It causes fatigue and frustration at what you may feel as lack of “real” progress
4. Frequently causes a cluttered desk and a cluttered mind
5. Causes lack of creativity as you attempt to keep tasks sorted in your own mind there is no room for creativity
6. Projects take longer because of lack of focus
7. Causes you to feel more stressed and anxious

Here are a few ways to be more effective with the time you do have.

Brain dump by writing everything down. Once it’s written on paper begin to transfer the tasks onto a calendar. Write it in pencil so you can make changes easily. Keep a small notebook nearby. Instead of trying to remember everything that needs to be done write it in your notebook for safekeeping. Maintain one calendar combining your work and personal events and tasks to be sure nothing is forgotten. As tasks are completed use a yellow marker to highlight the task indicating it was completed. If you find you’re not able to complete a task on a specific date re-write the task on a new date.

If you find you have moved the task to 3 different dates because it was not completed, decide if the task is important, do you need to complete it or should it be placed as part of a longer term commitment. Finally, decide if your procrastinating and if you are, figure out why and make a decision as to what to do about it.

Is the job too big? How about breaking it down into smaller pieces. Often, the reason we find we can’t complete a task is because the task seems enormous and we become overwhelmed. The best way to break down the project is to list all the components of the task. For instance if the task is to clean the bedroom then list all the areas of the bedroom that need attention. For each component list the subcomponents – in this case list what specifically needs to be cleaned. In this case you’ll find cleaning the bedroom become easy because as you complete the tasks on you list you’ll find cleaning the bedroom becomes easy as you tackle one area at a time.

How your Relationship Can Be the Root of Your Stress

We’ve all heard the saying that money is the root of all evil (not true of course).  But have you heard that relationships can be the root of your stress?   You can juggle your bills you can juggle your time but you can’t always juggle your relationships. 

Relationships include more then family members, it could be friends, co-workers neighbors and even people you do business with.  Some relationships can be severed without much change in your daily habits.  While others can’t actually be changed – after all you can’t change your family.

Evaluate your support systems.  Are they actually supportive and non-judgemental.  Do they give advice but not the criticism.  Do they care about you with no strings attached.  Are you satisfied with the support they offer. 

When in a  relationship that causes you stress, learn how to handle that  stress will improve your relationship.  It requires good communication skills, on both sides.  You learn to listen as well as speak your mind.  It takes two to build or destroy a relationship. 

If I could only pick two things to build a relationship it would be to learn to laugh and to learn to listen. 

Laughter
Researchers now believe that laughter is one of the cheapest and most powerful therapies at everyone disposal.  The act of laughing helps to stabilize your blood pressure and improve your circulation.  And improving your relationship is a by-product of this good feeling.

Listening
A good listener does more than just stand there without saying anything.  Be an active listener by verbally and non-verbally acknowledging what’s being said.  Remember your facial expressions.  Look the other person in the eye.  Finally, don’t begin formulating your response before the speaker finishes what they are saying. 

Feel free to add your comments below.

How To De-Stress and Prevent Anxiety with Power Breathing

Stress can cause you to have panic attacks.  If you are the type of person that intensely worries about things, then you could be at risk.  Panic attacks are born out of fear that something bad will happen.  You start to stress out more than you normally would.

When you feel you’re having a panic attack, you start to feel dizzy and your heart will accelerate.

Other signs that you may be having a panic attack include:Nausea

• Numb
• Feeling of paralysis (can’t move)
• Breathing difficulties
• Sweaty hand and palms
• Increased Tension

Some things you can do to deal with panic attacks and anxiety include:

• Try to remain calm and relaxed; this can help to minimize the effects of panic attacks.
• Face the panic attacks head on; if you avoid them, it will be more difficult to deal with them in the future.
• Get a mindset of not letting the panic attacks get to you; meditate on words that can help you relieve your problems.
• Find some people that can depend on for support.  You need people that have your back and will rally around you when the going gets tough.

If you have these symptoms consistently, you should consult with your physician to find out what’s going on.  More than likely, it can be due to stress levels that increase in intensity.

Now that we’ve covered the symptoms of anxiety what can be done about it – Power Breathing – When you’re feeling stressed, your breathing becomes faster and shallower.  And as a result the body reacts by less oxygen reaching the bloodstream, your blood vessels constrictand less oxygen reaching your brain.  You feel light headed shaky and more tense.  You probably think of breathing as a way of getting air into your lungs.  However, in times past breathing was elevated to a more important status.  If you remember your Bible, the book of Genesis says that when when God created Adam, he “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life’ and man became a living soul.”  Full deep breaths are important to the breath of life

To de-stress and prevent anxiety  try power breathing.

• Take in a deep breath through your nostrils. Do this without exertion.
• Hold it for a second
• Slowly breathe out, through your lips
• Repeat a few times so there is a seamless inflow and outflow of air.
• As you breath out feel the tension melting from your body into the floor.  As the breathing becomes more automatic, concentrate on the tension passing from your body, through the soles of your feet or through the skin of our back into the floor

The Warning Signs and Effects of Stress

Stress can affect you  physically if you  don’t learn to deal with it.  It can really cause long term affect their health problems.  You can experience headaches, complaints effecting your stomach or even diabetes and cause your immune system to be ineffective.  In order for you to remain healthy, the immune system needs to be healthy and working properly.

When you allow stress to affect your wellbeing, you set yourself up for anything to happen.  One of the more common health issues you face are ulcers.
With Stress you can also experience the following:

• Backaches
• Pain in the neck
• Pain in the muscles
• High blood pressure
• Chest pains

Warning signs of stress include changes in your appetite.  You may be experiencing stressed if you’re not eating as much and experience  lost weight.  Or you’re eating more than usual and gaining weight.

You may be feeling tired or drained even though you had enough rest.  Often you’re more concerned about problems that you can’t control or wondering how they’re going to turn out.  You’re not sleeping well, if at all.

Your muscles are aching or your have headaches that won’t stop.  You can’t concentrate on the situation at hand and allow yourself to be constantly distracted.

Here are a few practical tips on how you can help yourself eliminate your stress.
1.    Keep the lines of communication open no matter what the subject
2.    Resist the urge to overreact to negative situations
3.    Begin an exercise program
4.    Have family fun time—see a movie, go out for coffee, go shopping
5.    Talk to a counselor
6.    Be aware of physical and personality changes

Naturopathic Remedies for Stress Relief

When I was little we rarely went to the doctors.  After all Grandma had a pharmacy just outside the back door in her garden.  You have all heard the saying (Grand)Ma knows best.  Well in many cases nothing could ring more true.  You have access to pharmacies, but you may prefer the natural cures that were good enough for your Grandma.

One  of the most well known  way to treat stress homoeopathically is through the use of St. John’s Wort.  This herb has been used to treat stress and anxiety for years.  There is an indication that it is very effective in treating mild anxiety and depression as well as stress.  It naturally releases serotonin and has both mood stabilizing and calming effects.  St. John’s Wort is available in most drug stores and health food stores.

When it comes to herbal remedies, the five well known and not so well known stress fighting herbs:

• L-Theanine  is the major amino acid found in green tea. It has historically been used for its relaxing and anti-anxiety effects.
• Ashwagandha is an Indian herb known as Winter Cherry. Indian ginseng. Ashwagandha appears to reduce stress-induced increases of corticosterone, blood urea nitrogen, and blood lactic acid.
• Rhodiola Anti-stress by increasing resistance to the harmful effects of stressors, increased work capacity, decreased fatigue and improved learning and memory. Roseroot extracts also demonstrate potential for improving learning and memory.
• Eleuthero, Siberian Ginseng  is found to enhance athletic performance and reduce stress.  In addition to its effect on stress, Eleuthero increases energy, helps to balance the immune system and increases cognitive function.
• Echinacea – Native Americans relied on this herb for symptoms of respiratory distress. It’s widely sought after today to combat symptoms of colds and flu. Echinacea is also a common ingredient in commercial cough drops, although the amount in that product is less than what you could get in an herbal formula. Echinacea is also important in supporting the immune system function.

If you want to incorporate more herbal remedies in your medicine cabinet, these are herbs that are easy to find and use. If you are suffering from stress, try Bliss™ a natural herbal remedy.

If you found this blog helpful let me know by making a comment below.

Is Your Memory Being Sapped By Stress?

Managing your stress can improve your memory.  Did you know that the emotional and physical responses you have to stress are set in motion by a series of chemical releases and reactions? If it’s been a really, really tough week at work or home and you can’t remember where you put your car keys, it may be that high levels of the stress hormone cortisol are interfering with your memory. Stress frequently is the result of a hectic schedule.  So hectic, in fact, that we tend to forget things.

If you feel stressed out and forgetful,  relieve your brain’s overload during times of chaos and tension.  When your concentration wanes, it’s up to you to rein it in and regain control.

Don’t isolate yourself, make sure you socialize with friends and family.

If you have a long commute, you might consider listening to an audio CD with a narration like a fiction or non-fiction book.

And break up other routines that you have, if you’re used to buying your lunch at the office cafeteria, brown-bag it instead and sit outside under a tree to enhance your senses and give your memory powers a much-needed boost.

Stress Management can improve your memory.  Stress doesn’t have to cause your memory to  deteriorate.  As long as you give your mind a workout the same way you would your body, you’ll have a healthy memory that allows you to remember the important things during times of stress and anxiety.  Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Life.

Stress Management –Your Holidays Can Be More Enjoyable Without Spending One Extra Dime!

Much of our holiday stress is self induced. The perfect toy, a new set of bargain priced outdoor lights to make you the envy of the neighborhood.  The jewelers tell us, won’t really be complete unless that special woman or man receives the gift that lasts forever (and takes nearly as long to pay off).  Tear jerking commercials remind us just how important it is to buy the name brand cards if we really want to communicate our true feelings for loved ones during the holiday season.

It is no wonder holiday stress has reached epidemic proportions.  We receive message after message telling us just how important every single thing we buy and do is with respect to having a good holiday season.  We constantly look for a way to capture that elusive sense of holiday satisfaction—often with a wad of cash or a credit card.

There’s nothing wrong with spending within your means to have an enjoyable holiday.  It is, after all, a time of giving and a time of celebration and some level of cost is probably inevitable.  However, there are ways to increase your enjoyment of the holidays without spending one extra dime.

One great piece of holiday wisdom is the simple reminder to “think about ideas and people instead of things.”  Even the most free-spending Christmas shopper, when asked, will tell you that the holidays are a time to reflect on the messages of the season and to spend time with loved ones.  The spirit of the holidays can be  clearly communicated by a simple hug or a quality conversation.

Too often, we use things as our means of expression instead of using ourselves.  By retaining a focus on people and ideas instead of things, we find can begin to really communicate the message of love that underlies everyone’s understanding of the holidays.  A hug, a conversation or a walk around the block with a loved one doesn’t cost a dime and can be the best way to build holiday cheer, pleasant memories, and an appreciation of the holidays.

Volunteering your time and energy to a charitable cause can increase your appreciation of the holidays and allows you to truly embody the spirit of giving that underpins the season.  This simple act of kindness can be truly transformative not only for those who benefit from the gift but also for those who are willing to volunteer.

If you want another strand of Christmas lights and they fit into your budget, go ahead.  Feel free to pick up that great toy for your child and the expensive knick-knack for your spouse.  But remember that there are a few things you can do that won’t cost you a anything and can really increase the quality of your holiday season.  Remember to think about people and ideas—instead of things.

Maximum Strength Non-Drowsy Formula

You’ve seen the ads on television the cold or flu medications that come in a non-drowsy formula.  Have you ever exercised and felt almost like you experienced a joy and natural high. You don’t have to be an exercise fanatic to get stress-busting endorphin boost. There’s no question that once you’re “in the zone,” you feel more powerful, more energetic and more positive than you ever knew was possible.

When endorphins kick into your body, your stress immediately diminishes.  It’s your body’s way of delivering natural pain relievers, even if that pain is emotional.  But exercise has more benefits.  It builds muscle tone and flexibility. The more you move, the more you’re capable of doing. That’s why it’s so important to gradually develop an exercise routine so that don’t damage muscles by trying to do too much too soon.

During exercise, there’s more oxygen getting to the brain and a higher level of serotonin  which improves your mood.  As the activity level increases, so does an incredible sense of well-being.

Taking your exercise to the next level is the way to keep you in endorphin delight. Once you experience it, you’ll want even more. Endorphins trigger an euphoria that are somewhat addictive in a good kind of way. And if you are exercising outdoors, you get another positive emotional lift from the sunshine and fresh air.

Try exercises that are rhythmic.  Running, walking, jumping rope, bicycling or swimming these tranquilizing activities influence the brain and keeps the endorphins flowing. Even after the activity is over, there is a lingering positive impact which continues for several hours afterward. Exercise in the morning and you’ll find your begin the day with a natural high.

Hey thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found this information useful.  Say hello by leaving a comment. See just below this sentence where it says leave comment.

The Perfect Storm

In October of 1991 a storm stronger than any in recorded history hit the coast off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This “Perfect Storm” — so called because it was three storms combined into one — created an almost apocalyptic situation in the Atlantic ocean, where boats encountered waves of 100 feet  — the equivalent of a ten-story building. These storms are some of the strongest and most terrifying manifestations of nature’s strength.

The perfect stress storm –

Overstuff to-do list – can be a harrowing for many who feel like they’ve failed in some way if they weren’t able to accomplished everything they set out to do
Over-achiever – Some people who suffer extreme symptoms of stress wind up that way because they can’t seem to achieve all of their tasks.
Type A personality – Have you ever been called (or called yourself) a Type A personality. We laugh it off but their kind of perfectionism you strive for can cause you endless amounts of stress if you fail to meet your own  demands.

Ask yourself how you normally react if you can’t continually be working on something.  Is it virtually impossible for you to sit still and relax?  What if your cell phone is turned off or you don’t have access to a computer for email – does it send you into a panic?

People like this rely heavily on being able to take action, and when they aren’t constantly achieving more, they become more stressed.  The stress builds as your schedule grows even larger. 

Soon, you have to schedule things months in advance – with no room for rest and relaxation, which your body needs to unwind and relieve the stress of helping you achieve all of your goals.

Take that rigid schedule and start scheduling some stress-busting activities just as you would an important business meeting.  Since you are dedicated to a to-do list, ensure that a portion of those tasks are meant to help you calm down and block out the rest of the tasks on your list.

Pick something you would enjoy, but only do if you had the time.  Now, you will have the time – and it will be implemented into your schedule as a “must-do,” rather than a possibility, which never materializes.

You might want to start small and let your stress-reducing activities grow.  Schedule a 15-minute walk outdoors or a 20-minute bubble bath.  Once you learn to embrace the down time, it will be easier for you to expand it into a longer event that’s meant to improve your mental health by ridding your mind and body of the stress of your day.

You need to take the same level of commitment and dedicate some time to caring for your body and mind. Create your own perfect storm with the 3 R’s of stress relief.
Reveal – Identify stressors that affect our daily lives;
Release  – Eliminate the stressors of which we can free ourselves;
Rejuvenate – Learn to deal with stressful situations in a healthy way

Hopefully you found this information helpful.  If you did, how are you going to use this information.  I would love to know.  Please take a minute to comment in the space below this sentence. Let me know if there is anything else you’d like to know about stress relief.

« Previous Page — Next Page »