Take a Deep Breath

In our society of ever increasing use of prescription drugs to reduce stress levels or anxiety, many entrepreneurs are too quick to grab for a bottle – some type of magic pill to solve their stress or anxiety issues. 

In fact, you may have noticed that in an age of fast food restaurants, drive thrus, microwave ovens, and blackberries, it seems that our demand for instant satisfaction has surfaced in every area of our lives.  And as a result, it impacts our emotional well-being on a monumental scale.  And I have often said to others … if only I could get the world to stop spinning for just an hour or so, then I could truly relax and feel better!

In this article today, we’re going to discuss methods that you can use to help you to SLOW DOWN, and take some time to enjoy life in our fast-paced society.

Whether you’re a work-at-home entrepreneur, or an employed individual working for a corporation, the opportunities to escape from our work lives get tougher with each passing year.  Email, instant messaging, cell phones and black berries have even made it impossible for some – and feel they are strapped to their desks 24/7.  And if this sounds like you, you might even resent the fact that you can never seem to “get away” from work.

Whether you love your job or your hate it,  if your thoughts are always on work (whether you’re at the office or not) it will eventually come to a head … a point where your world will come crashing down and you will have reached a breaking point.  To prevent this from happening, the first step is to come to realize that you’re headed down that road.

We all have different methods of coping with stress.  And often one of the first areas that we sacrifice is adequate sleep.  Whether it’s intentional or not, we may find ourselves, awake too late into the evening, or even waking up throughout the night.  And when morning eventually arrives, it doesn’t feel like our sleep was restful.

You may have heard some people say that a change is as good as a rest.  And there’s definitely some truth to this statement.  That’s because when you change to a different set of activities you are not only thinking about different things but also exercising different muscle groups in our bodies.

Take for example an individual who works at a computer throughout the day.  Physical stress on the body includes the back, arms, wrists, hands, and eyes.  By sitting in an adjustable chair – or switching to another one close by, you are modifying the posture of your body.  A simple adjustment up or down (even as little as one or two inches).  This reduces the stress on all these muscle groups that are being used and strained throughout the day.

Other minor changes that you can do to your work environment are to ensure that your computer monitor is at the ideal height for your body, and to make sure that no part of your body stretches too far as you reach for your mouse, keyboard, or other input device.

By placing your printer “out of reach” rather than within arm’s length, you force yourself to stand up and perhaps walk a few steps to retrieve your printed documents.  Once again, this is because a change is as good as a rest.

People who work in a corporate office or other large company often enjoy scheduled breaks or brief chats at the water cooler.  If you’re working alone at home, this is sometimes harder to do, and you might even feel unnecessary.  But by including short breaks in your day (even if only for five to ten minutes), productivity will increase and you’ll more than make up for the few minutes that you have taken away from your busy work time.

So in conclusion, remember that a change is as good as a rest.  Identify ways that you can incorporate CHANGE into your work day, and your body will feel less impact from the stress of sitting in the same position, hour after hour, day after day.

Stress Free Living Tips

1. Unclutter your life
2. Smile
3. Be prepared for rain
4. Tickle a baby
5. Pet a friendly dog/cat
6. Don’t know all the answers
7. Look for a silver lining
8. Say something nice to someone
9. Teach a kid to fly a kite
10. Walk in the rain

How Meditating Can Ease Anxiety

 The fast-paced, hectic world we live with an unhealthy amount of stress. Stress develops into, or manifests itself as, worries and fears, leading to feelings of anxiety. Have you fallen into this frustrating path?

 You can ease anxiety by understanding your worries and fears.  A natural way to ease anxiety is the use of meditation.

 Meditation is a basic technique that can get you in better touch with yourself. It relieves stress, relaxes your body, and calms your mind.

Starting Out With Meditation

 There are different ways you can approach a meditative practice. Start by picking a time everyday when you can calmly be alone without distractions. Begin your meditation by taking deep breaths and focusing only on each breath as it goes in and out.

 On a particularly stressful day, you might have more difficulty focusing on your breath. The thoughts of whatever is stressing you may keep getting in the way. When this happens, acknowledge the thought and then go back to concentrating on your breath. Eventually, you’ll feel your mind grow calm.

 As you calm your mind, begin purposefully taking notice of your thoughts. All you do is notice your thoughts, and then return your attention to your breath again. If any thoughts make you uncomfortable or tense, relax your muscles and then focus on your breath again.

 Try not to stress yourself out further by getting frustrated with the meditation process. As you continue to practice, it will get easier.

So what’s  your best stress free living tip?

More Stress Tips For Stress Free Living

1. Avoid negative people
2. Use time wisely
3. Simplify meal times
4. Always make copies of important papers
5. Anticipate your needs
6. Repair anything that doesn’t work properly
7. Ask for help with the jobs you dislike
8. Break large tasks into bite size portions
9. Look at problems as challenges
10. 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 Free Living – Top 9 Ways to Beat Stress

Stress is a common part of life. However, that does not mean that we should just accept it and let it roll over us! Not at all; there are many things that you can do to get rid of stress whenever it occurs so that you stay focused on leading a healthy and happy life.

Easy Steps to Getting Rid of Stress

One: Be less busy!
In general, people take on a lot more than they can handle. There are various reasons for this. For one, you may not realize just how much you can and cannot do or you may have underestimated the time allotted for certain tasks. It can also be that you find it hard to say no to certain things especially if you think that saying ‘no’ means that you’re admitting a certain level of incapability.

So sit down and make a list of everything you are involved with and see which ones you can cut out. For instance, to which clubs do you belong? Are you really an active member or are you really interested in the group? If not, then drop it!

Two: De-clutter.
When you are in an unorganized environment, you’re mental state tends to be disorganized, causing a high level of stress. Here’s a simple exercise: sit down in your living room or bedroom or whatever room you like. Look around and see which items can be thrown or at least boxed up. Anything you haven’t used or touched in 2 months should go!

Apply the same process in other rooms of your home and even at work. You’ll soon realize that an organized and clean home and workspace brings clarity and focus to your mind, avoiding any stressful situations.

Three: Budget your finances wisely.
One of the biggest stressors in life is the lack of money. One way to beat this issue is to learn to budget your resources better. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save by simply cutting out certain items. For instance, do you really need that $3 latte run every morning? Don’t be afraid to seek professional help too (e.g., financial planner) if you really want to turn around your finances.

Four: Exercise!
Apart from losing excess weight, exercising also helps you get rid of stress. Endorphins are released when you work out and this gives you a feeling of well-being.

Five: Eat right.
We consume too many chemically-manufactured food items these days and as they say “you are what you eat”. So try to go back to basics and opt for organically grown and produced items. Even if you don’t do this, simply cooking and eating at home can cut oil and salt intake tremendously! So eat well and your body and mind will follow.

Six: Say NO at work.
If you find yourself always running after deadlines and feeling completely swamped all the time with work, learn to say NO. Take good stock of your day-to-day work activities and see which ones you can cut out. And after you do this, see to it that you don’t take on anything extra if you can help it!

Seven: Enjoy what you have.
Enjoy what you do have. In our society you’ve probably learned somewhere along the way that more is better. Well, it’s not.
When you learn to be content with what you have right now, you’ll find much more peace within yourself

Eight: Talk to someone.
The benefits of having someone listen to you are tremendous! So go and reach out to someone and just try to get things off your chest. You’ll feel relieved and happy you did.

Nine: Keep a journal.
Sure you may have a lot of friends you can turn to, but it’s also important to write down what you feel NOW. But remember that journaling is not just for the ‘bad times’. Write down good times too so that each time you’re stressed, all you have to do is read some of those great entries and you’ll feel an immediate sense of relief, gratefulness and happiness.

Stress can eat you up if you let it so don’t. Prevent it by following the tips above. Good luck!

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