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.

When you are starting out, you may decide to set aside 5 minutes for your meditation session. This is plenty of time when you are beginning to meditate and in our hectic daily lives it may well be that this is the maximum amount of time that you feel you can devote to meditating. That’s fine. Whatever works for you is good – it’s much better to spend a few minutes a day meditating than to put it off completely. Over time, you will  want to increase the amount of time you spend in a meditative state, but that’s completely your choice.

If you can spare the time, your aim should be to have two 20 minute meditation sessions each day. Research has shown that spending this amount of time meditating leads to better health and can help reduce the stresses and strains of daily life. Your checklist for starting meditation:

• · Choose a meditation method from the chapters that follow.
• · Choose a time of day when you are unlikely to be disturbed.
• · Choose a place where you feel comfortable and can relax.

That’s all!

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?

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.”

The idea of positive self-talk, or positive thinking, is something many coaches and counselors suggest to their clients and nearly everyone can benefit from it. Have you ever been in a situation where you think a little bit of positive reinforcement could make things a lot easier? Don’t wait for someone else to lift your spirits; take a moment and realize you can easily do it yourself!

Be Proactive and Gain Confidence

Having negative thoughts, even about a single project at work, can often impact your entire outlook on life. You may begin to believe that you’re in a trap of bad luck or that things will never get better, but in reality, the only way for things to get better is to make positive changes and that takes both action and self-confidence.

• When faced with a difficult situation that leaves negative feelings, step away for a few minutes and take some deep breaths. Think about a resolution to the problem, come up with a smart action plan, then return to propose your plan. Removing yourself from the situation will help minimize those negative feelings while allowing you to gain some perspective.

For more tips on mindset mastery and client attraction tips check out The Client Attraction Mentor

 However, this technique can go awry if your to-do list isn’t organized as well as it should be. You might lose your motivation and drive and, at the end of the day, you may notice that most of the things from your list are not crossed off.

 Follow these tips to create an effective to-do list:

1.  Clarify Priorities. It may help you to develop some sort of ranking system for your to-do list. Certainly every item on the list can’t be equally important. You can even use a number system and rank them from 1 to 5. Items ranked 1 might have a lower priority, while the 5s are tasks you should attend to first.

• You should also clarify your priorities in the sense that you need to leave yourself detailed instructions. Figure out the: who, what, where, when and why of items that may be complicated. This way, when it comes time to tackle the task, you won’t skip over them simply because they seem too complex to complete.

 2.  Pare Down the List. You need to complete tasks or part of tasks one step at a time. If you have 15 minutes to spare, find something on the list that you can complete in that time period. It’s common to tell yourself that 15 minutes is not enough time to do something, but all those 15-minute chunks add up to something huge. At the end of the day you’ll be surprised how much you’ve accomplished in small increments.

3.   Include Flex Time. If your to-do list is too rigid, it simply won’t be effective. You absolutely need to include some flexibility and breathing room in your day. Try not to jam pack your day with unreasonable goals, otherwise, you’ll be at risk of disappointment.

4.  Add in Something Fun. Your to-do list is no doubt full of things you may not be looking forward. That’s why integrating fun activities and tasks should also be a priority! When you add in a fun item it doesn’t feel like work. It may even feel like a break. When you return to the less desirable items, you’ll be more motivated to actually get them done.

5.  Don’t List Too Much. It’s vital not to overwhelm yourself. While some days might be action packed in order to reach certain deadlines, you need to avoid this level of stress on a regular basis. If there’s too much on your plate, or you have to work too fast, you can’t possibly enjoy yourself and you’ll only end up frustrated and overwhelmed.

 6.  Keep It Organized. Your list needs to be organized in a way that makes you feel comfortable. There are many options nowadays, especially with digital devices. However, the old-fashioned pen and paper method may be what works best for you. You can also opt for using the internet or even your cell phone or mobile device to keep your list organized.

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Let’s discuss one of life’s difficult change and find out how best you can overcome the situation

Stressful Change: Losing Your Job.

During these hard times, millions of people are fearful of losing their jobs. In the event this occurs to you, what should you do? Stare in the change in the face and move on.

When faced with job loss you only have two choices really: mope around and feel sorry for yourself or accept it and plan your next steps. It’s of course best to do the latter if you don’t want this event to be truly stressful.

The best way to greet losing your job is to view it as an opportunity. Finally, you can do what you’ve always wanted to do. You’ve been given a second chance so go and grab it!

Following are some tips on what to do.

• Ask yourself what interests you and what would truly make you happy everyday.
• Once you figure out your ‘calling’, take steps to bring it into your life. For example, if you love to cook and want to start a baking business at home, then enroll yourself in a baking class. Upgrade your skills so that when you venture into this business, you increase your chances of being successful.
• If you opt for setting up your own business, keep in mind that starting it is as important as planning it. Don’t wait for things to be ‘perfect’ before you open your business. That’s just procrastination talking.
• Whether you set up your own business or not, it may be necessary to invest in yourself first to increase your skill level. So take classes, join clubs, do what you can to improve yourself.

How you choose to handle a situation will determine how much stress you’re going to allow.  Think of any CHANGE as just another OPPORTUNITY. The choice is yours. The change has already happened; either way, you have to deal with it so why not deal with it in the most positive way possible? But the sooner you begin to look at life changes as new opportunities, the sooner you’ll enjoy a less-stressed life!

1.  You Can Be More Efficient

One huge way to get more done in less time is to stop. That’s right, stop! If you’re over-worked and stressed out, you won’t get nearly as much done and you’re more prone to foolish mistakes. Sometimes you want to take a break and completely detached yourself from work. You’ll find that taking a break is just what you need the most – even if it seems to be the opposite of what you should be doing. The best part: once you come back to the task, you’ll feel reinvigorated and more creative!

2.  Prioritize First Things First

You need to make an organized and frequently updated list of priorities. When you prioritize outstanding tasks, you’ll suddenly find that all of the work on your plate really is manageable. You can prioritize using letters or numbers so you clearly can see what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by.

3.  Combining Similar Tasks

Combine your various projects that can be done at the same time. For instance, instead of going from errand to errand with no set plan create a schedule to make one trip and make multiple stops if reasonable.  Set a specific day of the week to run your errand if possible. You can work out a similar plan with work projects, group similar projects that require the same tools or resources so they can be done more efficiently. Since you have already organized your priorities, you’ll be more aware of what needs to get done, so you’ll be able to better combine similar tasks.

4.  Know When To Get Help

You’re one person, and you can only do so much, so ask for help! You’ll be able to accomplish a whole lot more with less time and effort when you work with the support of a “team”.  Maybe it’s a colleague or a personal assistance and if all else fails you can go t a freelance website like Elance,  It’s not as expensive as you think and your time is valuable!

An assistant can help you re-gain time and save energy so you can get the essential tasks done.  Delegate what you can and do only those tasks that must be done by you.

5,  The Power Of Using Affirmations

Affirmations are another tool that can help you get more done with less work. These simple statements can help you maximize your time by focusing on the positive. When your work feels overwhelming you can say something like, “Each simple, completed task propels me towards success.” Repeating these affirmations will give you a positive state of mind that just may be the extra push you need to get more done with less work, in less time and less effort.