Diagnosing Your Stress Reflex

There are some days that just go terribly wrong.  Your schedule gets thrown off kilter, you get into spats with the people you love, and like Murphy’s Law – anything that can go wrong, will go wrong!

When these kinds of days occur, how do you normally react to the stress?  The methods you automatically turn to in an effort to help you deal with the increased anxiety levels is known as your stress reflex.

Just as your knee jerks when the doctor taps it, there are certain things you do when stress gets the best of you.  It may be that you head straight for the kitchen and drown your sorrows in a big bowl of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.

Or maybe you snap at the first person who crosses paths with you.  Your stress reflex kicks in when the pot boils over.  We like to refer to it as the straw that broke the camel’s back, but what it actually means is – you’ve had enough!

When stress levels get to this point, it’s too late to react with your emotions intact.  You need to find ways of coping with stress as it builds, to diffuse the situation before it gets out of control.

Evaluate what your stress reflex is.  You may not have ever thought about it before, preferring instead to not think about anything when stress takes its toll and sends you into a flurry of coping mechanisms.

One you have a finger on the pulse of how you manage stress when it tips the scales, you’ll be able to steer clear of detrimental behaviors and find an outlet that is healthier for you when this type of anxiety seeps into your life.

Your stress reflex may depend on many factors, such as whether you’re male or female. Men and women tend to react differently to stress.  The benefit in pinpointing your stress reflex isn’t to turn off the anger switch forever.

In fact, getting mad to a certain degree can be healthy for you.  Instead, you want to prevent damaging reactions that can affect your personal health or endanger others, such as the case where road rage occurs because a bad driver cut you off after a stress-filled day at the office.

The next time you feel stress beginning to boil over, watch to see how you react to the situation.  Do you blow your lid like a pressure cooker, eat the entire contents of the kitchen, or get physically sick to your stomach?  Keep a journal and then find ways to react differently.

So what’s your stress reflex?

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.

Surviving the Holiday Crunch With Stress Free Living

Don’t be surprised or feel guilty if your holiday is stressful — and don’t entertain the fantasy that everyone else’s season is picture-perfect. Some moments will be memorable, some will not, and some you’ll want to forget, but remember: We’re all in this together!

The holidays are supposed to be a wonderful time for you and your family, though sometimes the stresses leading up the holidays make it seem like quite the opposite. Remember that even in poor economic times there are ways to enjoy yourself and survive the holiday crunch.

Spending Money

Chances are you’ll be spending at least some money during the holiday season. With careful planning, you can make a small budget go quite a long way.

Consider the following holiday money saving tips:

Save Throughout the Year. Most people let the holidays creep up on them. All of a sudden they realize it’s two weeks before Thanksgiving and they need to begin preparing. You can’t pull money out of nowhere and you should resist the urge to put all of your purchases on credit. If you’ve done this in the past, you know first hand that you’ll still be paying off last year’s gifts for years to come!

• Automatically withdraw a small amount of money from each paycheck that goes toward your Christmas savings. Those small amounts add up to something big at the end of the year.

Shop Early. When you shop early you can avoid the stress of the crowds and the urgency of having to make decisions quickly. Start by making a list of gift ideas for everyone. This way, as you see the items throughout the year, you can pick them up. You may even find that they’re cheaper during off-peak times than during the holiday rush.

 Handmade Gifts. If money is extra tight this year, consider giving your loved ones handmade gifts. Handmade gifts are given straight from the heart. They’ll provide memories that last a lifetime and are important reminders that the holiday season is not just about spending money.

Shop for Deals. While it can end up taking a great deal of extra time, make sure you do your homework when it comes to shopping for deals. Prices can vary greatly from vendor to vendor. Luckily, the internet can be your best friend when it comes to shopping for deals. It allows you to comparison shop quickly and easily from the comfort of your own home.

 While you’re shopping online, always remember to stay safe. If you haven’t heard of the website you’re purchasing from, make sure that you’re shopping on a secure server and do additional research into the company to seek out reviews and opinions.

Planning Your Budget

Whether or not you’ve saved throughout the year, it’s always a good idea to put yourself on a strict budget. Give yourself a total dollar amount and then decide how much you’ll spend on each person. If you need money for entertaining, decorating, food, or other things, budget for that as well.

Remember to check in with yourself from time to time to make sure that you remain on budget. While it may be extra work, it’ll save you the stress of dealing with big credit card bills in the new year.

Dealing With Stress

If the stress of the holidays has gotten you down, you’re certainly not alone. It’s not fun to have to deal with the financial aspect, but it’ll help to keep the reward in mind.

If you’ve spent your money well, and your family gets through the holidays in a peaceful manner, then you’ve done your job. You’ll be adding to the memories that will last a lifetime. Remember that you can’t place a price tag on memories. When you keep that positive goal in mind, it’ll be worth the stresses you have to endure.

In A Rut? Then Stop Settling And Start Sizzling

Ok you’re trying to find your way to live a stress free life or at least reduce your stress to a dull roar.  But, it looks like you’re stuck in a rut. Are you bored with your life and the same routine day after day? Of course you can’t be happy like this!

There’s an exciting world out there with a lot to offer. Deep down you know you want to get out and take a big bite of it (and not let it take a big bite out of your).  Sure, it may be a bit overwhelming, and even scary at times, but you can’t let your life just pass you by.  Personally I let a lot of years pass me by – but no more.  It’s never to late to start sizzling.

It’s time to live those dreams, take a leap of faith, and get out of your comfort zone! But how do you get started?

Read on for some valuable tips and suggestions to help you be all you can be, now and always:

1. Decide what you want to do. Put your fears aside and step outside of your comfort zone. If you could do anything without fear, money, or time being an issue, what would you choose?

• Make a list of everything you would like to accomplish someday. It doesn’t matter how crazy or outrageous you may think it is, just write it down.
 
• It also doesn’t matter if your list has three or thirty-three things listed. Just search your heart and your mind and write down what you would really like to do.

2. Faith. It’s important to have faith to see your journey until the end, yet this may be one of the hardest qualities to develop. Remember how it feels to be stuck where you are with no excitement and no real purpose. You know things can be better than they are now, but how?

• All you need to do is believe in yourself. You know that countless people before you have lived their dreams, so why not you? What makes them so different?

• There really is no difference between you and others, except for the belief in the possibility for great success. You can be just like they are; you just have to believe you can do it!

3. Don’t keep it a secret. If you’re ashamed of how you’re feeling, you shouldn’t be. Many people find themselves in the same predicament. The only thing that should embarrass you is if you intentionally decide to stay in that rut! Do yourself a big favor and open up to someone you trust.
 
• Whether that’s a parent, spouse, or best friend, tell them that you’re ready to make a change in your life and they’ll be able support you throughout your journey. They’ll encourage you on the good days and cry with you on the bad days.

• Most importantly, they’ll be there to support you throughout it all. It’s just what you need to achieve great success!

4. Take the first step. It’s time to take that first leap of faith. As much as you want to step outside the box and get out of this rut, nothing will happen without taking that first big step.

• No matter how frightening you may be, you need to focus on the big picture and the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. Muster up all the encouragement and support you can find and just do it. Once the first step is accomplished, it gets easier!

• You deserve to be the best that you can possibly be, and deep down inside you know this. You’ll be so glad you took action – and you’ll be so proud of yourself when you celebrate at the finish line!

No one enjoys being in a rut and just going through the motions of life. Don’t let your fears hold you back. After all, this is a wonderful world that you deserve to enjoy to the fullest!

Go out and experience everything life has to offer. Take that first leap of faith and you’ll never look back again!

Developing Your Inner and Outer Strengths

Stress free living is all about finding your strengths.  Everyone has unique talents and strengths, but whether you’ve discovered and actively developed them is the real question! Maybe you have been told that you’re good at something, but your let your skills go untapped while waiting for the confidence and courage activate.  You may be in for a long wait.

There are even some people whose self-esteem is suffering to the point that they truly believe they don’t possess any talents at all! If this is you, please believe that your talents are there, just waiting to be revealed to you!

These tried and true strategies will help you develop your strengths to their full potential:

1. Research. Perhaps you think that you’re strong in one area, but you aren’t completely sure. This is where you need to look into things that interest you or that you believe you might be good at. See what resources are available and what it would take to make the commitment to strengthen your strengths.

2. Patience. Developing your strengths to their full potential won’t occur overnight. To fully develop a talent, you must be patient. Patience is not easy and many of us tend to struggle with it. But if you can be patient, you’ll definitely reap the benefits at the end of the process.

• A useful way to think of developing your talents is to consider it as a journey. It may take a while, but you’ll learn a lot along the way.

• You’ll make mistakes and celebrate milestones, and by the time you’re done, your strength will be fully developed to the peak of your abilities.

3. Set goals. People are more successful when they set goals. Write down what you’d like to accomplish and what date you’d like to achieve this by. Remember to be realistic and review your goals frequently to keep yourself on track.

• Post your goals in places where you’ll see them throughout the day. The refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and your computer monitor are a few ideas. This will not only keep you on track, but it’ll also motivate you to reach these goals as quickly as possible.

4. Believe you can do it. Confidence can be one of your greatest strengths and assets. When trying to improve yourself in any capacity, if you truly believe that you’re able to accomplish anything, you’ve won half the battle.

• The battle with your mind is often greater than any challenge you face in reality.

• You may have tough days when you’re unsure of yourself, but as long as you get back on track quickly, you’ll build momentum.  Remember, you can do this!

Final Thoughts on Developing Your Strengths

Strengthening your strengths may be a daunting and overwhelming journey at times. And, yes, it will take some work. But everything worth anything involves hard work!

It’s important to focus on the big picture and remember the rewards you’ll enjoy once this process is over. Also, ensure that you have the unwavering belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.  By possessing these two attributes, you’ll be on the road to success in no time!

Just For Today Don’t Allow Stressful Thinking To Affect You

You  encounter stress from day-after-day, but how you deal with stress determines whether it moves you forward or holds you back. Stressful thinking is frenzied, inaccurate, and unreliable, even so a lot of  you go through life thinking and behaving in stressful ways. Many of you assume that this is the way life has to be, and there is no getting around it, but this is certainly not the case! 

Silencing negative thinking may be easier than you ever imagined it could be, but it begins with a positive thought.

Negative Thinking, Positive Aspirations, and You

Negative thinking not only controls the way you approach life, but it also can affect your body, mind, and relationships. When you substitute negative thoughts with positive ones, you have the ability to move ahead in a healthier and more productive way.  With adequate time and effort, you’ll be able to alter your thought process, and it all begins with just a few words.

The Power of A Few Words…

When you see a list of affirmations, you see nothing more than a list of words with idealistic phrases that do not seem to apply to your thinking. If you look closer at each affirmation, you may find that many of them summarize the way you would like to think.

When you see a positive phrase that speaks to you, hold  onto it and use it to wipe out the negative thought you want to eliminate. Basically, you’ll be replacing your negative thinking pattern with a positive approach. This is what positive affirmations are all about!

Affirmations are positive statements that stimulate your mind to achieve all of the great things you would like. Words have the ability to move mountains because they can evoke emotions within you.  If you use an affirmation that speaks to you on a deep level -“ and you reaffirm it by repeating it often“ you can make the statement your mantra and your reality.

If you are overcome by negative thinking to the point where you believe no affirmation can work for you, don’t lose hope! There are many affirmations that can help you deal with just that!  Using an affirmation such as, “Negative thinking is not my way of thinking” will give you the ability to alter your thought process and your life. It may feel awkward at first, but as you reaffirm the positive emotions you desire, your negative thinking will be replaced with positive thoughts.

There are a lot of different affirmations to help you with negative thinking.  Something as simple as, “Negative thoughts cannot enter my mind” will allow you a moment to replace anger and frustration with a positive thought.

Does this sound too good to be true? There are a lot of people who, just like you, think this strategy is too simple to be effective. The only way to know for certain is to try it for yourself. What do you have to lose? No one has to know but you, and you just may find that the benefits are so great that you want to share them with everyone you know. Here are a few other affirmations you can use:

I see myself realistically and objectively
I find deep inner peace with myself as I am
I say positive things about myself to myself
All of my false images of myself from the past are now dissolved
I love and accept all parts of myself
I love and accept all of my thoughts and feelings as part of myself
I have positive self esteem apart from others judgments and criticisms
I love and approve of myself without pleasing others
I accept myself completely as I am, though I recognize areas for improvement
I value and honor myself as I am, though I recognize areas for improvement
I am loving and accepting of who I am and who I am becoming
I feel total peace with my powerful positive self-esteem

Stress Causing Migraine Headaches Are More Common Then You Think

Stress can trigger tension type headaches. Those more intense headache are commonly known as migraine.  Migraines are usually experienced after stressful situation and the body is attempting to repair and detoxify. A migraine headache is a dull or throbbing pain usually on both sides of the head.  It’s a sneaky headache that just seems to strike when you least expect it, but often in times of extreme stress and anxiety.

Because it can hit without warning, it’s hard to find ways to prevent it.  Once it hits, it becomes a source of  constant  pain almost too much to bear.  Unfortunately, while stress itself is a trigger, a migraine only brings about even more stress!

Keep a headache journal in which you can  write down the date, time and place the migraine headache started. Also note what you were doing and how your mood was at the time the first pain wave hit.  As you compare notes, look for commonalities. Were you overtired, trying to do too much without adequate sleep?  Overexertion is a stressor that’s a common trigger for migraines.

Each migraine is unique and you may find that certain foods are more likely to help relieve or prolong the pain. Cut back on your caffeine intake in sodas and coffee.

Drink high quality fruit and vegetable juices for the nutritive value as well as the detox potential. Since you may not feel like eating during a migraine, at least you will get some quality nutrients from the juices.

Taking a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory (NASID) medication at the first indication of pain may be helpful.  Common over-the-counter NASIDs are ibuprofen, naproxen and acetaminophen. If this doesn’t help, and relaxation techniques are no match for your migraine, then stronger medications may be necessary from a physician.

Fluorescent lighting, which is common in offices and commercial buildings, can be another trigger to make migraines worse for some people. If you’re working in an office with this lighting, bring a small desk lamp that has a full spectrum light bulb. Turn off the overhead lights and use your desk lamp.

Room noises that you would normally ignore become like the sound of an army marching across your forehead when you have a migraine headache. If you can’t get away from the noise, put earplugs in your ear to muffle the noise.

There’s no foolproof way to prevent migraines but you can be prepared to apply the most comforting approaches that work for you.

Job Loss Survival Skills

Losing a job is so stressful that it can make anyone do things that are counterproductive.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  So first let’s talk about what not to do when facing a job loss crisis.

1. Borrow money from anyone and create more debt for yourself unless your facing a dire emergency.
2. Cancel your medical insurance because you “can’t afford” to pay for it. If you have just one illness requiring hospitalization or surgery it could literally wipe you and your family out permanently. An emergency room visit could cost you hundreds of dollars. 
3. Not let friends and family know that you’re looking for work and you’d appreciate their help. You never know when they see something in the paper that you didn’t notice or someone says something that they wouldn’t connect to your needing work unless you ask them to keep their eyes and ears open.
4. Neglect to  inform your creditors. Most will work with you. After all it’s far better for both of you to work together then to let everything go until it all comes crashing down around you.

It’s so important to be proactive.  There are some things you can do that will make a huge difference in your life.  Now Let’s look at some of your options:

Reduce monthly expenses. Take a serious look at some of the things you can live without for a while until you get back on your feet. Go through all of your bills and expenses and cut out the things that aren’t necessities. Be honest with yourself – just because you think you can’t live without your cable or cell phone, doesn’t mean it’s true. Some of the first places to look include: 

• Get rid of cable
• Phones – both cell and land line
• Cell texting or other data communications
• Make one trip a day instead of several
• Don’t Eat Out. Instead cook at home
• Turn off your air conditioner

With a little communication, research, and creativity, you can take advantage of your time off to learn a new skill or start a new venture with skills and passions you already have. Have some fun utilizing your creative ability while making the extra money you need to make ends meet.   These tough financial times don’t have to be devastating. Use these tips to take advantage of the resources available to you to reduce the negative impact on your life. You may even look back on this time as the lucky stroke that pushed you toward success in your new career!

Stress Free Living Coping with Corporate Stress

Even if you love your job, they’ll be days where you are going to experience stress.  People allow stress to get the best of them, but you don’t have to.  You can learn to cope with corporate stress so you use the stress to move you forward instead of holding you back.

A Look At Corporate Stress

When you are stressed out about your work, you may feel like you are on an island all by yourself.  Of course, it isn’t the case at all.  Did you know that as many as a quarter of the people you work with right now feel as though the job is the biggest stressor in their life?  It is also thought that three quarters of employees feel as though they have more on-the-job stress than their parents ever did. 

Corporate stress is not something unique to you – everyone experiences it! Sometimes just knowing this is enough to help you get through to the other side so you can start feeling happy and healthy again.

Thankfully, there is something you can do to reduce corporate stress in your life.

Corporate On-The-Job Stress Solutions

Some solutions to corporate stress include:

• Letting the small things go, it probably doesn’t matter anyway
• Proactively balancing work and family life
• Creating a support network of friends and family, or even co-workers

Letting Things Go

The fact is, when you allow yourself to take a more relaxed and positive outlook on the world, it will suddenly become a lot more relaxed and positive.  When you choose to have a positive approach in life, you’ll likely find that the things that would have stressed you out before will now roll off your back.  It’s not that you won’t feel stress; it’s just that you will have a more positive way of interpreting things so that stress is not necessarily such a bad thing.

Finding Work-Life Balance

When work takes over our lives, that’s usually when we become stressed out at work and when we cannot cope well.  You should make sure that you engage in daily activities that do not involve work, even if this is simply reading a chapter of your favorite book or picking up the phone to call a friend.  When you allow your work life to consume you, stress will consume you too. In turn, you’ll become less efficient and effective at your job.

Relieve Work Stress with Quality Family Time

Make sure you spend time with your friends, family, or even your co-workers outside of work.  Don’t allow your home to become an office away from the office. That’s no good! Make sure you have a support network of friends and family members who will remind you that there are plenty of things to do that aren’t related to your work in any way.  It’s also helpful to have this support network so that when you are stressed out, you’ll have someone to turn to. Oftentimes a support system helps keep us grounded when we would otherwise be tightly wound with work-related stress.
 
It’s true that stress is a part of life, but that doesn’t mean it needs to consume us. Stress will come and go, but coping is something that needs to be ongoing so you can live a great life inside and outside of your professional life.

Stress Free Living De-Stressology Lesson – Keeping It Simple

This is such common advice you might think about ignoring it.  But if your ignoring it are you keeping it simple?

Simplifying your life means living uncluttered.  Get rid of that junk around the house.

When your home or office is overflowed with junk it tends to distract you and creative thinking goes right out the window.  Are you keeping stuff because you don’t “feel” like getting rid of it – procrastination.

Look around you and make a list of everything you don’t need and decide if it’s a throw away, give away or keep item.  Don’t take months completing this project.  30 minutes a day is all it takes and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see what you can get accomplished in two short weeks.

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