Visualize walking along the beach. This will be an emotional healing visualization. Start off by taking several deep, abdominal breaths. You can either sit in a chair or lie down, which ever you feel more comfortable with. It is important that while you are breathing, you are also trying to clear your mind and relax. If any negative thoughts begin to creep into your mind, take the time to acknowledge them and then simply let them fade away. Now you can breathe normally and easily.
Try to imagine yourself walking along a white sandy beach on a warm, beautiful, clear day. As you walk along the beach, be sure to take notice of your footprints in the sand. As well, take notice of all the people lounging in their chairs, walking their dogs, children playing in the sand, the waves crashing on the shore, birds flying above you, the puffy white clouds and the merchants selling a variety of different novelties. On the beach, there is an abundance of things to see and take in. The overall mood is one of relaxation and pure happiness.
Chances are your week has been less than perfect. Life 's stressors have taken their toll on your mood. Therefore, this walk is your attempt at trying to change your mood, while getting things off your mind and relaxing.
As you walk along the sandy beach, you see a giant helium balloon in the distance. The helium balloon is very large and vibrant with colors. Attached to the balloon is a seat designed for one. You notice that a vendor is offering rides in the helium balloon. Since the price is right, you decide to take him up on his offer and go for a ride. You step into the seat. The vendor directs you on the how to work the balloon in order to go higher or come back to the ground. In order to assure you are completely safe, he has a rope attached to the balloon.
The balloon begins to lift you off the ground. The higher you go, the more peaceful you feel. As you ascend, the people and the beach appear to be so small. Then, you think about all of the problems you have experienced over the past week. Your body begins to tense up. You need to acknowledge that feeling.
As you begin to ascend, a bright light, which appears to come directly from Heaven, engulfs you. Your intuition tells you that the light is an angel who was sent to shine her bright light on you. She begins to communicate with you. She tells you that everyone experiences problems from time to time and that it is all part of life.
How we handle the problems can either make us or break us. Our reactions can either cause the problem to be a minor irritation or a complete catastrophe. Everyone has a different reaction to stress. The angel is asking you to view your problems as a minor hurdle that can easily be overcome. She is also saying that as a result of your problems, you can actually become stronger. As well, you can deal with anything that comes your way.
She tells you to feel the tension you are experiencing in your body. In order to feel this, contract your leg muscles, then completely let go. Next, contract your all of your muscles, including your abdomen, buttocks, shoulders, arms and face. Contract one set of muscles at a time. In between working each muscle group, make sure to take some time to relax. As you relax your muscles, let go of all the negative thoughts and situations you have experienced over the past week.
By the time you have worked your way through all of the muscle groups, your problems will have melted completely away. In the clouds, you can see your problems floating away. Your problems now appear to be as small as the people below. In fact, they no longer even exist.
At this point you feel as if you can tackle anything that comes your way. By simply doing this visualization, you realize you can handle all of your stress in a positive manner.
As you begin to descend, the angel tells you how proud of you she is. As you go further down, she tells you your tension will soon be completely gone. She reminds you of how joyous and refreshed you will feel when you reach the ground. Your body feels stress free and light. Be sure to take in the fresh air as you slowly descend.
Now, you begin to the see the people who are on the beach. You can feel how warm the sand is as you touch it. The vendor smiles at you as if he can tell just how refreshed and calm you are.
You thank him for allowing you to ride on his helium balloon. As you begin walking along the beach, you look up. The bright light you had originally seen, goes back into the clouds and then to the heaven. You know that you can call on this special angel at anytime. You are energized and happy. Your life is wonderful. You now know that you can take on the world.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Read A Good Book And Reduce Your Stress Levels
Whether the book you choose to read is one that will have you looking into the future world of Big Brother, going back to the days or prehistoric monsters, or the kind which will make you drift off with the sounds of small silver waves lapping on a white sandy beach, reading the book is sure to be a great help in reducing your stress levels.
Along with reducing the stress in your life, reading a good book can open all sorts of doors leading to visions and aspirations of things you would never have dreamed possible before. It can also be a great aide when you have problems which you need to solve.
Reading is an excellent escape and provides a good way to relax. Curl up with a good book and all your worries and cares go out of the window, at least for a short while, as you are taken off to far away places, maybe in a different time period, bringing new ideas and thoughts to your mind. It 's almost like awarding your mind with a vacation but without incurring the huge costs, especially if you take advantage of your local library.
A great deal of knowledge to help you with problem solving can be gleaned from reading, and this in turn will help to reduce the stress in your life. Lets say, for example you have put on a bit of weight and you are stressed out about this. The more you put on, the more stressed you become, so what do you do? Yes, eat more! No! That 's not the way to do it! You could read a book about nutrition. This will not only show you how to plan your meals, making sure they are low in calories and fat, but if you adhere to what the book teaches you, you will also lose weight, and consequently the stress factor will disappear too.
Reading also gives hope and inspiration in a way which will relieve stress. Stories of rags to riches and biographies of famous people, which detail how they got to where they are today can only encourage you to overcome your struggles and take on the challenges you are faced with.
Books on self help are an effective stress reliever too. They encourage you to explore and discover how you feel about yourself and suggest learning how to play or just listening to music or performing deep breathing exercises can help you to cope with stressful situations.
There are, of course, times where reading can actually boost your levels of stress. You may be studying for a test or examination and panicking about whether or not you are going to reach the pass mark, or maybe you are reading about a tragic event involving someone or something close to your heart. This is why you should choose carefully the material you intend reading to reduce your stress levels. An interesting novel is possibly the best medicine you can take and there are no risks of side effects either. A good book, whatever the subject matter, can transport you away from your frustrations and anxieties, allowing a free rein on your imagination, and exercising your mind which in turn will leave you refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Once you become a book reader you will understand the affects reading has on reducing stress. Pick up a book of poetry, a travel guide or a cookery book. You never know, you may decide to put the words of the cookbook into practice and have a go at a new recipe in the book. Just remember to make it low in fat and calories if you do!
Along with reducing the stress in your life, reading a good book can open all sorts of doors leading to visions and aspirations of things you would never have dreamed possible before. It can also be a great aide when you have problems which you need to solve.
Reading is an excellent escape and provides a good way to relax. Curl up with a good book and all your worries and cares go out of the window, at least for a short while, as you are taken off to far away places, maybe in a different time period, bringing new ideas and thoughts to your mind. It 's almost like awarding your mind with a vacation but without incurring the huge costs, especially if you take advantage of your local library.
A great deal of knowledge to help you with problem solving can be gleaned from reading, and this in turn will help to reduce the stress in your life. Lets say, for example you have put on a bit of weight and you are stressed out about this. The more you put on, the more stressed you become, so what do you do? Yes, eat more! No! That 's not the way to do it! You could read a book about nutrition. This will not only show you how to plan your meals, making sure they are low in calories and fat, but if you adhere to what the book teaches you, you will also lose weight, and consequently the stress factor will disappear too.
Reading also gives hope and inspiration in a way which will relieve stress. Stories of rags to riches and biographies of famous people, which detail how they got to where they are today can only encourage you to overcome your struggles and take on the challenges you are faced with.
Books on self help are an effective stress reliever too. They encourage you to explore and discover how you feel about yourself and suggest learning how to play or just listening to music or performing deep breathing exercises can help you to cope with stressful situations.
There are, of course, times where reading can actually boost your levels of stress. You may be studying for a test or examination and panicking about whether or not you are going to reach the pass mark, or maybe you are reading about a tragic event involving someone or something close to your heart. This is why you should choose carefully the material you intend reading to reduce your stress levels. An interesting novel is possibly the best medicine you can take and there are no risks of side effects either. A good book, whatever the subject matter, can transport you away from your frustrations and anxieties, allowing a free rein on your imagination, and exercising your mind which in turn will leave you refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Once you become a book reader you will understand the affects reading has on reducing stress. Pick up a book of poetry, a travel guide or a cookery book. You never know, you may decide to put the words of the cookbook into practice and have a go at a new recipe in the book. Just remember to make it low in fat and calories if you do!
Ten Easy Ways To Stress Proof Yourself
Stress is now the number one reason behind sickness from work and more than 70% of working adults have experienced stress at work in the past year according to the Gee Publishing Survey of 2006. Whether or not these statistics are true one thing is certain, we cannot expect our employers to provide everything we need to reduce or manage our stress. They are far too busy themselves.
So with this in mind lets look at some simple ways to reduce your stress levels.
1) One of the main ingredients in any stress management program simply must be a relaxation regime. There are many simple easy to learn techniques to relax your body, some are better than others. Progressive relaxation is probably one of the more well known ones. Taking time out even if only for fifteen minutes a day to relax and wind down is a definite.
2) At work it is so easy to start slipping into the habit of taking on too many tasks. Streamline what you do by really asking yourself why you are there. what are the three most important things you are there for in your role. You should concentrate on these top piorities and learn to shed anything else. You may have to be a bit ruthless with yourself but you will gain hugely from this one exercise.
3) Make sure every once in a while you reassess your life values to stay on top of what is important to you then you only have to revolve your life around the things that are truly important to you and again other things that took up a lot of your time and attention will just fall away.
4) Every now and again go to assertion skills training and rediscover the your personal power. Taking time to reclaim our personal power rid sus of so much stress you wont believe it. sometimes you just have to say no and it is OK to do that. If you have problems doing this your stress will rise so assertion skills are the key.
5) Delegate tasks you hate if possible or ones that cause you particular stress. hey, these days virtual assistants can take a lot of bothersome chores off your hands and they are cheaper than you think. a good one for the self-employed by the way.
6) Keep a reasonable fitness level. this is the one thing along with a relaxation regime that can really do huge amounts to stress proof you and is borne out by much research. Added benefits are better quality of sleep.
7) Establish and maintain good social contact. Research shows that people who have at least two good friends resist stress more than others who are more reclusive in nature. If you have social anxiety which prevents you from increasing social contact see a psychologist or therapist for help with this.
8) Get a pet, even if its a cat who you may not see all the time. again research points to the fact that people with pets not only live longer but are less stressed than people without pets.
9) Improve your time management skills. We all need to lessons in this area. A basic but effective form of time management is to categorize tasks into important things and urgent things. Important things are the ones you give your best time and thinking too because they will ultimately have a longer term impact than urgent things which will be short term usually and could be delegated or sometimes even automated like using auto-responders on the internet to remind people of appointments or schedules.
10) Take some time to improve your relationship. If its great already do something romantic together. Better bonding in relationships is one of the best ways to stress proof yourself. go to a workshop together and improve things even more, its a real recipe for increased happiness and a stronger immune system.
Of all the above keeping fit and learning an effective relaxation method will do wonders for your stress levels.
So with this in mind lets look at some simple ways to reduce your stress levels.
1) One of the main ingredients in any stress management program simply must be a relaxation regime. There are many simple easy to learn techniques to relax your body, some are better than others. Progressive relaxation is probably one of the more well known ones. Taking time out even if only for fifteen minutes a day to relax and wind down is a definite.
2) At work it is so easy to start slipping into the habit of taking on too many tasks. Streamline what you do by really asking yourself why you are there. what are the three most important things you are there for in your role. You should concentrate on these top piorities and learn to shed anything else. You may have to be a bit ruthless with yourself but you will gain hugely from this one exercise.
3) Make sure every once in a while you reassess your life values to stay on top of what is important to you then you only have to revolve your life around the things that are truly important to you and again other things that took up a lot of your time and attention will just fall away.
4) Every now and again go to assertion skills training and rediscover the your personal power. Taking time to reclaim our personal power rid sus of so much stress you wont believe it. sometimes you just have to say no and it is OK to do that. If you have problems doing this your stress will rise so assertion skills are the key.
5) Delegate tasks you hate if possible or ones that cause you particular stress. hey, these days virtual assistants can take a lot of bothersome chores off your hands and they are cheaper than you think. a good one for the self-employed by the way.
6) Keep a reasonable fitness level. this is the one thing along with a relaxation regime that can really do huge amounts to stress proof you and is borne out by much research. Added benefits are better quality of sleep.
7) Establish and maintain good social contact. Research shows that people who have at least two good friends resist stress more than others who are more reclusive in nature. If you have social anxiety which prevents you from increasing social contact see a psychologist or therapist for help with this.
8) Get a pet, even if its a cat who you may not see all the time. again research points to the fact that people with pets not only live longer but are less stressed than people without pets.
9) Improve your time management skills. We all need to lessons in this area. A basic but effective form of time management is to categorize tasks into important things and urgent things. Important things are the ones you give your best time and thinking too because they will ultimately have a longer term impact than urgent things which will be short term usually and could be delegated or sometimes even automated like using auto-responders on the internet to remind people of appointments or schedules.
10) Take some time to improve your relationship. If its great already do something romantic together. Better bonding in relationships is one of the best ways to stress proof yourself. go to a workshop together and improve things even more, its a real recipe for increased happiness and a stronger immune system.
Of all the above keeping fit and learning an effective relaxation method will do wonders for your stress levels.
Discover the Best 7 Counseling Methods to Eliminate Your Anxiety-From Huntley and Mount Prospect, IL
Counseling or psychotherapy is a form of treatment that can help you understand and resolve problems, modify your behavior for the better and make positive changes. There are several types of psychotherapy or counseling techniques and they use different approaches, techniques and interventions.
At times, a combination of different counseling approaches may be helpful, while, in some cases a combination of medication with counseling may be best.
Counseling techniques that work, include:
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)- This approach helps improve your mood and behavior by examining any confused or distorted patterns of thinking you may have. CBT emphasizes that thoughts cause your feelings and moods which, in turn, can influence your behavior.
For example, if you are experiencing unwanted feelings or behaviors, your therapist will work to identify the underlying thinking patterns that are causing them. He or she will then help you to replace your symptom-inducing thinking with thoughts that result in more appropriate feelings and behaviors. CBT can be very effective in treating both depression and anxiety.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can be used to treat you if you experience chronic suicidal feelings, are harming yourself or have the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. DBT emphasizes taking responsibility for your problems and will help you examine how you deal with your conflict and negative feelings. This can involve a combination of group and individual sessions.
Family Therapy focuses on helping your family to function in more positive and constructive ways. It explores your patterns of communication and provides support and necessary education.
These sessions can include any children along with parents, siblings or even grandparents that are involved. Couples therapy is a specific type of family therapy that focuses on how you and a spouse or other intimate partner communicate, interact or solve problems with each other.
Group Therapy uses the power of group dynamics and peer interactions to increase your understanding and improve your social skills. There are many different types of group counseling (e.g. psychodynamic, social skills, substance abuse, multi-family, parent support, etc.)
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a brief treatment specifically developed and tested to treat depression. Its goals are to improve your functioning with others by decreasing any symptoms of depression that you may have. IPT has been shown to be effective in treating adolescents with depression as well.
Play Therapy involves the use of toys, blocks, dolls, puppets, drawings or games to help your child to recognize, identify, and verbalize feelings. The counselor observes how he or she uses play materials and identifies themes or patterns to better understand his or her issues. Through a combination of talk and play, your child has an opportunity to better understand and manage his or her conflicts, feelings, and behavior.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy emphasizes the understanding of your historical and past family issues that motivate and influence you. It can help identify your typical behavior patterns, defenses and your responses to inner conflicts and struggles.
Psychoanalysis is a specialized, more intensive form of psychodynamically-oriented counseling which usually involves several consultations per week. Psychodynamic methods are based on the assumption that your behavior and feelings will improve once your inner subconscious and childhood struggles are brought to light.
Psychotherapy or counseling is not a quick fix or an easy answer. It is a complex and rich process that can reduce symptoms, provide insight, improve your functioning and enhance your quality of life.
Clinical psychologists and mental health counselors are trained in providing different forms of counseling and, if necessary, are able to arrange for you to receive medication, as well.
At times, a combination of different counseling approaches may be helpful, while, in some cases a combination of medication with counseling may be best.
Counseling techniques that work, include:
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)- This approach helps improve your mood and behavior by examining any confused or distorted patterns of thinking you may have. CBT emphasizes that thoughts cause your feelings and moods which, in turn, can influence your behavior.
For example, if you are experiencing unwanted feelings or behaviors, your therapist will work to identify the underlying thinking patterns that are causing them. He or she will then help you to replace your symptom-inducing thinking with thoughts that result in more appropriate feelings and behaviors. CBT can be very effective in treating both depression and anxiety.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can be used to treat you if you experience chronic suicidal feelings, are harming yourself or have the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. DBT emphasizes taking responsibility for your problems and will help you examine how you deal with your conflict and negative feelings. This can involve a combination of group and individual sessions.
Family Therapy focuses on helping your family to function in more positive and constructive ways. It explores your patterns of communication and provides support and necessary education.
These sessions can include any children along with parents, siblings or even grandparents that are involved. Couples therapy is a specific type of family therapy that focuses on how you and a spouse or other intimate partner communicate, interact or solve problems with each other.
Group Therapy uses the power of group dynamics and peer interactions to increase your understanding and improve your social skills. There are many different types of group counseling (e.g. psychodynamic, social skills, substance abuse, multi-family, parent support, etc.)
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a brief treatment specifically developed and tested to treat depression. Its goals are to improve your functioning with others by decreasing any symptoms of depression that you may have. IPT has been shown to be effective in treating adolescents with depression as well.
Play Therapy involves the use of toys, blocks, dolls, puppets, drawings or games to help your child to recognize, identify, and verbalize feelings. The counselor observes how he or she uses play materials and identifies themes or patterns to better understand his or her issues. Through a combination of talk and play, your child has an opportunity to better understand and manage his or her conflicts, feelings, and behavior.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy emphasizes the understanding of your historical and past family issues that motivate and influence you. It can help identify your typical behavior patterns, defenses and your responses to inner conflicts and struggles.
Psychoanalysis is a specialized, more intensive form of psychodynamically-oriented counseling which usually involves several consultations per week. Psychodynamic methods are based on the assumption that your behavior and feelings will improve once your inner subconscious and childhood struggles are brought to light.
Psychotherapy or counseling is not a quick fix or an easy answer. It is a complex and rich process that can reduce symptoms, provide insight, improve your functioning and enhance your quality of life.
Clinical psychologists and mental health counselors are trained in providing different forms of counseling and, if necessary, are able to arrange for you to receive medication, as well.
What Changed Your Cheese?
GOD, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference.
The Serenity Prayer
In software and technology implementation projects, there needs to be something called "Change Control". And why is this needed? No matter how thorough the business analysis job or how complete the project plan, there 's always something that needs to be changed or added after the fact. Users and potential users of the system or technology change their minds. Or think of something that they absolutely cannot live without. Then from the technical side, the developers, programmers and implementers discover things that are incorrect or just won't work. Programmers or testers find things called "bugs" - which is techie talk for errors or system glitches. After all, that 's what quality, quality control and testing is supposed to do - Find things that will cause less than desired results.
Testing and quality is key. And it needs to start at the beginning. Once the technology requirements are finalized, you have the basis for test scripts that can be used throughout the implementation process. There will be change. So, there needs to be an orderly process for incorporating changes and corrections / fixes.
One reason is that iy helps insure that everyone on the project is in sync. It avoids duplication of effort. And, it 's less disruptive when there are multiple environments (development / test versus live / production) or multiple release versions. It 's an essential piece of the communications plan. Change control is a recipe for success. And, back to the Serenity Prayer: the introduction of new systems, features or functionality is something that can be controlled. And the smart project manager has the courage to mandate a change control process.
What we cannot change is people and how they react to change. Change, even positive change, creates stress - another thing we can't change. What we can control is the implementation and use of programs and techniques that ease the pain and stress of change. And that 's called "Change Management".
I worked for the telecommunications superstar, Lucent Technologies, right before its big fall from financial grace. I was fortunate to be in the CIO organization which was lead by a very visionary executive, Earnestine Barnes-Linder. She encouraged us to prepare for the changes that she so wisely foresaw. Earnestine even distributed copies of the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Dr. Spencer Johnson. I attended a workshop by the author and was less than impressed. But, when I finally took the time to read the book, it was indeed outstanding. Mr. Johnson is an expert on individual and organizational change. The book gave insight into how to recognize that your cheese or goal had moved and provided suggestions on how to work through the feelings and adjust to change. However, there are other books that provide more substance and detail on stress and change management techniques.
I have years of experience with software and technology implementations. The whole point of any new system is to change or improve some process, capability or results. Since there is always change and people are stressed by change, then change management should always be a consideration in project funding, planning and management.
So what 's the cheese?
* For an individual, it might have been owning a home. The current mortgage crisis may be moving that cheese.
* For others, it might be life long employment with a company paid pension. The economy and corporate mergers, acquisitions and downsizing may have changed that cheese.
* For production managers the cheese may be efficient operations and on-time deliveries. Disruptions in the supply chain, broken processes and quality problems may be crumbling that cheese.
* The corporate executive may have thought that the latest and greatest system or technology was the cheese. However, cost overruns, unrealized functionality and out of sync processes could be slicing away at that cheese.
* For the average employee, the cheese may be to feel like they are competent and even expert at doing their job. The introduction of a new system or technology, and the need to learn new ways of doing things, could be the last straw.
In the final analysis, it doesn't matter what caused your cheese to change. Change happens. Stress happens. Deal with it. Consider implementing stress management and change management programs.
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference.
The Serenity Prayer
In software and technology implementation projects, there needs to be something called "Change Control". And why is this needed? No matter how thorough the business analysis job or how complete the project plan, there 's always something that needs to be changed or added after the fact. Users and potential users of the system or technology change their minds. Or think of something that they absolutely cannot live without. Then from the technical side, the developers, programmers and implementers discover things that are incorrect or just won't work. Programmers or testers find things called "bugs" - which is techie talk for errors or system glitches. After all, that 's what quality, quality control and testing is supposed to do - Find things that will cause less than desired results.
Testing and quality is key. And it needs to start at the beginning. Once the technology requirements are finalized, you have the basis for test scripts that can be used throughout the implementation process. There will be change. So, there needs to be an orderly process for incorporating changes and corrections / fixes.
One reason is that iy helps insure that everyone on the project is in sync. It avoids duplication of effort. And, it 's less disruptive when there are multiple environments (development / test versus live / production) or multiple release versions. It 's an essential piece of the communications plan. Change control is a recipe for success. And, back to the Serenity Prayer: the introduction of new systems, features or functionality is something that can be controlled. And the smart project manager has the courage to mandate a change control process.
What we cannot change is people and how they react to change. Change, even positive change, creates stress - another thing we can't change. What we can control is the implementation and use of programs and techniques that ease the pain and stress of change. And that 's called "Change Management".
I worked for the telecommunications superstar, Lucent Technologies, right before its big fall from financial grace. I was fortunate to be in the CIO organization which was lead by a very visionary executive, Earnestine Barnes-Linder. She encouraged us to prepare for the changes that she so wisely foresaw. Earnestine even distributed copies of the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Dr. Spencer Johnson. I attended a workshop by the author and was less than impressed. But, when I finally took the time to read the book, it was indeed outstanding. Mr. Johnson is an expert on individual and organizational change. The book gave insight into how to recognize that your cheese or goal had moved and provided suggestions on how to work through the feelings and adjust to change. However, there are other books that provide more substance and detail on stress and change management techniques.
I have years of experience with software and technology implementations. The whole point of any new system is to change or improve some process, capability or results. Since there is always change and people are stressed by change, then change management should always be a consideration in project funding, planning and management.
So what 's the cheese?
* For an individual, it might have been owning a home. The current mortgage crisis may be moving that cheese.
* For others, it might be life long employment with a company paid pension. The economy and corporate mergers, acquisitions and downsizing may have changed that cheese.
* For production managers the cheese may be efficient operations and on-time deliveries. Disruptions in the supply chain, broken processes and quality problems may be crumbling that cheese.
* The corporate executive may have thought that the latest and greatest system or technology was the cheese. However, cost overruns, unrealized functionality and out of sync processes could be slicing away at that cheese.
* For the average employee, the cheese may be to feel like they are competent and even expert at doing their job. The introduction of a new system or technology, and the need to learn new ways of doing things, could be the last straw.
In the final analysis, it doesn't matter what caused your cheese to change. Change happens. Stress happens. Deal with it. Consider implementing stress management and change management programs.
Top Tips For Managing Stress
The word stress derives from the Latin word stringere meaning to draw tight and anyone who has ever been stressed will understand that feeling of being stretched beyond what is normally comfortable. The Stress Management Society defines stress as what happens when the demands made on a person exceed the abilities of that person to cope.
Yet a certain amount of stress is a good thing and if we did not have stress in our lives, we might not get out of bed in the morning or take that two hour journey to see a customer. Stress is the force that keeps us moving and we would not last long without it.
Some stress is good however we need to react to and manage stress to make sure that it works in our favour. It is recommended to either reduce your stress, or learn how to manage it more effectively. A combination of the two approaches works well.
Positive stress is the stress that you feel when you are planning your wedding or when you are about to make an important presentation. You feel nervous, flustered and on edge, but you are also highly charged and pumped up. This kind of stress is not harmful, can be quite invigorating and can actually help you to perform at your optimal level.
Negative stress is often beyond your control and is very harmful, especially if it occurs over a long period of time. Think about a situation where someone has to go to work for the money, actually hates the job, is unable to find any other type of work and the boss is aggressive and a bit of a bully. This type of stress can be very damaging for your health and quality of your life.
General stress reduction ideas.
Avoid nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. They are all stimulants, so therefore they cannot calm you down. If you are stressed steer clear of them and drink plenty of water instead.
Work off stress with physical activity.
Pressure or anger releases adrenaline in the body. Exercise helps to reduce it, and produces good mood substances in the brain. So go for a brisk walk when you feel tense, breath deeply and try to exercise regularly for half an hour or so three or four times a week.
Learn about stress reduction techniques and do one every day.
There are a variety of stress reduction techniques available. Activities such as yoga, hypnosis, reading, certain video games, listening to music, painting, dance and a variety of other activities that you enjoy can all help to reduce stress.
Rest and sleep.
Sleep is essential for the body to function properly and different people require a different amount of sleep. Create the right sleeping environment and avoid taking work to bed. A technique that works for many people, is to write a list of everything that needs to be done before going to bed and some people find reading a good book works well.
Agree every now and then.
Try not to take on everybody and avoid being constantly in the battlefield. From time to time even if you disagree, avoid conflict by allowing things to flow over you or by agreeing that their opinion is right. You are not saying you agree with them, just that they are right. After all they have the right to believe in what they believe.
Learn to accept what you cannot change.
Accept that there are some things you have no control over and cannot change or influence in any way.
Listen to your body.
When you are tired, hungry or thirsty, it is important that you do something about it. If you feel yourself becoming tense, stressed or agitated, consider a brisk walk, a count to ten, a
brief change of activity or something else to help reduce your stress levels.
Learn to say no.
If you are too busy then taking on more work might well increase the pressure or stress you feel under. Learning to say no is a good idea or at least I will not be able to do this until.
Manage your time.
Take one thing at a time and do not overdo things. Use time wisely and have some form of plan and priority list that takes into account the importance and urgency of a task.
Five strategies for managing stress
One. Identify all that stresses you in your life and score them on a scale. Note the ones that are the most stressful to you.
Two. Identify the sources or causes of stress and ask yourself when they occur, how they occur, over what time, how you react, the impact of this reaction on you and other people, how they make you feel and if you can influence them in any way.
Three. Taking the ones you can influence and you have the highest score first. Think about the following. Can you stop them occurring, can you reduce how or when they occur, can you react differently, what would the impact of this different reaction be, is this better than what you get now. And how would you feel differently.
Four. Review the areas where you have no influence or control and explore ways to reduce or minimize exposure to the situation, change your thinking, emotional state or the time or duration you are exposed to them. If you cannot influence these areas can you accept them and if not then what are you going to do.
Five. Monitor the results and reward yourself for avoiding, dealing with and managing stress.
Yet a certain amount of stress is a good thing and if we did not have stress in our lives, we might not get out of bed in the morning or take that two hour journey to see a customer. Stress is the force that keeps us moving and we would not last long without it.
Some stress is good however we need to react to and manage stress to make sure that it works in our favour. It is recommended to either reduce your stress, or learn how to manage it more effectively. A combination of the two approaches works well.
Positive stress is the stress that you feel when you are planning your wedding or when you are about to make an important presentation. You feel nervous, flustered and on edge, but you are also highly charged and pumped up. This kind of stress is not harmful, can be quite invigorating and can actually help you to perform at your optimal level.
Negative stress is often beyond your control and is very harmful, especially if it occurs over a long period of time. Think about a situation where someone has to go to work for the money, actually hates the job, is unable to find any other type of work and the boss is aggressive and a bit of a bully. This type of stress can be very damaging for your health and quality of your life.
General stress reduction ideas.
Avoid nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. They are all stimulants, so therefore they cannot calm you down. If you are stressed steer clear of them and drink plenty of water instead.
Work off stress with physical activity.
Pressure or anger releases adrenaline in the body. Exercise helps to reduce it, and produces good mood substances in the brain. So go for a brisk walk when you feel tense, breath deeply and try to exercise regularly for half an hour or so three or four times a week.
Learn about stress reduction techniques and do one every day.
There are a variety of stress reduction techniques available. Activities such as yoga, hypnosis, reading, certain video games, listening to music, painting, dance and a variety of other activities that you enjoy can all help to reduce stress.
Rest and sleep.
Sleep is essential for the body to function properly and different people require a different amount of sleep. Create the right sleeping environment and avoid taking work to bed. A technique that works for many people, is to write a list of everything that needs to be done before going to bed and some people find reading a good book works well.
Agree every now and then.
Try not to take on everybody and avoid being constantly in the battlefield. From time to time even if you disagree, avoid conflict by allowing things to flow over you or by agreeing that their opinion is right. You are not saying you agree with them, just that they are right. After all they have the right to believe in what they believe.
Learn to accept what you cannot change.
Accept that there are some things you have no control over and cannot change or influence in any way.
Listen to your body.
When you are tired, hungry or thirsty, it is important that you do something about it. If you feel yourself becoming tense, stressed or agitated, consider a brisk walk, a count to ten, a
brief change of activity or something else to help reduce your stress levels.
Learn to say no.
If you are too busy then taking on more work might well increase the pressure or stress you feel under. Learning to say no is a good idea or at least I will not be able to do this until.
Manage your time.
Take one thing at a time and do not overdo things. Use time wisely and have some form of plan and priority list that takes into account the importance and urgency of a task.
Five strategies for managing stress
One. Identify all that stresses you in your life and score them on a scale. Note the ones that are the most stressful to you.
Two. Identify the sources or causes of stress and ask yourself when they occur, how they occur, over what time, how you react, the impact of this reaction on you and other people, how they make you feel and if you can influence them in any way.
Three. Taking the ones you can influence and you have the highest score first. Think about the following. Can you stop them occurring, can you reduce how or when they occur, can you react differently, what would the impact of this different reaction be, is this better than what you get now. And how would you feel differently.
Four. Review the areas where you have no influence or control and explore ways to reduce or minimize exposure to the situation, change your thinking, emotional state or the time or duration you are exposed to them. If you cannot influence these areas can you accept them and if not then what are you going to do.
Five. Monitor the results and reward yourself for avoiding, dealing with and managing stress.
Reduce Stress With Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Whether you have a high stress job such as an airline pilot and have to sit in one cramped place for long hours at a time or you are the worn out mother of a toddler on the run from morning till night, you can feel like your nerves are shot to pieces. You probably crave genuine relaxation but doubt you can achieve it.
No matter what your situation, the answer to your stress may be as simple as progressive muscle relaxation. This technique originated in the 1930s and is still popular today. This method of relaxation is simple; muscle groups are flexed then systematically relaxed. The idea behind progressive muscle relaxation is that by relaxing the muscles, your mind also becomes relaxed. Furthermore, this technique does not require any special training. In fact, anyone can do it.
Ideally, muscle relaxation should be practiced between ten to twenty minutes every day. It 's okay if you don't get it right the first time. Be prepared to develop your ability to relax gradually if necessary. By practicing regularly you will quickly become competent at progressive muscle relaxation and will be able to better deal with the stress in your life. If you are willing to be patient and persistent, the effort will be worth it.
Progressive muscle relaxation is considered to be a deep relaxation technique which means that it is not only beneficial for stress reduction but also for the alleviation of chronic pain and insomnia. Migraines and cancer symptoms have also been helped by this method. Most of the time, the feet and legs are relaxed first. From there, the muscles are flexed and relaxed all the way up the body to the face. However, this order is not set in concrete and some physicians teach their patients to do it differently.
As you develop your ability to flex and relax the muscles of your body, you can increase the tension to gain more benefit. This technique should only be attempted when you can be quiet and uninterrupted or it may be difficult to complete the whole body exercise. First, tighten your muscles for around eight seconds and then release the tension. Relax for about half a minute before moving on to the next set of muscles. It can be helpful to use this relaxation technique in conjunction with imagery. For example, you could imagine you are like an ocean wave with power unleashed when flexed muscles are released.
Progressive muscle relaxation also helps you to interpret your body 's messages. Increased sensitivity to these cues can help you to recognize signs of tension in your body. Once recognized you can work out ways to overcome it. Consequently, you will likely feel less stressed and more relaxed. In fact, you may even feel more energized. Progressive muscle relaxation has a long history of producing excellent results which means you can be confident that it is a legitimate approach to relaxation and stress reduction.
Your first session of relaxation will take about an hour if you do exercises such as making a fist, bending your arms, clenching and releasing teeth, lifting and lowering shoulders, bending arms and lifting and lowering heals. These exercises are in addition to the flexing and relaxing of muscles from toe to top. With practice your muscle relaxation exercises will become natural. Don't try to fast track these exercises; the goal is relaxation. Perhaps they'd make a great addition to a Sunday afternoon or a Saturday morning after a busy week. Whenever you can take time out to focus on relaxing, these exercises can help you release a lot of built up tension and improve your physical and emotional well being.
Progressive muscle relaxation works well for everyone. No matter what your vocation in life and irrespective of the cause of the stress in your life, relaxation exercises can improve your sense of well being and your life overall. You may have a high stress way of interacting with the world but you can still learn to do these exercises and change your approach. It can be hard if you are a Type A personality but it is still possible. If you make progressive muscle relaxation a regular part of your life you will be less stressed, happier, healthier and more energetic. In fact, the time you spend on relaxation will be the most valuable time of your week.
No matter what your situation, the answer to your stress may be as simple as progressive muscle relaxation. This technique originated in the 1930s and is still popular today. This method of relaxation is simple; muscle groups are flexed then systematically relaxed. The idea behind progressive muscle relaxation is that by relaxing the muscles, your mind also becomes relaxed. Furthermore, this technique does not require any special training. In fact, anyone can do it.
Ideally, muscle relaxation should be practiced between ten to twenty minutes every day. It 's okay if you don't get it right the first time. Be prepared to develop your ability to relax gradually if necessary. By practicing regularly you will quickly become competent at progressive muscle relaxation and will be able to better deal with the stress in your life. If you are willing to be patient and persistent, the effort will be worth it.
Progressive muscle relaxation is considered to be a deep relaxation technique which means that it is not only beneficial for stress reduction but also for the alleviation of chronic pain and insomnia. Migraines and cancer symptoms have also been helped by this method. Most of the time, the feet and legs are relaxed first. From there, the muscles are flexed and relaxed all the way up the body to the face. However, this order is not set in concrete and some physicians teach their patients to do it differently.
As you develop your ability to flex and relax the muscles of your body, you can increase the tension to gain more benefit. This technique should only be attempted when you can be quiet and uninterrupted or it may be difficult to complete the whole body exercise. First, tighten your muscles for around eight seconds and then release the tension. Relax for about half a minute before moving on to the next set of muscles. It can be helpful to use this relaxation technique in conjunction with imagery. For example, you could imagine you are like an ocean wave with power unleashed when flexed muscles are released.
Progressive muscle relaxation also helps you to interpret your body 's messages. Increased sensitivity to these cues can help you to recognize signs of tension in your body. Once recognized you can work out ways to overcome it. Consequently, you will likely feel less stressed and more relaxed. In fact, you may even feel more energized. Progressive muscle relaxation has a long history of producing excellent results which means you can be confident that it is a legitimate approach to relaxation and stress reduction.
Your first session of relaxation will take about an hour if you do exercises such as making a fist, bending your arms, clenching and releasing teeth, lifting and lowering shoulders, bending arms and lifting and lowering heals. These exercises are in addition to the flexing and relaxing of muscles from toe to top. With practice your muscle relaxation exercises will become natural. Don't try to fast track these exercises; the goal is relaxation. Perhaps they'd make a great addition to a Sunday afternoon or a Saturday morning after a busy week. Whenever you can take time out to focus on relaxing, these exercises can help you release a lot of built up tension and improve your physical and emotional well being.
Progressive muscle relaxation works well for everyone. No matter what your vocation in life and irrespective of the cause of the stress in your life, relaxation exercises can improve your sense of well being and your life overall. You may have a high stress way of interacting with the world but you can still learn to do these exercises and change your approach. It can be hard if you are a Type A personality but it is still possible. If you make progressive muscle relaxation a regular part of your life you will be less stressed, happier, healthier and more energetic. In fact, the time you spend on relaxation will be the most valuable time of your week.
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