Make Time for Fun and Joy
No doubt many pleasures of our lives come to us spontaneously, it also makes a huge difference when one takes the time out for nurturing one’s own self. There are two important things you need to make time for in your life, to help you cope with overall stress better; one is fun, the other is relaxation.
Fun
Make a list of all the things that you consider fun. It could be playing ball with your children or it could be skiing down icy slopes. Whichever activity you consider to be fun should be on this list. Once you have prepared this list, then you need to make real life preparations to make this list a reality. Take time out of your daily as well as annual schedule to go out and do things just because they are fun to do. You will find that it becomes a lot easier to manage your overall stress levels.
Relaxation
Just as your mind needs the stimulation that fun and excitement provide, it also needs time for relaxation and healing. Take time out to help your mind and your body relax. There are a number of different activities you can choose from to help you get your mind to relax. You could simply meditate in your own living room and snatch a few moments of complete relaxation and peace amidst a hectic daily schedule. Or you could try techniques like aromatherapy or hydrotherapy to help your body as well as mind get relaxed.
Many people find that physical exertion allows for mental relaxation. That is why a number of people take up going to the gym or training like martial arts training, kick boxing, etc. to attain a high level of physical exertion when the mind can relax.
Connect With People Around You
You cannot learn to manage stress better by isolating yourself. It is important that you connect to people you can relate to, share your ideas with and can relax and have fun with. Make time to meet your friends, go out with your family and keep in constant touch with people who are near and dear to you.
nedelja, 18. oktober 2009
nedelja, 13. september 2009
Stress Management Tip #5 - Live Healthy
By living a healthy lifestyle, you will equip your body to deal with stress effectively as and when it arises. Also, you will avoid stress that comes from health related issues. Here are some easy tips to live healthy.
Eat a Well Balanced Diet: Most people do not realize the importance of a well balanced diet in our lives. A well balanced diet ensures that the body is properly nourished and the mind is alert and awake. Eat proper nourishing meals everyday and you will find yourself being able to deal with your life and manage your stress levels easily.
Sleep Well: The importance of a good night’s sleep is also lost of many young people. Sufficient sleep nourishes the mind and after a good sleep, you wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized. Insufficient sleep will result in your mind not being able to work at full capacity and you will find it tougher to deal with stressful situations or prepare yourself adequately to manage your stress levels.
Exercise Regularly: Regular exercise has multiple benefits. To begin with, it keeps the body in great shape and being fit and healthy goes a long way in being able to cope with stress effectively. Secondly, the exercise itself can be a great stress reliever. Physical activity works wonders on mental stress and after an energetic workout; you will feel a lot calmer and more in control of your life and your surroundings.
Avoid Bad Habits: Many people resort to quick-fixes like drinking, smoking, gambling and taking drugs to deal with stress. But, these activities become habits very quickly and a great source of stress as well. It is important that you avoid the temptation to get short term relief from stress and instead focus on long term stress management.
Eat a Well Balanced Diet: Most people do not realize the importance of a well balanced diet in our lives. A well balanced diet ensures that the body is properly nourished and the mind is alert and awake. Eat proper nourishing meals everyday and you will find yourself being able to deal with your life and manage your stress levels easily.
Sleep Well: The importance of a good night’s sleep is also lost of many young people. Sufficient sleep nourishes the mind and after a good sleep, you wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized. Insufficient sleep will result in your mind not being able to work at full capacity and you will find it tougher to deal with stressful situations or prepare yourself adequately to manage your stress levels.
Exercise Regularly: Regular exercise has multiple benefits. To begin with, it keeps the body in great shape and being fit and healthy goes a long way in being able to cope with stress effectively. Secondly, the exercise itself can be a great stress reliever. Physical activity works wonders on mental stress and after an energetic workout; you will feel a lot calmer and more in control of your life and your surroundings.
Avoid Bad Habits: Many people resort to quick-fixes like drinking, smoking, gambling and taking drugs to deal with stress. But, these activities become habits very quickly and a great source of stress as well. It is important that you avoid the temptation to get short term relief from stress and instead focus on long term stress management.
nedelja, 6. september 2009
Stress Management Tip #4 - Accept What You Can’t Change
No matter what you do to avoid, alter or adapt to a stressful situations, there are some things in life that will unavoidably cause stress. Events like death of a close family member, natural disaster, financial troubles, etc. are bound to come up in everyone’s life and cause a lot of stress. Such situations cannot be avoided, but it is best to accept them, however difficult it may be, to be able to cope with the stress caused by them.
Give up the desire to control: It is important to remember that not everything is within one’s control. What cannot be controlled has to be accepted the way it is. For instance, you cannot control the behavior of another person. But, what you can control is your reaction towards his behavior. If you react by accepting his or her behavior the way it is, it will not stress you anymore.
Look at the Bright Side: No matter how difficult things look, there is always a bright side to them. If nothing else, there is huge potential for personal growth on them. Remember the adage, “What won’t kill you, will make you stronger.’ Apply that to your own life and look for silver lining amongst the darkest of clouds.
Learn Forgiveness: As easy as it may sound, forgiving people for their mistakes can be very difficult. It involves letting go of your own viewpoint and really forgiving the person for hurting or upsetting you. But, once you learn to forgive people for the small mistakes they make, you will find yourself able to forgive them for larger ones as well. By forgiving people and letting go of whatever resentment or hurt you may feel, you will find that your stress levels are incredibly low.
Make sure you come back next week for more stress management tips.
Give up the desire to control: It is important to remember that not everything is within one’s control. What cannot be controlled has to be accepted the way it is. For instance, you cannot control the behavior of another person. But, what you can control is your reaction towards his behavior. If you react by accepting his or her behavior the way it is, it will not stress you anymore.
Look at the Bright Side: No matter how difficult things look, there is always a bright side to them. If nothing else, there is huge potential for personal growth on them. Remember the adage, “What won’t kill you, will make you stronger.’ Apply that to your own life and look for silver lining amongst the darkest of clouds.
Learn Forgiveness: As easy as it may sound, forgiving people for their mistakes can be very difficult. It involves letting go of your own viewpoint and really forgiving the person for hurting or upsetting you. But, once you learn to forgive people for the small mistakes they make, you will find yourself able to forgive them for larger ones as well. By forgiving people and letting go of whatever resentment or hurt you may feel, you will find that your stress levels are incredibly low.
Make sure you come back next week for more stress management tips.
nedelja, 30. avgust 2009
Stress Management Tip #3- Adjust to the Stressors
If you have tried avoiding the stress points in your life as well as altering the situation with the stressor, and you find there are still some stress points remaining in your life, maybe it is time for you to adjust and adapt yourself to the stressors. The best way to do this is by changing your own expectations as well as attitude towards the stressor and your life.
Change Your Viewpoint: We all know that everything we look at is colored by our own perspective and the moment the perspective changes, the problem looks different. It is now time to really apply this into your life. For instance, if a traffic jam is your problem, think of it as time you have to listen to your favorite music. Keep your favorite music aside to be played only at traffic jams. You may actually start looking forward to traffic jams so you can listen to your favorite music.
Look at the Bigger Picture: Look at the bigger picture of your life and where you want to be. Then look at the problem at hand and weigh its importance in relation to the bigger picture. If it is important enough, get up and do something about it. If it is not so important, just let the matter slide.
Manage Your Expectations: One of the most important things that cause stress is unmet expectations. Whether it is expectations you have of yourself or others, they are potential stressors, for instance, if you expected yourself to get grade A and you didn’t get it, or if you expected the bus to come on time and it was delayed. If you are realistic in your expectations, there is less likelihood of them becoming potential stressors.
More stress management tips next week.
Change Your Viewpoint: We all know that everything we look at is colored by our own perspective and the moment the perspective changes, the problem looks different. It is now time to really apply this into your life. For instance, if a traffic jam is your problem, think of it as time you have to listen to your favorite music. Keep your favorite music aside to be played only at traffic jams. You may actually start looking forward to traffic jams so you can listen to your favorite music.
Look at the Bigger Picture: Look at the bigger picture of your life and where you want to be. Then look at the problem at hand and weigh its importance in relation to the bigger picture. If it is important enough, get up and do something about it. If it is not so important, just let the matter slide.
Manage Your Expectations: One of the most important things that cause stress is unmet expectations. Whether it is expectations you have of yourself or others, they are potential stressors, for instance, if you expected yourself to get grade A and you didn’t get it, or if you expected the bus to come on time and it was delayed. If you are realistic in your expectations, there is less likelihood of them becoming potential stressors.
More stress management tips next week.
nedelja, 23. avgust 2009
Stress Management Tip #2- Alter Stressful Situations
The best way to manage stress is by avoiding stressful situations entirely. However, that may not be entirely possible. When you simply have to deal with a stressful situation, the best way to manage your stress levels is by altering the situation so that it causes less stress. You may need to make lifestyle changes as well changes in your existing relationships to make this possible.
Express Yourself: One of the biggest stressor of all times is bottling one’s feelings up. Most people bottle their feelings because they don’t know how to express is without causing an altercation. For instance, if somebody is annoying you and you are getting agitated, you may feel that the only way to express yourself is by shouting at or scolding the person who is annoying you. Instead, find a peaceable way of letting the person know that his or her behavior is annoying to you and you would prefer not to be exposed to it.
Assert Yourself: The other big stressor is allowing oneself to get carried away by the moment. For instance, if you have a test coming up and there is a neighborhood party, you have to learn to be able to assert yourself and refuse to join the party. However, it is important that the priority of studying over partying is clear for you.
Be willing to Compromise: It is important to understand that you cannot always have things your way and some stressful situations are likely to remain the way they are, no matter what you do. For instance, much as you may hate your boss, you still have to work with him, until you change your job. In cases like these, try talking to them and letting them know what your stressor are and you may find that it is possible to strike a compromise by changing behavior traits on both sides.
More stress management tips will be posted soon.
Express Yourself: One of the biggest stressor of all times is bottling one’s feelings up. Most people bottle their feelings because they don’t know how to express is without causing an altercation. For instance, if somebody is annoying you and you are getting agitated, you may feel that the only way to express yourself is by shouting at or scolding the person who is annoying you. Instead, find a peaceable way of letting the person know that his or her behavior is annoying to you and you would prefer not to be exposed to it.
Assert Yourself: The other big stressor is allowing oneself to get carried away by the moment. For instance, if you have a test coming up and there is a neighborhood party, you have to learn to be able to assert yourself and refuse to join the party. However, it is important that the priority of studying over partying is clear for you.
Be willing to Compromise: It is important to understand that you cannot always have things your way and some stressful situations are likely to remain the way they are, no matter what you do. For instance, much as you may hate your boss, you still have to work with him, until you change your job. In cases like these, try talking to them and letting them know what your stressor are and you may find that it is possible to strike a compromise by changing behavior traits on both sides.
More stress management tips will be posted soon.
nedelja, 16. avgust 2009
Stress Management Tip #1- Avoid Stressors
Learn How To Avoid Stressors and reduce the stress
It is impossible to avoid all possible stressors and at the same time, it is important to ensure that important issues are addressed. However, there are a number of stressors in our everyday lives that are quite unnecessary and can be avoided. Avoiding such unnecessary stressors can make a huge difference in your ability to manage your stress levels.
Avoid stressful situations: This is an important technique to learn. Most people end up in stressful situations because they are unable to say no. Whether it has to do with more work than you can handle or with going out for an evening with people you don’t like, saying no is better than letting yourself into a situation you know will cause more stress.
Avoid stressful people: If there are people in your life, whether at home or at work, who always stress you out, learn to avoid them. If they cannot be avoided, try and spend as little time with them as possible. If any particular relationship is causing stress, consider breaking off that relationship.
Avoid stressful topics: There are people who feel very strongly about topics related to religion, politics, environment, etc. If you too have topics that you feel very strongly about, it is best that you avoid them during conversation. The conversation may quickly dissolve into an argument and you may end up causing yourself a lot of stress. Avoid such topics or go out for a breath of fresh air if such topics come up during conversation.
Avoid other stressors: Identify other stressors in your life and try to avoid them. For instance, if the shortest route to work has a lot of traffic, and traffic is one of your stressors, avoid the short route and take a longer route instead.
It is impossible to avoid all possible stressors and at the same time, it is important to ensure that important issues are addressed. However, there are a number of stressors in our everyday lives that are quite unnecessary and can be avoided. Avoiding such unnecessary stressors can make a huge difference in your ability to manage your stress levels.
Avoid stressful situations: This is an important technique to learn. Most people end up in stressful situations because they are unable to say no. Whether it has to do with more work than you can handle or with going out for an evening with people you don’t like, saying no is better than letting yourself into a situation you know will cause more stress.
Avoid stressful people: If there are people in your life, whether at home or at work, who always stress you out, learn to avoid them. If they cannot be avoided, try and spend as little time with them as possible. If any particular relationship is causing stress, consider breaking off that relationship.
Avoid stressful topics: There are people who feel very strongly about topics related to religion, politics, environment, etc. If you too have topics that you feel very strongly about, it is best that you avoid them during conversation. The conversation may quickly dissolve into an argument and you may end up causing yourself a lot of stress. Avoid such topics or go out for a breath of fresh air if such topics come up during conversation.
Avoid other stressors: Identify other stressors in your life and try to avoid them. For instance, if the shortest route to work has a lot of traffic, and traffic is one of your stressors, avoid the short route and take a longer route instead.
ponedeljek, 10. avgust 2009
Stress Management Techniques
Managing stress effectively is something that many people have to teach themselves at some point in their lives. The underlying principle of stress management is that stress is not something external but something within our control, something that we create for ourselves through the way we react to situations.
All of us are tempted to zone out and shut out things that stress us with unhealthy activities. These may include watching hours of television or spending hours on the computer, sleeping too much, smoking, overeating or undereating and so on. Other people procrastinate, take drugs or pills, withdraw from family and loved ones, or take to drinking. These are all unhealthy ways of dealing with stress and should be avoided.
Often, stress is not recognized for what it is, and there is a minority of people who believes that filling up all their free time with work will help to alleviate stress. This is also unhealthy, although many people would say that it isn’t as unhealthy as other activities. This is not so. Having no time to yourself or your family can take tolls on your well-being in the long term, even if there are recognizable short term benefits.
There is no one way or easy solution to managing stress. It depends entirely on the kind of thing that is bothering you. Sometimes, it is possible to avoid the stressful activity without any perceivable losses. When this is possible, it should be done. At other times, it is possible to change the activity to one that is not nearly so stressful and that can be done light heartedly.
When neither of these alternatives is possible, all we can do is change our attitude towards the activity that is making us feel pressurized. We have to accept it and adapt to the situation rather than aggravating it and ourselves by lashing out or feeling cornered.
It helps immensely to be able to say ‘no’ to things that you feel you cannot do. Knowing your limits will help you feel happier and more in control of your environment. You may even find that people respect you more for having the courage to refuse certain tasks.
Taking charge of the situations that you find yourself in is another effective strategy. While it is not possible to control your environment completely, it is possible to be proactive instead of inactive with regard to it. This is easier said than done, but keep in mind that there are always things that can be done to alleviate stressful problems. Taking steps to improve a situation can often make you feel better, even if there is no difference achieved.
Do something you enjoy every day. This will help you keep in good spirits when there are things around you that you can’t control. Have a group of friends that you can unwind with. Keep a sense of humour and learn to take things with a pinch of salt. You will feel a lot better as a result.
There are many other stress management techniques and you have to choose the ones that will help you to reduce the stress easily.
All of us are tempted to zone out and shut out things that stress us with unhealthy activities. These may include watching hours of television or spending hours on the computer, sleeping too much, smoking, overeating or undereating and so on. Other people procrastinate, take drugs or pills, withdraw from family and loved ones, or take to drinking. These are all unhealthy ways of dealing with stress and should be avoided.
Often, stress is not recognized for what it is, and there is a minority of people who believes that filling up all their free time with work will help to alleviate stress. This is also unhealthy, although many people would say that it isn’t as unhealthy as other activities. This is not so. Having no time to yourself or your family can take tolls on your well-being in the long term, even if there are recognizable short term benefits.
There is no one way or easy solution to managing stress. It depends entirely on the kind of thing that is bothering you. Sometimes, it is possible to avoid the stressful activity without any perceivable losses. When this is possible, it should be done. At other times, it is possible to change the activity to one that is not nearly so stressful and that can be done light heartedly.
When neither of these alternatives is possible, all we can do is change our attitude towards the activity that is making us feel pressurized. We have to accept it and adapt to the situation rather than aggravating it and ourselves by lashing out or feeling cornered.
It helps immensely to be able to say ‘no’ to things that you feel you cannot do. Knowing your limits will help you feel happier and more in control of your environment. You may even find that people respect you more for having the courage to refuse certain tasks.
Taking charge of the situations that you find yourself in is another effective strategy. While it is not possible to control your environment completely, it is possible to be proactive instead of inactive with regard to it. This is easier said than done, but keep in mind that there are always things that can be done to alleviate stressful problems. Taking steps to improve a situation can often make you feel better, even if there is no difference achieved.
Do something you enjoy every day. This will help you keep in good spirits when there are things around you that you can’t control. Have a group of friends that you can unwind with. Keep a sense of humour and learn to take things with a pinch of salt. You will feel a lot better as a result.
There are many other stress management techniques and you have to choose the ones that will help you to reduce the stress easily.
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