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| August 15, 2006 |
Focus on Stress
Greetings!
Would you like to live a stress-free life? Forget about it, it is not going
to happen.
Instead, you can learn to manage your stress, by understanding your triggers,
learning how to manage your stress when it does occur and discover how to focus
on what is working in your life instead of what is not working.
In this issue:
• Managing Stress
• 3 Keys to Stress Management
• Stress Reduction Techniques.
Managing Stress
During stressful times, most of us go down the path of negativity. Our focus
stays on what is not working, thereby creating even more stress for ourselves.
Next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, consider focusing on
what is working in your life. Maybe there is one aspect of the problem that has
a positive side.
You may be disappointed in one person in your life, but most likely have
other people in your life that are keeping you smiling. The person that is
disappointing you most likely has many sides that do please you; try focusing on
what you like about her. Maybe he can teach you something about yourself. Often,
what bothers us most in other people, is a part of our own personality with
which we have not yet made peace. What could you learn from this person?
Your job may not be perfect, but perhaps you love the people that work with
you. I know that I don't love all parts of my job, but there are parts that I am
extremely grateful for. Pay attention to the parts of the job that you love, and
try to let go of the parts that aren't exactly going great right now.
Once you have made the effort to find the parts of your life that are working
well, begin to ask yourself what you want for yourself. Start writing goals and
action plans to focus your attention on a positive picture of your life. One
tool to help you is listed below, a workbook to help you write clear and
attainable goals and realistic action plans.
I work with my own life coach to help me set goals each week and develop my
action plans. Some of my goals are short term, but most are big goals that take
me a year or two, or more, to accomplish. By keeping long range goals in my
current picture, when something isn't working, I always have some place else to
focus my energy.
3 Keys to Stress Management
Learn to recognize what triggers stress for you. Create an awareness of what
causes you stress and what your emotional and physical reactions are to these
situations. One way to manage stress is to know what types of situations cause
your stress triggers to ignite. Everyone has different stressors. What may cause
one person to run for cover may not faze someone else.
Some situations are stressful for almost everyone, for example encountering
physical danger. But others are surprisingly individual. A tight deadline may
cause some people nightmares while others enjoy the adrenaline rush. Some people
become nauseous if they're not at the airport two hours before check-in opens,
while others stroll in happily at the last moment.
Recognize what you can change and what you cannot change. Sometimes, a simple
change of habits will eliminate stressful situations. If getting lost causes you
stress, plan ahead and map out where you are going. Perhaps you are feeling
overwhelmed and have too much on your plate to accomplish. Consider dropping
some activities out of your life to make room for the things you really want to
accomplish.
Other stressors in life can not be changed, but the way you face them can
change. I find meetings stressful and I know that they cannot always be avoided.
But I find that by centering myself first, focusing on the best parts of the
meeting, distracting myself during the frustrating parts and asking for what I
need, I minimize most stress during meetings.
Reduce and manage your reactions to stressors. Some people react to stress in
physical ways, such as grinding teeth or tightening up their muscles. If this
describes you, try yoga, stretching, hot baths or saunas to relax those muscles.
Others react in emotional ways, holding on to grievances and frustrations.
Meditation or prayer might work. Concentrating on different activities, such as
puzzles, will distract the mind and help let go of the stress. If you find that
you get tired easily or are apathetic, get enough sleep, exercise and eat
healthy.
Stress Reduction Techniques
How To Reduce Stress and Ease Worries in Just 3 Minutes
How To Reduce
Stress and Ease Worries in Just 3 Minutes by Ananga Sivyer
Meditation, relaxation and visualisation are the standard recommendations for
reducing stress, and they are all beneficial and useful to us in many ways,
however, they are not so easy to put into use when stress strikes with it’s
disruptive companions frustration, confusion, and anxiety in full attendance.
Here’s something simple you can try to diffuse stress quickly and easily,
anytime and anywhere.
- rub your forehead with both hands in vertical lines from your eyebrows to your hairline for a few moments
- about an inch above each eyebrow you will find a bump – rest your fingertips there lightly and hold
- take a deep breathe in and lighten the pressure of your fingertips until they are touching those points very softly
- breathe deeply again and allow yourself to sink into how you are really feeling right now – focus clearly and specifically on the one thing that is mainly causing you stress, or anxiety
- allow yourself to think the truth of the matter, hold the points and breathe and remain that way for a couple of minutes
- concentrate on the area you are holding and feel for pulsations under your fingertips as the blood flow, previously diverted by stress, is restored to your
forebrain. Now you can begin to think clearly again as you feel stress drain away and find yourself in control and able to choose how you wish to respond to what’s at hand.
What many of us don’t realise about stress is that although it is often
triggered by our mental states and emotional responses it is in fact a
physiological occurrence. The body responds directly to every impression we feed
it be it real or imagined; it makes no difference to the body. If you tell it
you are stressed it will respond immediately by sending the majority of the
blood from your forebrain to your chest for faster breathing and the more
efficient pumping of blood through your heart and to the muscles of your legs
for whatever action they may need to take.
When you consider this automatic physical response it’s easy to see why we
don’t always think well under stress. This simple technique tells your body to
stand down and encourages the blood flow to return to the brain for clear
thinking and decision-making.
Ananga is a health writer for LifeScape magazine and author of the EFT
self-help workbook: The Art & Science of Emotional Freedom Sign up for her ezine
today, and get a FREE COPY of her Energy Balance e-book.
Article Source: www.ladypens.com
Have a stress free day today! |
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