Archive for the ‘Stress management’ Category

You live in a world of constant change and fast going days. How do you get balance in your life? There is always a time crunch for everyone who wishes that the days had more than twenty-four hours. Does that sound like you? If you are not careful it can make you physically drained, mentally drained and emotionally drained at the end of the day. If you can find balance in your life, it can make life so much easier. The first thing you need to do is to set priorities each day to begin your day. A coach or mentor will tell you to actually create a “to do” list the night before for the next day. List the first three items on the list as a “must do,” item. Make sure you finish those before you move on to the next.

To create more balance in your life means that you have to set short-term goals, intermediate goals and long-term goals and stick to them. You can always revisit your calls occasionally to make changes. However, for the most part, your life should reflect the goals that you set for yourself. In the meantime, don’t pressure yourself or rush yourself. Be patient if things don’t go exactly according to plan. Just redo everything and allow yourself to see change as good.

Here are some ideas for creating more balance for work and family:

1. Give yourself space to mess up. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Do what you can for the given day and whatever is left will be done the next day. Do your best always. No one can ask for more. Being a parent is a full time job in itself.
2. Don’t feel guilty because of what people think. Do whatever it takes to get the job done, but never lose yourself.
3. Get help when you need it. Don’t try to do everything on your own. Delegate any responsibilities that someone else can do.
4. Make changes if you have to in order to accommodate new ideas.
5. Create a team that you can rely on to pick up the slack.
6. Reduce stress. Go for a walk if you have to. This will help to release stress and give you a better start to your day.
7. Don’t waste valuable time doing things that are not productive.
8. Be positive. Focus on the good and not the bad. When you have a good day, make a mental note of it and allow this day to be your premise for creating better days.
9. Spend time alone with yourself. Treat yourself to a spa treatment, massage or just a movie. Don’t overwork yourself.
10. Spend time separately with each child if you are a parent and separate time with a spouse or partner. Each person needs his or her own individual time with you to create family balance.

Stay focused and center on who you are and where you are going. Let your time be well spent. Don’t worry about anything that is undone. It will get done. Relax. It is OK to stumble. Be patient with yourself. Everything comes in steps. As long as you are stepping toward something, you sure are going somewhere. Just make sure it is in the path of your goals and aspirations.

THE GIFT OF GIVING TO YOURSELF

Most people find more joy in giving than receiving. Unfortunately, while they continuously give they manage to neglect themselves. Put your name on the top of your shopping list this year and receive 6 free things from the Santa in you…

1. GOOD HEALTH is something that we all need. If you are a person who doesn’t feel it is important to take care of yourself, eventually you will start to complain that you have an ache here and an ache there. Do not let that happen, get up and get moving! As your body ages, it requires more TLC, more vitamins, definitely more attention. Start by modifying your diet; find the good in vegetables, fruits and nuts. Get off of the couch and go for a nice brisk walk. Exercise. Do something that will get that heart muscle pumping and those body parts jumping.

2. PEACE OF MIND starts by thinking positive thoughts. Strengthen your mind; read positive literature, get a journal to write down your innermost thoughts. You can always go back to read them and notice the changes, as you change. Give yourself time away from the demands of the day, meditate for 10 minutes to free your mind. Breathe. Surround yourself with people who can inspire you to be better.

3. HAPPINESS: know what it truly is and not just what it looks like. Be honest and steadfast with your belief that self-satisfaction will bring you internal peace, love and happiness. It is something that a person can not give you or steal from you. Smile. Try to imagine what this world would be like, if happiness was contagious.

4. FRIENDSHIP has a way of making you feel that you are never alone. As a child, you may have had more than enough close, favorite or best friends, and to be popular was more important than to be respected. Now as a mature adult, your values may have changed and so did the number of friends; down to just a few important people in your life that you can trust. Everyone needs a friend – that buddy to talk to during the good and bad times. Relate. The best way to keep a good friend, is to be a good friend.

5. FAITH is having confidence that things will change. While experiencing the “ups and downs” of life, never give up and continue to move forward. Believe. Keep your focus and never let fear stop you from reaching your goals.

6. LOVE comes from within. You must love yourself first in order to love another. No matter if it is a man, woman, child or your most adorable pet, never deny yourself the opportunity to love or to be loved. It is a feeling you will never forget. Enjoy. Be good to yourself.

The Gift of Life is the most special thing that money can not buy.

We all go through some kind of conflict in our lives whether it is starting it ourselves or being confronted with it by someone else. Conflict and confrontation are quite similar, but none of them are a good way to come to solutions that are amicable. Usually when confronted with a conflict, it ends in an argument if you don’t know how to discuss things and are not a good communicator.

To get rid of conflict, you have to be a person who loves peace and know when to walk away from certain situations. You have to be a realist and have the fortitude to face the conflict if is faces you.

You also have to be the kind of person who knows when to walk away from conflict. You don’t want to be a confrontational person because you will always be in a conflict. Some people thrive on conflict, but it eats away at the core of who you are and makes you a different person. You don’t want to be involved in such negative behavior.

Surround yourself with positive people and you will gain more confidence and knowledge to be able to realize when there is going to be a conflict and try to avoid it. Be friendly to others because those who are friendly will attract friendly people and not people who thrive on conflict.

Keep yourself busy with positive things and it will keep you away from conflict. If you do encounter conflict in your life, be the first to seek peace. Step up to the plate and start a dialogue with the other person that will allow you to take responsibility of your own action in the situation and voice your opinion and feelings about how you both can move forward.

Try to improve your own personality to reflect positivity and the other person will see it. You attract things in your life by how others perceive you, but more importantly how you perceive yourself. You cannot control how others see you, but you can control how you see yourself.

Writing a letter is a good way of communicating in the time of conflict. On paper, you get to express your thoughts in a more peaceful and thoughtful way than exchanging angry words during a conflict. When you write a letter to the other party, it shows them that you really want to make amends and that you are trying to make it right with them. The ball is now in their court to make the next move.

When there is a conflict, don’t try to solve it right away because emotions might get in the way of all those involved and can make it even worse than it was before. Give it time and let the fuse of anger linger before making any move towards reconciliation or dialogue.

Concentrate on yourself and what you need to change about “you.” If you change and not point the finger on others, then you will be at peace with yourself and what others think won’t affect you as much.

Instant everything—including convenience, solutions, and results among so many others—is one of the major causes of stress that eventually lead to serious problems. Because of this stress, more and more people are learning to practice one of the most powerful means of concentration called “meditation.”

Described as a state wherein a person is in deep concentration on something, either awareness or some object of thought, meditation can be considered as one of the oldest means of calming the mind and the soul. Usually involving one’s attention to be turned into a single point of reference, meditation is practiced by so many people because it can lead a person to a consciousness an inch higher than the ordinary person.

If you are one of those who planning to indulge in practicing meditation or just interested in its seemingly limitless possibilities, then you should start by familiarizing yourself with the various forms of meditation known today. The most common forms of meditation include “Bodhidharma,” “Hinduism,” “Bahá’í Faith,” “Buddhism,” “Christian meditation,” “Islam Meditation,” “Jainism,” “Judaism,” “Sikhism,” and “Taoism.” Each and every one of these forms mentioned has their own understanding of meditation and also have different sets of practices that come with it.

Another important thing to take note about meditation is that it involves various physical postures to be able to perform the practice well. These postures include standing, sitting, and supine depending on the tradition of that you would want to follow.

Aside from the postures that are used, it is also important to take note about the various types of meditation before finally indulging into it. Experts say that the most common type is the prayer because this is the one of the most practiced types people does. Aside from the simple prayer, other types of meditation also include what is called transcendental meditation (TM), the mindfulness meditation, and some of the forms included in the Eastern tradition including the buddhist, Taoist, and zen meditation.

If you are just starting, the first thing that you need to concentrate on is the elements for involved in a basic traditional meditation. Usually, there are four elements that greatly affect traditional meditation including a place that is quiet, a posture that is comfortable, an object that a person can to focus his or her attention and n attitude that is relatively passive.

Learning meditation techniques

Meditation techniques are known to vary depending on the origin of the practice and the culture in that place. It also varies depending on the personality of the person and where he or she comfortable with.

Meditation techniques can be classified as “concentrative” that involves the means of focusing into a specific object and the other can be termed as “expansive” that involves a person’s free flowing thoughts, observation, and reflection. The most common meditation techniques that are being practiced by many people today include the “Mantra Meditation” which involve production of sound or the combination of one or more sounds that are played in a very spontaneous manner, the “trataka” or Steady Gaze where the person meditating is asked to gaze steadily in a certain an object and focus his or her attention to it, and the “Chakra Meditation” which greatly helps in the manifestation of energy and mind control.

Those who are practicing advanced meditation are also learning other effective meditation techniques including Vipassana Meditation, Raja Yoga Meditation, Zazen, and Nada Yoga, which have their own respective practices and postures.

Why don’t you try this out and let me know how you do?

- Sharon

It is quite possible to easily cope with stress if you find the right activities to help you get your mind off the problem that’s bothering you. Even if having fun does not directly get rid of the source of the problem entirely, diverting your mind from it for a short period of time will calm you down and regain your composure before taking it on again.

You don’t have to go on an extended vacation just to get rid of stress. In fact, you can easily have fun while in the comforts of your own home to get your mind off it. You can indulge in word or board games, sports, music and art, and many others to fill up your time with something you like to do and forget your problems to help you relax.

Let Your Mind Have Some Fun

Since stress is centered on your mind, then it would only be plausible to divert it into something more productive and fun. Try to delve into games that require your mind to think. Chess is a great way to stop thinking about the problem and focus more on how to beat your partner. You can also try playing word or number games that will put your logical mind at work, like scrabble, Sudoku, word puzzles, crosswords, and the like. This will help divert your mind from stress to help you achieve a sense of relaxation.

Sweat Out Your Stress

One stress management technique is to engage in sports. Many would agree that a friendly bout of basketball or tennis with your friend will help you relax. This will help you focus your mind into winning, especially if you turn it into a competition. Consider this as an outlet for your anger or irritation with work and channel it in a positive way instead of venting it out at the office.

Also, stress can also affect your anatomy if left unchecked. Engaging in exercise or sports will help sweat out those toxins that accumulate due to stress that will surely grow on you. Moving around a lot will also help in muscle rejuvenation — which is often cramped and sore every time you are under the throes of stress.

Go To The Gym

If you want to channel all your stress to something productive and release it in one go then you might want to try coping with it at the local gym. Stress affects you physically, mentally, and emotionally; so it would only be best to address these three aspects in one sitting.

Going to the gym to help cope with your stress is a good idea. The instructor will help you divert your mind from your problems to the program he or she has in store for you. You will need to focus all your mind and effort to completing the workout routine. This way, you won’t have time to think about your problems at home or office; just focus on getting your body in shape for a better you.

Another benefit of going to the gym is to strengthen your heart from the effects of stress. Heart attack and stroke are health conditions commonly attributed to stress. By going into a cardiovascular workout, you are strengthening your anatomy for the future — this time, you will be physically equipped to deal with it.

How do you deal with stress? Give me some new ideas!

- Sharon

Stress doesn’t only affect the mind; it can also have some adverse effects on your body if left unchecked. Even if we are mentally capable of doing all our tasks, there is a possibility that our body is not fit enough to cope with the burden you are subjecting it to. If you push it to the limit, then you will surely feel a breakdown that could disable you permanently.

We can never deny the fact that all of us have our limits. Like our minds, our body can only take so much until it falls apart. It is a common fact that we can do anything if we set our minds into it, but we need to realize that our body should be able to cope with what we want it to do.

Your Body And Stress

Stress affects us different depending on the state of our body. The most common ailment attributed to mental stress is headache or migraine, or even dizziness from time to time. We would also feel some minor cramps, aches and pains on our back, shoulder, or in different parts of our body when under the grip of stress.

There is also a possibility that stress can affect our body chemistry as well. Too much brain activity can lead to nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, or even constipation. There were even reports that stress is attributed to a bout of ulcer when a hyperactive body produced too much acid that can abrade the linings of your organs.

There is a chance that a person might need to go to the hospital or undergo a series of medication to remedy the problem. But if you don’t take the initiative to nip stress at the bud, then you will sure to experience the same thing all over again.

Stress And Your Behavior

A person under the grip of stress tends to act rash and outside their normal behavior. Depending on the level of stress a person is subjected to, they might have trouble sleeping or might affect their sleeping time altogether. You might no longer want to sleep in the evening since you tend to think more of your problems when you lie down in bed during the quiet of the night. Unconsciously, our bodies would slowly get sleepy during the day and remain active at night.

Stress can also affect the emotional state of the person. They will either go into depression and self-pity; or give in to their rage by venting it out on everyone they see. There were even cases that stress can drive a person berserk or permanently affect their state of mind if not properly addressed.

Stress Management 101 – Coping With Your Problems

The mind is where stress starts so it is up to you to take the necessary steps to teach your mind how to cope with your problems when they crop up. Determining the source of your stress is the first step to getting rid of it.

It is essential that a person undergoes stress management to help them relax even when they are swamped with problems. You can delve into your favorite hobby to divert your mind to help it relax. Watching movies and listening to your favorite songs is also a good idea on getting your stress level under control.

- Sharon

My guest on this last week’s Blog Talk Radio show was Dave Crenshaw – Dave wrote a book on the “Myth of Multitasking” and he says that trying to do too much leaves you with nothing done! Well, if you know me you know that this was a hard pill to swallow for yours truly! But I did listen to Dave and I thought – “what can I tell other workaholics like myself to get them to relax?” So, here you go:

Those who spend more time with their work tend to suffer from stress more than others. The mental and emotional burden that is often attributed to the demands of a demanding career can affect our productivity and efficiency and often lead us into trouble. This is one reason why it is very important for workaholics to undertake stress management to avoid compromising their career. The one thing they don’t want to do.

You don’t have to be in a special place to apply stress management. In fact, you can do it anytime and anywhere you feel like it. You can do it while at your desk, in the bath room, or even out in the lobby. The idea here is to learn to control your mind to relax so that you can continue fresh with your task — emotionally, physically, and mentally. Here are some tips that will help you out.

Tip # 1: Understand The Cause Of Your Stress

You will never be able to get rid of stress if you don’t know what’s causing it. The first stress management tip you might want to apply is to determine what stressed you out. If it is the project you are working on, your boss, or with your coworkers then take some time to determine what about them gave you thatstress. Feel free to list them down if you want to keep track of it. (Just be sure to hide it after!)

Tip # 2: Learn To Relax Your Mind

Relaxation is a very useful stress management technique. Having a clear and focused mind can help in dealing with problems even before they blow up on your face. You can relax by doing light meditation, breathing exercises, or simply get out for a breath of fresh air. Try to stop thinking about the cause for a few minutes to clear your head.

Keep in mind that there are different ways to help you relax. You can do yoga or a deep meditation exercise during your break. If you don’t know where to start, then you can buy self-help books that detail the steps to help you get started. If you have ready access to the Internet, feel free to look for relaxation tips online and apply them at your leisure.

Tip # 3: Indulge In After-Work Pampering

If you have some free time then you might want to take advantage of this by pampering yourself in the local spa. You don’t have to undergo a complete full-body pampering treatment just to help you relax. A simple massage or aromatherapy session will do. Keep in mind that a massage can be a relaxation technique for both the mind and the body so having one during your free time will help you relax enough to face your burdens with a fresh mind.

Make This A Daily Habit

Integrate your stress management techniques into your daily lifestyle if you want to see long-lasting results. Doing it once just because you got stressed at work is not a good way to practice stress management. You need to keep practicing your chosen method or technique until you can do it instantaneously. Learn to relax every single time when you’re at work and you will surely see that no amount of bickering with your boss or noise from your workmates will stress you out.

Now how does that sound?

- Sharon