Archive for the ‘Relieve Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Stress’ Category

Meditation is one of the best, and quite natural, ways to relieve stress. If you like, you can accompany this with breathing techniques as well. This will help you to achieve a sense of serenity but it can take quite a lot of time before you are able to zone out easily.

1. Meditation

When meditating, it is generally best to find a nice quiet, comfortable space to meditate. Buddhists use meditation to reach a state of enlightenment and many Jewish prayers are meditative in nature. Even many Christian religions utilize forms of meditation, such as the use of rosary beads n Catholicism. Meditation does not, Of course, have to be about a spiritual or religious journey. Meditation is even used in professional medical communities.

2. Natural Stress Relief

Meditation is natural stress relief at its best. There are no strict rules regarding body positioning when meditating, but most people who use meditation as a form of natural stress relief prefer to do so in the lotus position. The lotus position involves sitting with the legs crossed while keeping the back straight and the shoulders level. Yet other practitioners prefer to sit comfortably, but with the legs uncrossed. No matter the general position chosen when using meditation for natural stress relief, it is best to keep the spine straight throughout the meditation process. This position encourages circulation and makes it easier to breathe in the deep, slow fashion that is often necessary for meditation.

3. Block Out Negative Thoughts

After finding a quiet place to perform meditation, and after assuming a position that is comfortable, it is time to begin this process of natural stress relief. Some people prefer to remain quiet while meditating. Still others close their eyes and hum or make other repetitive noises to help clear their minds and to block out thoughts and outside noises.

4. Imaging Techniques

In fact, meditation is used often in hospitals with patients suffering from chronic or terminal illness to reduce stress. This is especially important because stress has been shown to contribute to poor health. A 1999 report by neurophysiologist Dr. James Austin from the University of Colorado stated that meditation actually reprograms brain circuitry. His findings were later confirmed using imaging techniques that view electrical activity in the brain.

5. Breathing Techniques

If you plan on breathing easier, you will want to organize your thoughts before you begin. One popular method is to focus on each individual part of the body. Give your self permission to relax until your entire body is relaxed. At the same time, this method calls for taking a few deep breaths. These are called cleansing breaths because they help clear the mind and bring a little extra oxygen into the blood. The best masters of meditation are able to hold their breath for several minutes from strength of will alone.

John Morris
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/better-breathing-equals-less-stress-50678.html

Some simple advice — and pass-along strategies — for reducing stress in the workplace.

Stress is costing American business big time. Estimates range from $80 billion to $300 billion annually in illnesses, absenteeism, diminished productivity, accidents, mistakes, burnout, high turnover, and soaring health insurance premiums.

It’s no surprise, then, that many companies have been fighting the stress epidemic aggressively with an arsenal of anti-stress initiatives. But a nagging question remains. If all the stress management programs out there are so effective, why are so many workers still stressed out?

The answer may lie in the fact that some organizations are simply trying too hard. In an effort to reduce stress, they are actually adding to it. As well-intentioned as their stress programs may be, many are complex and time-consuming, require a lot of reading and recall, are heavy on theory and light on practical advice, or just don’t connect with employees on their level…or with their specific problems.

Remember, what people who are stressed out lack most is time…and patience. They have no time to attend lengthy stress seminars that pull them away from the very tasks that are stressing them out. They have little patience to sift through wordy guides and procedures to dig out those rare nuggets of advice relevant to their situation. Some stress programs merely address the symptoms of stress rather than eliminate the causes. They have little lasting effect. Workers become frustrated and cynical, believing that nothing will work, and go right back to their costly, stressful ways.

What, then, can management and human resources professionals do to overcome these obstacles to effective stress management, and “reach” their employees with solutions that will connect…and stick? A good way to start is to offer simple, candid, targeted strategies workers can quickly incorporate into their lives—techniques that get their attention and produce immediate results. These are less intrusive, take little or no time to implement, and get the user started on the right track, with the right attitude. To give you some examples, I’ve selected the following ten workplace strategies I use in my books and seminars, which have been field-tested with positive feedback from thousands of readers and participants worldwide. Simply pass them along by email or interoffice memo. I believe they can have a significantly positive effect on your employees, too.

Do one thing at a time.

Do it mindfully. Do it well. Enjoy the satisfaction. Then go on to the next thing. Multitasking might work for computers, but humans have yet to get the hang of it. A growing body of evidence affirms that trying to accomplish several things at once takes up more time overall than doing them sequentially. It consumes an excessive amount of mental energy, too, so you fatigue more quickly. The lack of focus also leads to careless mistakes, shoddy work and unreliable performance. Worst of all, having to do things over. This is no way to live. Give what you’re doing your undivided attention. Take the time to get it right. You’ll be more productive, and less stressed, in the long run.

Chip away at projects with long lead times.

When you get an assignment with a “luxury” of time, don’t squander it. Get at least a start on it right away, when your enthusiasm and understanding of it are at a peak. Then spend a little time on it each day to keep the momentum going. That way, every thought you have of the project will be a positive one: “I’m on the case, I’m getting it done.” Put it off, and every thought will be increasingly negative: “Yikes, I haven’t even started yet!” Which can add up to big stress over time. And a major crisis as the deadline nears, you’ve forgotten what to do, and your enthusiasm has been supplanted by anxiety and dread. Get it going early. You’ll do a better job, in less time, without the stress.

Don’t let unhealthy job stress persist.

If your workload or project is impossible to complete without pulling your hair out, doing a slapdash job or suffering a near stroke for your trouble, speak up early on rather than bottle it up and be unable to perform the work accurately and professionally. And do it in a positive way, by offering possible solutions: you’ll need more time; you can do part of the project in the allotted time; or you’ll require more help. If you’re a good competent worker your request should command respect and compliance. It doesn’t help anyone to say nothing and let it eat away at your well-being, and subject both you and your company to poor performance.

Delegate.

Stress is often caused by an inability to let go, a constant need to micromanage, the fear that everything will fall apart the minute you turn your back. It leaves you hung up on time-consuming details, stifles the participation and growth of others, and creates unnecessary tension all around. Take the leap of faith. Learn to delegate. Assign responsibilities and give others the chance to prove themselves. You can dole it out gradually, to gain confidence and minimize error, but begin unburdening yourself of the oppressive minutia that’s needlessly choking your life. You can experience a marked reduction in stress in a relatively short period of time simply by delegating.

Be a team player.

It’s more productive—and less stressful—to work as a team. In your job, in your family, in your community. When you spread the work and responsibility around the pressure eases, everyone becomes more cooperative. As much as we like to think of ourselves as complete packages, we’re not. We need others to contribute what we lack, to balance out our collective strengths and weaknesses. Let go the urge to put it all on yourself or take all the credit. Society is a team effort and success most gratifying when everyone’s involved.

Rotate working on different projects.

For example, if you have three projects due next week, performing them in their entirety one after the other can make each seem long, drawn out and tiresome. Instead, divide your time each day into thirds and work on all three. Each project will provide a refreshing break from the others, while allowing you to make steady progress on all. Like a farmer rotating crops to keep the soil rich and fertile, varying tasks will keep you more alert and imaginative, making the work proceed more quickly and enjoyably.

Are you a checkaholic?

How much time do you waste excessively checking things. Check the weather. Check the time. Check the markets. Check your email. Check your hair. Check your voicemail. Check the news. Check your makeup. Check to see if your wallet is still in your pocket. How much of your day are you frittering away doing this? More than you might care to know. Ease up. Things aren’t going to fall apart when you’re not looking. So resist the urge to receive constant, needless, monotonous updates. Use that time to maintain your focus and get more done. When you get the urge to check on something…simply let it go.

Forget about deadlines. How about startlines?

For a society so obsessed with when a project gets finished, we’re curiously all too casual about when to get it started. And that can be the most critical factor of all. Which may explain why so many deadlines aren’t met. Instead of stressing over when something is due, focus on getting it underway. Set a “startline.” That is, a time before which it’s essential you get a project started, so it isn’t performed in a rushed and slapdash manner. If you stick to your startline, it not only assures efficient, unhurried performance, it all but eliminates the need for a deadline…and the anxiety that goes with it. Which “line” would you rather work under? Get it started.

Be a good gear switcher.

You may have the kind of job where you constantly have to drop something to take care of something else. This can be a never-ending source of stress and frustration. If you let it. Or, as unlikely as it seems now, you can condition yourself to get used to it…even enjoy it! When you prepare yourself for such interruptions, you can make a clean break without anxiety, knowing you’ll return later on to tie up loose ends. Just give whatever you’re doing at the moment your undivided focus…and let it go promptly when necessary. Quick transitioning is a skill, an art you can learn, master and take satisfaction in.

Stand up and stretch.

Especially if you have a desk or computer job. A day at work shouldn’t be like an eight-hour plane ride. Periodically get off your chair and stand, stretching your arms and legs—even squatting, bending from side to side, rolling your head, walking about, etc. It’ll get the blood flowing more freely, loosen cramped muscles and joints, help you think more clearly, and relieve some of the stress. Give your body a quick tune-up at least one or two minutes each hour.

Maintain your presence of mind.

It’s easy to get flustered, panic and lose your composure when you’re rushed and pressured. Your mistake level soars, carelessness abounds and civility often goes out the window. Only making things worse. Practice maintaining your presence of mind in pressure situations. Take slow deep breaths and approach the crisis with calmness and control. You’ll discover you can handle things more efficiently, even more quickly, when you strive to keep your cool. Hysteria accomplishes nothing.

G. Gaynor McTigue
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/is-your-companys-stress-management-program-stressful-in-itself-76816.html

While we often worry about stress, not all stress is bad. We need a certain amount of stress to make our lives interesting. And since there is no way to eliminate every commitment or deadline in our lives, we should try to control our stress levels in the best ways we can.

It would be nice if someone created a mathematical formula for stress that would measure how much stress an individual could take without become overwhelmed. Optimal stress levels vary from individual to individual, however, as well as from situation to situation. Some situations that would make you feel very stressful are considered fun and invigorating to someone else. People who love constant change in their lives would feel too much stress in a tedious, mundane job. You can see how different people’s definitions of stress may be. Scientists believe that many illnesses are directly related to stress. If you find that you are sick a lot of the time, or that you feel nervous often, you must develop effective strategies to cope with your stress level. Otherwise, you could be open to serious physical deterioration. Stress management is a practiced art, however. You will not relieve your stress in one day; you must keep at it and eventually, you will discover methods that work for you.

A first step is to learn what things make you stress out. While you may not be able to eliminate these things, you can work to make them more manageable. If cooking dinner causes stress, for instance, you may consider getting take-out food once a week to give yourself a break. If giving a presentation at work worries you, maybe you can learn to focus on just one section at a time and reduce your stress in that way. If commuting to work makes you stressful, leave a little earlier. It will become easier to address your overall stress if you discover the things that cause it and then try to limit their impact.
The next step is to try to reduce your emotional reactions to the things that stress you. You may find that these stressors make you think in a negative fashion, focusing only a situation’s worst aspects. Try, instead, to think of a stressor as a chance to improve your life. Try to see if you are overreacting to a situation. It may be that every stressor you encounter does not require an urgent response. Maybe you can take some time to study a situation before it bothers you. Think of yourself as in control – while you may not be able to do anything about the stressor itself, you can control how you feel about it.

Be sure to be aware of any physical reactions you have to stress. Deep-breathing techniques can help you decrease your heart rate, for example. If you have severe reactions, consult your doctor to determine if medication can help you. You can also reduce your stress levels by making your body stronger. Do aerobic activities three times per week, and make sure you eat nutritious foods. Avoid stimulants like sugar and coffee. And recognize that stress is a part of life. While it can’t be eliminated, you can develop coping strategies that will help when you feel overwhelmed.

Ken Snow
http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/managing-the-stress-in-your-life-63099.html

Manage Your Stress Before it Manages You

We all know that stress is a complex thing and can have many negative effects on our bodies and minds.

However managing it takes more than a few deep breaths & positive thoughts for most of us.

So how do we manage this beast called stress?

Stress is a psychological and physiological response to anything that happens to disturb the harmony of our lives or our personal equilibrium in some way or other.

The problem with the body’s stress response process is that as there are so many situations that can trigger stress, eg traffic jams, work situations etc, that the more often your body responds to these crises the harder it is to shut off and your stress hormones, heart rate, & blood pressure remain elevated even long after the crisis has passed.

This obviously places a heavy toll on the body which can result in long term health problems.

How to Manage Your Stress

You will agree it is therefore essential to learn how to deal with stress in a way that has a positive influence & reduce its negative impact on your daily life.

6 Ways to Effectively Manage Your Stress

1. Healthy Body = Healthy Mind Exercise never fails to help relieve the intensity of the stress in your life
2. Deep Breathing Calms Anxiety Breathing deeply from your diaphragm will reduce general anxiety and provide additional benefits, such as lowered blood pressure and heart rate. Also, it is estimated that deep breathing eliminates about 70 percent of the toxins and wastes in our bodies.
3. Help Others Doing something positive will help you work your way out of your negative inner thought circle.
4. Healthy Mind = Healthy Body Out of the approximately 60,000 thoughts an average person has every day, nearly 80 percent of these thoughts are negative which effects your thought patterns and behaviors subconsciously and subsequently has an extremely unhealthy impact on your body.
5. Stimulants Reduce your intake of stimulants as too much caffeine stimulates the central nervous system stimulator that works against your attempts to relax the body and calm the mind – the result of course is anxiety, insomnia, a racing mind – all contributing to stress.
6. Relax Easier said than done but by practicing certain relaxation techniques you can counteract the negative effects of stress. If practiced regularly Yoga is extremely effective in serving as a protective quality by teaching you how to stay calm and collected in the face of life’s curve balls.

In conclusion whilst stress is undeniably damaging, there are many things you can do to manage it effectively and reduce its harmful effects on the body and mind.

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Mark Bellinger
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/get-rid-of-stress-6-ways-to-manage-your-stress-effectively-677798.html

Our skin is continually bombarded with the stressors of age, pollution, and harsh environments (wind, snow, sun, cold, heat). In particular, the skin undergoes a natural, continual process of cell breakdown and replacement. However, after about the age of 27, the rate of skin cell damage begins to exceed the rate of repair.

Dr. Janet de Grano, a dermatologist, says, “stress can trigger or aggravate a number of skin disorders.” Falling hair, eczema, psoriasis, hives, unexplained itching, seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff or skin scaling) and alopecia areata (hair loss in localized or discrete patches) are some of these skin disorders.

Also, when under stress, we frown, crease our foreheads or pout, all precursors of those dreaded fine lines and wrinkles.

The human body responds to stress by going into a fight-or-flight mode, diverting blood flow from elsewhere to support increased heartbeat and muscle activity. When our bodies are constantly on overdrive, the skin is inevitably starved of both blood and oxygen- essential elements of healthy skin.

STRESSING THE SKIN
Stress effects our skin in a variety of ways.

Adrenaline redirects blood away from the skin and sends it to the muscles instead. This is why in times of relentless stress the skin becomes pale and “washed out”.

Anger, irritability, excitement and frustration unleash chemicals, which stimulate the sebaceous glands into pouring out more oil. The excess sebum can block the pores and encourage the pimples to form. This is why we tend to break out in spots on the eve of an important occasion.

Chronic stress makes muscles tense up and become stiff. This prevents the flow of blood bringing enough oxygen and vital nutrients to the skin. Tension also is responsible for slowing the swift removal of wastes from the underlying tissue. Stressed skin lacks vitality and looks congested.

Strain slows down the rate of cell turnover so the fresh epidermal cells take longer to reach the skin surface and much of their moisture has disappeared. Under constant pressure the skin looks dull and sallow.

Continuous stress increases cortisone secretion, which suppresses the body’s natural immunity. The skin’s defence breaks down and allows the skin to be irritated by outside chemicals and pollutants.

Stress shatters serenity and fuels self-doubt. It is important to balance, regulate and compose your inner body environment and that will then express itself on the surface of the skin.

With poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits, this breakdown process can begin at an earlier age, and can accelerate as you age. So what can we do to save our skin and stay looking youthful?

9 Stress Stoppers for Glowing Skin

1.Most importantly is the infamous water drinking- not only is it necessary for our bodies to function properly, but it is by far the best and most basic way to keep our skin healthy. Latest news seems to be a min of 2L of water a day for women and 2.5L for men. To make it an easier task try slipping a few slices of lime or lemon into your water, keep a jug in the fridge, and your water will be cool, refreshing with an extra added zing.

2.Healthy diet. A balanced diet pumps your body with stress-busting vitamins and keeps your blood sugar stable, reducing stress and keeping skin clear.

3.Exercise relieves stress and anxiety, reduces mental and muscular tension, and improves blood flow to the skin.

4.Enlarge your social circle and make more friends.

5.Humor. Laughter is perhaps one of the most effective ways to relieve tension- and even reduces stress hormone levels.

6.Massage. You don’t have to troop to the spa every week. A daily self-massage can be very relaxing.

7.Muscle relaxation. Tense individual muscles as tightly as possible then relax each completely. For example, raise your shoulders to your ears for a count of five, then let them fall freely.

When we are better able to manage stress, then that much-coveted glow will not just be ’skin deep.’

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Farrell Seah
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-stress-starves-our-skin-and-ways-to-nourish-it-72481.html