Try Fun

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.


I believe we have covered some of this information before. However, I cannot "Stress" it enough you need to find a way to manage and relieve stress in your life.


Stress management  is a vital step that only you can take.

Take this step to find out how you can start today and live free from stress!
Click Here!

As we journey,
Larry
Pilates Is An Excellent Stress Disolver

Achieving Instant Calm

For instant calm, Susun Weed suggests one or more of the following simple calming exercises, herbal allies, or movements, and can give you more details on how and why they work:

• Unfreeze yourself: Curl up in a fetal position (on your side with keens drawn up), breathe deeply, and hum. You may want to rock back and forth. Concentrate on what feelings want to emerge. Do not be surprised if grief is what you are really feeling.
• Focus your eyes: Look at anything, steadily, with concentration, and breathe deeply. Feel a warmth in your upper abdomen; breathe; focus.
• Conjure an image of safety: Imagine a huge image of safety, such as a cowrie shell, the palm of Buddha or Christ, a giant mother’s lap, or a cloud of pink light. Surround the object of your anxiety with this image. Fear locks up movement and speech; a clear visualization can unfreeze you.
• Take an herbal calmative: Tincture of red clover is a profound relaxer and soothing calmative. Its salicylic acid content (similar to aspirin) makes it an excellent pain reliever, too. Motherwort is also effective. Motherwort is not sedating, but calming, leaving you ready for action, not flying off the handle or bouncing off the walls. Try 10 to 20 drops as soon as you feel your nerves starting to fray or just before a stressful event. Repeat every five minutes if needed.
• Try yoga postures: Yoga postures, yoga breathing, and quiet, focused medication soothe the sympathetic nervous system instantly. Regular practice alleviates anxiety, often permanently.

Publishers Name and Address Below.  Thanks Susan.


Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

For further help with stress and anxiety management a good resource by an anxiety sufferer is being offeread by that person to try and help others.  Click Here!

As we journey
Larry
Stress And Exercise

13 Steps You Can Take To Help Relieve Stress

Your ears might have heard countless number of times “do this… and get away from stress,” or, “do that…, and you will be totally relieved of stress,”turning you even more stressed out!!

…Stop scratching your head over what to be or what not to be done. I have compiled a definite set of action plan to cope with stress in life. I have tried it in the past and it really helped. In fact, I have used them time and again.

This might help you as well, simply read on.

1. Beware of your own warning signs. For, this could just be a sudden feeling of anxiety.

2. Consider what is really causing stress to you? You may be surprised to find the fact.

3. Think over what you could do to change the things. Find out how much of stress is indeed caused by you?

4. At times, due to excessive stress we fall into vicious trap of not eating properly and go to ill practices such as smoking and drinking to further worsen the situation. Instead, you should try and eat a balanced diet.

5. Eat complex carbohydrates rather than refined ones. This will really help you cope with mood swings.

6. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and keep sugar and salt intake low.

7. Drink plenty of water, it will rehydrate your body. Try to keep caffeine consumption to the minimum.

8. Avoid nicotine or any other self prescribed drug.

9. Don’t feel guilty about including a period of relaxation every day. We all need to turn off from time to time.

10. Do something that is creative and helps you relax. Say, listen music, do yoga, meditate, enjoy aromatherapy or any other stress busting exercise.

11. Learn to be more assertive and try to manage your time properly.

12. You can even consider attending a stress management training course.

13. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

These are certain steps that can truly help you cope with stress. It will work wonders for you. The choice is yours, if you wanna live with stress or acquire any of these good points to mar the stress out of your life.

Please do not discount the effects of stress on your health, family and work.  Stress unmanaged can lead to serious problems.  Stress and anxiety are silent killers.  One author I like who seems to have a practical handle on dealing with stress wrote this article. Eliminating Stress Naturally..Click Here!

As we journey,
Larry
Stress And Your Family

Break A Sweat To Break Your Stress

     You can start to relieve some of the stress in your life by just starting to break a sweat and exercize. the benefits of exercize as related to stress relief are medically documented. So, follow along as I try to show how exercize and stress can be related.

     Are you swamped at work? Do you always feel one step behind trying to catch up on all the chores on your "to-do" list each day? Do you toss and turn in bed at night thinking about all the things you should have accomplished that day, but didn't? All of us have experienced a hectic set of circumstances in our lives at one point or another. Maybe you experience stress every day of your life. This stress can lead to sickness, depression, and make you feel overwhelmed. Therefore, how can you combat this nagging daily stress? One answer is exercise.

     Stress comes in both physical and mental forms. The severity of stress placed upon your body depends on your job, family, and life obligations. Exercise will benefit nearly everyone from a mother of five to a single on-the-go professional. You can find a form of exercise to suit your needs whether you have just ten minutes of free time a day or can hit the gym regularly. Exercise has the potential to be a highly effective stress reducer. Following are common questions, excuses, and solutions regarding exercise in our daily lives.

    How does exercise affect the body? Won't it make me feel tired? On the contrary, exercise has been shown to increase "endorphins". Endorphins are the "feel good" chemicals that are linked to an elevation in mood. This endorphin kick can be akin to eating a chocolate bar. Chocolate has caffeine and hits the pleasure center in our brain. Exercise is similar in that blood pumps faster in our bodies increasing the oxygen supply to our brain. This endorphin rush is why many exercisers become addicted to exercise.

     Exercise has long been an antidote to stress. Exercise takes your mind away from the stresses of daily life while you run, lift weights, or engage in any activity that raises your heart rate. An added benefit to exercise is that it will help you sleep better at night. For many people stress wreaks havoc on their lives by causing insomnia. Make sure, however, that you don't exercise too close to bed time. The rise in activity and heart rate that exercise brings should be completed at least three hours before bed time. Each person reacts differently to exercise so test out different exercise times and see which time works best for you.

     How am I supposed to find time to exercise when my day is already filled to the brim with chores, kids, work, etc.? Before you brush off exercise time, take a closer examination of your day. Do you have down time? Do you spend time watching television? Many people watch television during the course of the day. This television time could be exercise time instead. Record your favorite TV shows and watch them later after you have exercised. Time exists for exercise; it is just a matter of making time and placing value on your exercise program and overall health.

     What type of exercise should I do to relieve stress? I don't want to be a gym rat and purchase an expensive health club membership. Good news. You don't need to sign an expensive gym contract to get your exercise in for the day. You can exercise from the comfort of your own living room or head outside and enjoy the fresh air.

     For example, break a sweat with exercise videos/DVDs. There are a bevy of exercise videos/DVDs available for home use that range for calming Yoga to boot camp kick boxing. Some videos/DVDs come with extras such as free weights, aerobic steps, exercise balls, and strengthening bands. It is like you have a personal mini-gym all to yourself. You can create your own exercise video library and rotate the different workouts to keep your exercise program varied and interesting.

     Strap on your walking shoes and head outside to enjoy the sights of your neighborhood. Walking is a low impact form of exercise. It is fun to walk with your spouse, children, and friends. Many neighborhoods have jumped on the walking bandwagon by starting walking clubs. They meet twice a week in the morning for an hour long walk. It is a great way to get to know your neighbors and exercising with a partner will help you to keep on track. This accountability is a great defense against skipping your workout.

     Many people want to get away from the stress of others. They want to walk and exercise by themselves. If this applies to you then you can listen to a tape or CD on your walk. It is a great way to catch up on books you have been meaning to read by listen to the audio version. Or you can listen to soothing music. Either way you can reduce stress from your daily life by placing your focus on other things besides all the errands you need to get done that day.

     Reduce your stress with exercise. It is a natural way to energize your body and calm your mind. Make exercise an integral part of your daily living. You will be glad you did as you enjoy each day, stress free.

     So, get on the sneakers, get out to the park or gym or garage. But go!  You are the one who will totally benefit from this small amount of effort.

Resources:
Help with living stress and anxiety free....Click Here!

As we journey together,
Larry
Exercize For Good Health

Your Needs And Stress

     A lot of our stress and worry is caused by how we percieve reality. If you are struggling with COD (compulsive obssive disorder) or a similar mindset that can easily distort what is going on in your life you will "make a mountain out of an ant hill".  Everytime.

     Internal conflict, conflict within yourself, reflects the difference between what you really feel and what you are able or choose to do about it. Interpersonal conflict occurs between you and another person when what they do or say is different to what you feel and vice-versa.

     Everyone has four basic psychological needs. These are the need to be valued, to be in control, the need for self esteem or self worth, and lastly the need for consistency or stability.

1. The need to be valued or appreciated by others is a basic psychological requirement

     You want others to recognize your worth and appreciate your contributions. You are more motivated when your contributions are recognized. When you feel unappreciated, taken advantage of, or taken for granted your need to be appreciated and valued has been violated and this can trigger a response of fear, anger or frequently both.

2. The need to be in control

     Being in control is important for everyone, but more for some than others. The more insecure you feel about yourself, the more controlling you may become. On the other hand, if you feel secure and confident about yourself, then your need to control others will reduce.

     Whenever you have to deal with an over controlling person remember their need to control comes from their insecurity. Make them feel secure and their need to control will normally reduce.

3. The need for self esteem and self worth

     By this I mean you should appreciate yourself and look to your strengths rather than any weakness (we all have both). A strong self esteem gives you a powerful, solid base for dealing with all types of problems and situations.

     With a strong self esteem, you have the ability to positively respond or react to any type of situation, rather than reacting negatively by panicking of avoiding the potential conflict.

4. The need to be consistent

     You need to know what is likely to happen in any given situation. You need consistency from family, partners, friends, everyone in your life otherwise you are always anxious about the unexpected.

     This is not to say that no-one can change their minds but someone who changes opinions or reacts differently to the same situation brings a level of insecurity in to your life and you never know how to react.

     The reason some people feel the need to change comes from their insecurity. They are insecure in themselves so they try to fit in with others all the time and will agree with whoever they feel is the most dominant personality.

     Whenever any of these needs are not met conflicts, internal, external or both, are produced and people usually react in one of four ways.

    They can retaliate, dominate, isolate, or cooperate.

     Retaliation and domination can result in extreme violence. Isolation separates the parties but does not resolve the conflict whereas with cooperation one party allows their feelings to be ignored and accepts the opinion of another over their own.

     If you are aware of these basic needs and reactions you will begin to understand how and why you and others react the way you do. Considering these needs, understanding them and acting upon them will make you a more complete and therefore a more confident person and will give you strength at times of conflict.

     The best lesson I learned TOO late in life is I cannot control everything. Stuff happens. It is how we percieve stuff and how we react to stuff that counts.

     Practice taking deep breaths and saying to yourself "This To Shall Pass".

God Bless,
Larry
Get Started Exercizing Now

Stressless Living - Is It Possible?

     In todays fast paced society Stress is an everyday challenge. The clock seems to run out before the work is done.  The paycheck can run out before the month or week ends. Spouse, family, work, house,friends it can and does become an endless unmanageable circus.

     However, stress can be and is a very powerful emotion. Along with all the crazy it brings in our interaction with others it will cause very serious personal health problems for us as well.

Let's look at a few of the results of stress

We all experience some stress in our lives every day, but if you find yourself worrying so much that you’re losing sleep and having a hard time concentrating at work, then it is time to take action. Worry and fear are powerful emotions, and if left untreated they can often lead to anxiety and even depression.

The first thing to remember is that just as a seed cannot grow without soil and water to nourish it, your anxiety cannot grow without you feeding it. Anxiety is caused by an intense fear or worry about a possible outcome. These are the thoughts that are running unchecked through your head. The only Way to control your anxiety is by controlling your thoughts.

You can begin by thinking back to other times when you worried about something. Did the fear come true or was the worry groundless? How much time have you wasted agonizing over something that never came about? It’s okay to have a little anxiety, everyone does. It’s when the worry begins to control your life that it has become a serious problem.

Worry has never solved anything. Because worry is a form of fear and intense fear can paralyze us, anxiety can actually make us fear making a decision and prevents us from solving the problem. Instead, we just keep running the same negative possible outcome over and over through our heads. Our fear actually creates additional fear.

If there is something wrong, then you need to focus on fixing it instead of worrying about it. If it can’t be fixed, then worrying about what might happen tomorrow accomplishes nothing except spoiling today. Worry on its own has never fixed anything.

Anxiety can become a vicious cycle that feeds itself. The only way to overcome the anxiety is to overcome the fear, and this is accomplished by changing your thought process. Rather than having a mind full of fear, fill it with hope and favorable outcomes. Events seldom turn out as terrible or as wonderful as we imagine they will. Our thoughts tend to the extreme while life is usually somewhere in the middle.

Concentrate on the positives and when you feel any negativity creeping into your thought process, push it away and go back to the positives. It is like a tug-of-war, either you control your anxiety or your anxiety will control you. Start with small issues and work your way up to larger ones, always picturing a positive outcome. Once you can keep these positive results in mind, you then need to begin taking positive action to make them come about. The cure for anxiety begins as a thought and then works its way into a positive action.

If you are carrying around a lot of worries, you need to either let some of them go or get yourself bigger shoulders.

As a recovering worryer I can only tell you what has worked for me.  First of all I am not in control of all things that go on in or out of my life. Life Happens. 

The more I turned my life and will over to Jesus, He began to do for me what I was unable to do for myself. And that was the mose positive step in my life.

Also, I know what that "Black Hole" looks like, smells like and feels like (depression). I will take whatever steps are necessary to not go near IT.

Resources:
"The Power And Blessings Of A Sunrise"...Click Here!

"Panic Away"...Click Here!

God Bless,
Larry
Stress And Relationships