STRESS

As a DJ & psychotherapist Having worked around the world in private practice for over a decade in the strip club industry, I certainly have seen it all: watching the Girls suffer through anxiety and stress, watching them go from medication to medication looking for "the right pill", and rarely finding it, spending inordinate amounts of money desperately trying to find the correct method to make their stress go away whilst stripping.

Can Anxiety Be Cured By A Pill or through Mental Health Counseling?

Anxiety is a complex issue...not just something that can be cured through popping a pill, or through one or two visits to a mental health counseling professional. And while a combination of both medication and counseling can be effective, unfortunately it can take years to see results...and often a lot of money.

If I Do Decide To Take Medication And See A Therapist, What Is The Best Type Of Therapy And Medication I Should Take To Help My Anxiety? I can't answer that for you specifically, because every one is different (for example, you may have an allergy that precludes you from using a certain type of medication; Or you may not take well to a specific model of psychotherapy). That said, I can say that I have seen many of my clients do pretty well with what is known as "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy", in combination with a medication that their psychiatrist prescribed.

Isn't There Any Way To Get Rid Of My Anxiety Right Away, Instead Of Waiting The Years It Can Take For Medication and Counseling to Kick In?

Yes. For every year it takes to go through therapy and anti-anxiety medication, people can actually learn to make their anxiety disappear in 10 to 15 minutes. That doesn't mean that counseling and medication aren't viable options...but they are not the end-all cure-all for anxiety...they are merely supplements to help you get better. The majority of the work is done by "you". Not to mention...you save a great amount of your money and time.

Why Don't Psychiatrists Ever Tell You That You Can Learn to Make Your Anxiety Disappear On Your Own?

Bottom line: Because they need to make a living. If you did not see them for visits, these docs would not be in business. Don't get me wrong...there are some darn good professionals out there in the field of psychiatry.

But, the fact is, if the docs and shrinks let you know that you can learn, in 10-15 minutes, the secrets to curing your anxiety...they would lose a great deal of income.

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Meditation is a form of alternative medicine that promotes relaxing and mental calmness through the use of controlling or suspending thoughts for a certain period of time. Since meditation involves physical and mental relaxation, it's a great way to relieve stress.

When some people hear about meditation as a way to relieve stress, they laugh and think it's a bunch of baloney. They think that meditation is not a viable solution to eliminating stress. But research has shown that meditation works and is a practical technique for stress management.

The most notable research on meditation's usefulness in relieving stress was done in 1968 by Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard University. He conducted a series of experiments on popular meditation techniques and published his findings in the book "The Relaxation Response." He discovered that meditation has a "real effect on reducing stress and controlling the fight-or-flight response." Dr. Benson wrote that meditation increased the skin's resistance to damage or infections, slowed the heartbeat and breathing rate, and reduced oxygen consumption.

Meditation is all about consciously relaxing your mind and body for a period of time. Meditation means that you need to focus inwardly so that your mind is basically so busy concentrating on breathing and body form that there's no time to think about the events that are causing you stress.

The act of meditation is actually quite simple to do. Meditation does not require you to be a mystic or to be very spiritual. Meditation is something that anyone can do almost anywhere.

When you prepare yourself for meditation, be sure to set aside a certain amount of time where you're guaranteed not to be interrupted. Meditation doesn't require hours of practicing at a time for it to be effective in reducing stress. Practicing meditation is ten- or twenty-minute time slots is definitely good enough.

Effective meditation requires that you're in a comfortable, quiet environment. This means that when you practice meditation, you should make sure that you're wearing comfortable, unrestricted clothing. The atmosphere temperature (whether you're indoors or outdoors) should also be comfortable for you in order to make your meditation session as stress fighting as possible.

Stress-relieving meditation is all about concentration. Once you're fully comfortable (you can sit or lie down) close your eyes. Focus your attention of your breathing throughout your entire meditation session. Count your breaths. You can even say the numbers out loud to discourage your mind from wandering to other thoughts.

Another way to control wandering thoughts when you're in a meditation session is to use imagery. Imagery is very popular in meditation. All you have to with imagery is focus on something you consider refreshing or pleasant. Music is also a popular way to help mind concentration during meditation. You can do a monologue hum. Or you can use some soothing music that features plenty of nature sounds.

The key to meditation is mind control. When you learn to control your mind, you can control your thoughts, and you'll be able to better control the functions of your muscles. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to learn not to let your mind wander to other thoughts while you're in a meditation session. But once you've mastered meditation, you'll discover you'll be able to do it almost anywhere to relax when you're feeling overwhelmed with stress.

Stress is a killer, it is a known fact that stress is one of the reasons for heart attacks and many other lethal stress related disease. The bad thing about stress is that it will not only ultimately kill you, it is killing you while its doing it.

Stress makes a person narrow his perspective, feel lost, lose proportion and the sense of the real things in life, some people get into a chain reaction in which stress is just the cause of more stress, eventually leading these people to seek mental health help.

I am assuming that you are a normal (what is normal, right?) person, that does not currently have or had any kind of mental disease, that you are reading this article for one simple reason, you start to feel that stress is overcoming you, that something has changed as a result of increased stress, and you want out. You want your life back, you sense of control and to shake this feeling of urgency around each and every issue in you life.

How can I understand what you are going through? Went through? The answer is simple, I went through a severe mental breakdown as a result of continues stress. It took months for me to go down, and months for me to get back up, but once I got up (about 15 years ago) I have been studying and learning everything I can about stress, including talking to people like you. Identifying stress is the first step to fighting it, and reducing it.

When I first realized that my life seemed to have no breaks, no pause and that daily activities simply followed each other as if magically linked one to the other, driving to work connected to work, driving back home connected with the tasks I had at home (that connected with the tasks for work I left for home). There was no real joy, no fun and most importantly… no life.

No one needs to be an expert on mental health to know that he is experiencing stress, when it hits its very clear. The biggest problem is that we humans get used to it, and we learn to live with it, baring it on our heads, our shoulders, our hearts. While stress gets rooted into our bodies we become bitter, angry, impatient and generally not pleasant to be with or around. Not a big surprise ha?, of course, you can probably remember a time you knew someone that was so stress it made you feel stress, you also probably avoided seeing this person…

Assuming stress just showed up at your door a few weeks or months ago, what can you do to try and do battle with it? Is it at all possible to beat stress, and to return to a normal life, with normal stress levels that go up and down – normally (in contrast to continuously)

YOU CAN. That’s the first thing I got to say. Almost anyone can, and there is no reason you cant. What am I talking about? Beating stress. Getting your life back, enjoying and living, every single moment of every single day. Here are a few things that helped me a lot, I know some of them sound old fashioned or simply old, but they worked for me, and they might just work for you.

Take a hobby, start something you always wanted, it can be working in the garden (amazing) or learning how to ski dive (even more amazing), working out is good, running or swimming, in fact almost any kind of regular physical activity is good. I highly recommend golf, its ability to drive your attention from everything else and make you focus on a small white ball for a few hours, with spending a (relatively) long time out doors, is great. If you carry your golf bag and walk the course (walk not slowly wander around) you will also get into shape.

Physical exercise – once a day, for 20 to 45 min, do something, in the house out of the house, doesn’t matter, just do something. Yoga is great, because almost everyone can practice it, and eventually you will perform the positions in synchronization with your breathing, which is almost the best way to relax and regulate your breath.

Relax – take a break. Do I need to explain? Just take a break, if it’s a short break you can use it to relax, close your eyes and imagine a nice place you can spend a few imaginary moments at, if you are not good at imagining things, try and meditate for a few minutes, clear your mind of thought and try to get your subconscious to shut up.

Deal with problems and break them into smaller pieces – just like cleaning a big room, break your problems into smaller problems and decide which ones you do not want to deal with right now and which are the ones you are going to solve, do not leave the other problems for an unknown date to be solved – commit yourself to a time and day you will address these other issues.

I wish you all the best, and good luck in beating stress and starting gaining control over your life. When you get into these stressful moods again, try and think of how an nervous, stressed person looks like, and what is his chances of solving his problems, take a long breath, and plan your victory.

Jane, a working mother, often feels tense. She feels she has too much to do. At the end of the day, she is drained and frazzled. She feels as if she is being pulled from all sides. Consequently, she cannot meet the demands of her job or her family. She gets irritated over insignificant things and has intense emotional outbursts. Lately, she cannot sleep at night, does not feel hungry, and feels exhausted all the time. Jane is under stress.

Many people who are under stress do not know what the effects of stress are and how it feels. The following are some key stress indicators:

- Irritability and nervousness

- Sleep disturbances

- Poor concentration and low memory retention

- Anger and tantrums

- Anti social behavior, sometimes bordering on the violent

- Alcohol or drug abuse

- Emotional outbursts

Constant stress will trigger physical ailments. When a person is stressed, the body responds by increasing the heart rate. The blood pressure rises because of a need to pump more blood into the brain. Blood is drained from the intestines and shunted to the arms and the legs (protection and attack instinct). Blood clotting takes place more quickly (body’s protective instinct).

While stress is present everywhere these days, about 10% of the population suffers from chronic stress. If left untreated, this can cause extensive damage to a person’s physical as well as mental well-being.

Stress CAN be relieved. There ARE ways in which one can drain out this poisonous matter from the body.

Methods to relieve stress:

Do it willfully and enjoy the satisfaction. Multitasking is all very well, but it's more for computers than man. Pay attention to the task at hand. Finish it and then go on to the next task.

Plan your day. Keep a timetable. If you are a working mom, there are deadlines to be met, brownie meets, and coaching sessions; not to mention cooking, cleaning and washing. Yes, that’s a lot of things to do. So, split the load. Fix a time for a task and pat yourself on the back when you finish each task.

Don’t rush through your meals, no matter how important that meeting is. Take the time to quiet your mind and relax when you do this all-important activity. Find pleasure in eating.

Keep your thoughts positive, ALWAYS. Focus on the good side of things. Meditation, Yoga, or Tai Chi will greatly help to calm your troubled mind. During the day, notice your body. If you notice tension in your body, release it. Breathe deep and stretch any of the tense areas.

Get some exercise. Jog, run, play, swim - just release those cramped muscles and let your heart beat faster and stronger.

You are only as good as the things you put in you body. Avoid sugary foods, fast food and fried stuff. Take in a lot of fiber and complex carbs. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables make you feel good.

Remember that proverb," All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?” Find some things that you enjoy and make time for them. Read that book; go for a walk; or listen to music. The important thing is to find some time for you.

Lastly, be gentle with yourself. It is natural to fall back into stressful habits from time to time. If you do, simply notice this change and don’t get judgmental. Move back to the stress reduction techniques.

Are you plagued by holiday stress year after year? Do you feel as if you are a victim in all of this? Do you believe that you are the ONLY one in your household who is contributing to the success of the holiday?

Let me share with you some ideas for making the holidays manageable. I used to literally make myself nuts during holiday time. I was married to a man who thought his contribution to the holiday was simply to show up, eat his fill and then watch television in the living room while I cleaned up the kitchen. I also had two sons who couldn’t care less about the trimmings of the holiday season.

What I am about to suggest may offend your sensibilities but it does stand a good chance of greatly reducing your holiday stress. When you are finished with this article, you’ll have to decide what is most important to you---having everything just perfect or regaining some of your sanity. When all is said and done, you can always continue to do it just as you’ve always done. I’m only providing some alternative suggestions.

What is your typical routine? Of course, for me there was mailing of at least 100 Christmas cards. Often this was the only way I was able to stay in touch with people I cared about.

Then there was the gift buying. I married into a family where I instantly inherited 20 nieces and nephews and the family insisted that all children receive a gift from all the aunts and uncles until they reached the age of 25! No matter what I said, they were not going to be swayed from their position. Christmas shopping, for me, was a chore.

Then, after the gifts were purchased, there were the many hours of gift-wrapping that was required. And what about putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the rest of the house? Let’s not forget the cleaning that had to be done to make my house presentable for the drop-in holiday visitors. There was also the baking of the many multiple varieties of cookies and the preparation of whatever food I was expected to bring to any myriad of places to which we were invited for holiday party after holiday party. Add to that the stress of the inevitable weight gain over the holidays and it was no wonder I was crabby and irritable.

Once I began to practice Inside Out Living, ? I had to question the sanity of all the rituals in which I engaged myself. The first question I asked was, “How many things am I doing because I believe I have to and how many are for my pleasure and the pleasure of my family?”

I remember one particular Christmas when I was feeling especially stressed, I told my children I either needed help with holiday preparations or I needed to cut some things out of the holiday routine. They made it clear they didn’t really want to help in reducing the load of things that I put on myself but they were more than willing to forego many holiday traditions. In fact, what they told me is that we didn’t need a tree. All they cared about was presents and they didn’t even need them to be wrapped!

That was eye opening for me. Now it was clear that anything beyond gifts was something I was choosing to do and not something that was necessary to the success of the holiday for my children.

Next, I had to assess what was necessary for me. I decided I wanted to send Christmas cards to stay in touch with friends and family and I wanted to wrap my children’s gifts so I could enjoy the expressions of surprise and pleasure on their faces as they opened their gifts.

That particular Christmas, I discovered the joy of sending out New Year’s cards. That’s right. I stopped pressuring myself to get the cards out before Christmas. After all, the purpose was to keep in touch with people. It turned out to be much better to send my card in January. It definitely stood out from the rest!

I didn’t put up a tree. My children really didn’t care if we had one or not. Neither did I. Great stress reducer.

I also gave up the idea that everyone in the home SHOULD contribute to the work involved in the holidays. In demanding assistance from unwilling family members, the only thing I accomplished was to alienate the people I loved the most. The whole holiday hype was not important to them. If it were, they would have more willingly provided the assistance for which I asked.

In shopping for the nieces and nephews, I discovered the value of gift cards. The kids love them because they can pick out whatever they want and they protect them from getting those unwanted, unappreciated gifts from an aunt or uncle who really doesn’t know them well enough to purchase a gift they would truly appreciate.

Another suggestion, particularly if you have older children, is to take the money you would normally spend on gifts and find a family who needs it more than you and purchase gifts for another family as part of your new Christmas ritual.

As for the cookies, I stopped making 27 different varieties and only made chocolate chip cookies---the family’s favorite. They were always a hit and no one really the liked the others anyway!

And as for the weight gain, there are two possible solutions. Approach the holidays with reckless abandon. Know that you will gain weight and that you will address it in January. The other option is to take control of your eating. Eat smaller portions and taste, instead of devour, any of the many sweets offered during holiday parties.

"We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

-Albert Einstein

Each one of us has different levels of resiliency when it comes to dealing with our life situations. Do you need to learn some ways of becoming more resilient? Take this brief Stress Quiz and find out!

  1. Do you worry constantly and cycle with negative self-talk?

  2. Do you have difficulty concentrating?

  3. Do you get mad and react easily?

  4. Do you have recurring neck or headaches?

  5. Do you grind your teeth?

  6. Do you frequently feel overwhelmed, anxious or depressed?

  7. Do you feed your stress with unhealthy habits-eating or drinking excessively, smoking, arguing, or avoiding yourself and life in other ways?

The most important first step in dealing with your stress is to accept and acknowledge that it is your emotional reaction to a situation or event in your life that causes your stress, not the situation itself. We cannot often do anything about the situation, but we can work with our reaction to the situation-this is where our power is!

I created the Snap Out Of It NOW! Method to help myself, and now you, to become more resilient and more creative. In other words, to learn how to interrupt and SNAP Out of the destructive cycle of emotional reactions that are engaged when faced with a difficult life situation.

Breathing Awareness Exercise:

The breath is your key to self-resiliency. The breath is your entry into your body-bringing light to the darkness, warmth to the coldness, and boundless possibilities for breaking free from your everyday reality.

The following exercise takes less than a minute and you can do it anywhere-at the grocery store, in your car during traffic, even in the middle of a fight or disagreement with another person. Sometimes just one single minute can be your best friend!

Launch Yourself to Places You Have Never Gone Before!

  1. STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN-acknowledge you are stuck in a negative think-feeling pattern-you are stuck in a destructive cycle of reactions within your own body.

  2. Become aware of your BREATH by listening to your breath going in and out your nose. Enter your body with your breath.

  3. BREATHE to the negative feeling sensation in your body that is present wherever it may be, and as you exhale you are releasing the disharmony within your body. You are NOW free to deal with the situation in a creative new way!

You are shifting the state of your body and mind away from disharmony (frustration, anger, fear) back to its natural state of harmony (appreciation, love, joy)! Within this state of harmony you are more flexible, resilient, and creative. Is it not wonderful to have a tool that will launch you into possibilities you never saw before!

Stress has always been a part of our lives. In this hectic time, people lead an increasingly stressful life. Experts state that a little stress can be good; it keeps you sharp and ready to move forward, and is sometimes vital for achieving optimum performance. However, medical research has determined that prolonged stress is very bad for the body, and can block the body's natural ability to repair, regenerate and protect itself. Over 90% of disease is caused by stress. Stress is both a physical and psychological response. It can lead to chronic disease, obesity, insomnia, deteriorating relationships, depression, and more.

Stress is such a powerful and harmful force that it is vital that you learn effective stress management techniques to live a successful, happy, and healthy life. We must remember that we will always come across inevitable factors that cause pressure and anxiety on us. What we do not know is that it is not really the problems that are difficult to deal with, but our attitude towards them. So basically, the cause of stress is your attitude toward these things. What, then, is an effective way to deal with stressors?

Below are 5 great tips to handle stress.

1. Identify what makes you stressful and uneasy. Making a list of your stressful experiences is useful. Immediately deal with the issues that you can change, for instance waking up earlier for work in the morning, not leaving things till the last minute, and delegating tasks in case you are taking responsibility for everything. Forget about the issues that you cannot influence like being stuck in a traffic jam or not getting into the elevator because there is no room for you.

2. Calm down. A few minutes break would do you good. Wash your face, breath slowly and deeply, and notice if there is tension in any part of your body and release it. You can also listen to relaxing music, or call a friend. Releasing your inner feelings to a friend is healthy option.

3. It will pass and it will be over before you know it. Remind yourself that the stressful event will end sooner or later can make you see the positive sides of things. At the same time, calm down your emotions and think of what is the best thing to do rather than take your energy away from what needs to be done.

4. Know yourself. Ask yourself: What triggers your anxiety? If for example it is your job, then maybe it’s time for you to reconsider whether it would be best to find a less stressful job. You can also make your job more tolerable by allowing yourself to get that needed vacation or leave.

5. Learn to use your relaxation response. Just as we all have within us the stress response, we also have an opposite response, which is the relaxation response. A person should elicit that on a regular basis. The relaxation response involves two steps. Repetition, the repetition can be a word, a sound, an expression, or a repetitive movement. The second step is to ignore other thoughts that come to your mind while you're doing the repetition, and come back to the repetition. The technique should be used once or twice a day for about 15 minutes. Sit quietly and choose a suitable repetition, like a prayer, the sound Om, or the word love, or calm. Or you can do a repetitive exercise, for instance yoga, jogging, Reiki. Additional repetitive activities are knitting or handicraft. When you incorporate this into your everyday life, you become calmer and better able to handle the stressors. Practice makes perfect and the more you practice relax your mind, the easier it gets.

The true causes of stress are not the problems or negative experiences that you encounter in your life; but your attitude toward them. So, the trick is to change your attitude and to develop a relaxed state, because you cannot be stressed and relaxed at the same time. It is important to understand that what we focus on, we energize. The more you continue to think about the factors that cause your stress, the more energy you give it. So it is vital to let go and focus on relaxation instead. Consequently, you're less likely to be upset by a stressor, and thus less likely to have its harmful effect occur. Eventually, it is your choice. You could either continue to react in the same stressful way, or you could choose to improve your life by changing your attitude and becoming relaxed. There’s no other way around it.

This article looks into the causes of stress and gives free tips to help you control and reduce your worries.

I have, as I am sure many people do, stressed for most of my life for many different reasons.

Even though I still worry about many things, I have now learned how to handle many of these situations and will write about how I go about doing this, in this article.

I am the kind of person who likes to have a simple and settled life. When something comes along which is quite a big event or a bit out of the ordinary, this is when I start to stress. I am not the kind of person who likes change, therefore things like moving house is something which will cause me a lot of stress. I have actually moved house four times in the last six years, not very clever for someone like me. I am now happy where I live and plan to stay at this abode for a long time.

I am also self-employed. There are many things I love about being self-employed, the fact that I am my own boss, I can choose my own hours, I have no-one to answer or to report to and the all round freedom it gives me. I often stress however that business will go through a bad period and that I do not have the security of a regular income. How will I pay the mortgage? How will I pay my car loan? How will I feed and clothe my children? These are all the things that at times can keep me awake at night.

I now have started to build up a back-up fund in a bank account. When business is doing well, I put as much money as I can into this account, which I can then use in the leaner times. This gives me a peace of mind and therefore I do not have to worry so much. Business will go through good and bad periods and this way I can easily cope when it does go slow.

I used to also worry about how I would pay my tax bill at the end of the year, however I have also started to put money away each month similar to the above example, to pay for it.

I now try and think about all of my worries in a logical manner and instead of losing sleep over them I try to find solutions.

I also feel stressed and I am not sure why it is, the day after I have a night out drinking alcohol. In the morning and nowadays since I am getting older, throughout the day, I often feel lethargic and my mind starts to play tricks on me. It makes me feel negative about the future and makes me worry about a whole host of issues. It now takes me around forty-eight hours to recover from a boozy night out and affects my family and work life. I have now decided that I will go out far less and that when I do, I will limit the amount I drink.

These are other things that can cause me to stress:

When I have worked too hard!

When I have had a lack of sleep

During and after an illness

After an argument with my girlfriend

When I am invited to a social occasion which I do not want to go to, such as a wedding

A visit from my girlfriends family for say a weekend

Going on holiday

Some of the above may seem a bit bizarre to some people who read this article, however I am trying to be truthful. Yes going on holiday does cause me to worry. I do not like flying for a start, I worry that I or a member of my family may become ill or that the hotel may not be as good as what was described in the brochure.

One thing which I am now careful to ensure of, is that I get enough sleep. I must say I love going to bed and I love sleeping. My bed is where I feel safe and comfortable. I used to fall into a trap of working too hard and would then stay up late, possibly watching the television. I would set my alarm to wake me up early and I would then start the whole process over again.

From reading a book about stress management, I discovered that sleep was one of the best forms of stress-relief. I decided to give it a go and I must say it works. I now stay in bed an hour later in the mornings and where possible, I am in bed by 10pm at night.

I am also now attempting to take life in my stride. What happens will happen and I will deal with each challenge on its own merit. I try to deal with potential problems in a positive way and realise that if life was very smooth and easy, that it would probably be quite boring.

I now appreciate what I have in life and instead of looking at the future full of dread, I look forward to what life will bring. I know that at times life will be hard and am determined to get through these periods as quick as I can.

Nowadays when I do feel down and miserable, I tend to spend as much time as possible with my children, as they make me happy and can soon put a smile back onto my face.

Have you ever tried to control other people? Who gets stressed out? Have you ever tried to control things or events over which you had no control? Do you find that stressful?

There are different typed of stressful situations. Some, like people interrupting you all the time, you can control. You can let the interrupters know you are busy and don't have time to talk.

Other stresses, like rush hour traffic, are usually beyond your control. But there are some things about rush hour traffic that you can personally change which may help; taking a different route, for example, or traveling at a different time. Of course, these changes are not always possible. In that case, you have to change your attitude about the situation, in order to lessen the stress. You can listen to music or educational tapes or books-on-tape. Rush hour traffic won't seem as frustrating because you'll be doing something to help keep your mind off the traffic and other drivers. In order to let go of commute stress, you have to accept the situation. You must accept that you cannot control the traffic, no matter how much you yell and gesture at other drivers to speed up. A stressful commute can ruin your whole day, don't let it! Accept that, if you are unable to change your route, or your time of travel, you are powerless over everything on the road, with the exception of your car and your attitude. Control your attitude, let go of the traffic, and you can control your stress!

You can learn to manage a great deal of your stress by asking looking at each stressor and asking yourself "Can I control it, can I change it, or do I need to learn to let it go?

The "control, change, or let go" concept is an important key to stress management. We spend too much time worrying about things over which we have no control that we have no energy left to control the things we can. We become so overwhelmed, that we feel like our whole life is out of control and we'll never catch up. Once you understand the "control, change, or let go" concept and start putting it into practice you will be able to deal much better with stressful situations.

So much of our stress comes from trying to control other people, places and things when we simply cannot. We are the ones who end up with the stress and resulting headaches! The people we try to control go home, or simply ignore us, barely giving us a thought. That's why it is so easy to build up resentments against other people in situations or jobs when we don't think we have much control. On the job, it impedes productivity and healthy teamwork. People tend to blame other people. If you are stressed out because of others, it's important to go through the steps of control, change and letting go. Unless you are ready to leave your job, family, or the planet earth, chances are you will continue working or being around the "stressful people." Ask yourself if the other person is actually a "stress carrier," or simply has a different style.

Letting go is a process. It takes time, and doesn't always happen at once just because we will it. We have to use our thoughts to control our emotions and our actions. Remind yourself that there are people and events you cannot control. All you can control is your attitude and your reactions. Its possible to change yourself-talk about the situation. Identify which stresses you can control, take appropriate action, and learn to let go of the things you can't.

Pick something in your life that stresses you out. Can you control it? If so, what can you do? Can you change it? If so, how? Perhaps you can only change or control a part of it. Do you need to let it go? If so, what can you do in order to let go?

You can view life as unexpected and exciting or your can view it as scary because you don't know what the future holds. Take charge; take control or let it go. The choice is yours!

No matter where you find yourself on your career journey, you know by now that overwhelm is a natural by-product of success.

Whether you are employed, you are in transition to your own business, you just started off on your entrepreneurial journey, you have been in it for a while and you have an established business, you deal with stress every day (sometimes every minute)

Yes, sometimes, especially at the beginning of your business journey, stress is good. It drives you to work long hours, you get things done, you push forward. Then, after a while, the long hours, the endless emails and phone calls get to you. You find that the passion is leaving you, find yourself wondering why you got started in the first place. You lost your work/life balance.

You know that stress got to you if you frequently wake up tired or with a headache. Eventually this pain and fatigue drains your energy that you need for your business or job and your life. Unfortunately, you can’t spend a day in company with others without hearing somebody complain about just these symptoms. Yes, I have been there and so have my clients. As matter of fact, there has not been a time in history where the level of stress has been greater than it is now, in our automated, fast-changing world of internet, emails, cell phones, instant messaging, and black berries. 

Yet, living with too much stress for too long, results in behaviors that are opposite to the ones you need to exceed at what you desire most. Stress creates adrenaline, it allows for spontaneous, reflexive responses it enables you to react to stimuli. An effective business leader does the opposite. He/she acts based on careful thinking and analysis and calm decision-making. Pro-active behavior rather than reactive behavior.

My clients come to me for two reasons:

a) they want to grow a thriving business while they want to create a rich life and

b) they find that they work harder and longer hours for less return.

You might identify with that. Have you started feeling overwhelmed, tired, stressed, short-tempered and maybe even burned out? Are you coming home feeling worn out, short tempered and irritated? Your productivity is down. You know that you can’t create a rich life, nor be successful over long term if you let overwhelm and long-term stress run your life. 

Any career success, independent of your ultimate goal is not worth the ills that prolonged stress can bring on. My clients tell me that they can’t sleep at night because they have so much to do, their stomachs hurt because they have to choose between picking up their kids from school and working that extra hour. Especially my women entrepreneur clients tell me how tired they are at night because they work two shifts, one at work, the second one as a mom and home manager. 

Yet, what I also hear sometimes is a kind of pride of staying “so” busy, of juggling it all precariously high in the air. That to me, is great for a few short days because you have to meet a deadline or you are getting ready for some out-of town travel but over long term, this “heroic” and “stoic” pursuit of too many things at the same time, is certainly detrimental to your health and to your business. 

When we confuse busyness with productivity, which is exactly what happens when we squeeze too much into one day, we actually lower our productivity, do it less well and have a lot less fun in the process. The most amazing part of learning how to manage stress in an easy-to-implement way is that you find yourself in your optimal learning and performance zone much more often than before.

Every time you practice any of the eight strategies I am teaching in my stress-busting audio course, you’ll find that your blood is returning to your brain as each technique is signaling to the body that the fearful, stress-inducing situation is over and the calm has returned. Research shows that we have a specific zone in which we work most productivily. Whatever time we spend outside of that zone because of stress and overwhelm or because we are multi-tasking or we are being distracted, is time spent in mediocrity. 

In my book, ”The Art Of Succeeding By Design” and its accompanying audio guide to enjoying your success stress-free, you will find that having a plan to succeed AND having proven stress-managing tools are the keys to accelerating your business and career while allowing you to slow down to life! 

The technique I am teaching you today through this article (and the many other techniques I teach in my audio course) are the result of years of personal research of stress studies, my graduate studies in occupational therapy at USC, years of professional experience helping chronically ill patients reduce their fear and stress to facilitate healing and recovery and of course, my years of coaching entrepreneurs living very similar lives to yours. 

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Ok, onto strategy number One then: In my book, the first chapter talked about creating a vision for your life and business that is compelling to you. That you should align that vision with your values and passion, that this will help you jump out of bed every morning and take on the world. That this vision will help you overcome any obstacle that might be thrown onto your business path. That this vision will help you stay focused and on track. Whether you are employed or have started on your entrepreneurial path, I hope you have created a very exciting vision for yourself. 

With that excitement comes though another challenge and that is: How do you keep your excitement in check and don’t let it turn into a run-away train of late nights and weekends in front of the computer? I know that the excitement for my work, for helping business owners, for making a difference, for the privilege of using my creativity is the most exciting project I have ever undertaken but after a while, it also caused me to get a tight stomach or had my heart beat a bit faster. Have you noticed how your body reacts to your excitement? This energy is good but it needs to be channeled and used only when you ask for it. 

Here is then a great and very powerful way to channel that energy. It can help you be more productive and reduce the wear and tear that this sense of excitement can have on your body. It simply has to do with breathing. Yes, you might be laughing (that would be good) but keep paying attention. When we feel stressed, our breathing becomes shallower. We start breathing faster and less deeply and ultimately only use 20% of the oxygen in our lungs. 

The result is two-fold:

1) you only circulate a very limited amount of oxygen in your body

2) your body goes into defense mode because of shallower breathing signals danger. 

So, what is there to do? Simple, stop your work for just a few seconds and start breathing deeply by inhaling slowly with a rise of your belly. Put your hand on your belly and feel it rise up and lower down. Breathe deeply, fully and slowly for about 10 seconds. That signals to the body that “the coast is clear”, the danger has passed and you can then reenter your high-productivity zone, that zone where you can think clearly and act rationally. 

Easy, yes? Ok, let’s practice it right now: With your hands on your belly, breath in, take a deep long breath; watch your hands as they rise up with you breathe in. Then watch your hands as they lower with your out-breath. Let the air out of your belly without losing your relaxation. Take another deep breath, and let it out, and one more, IN and OUT. 

Now, how do you feel? Like the air cleared, like sanity returned, like a fresh breath of spring air entered your room? It’s good, it’s it? So, remember, every time you start feeling overwhelmed with your to-do list, when you feel angry, when you are starting to worry about your business or career success, you have to deal with kids who don’t want to cooperate, in traffic while late to a meeting, any time, you feel like it, take a few deep, calm, slow breaths and feel peace reenter your life!

All of us who are working to earn our living face some stress in our work life. Many of us face more stress than we can cope up with. But sometimes we don't realize that. The stressed life becomes a routine, and we don't bother to check if we are under more than acceptable stress. Can tests and quizzes help us find out the true state of affairs? Let us find out.

Let me talk about few quizzes that you can take to understand your work life and stress better. For example quizzes that are titled - Are you stressed? Are you a work slave? Do you believe in fun at work? Are you living a tense life? Are you burning out yourself? Are you fighting stresses in the right way? And Are you a good time manager? Will all tell us something about our mental state? How do these quizzes and tests help us?

No test or quiz can be precise. No body can tell us precisely about our mental state. It is not measurable. But a quiz raises questions. It wants us to answer many questions. That makes us think about the answers. This is like somebody interviewing us and making us think of the answer. The thought process that begins in our mind is a great tool for self-improvement. Once we realize that we might be facing more stresses or that we are nearing a burn out, we will take care.

Let us all remember that the world is going forward at a great speed. In this information age, people to people contact is getting reduced. This makes us more vulnerable. Earlier colleagues used to be more vigilant about other co-workers. Today, everyone is over loaded. Tests and quizzes are therefore a good way to self analyze and decide the course of action. Stresses are harmful. If we can use any tool that can help us, we should try. Use tests and quizzes to find out if you are stressed and try to live a long and healthy life.

Ask a literary person how to deal with stress & he will say you, do it the way Shakespeare, Wordsworth & Shelley did. Or, read the positivity of their writings and you will be stress free.

Ask a modern stress management guru & he will come out with a whole set of CDs, manuals and modern techniques to beat the stress.

…different people have different ways to mar the stress.

What do you prefer? The object is one Stress Management. Let’s find out one by one how you can lead a stress free life.

Step 1: Gush into the literature:

“UNDER the greenwood tree,

Who loves to lie with me,

And turn his merry note

Unto the sweet bird’s throat,

Come hither, come hither, come hither:

Here shall he see

No enemy

But winter and rough weather

–William Shakespeare

Then let not what I cannot have

My cheer of mind destroy;

Whilst thus I sing, I am a king,

Although a poor blind boy.

–Colley Cibber

Its simple. Just read the above lines again and again, and get at the meaning of the words, through your heart!

Step 2: Introspect

What is stress?

Stress is the state of your mind!

What is mind?

Mind is a bundle of thoughts.

When your mind unnecessarily ponders about the bundle of thoughts, stress takes control of your personality!

What is the solution then?

The stressful thoughts will have to be changed to sincere and pleasing thoughts- and as the wise saying goes:

When the Thoughts are changed, the Mind is changed,

When the Mind is changed, the Man is changed,

When the Man is changed, the Society is changed,

When the Society is changed, the Nation is changed,

And when the Nations change for the better, we say there is plenty and prosperity all over the world!

It is so simple-oh, man, you have complicated the issue, beyond the tolerable proportions and that is the reason for your stress!

Step 3: The modern stress management techniques:

All the modern stress management techniques, the lengthy lectures on causes of stress, the bulky books on the subject, become a kindergarten stuff, as compared to your ability to control your mind. When you establish control on the rapid and agile movements of the mind, where is stress?

Do not think that by controlling the mind, you are curbing its normal and useful activities. It is just like the horse, galloping ahead, but well-controlled by the jeans!

If the stress is related to your health, it is another matter, it needs to be tackled in consultations with health professionals and good psychologists. Severe health problems, combined with stress, can be fatal also. Share your views, sorrows and health related concerns with your friends and well-wishers. You may get valuable advise and unburdening the stressful thoughts in your mind, will itself relieve you to a great extent!

The mind tools, thus, have a definite role to play in taking the stress out of your personality.

Here I will begin with something that happened many many years ago. It was when I attended my college in 1994 in Princeton.

When I saw him for the first time in the Class Room, I was a bit surprised. How could this sort of a human being who is typical of his Eastern reigns, be our “Stress Management” Professor? His stiff face seemed incapable of generating any smile! Lines appeared on his forehead, even before he was making efforts to start his career in our College with his first lecture on “Stress Management.” I was a bit anxious and eager to enjoy his maiden performance!

I thought he would start with a big platitude on the subject of stress and how to manage it and all that! By quoting definitions and mentioning the names of famous psychologists.

He didn’t do that.

It was very interesting how he propagated the subject of stress management for 21 century youth. I am reproducing his one-shot lecture on stress management. It helped me and it might help you as well.

“First off, I will give you example of my grandma- how she manages the stress! Curry for the night is her worry for the morning…and look, how nicely she carries the burden of stress and its management. She manages stress in her typical style, every day! You go by her words, think that she is stressed! But how crafty she is, in the domestic front!”

Stress management is a technique. It is winning over any tough situation, with the charm of your personality and deft handling of the situation. It is about meeting the challenges. Convert defeat into a victory!

Causes of stress may be many; for its management, no hard and fast rules can be prescribed. You have to deal with the stress, as per the demands of time and situation.

The reasons for stress may be:

1. Danger

2. Threat

3. Good or bad news

4. Illness

5. Perceptible changes in one’s identification with the self

6. Any other strong external or internal stimuli

How to manage the stress?

Before you think about managing the stress, you need to understand the bottom line of your stress. Its root cause! Its real cause! Only then you can think about the management of stress. For public consumption, you can project any cause, but you know what is really wrong with you. There are several ancillary tools to assist you in stress management.

These hints can help you in stress management:

1. Organize yourself in a methodical manner.

2. Develop a confidence, that you possess grit for conflict resolution.

3. Let your approach be positive.

4. Auto-suggestion- Talk to yourself.

5. Do pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.

6. Do light exercises regularly.

7. Do not over-exert.

8. Keep a diet control. What you eat and how you eat is important!

In the end, what matters in stress management, is your strong will power. Have a will to outgrow the stress, and grow your will!

Not enough time, boss pushing for work to be completed, children are annoying you, bills to pay, shopping to be done, housework to do, partner asking for your help...

Does this seem like a familiar scenario in your life? Stress is always with us controlling what we do and how we feel. If you're stressed you do things faster and in an unhappier way. You either become aggressive towards other people as a form of releasing the stress or you become submissive by hiding the stress.

By being submissive and hiding your stress, it internally eats at you hurting your emotions and your relationships. By being aggressive towards another person, you temporarily feel relief, but then reality kicks in as you feel more stressed from hurting the other person.

You need to learn ways to manage your stress and not let it get the better of you and the people around you. Stress motivates us to take action but it too often works against us. I've come up with the best ways and techniques to manage stress:

1) Leave others alone - If the other person is not involved, leave them alone. It is so tempting to release your stress on other people. Do not treat people inappropriately. By treating them the way they do not want to be treated, you build up their stress which they will be happy to put back on you. If someone is causing stress, you need to address the person explaining to them how you feel, why you feel that way, and what can be done to solve the problem.

2) Responsiblity - When you take responsibility, you live in truth. You do not become a victim of others. You begin to control and create your feelings. You stop blaming others for what has happened to you and you become proactive controlling thoughts, feelings, and stresses. By accepting responsibility as way of managing stress, you begin self-control.

3) Stop worrying - worrying is extremely dangerous for your health. By worrying you increase the chances of having a heart-attack and you become miserable which damages your relationships. Worrying is about anticipating what's to come and doing nothing about it. If you did do something in anticipation of the future, you would then be planning and not worrying. You try to think what will happen in the near future, but nothing more then unnecessary thoughts occur. "What if..." "What will happen..." . STOP LIVING IN THE FUTURE and think about what you can fully control now. That is, think about today!

4) Self-control - You are in complete control of your emotions. Its learning to manage your mind that you correctly manage your stress. This is where your self discipline kicks in. Other people do not have access to your mind unless you give them the authorisation. You have complete control of your emotions and actions. However, you're ability to be in control of your emotions and actions is dependent on your desire, discipline, and skill set.

5) Self understanding - You need to manage yourself and control your emotions. You need to be aware if you are treating a person in an appropriate way because of the stress. You need to know that you are stressed, why you are stressed, and ways to manage the stress.

6) Don't stay still - When feeling down, it is easy to throw in the towel and give up. Winston Churchill said "If you are going through hell, keep going." Don't stop and give up. I encourage you to stop, relax, and be smart, but do not lose the perserverance to keep going. If you are going through a bad patch in life, by stopping there you remain in the bad patch.

7) Get away - You may just need to go away for a bit to refresh your mind. If you can afford a holiday, go for it! For those who can't do that, go for a walk or work-out. By being active you release hormones that counteract stress. Also, by being away from the stress it clears your mind by taking it away from the problem.

Stress is not meant to make us miserable. We are given the ability to produce stress to complete tasks otherwise we would be sitting on our lazy backsides. Learn these ways to manage your stress, and you'll have stress working for you and not you for it.

Stress is everywhere, we know it’s unhealthy, and we know the conditions it can lead to. Many of us feel we really should do something about it, but the trouble with stress is when we’re in it’s grip it’s difficult to do much about anything.

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.

1. rub your forehead with both hands in vertical lines from your eyebrows to your hairline for a few moments

2. about an inch above each eyebrow you will find a bump – rest your fingertips there lightly and hold

3. take a deep breathe in and lighten the pressure of your fingertips until they are touching those points very softly

4. 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

5. allow yourself to think the truth of the matter, hold the points and breathe and remain that way for a couple of minutes

6. 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.

Try this for:

- diffusing stress on the spot and stopping it from accumulating

- easing worries

- regaining control of your resources and having access to your full capacity for dealing with any given situation.

- preventing the digestive disorders associated with stress developing. (Use this before eating to make sure that your digestive system is ready and willing to receive the goodness from your food in a calm and efficient manner.)

- relaxing and clearing your mind before sleep

- inducing a feeling of calm from which you can then step deeper into a meditative or relaxed state

About a quarter of all people who visit their doctor or medical health practitioner complain about feeling tired, run down or exhausted. Often an underlying health issue is the cause and their body is using all of its available energy to combat the disease process which is the cause of the health issue.

However, what if you are in general good health and still suffer from a lack of energy? What steps can you take to improve your energy safely and naturally?

The effects of stress, poor nutrition, lack of exercise and allergies can all contribute to fatigue and tiredness so it's important to look at your lifestyle as a whole instead of focusing on a single aspect.

Under normal conditions stress is good for our bodies and provides drive, attention and persistence for our goals and aspirations. However, today we are subjected to longer periods and higher levels of stress than our bodies can cope with.

If you are tired and feel stress is getting the better of you it is important you do something about it before you reach a stage of exhaustion.

Do all you can to reduce the stresses in your life that are having an adverse effect on your health and well-being.

Ensure you give yourself the space and time to eat well and drink plenty of clean, fresh water. An increase in the quality of your diet and nutrition will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function at its best ability.

If your relationships are causing you anxiety then try to work on your attitude towards them. Start with yourself and try hard not to get "wound up" or drawn into confrontations.

Take a good look at your work-life balance and if you are spending too much time at your job try and make changes. If you have not taken a holiday for a long time then arrange a vacation or short break.

If you work in a polluted area or atmosphere take appropriate steps to protect yourself with a mask, protective clothing, move away from electronic equipment or computer screens etc.

Take every step possible to relax and allow your body to deal with your stress.

Once you have built up your stores of energy you will be prepared to face stress again but this time you will be in a much better position to deal with and recognise it.

<b><i>Stress</i></b> can be defined as the non-specific response of the body to any demands made upon it. In other words is the interaction between the coping skills of the individual and its environment. When talking about stress, the first question that comes to my mind is, what causes stress? Well, there are 2 factors that cause stress. At first, is a <b><i>stressor</i></b>, and second is what we call the <b><i>stress-reactivity</b></i>. A stressor is any stimulus which has the potential of trigging <b><i>flight or fight response</i></b>. Stressors are those, for which our body is evolutionary trained, when there was a threat to our safety, consider the example, the cavemen who saw a lion looking for its next meal, had to react quickly. Cavemen, who were not strong enough or fast enough, didn't have to worry about their next threat. They become meal for the lion, so the flight or fight response was necessary, and its rapidity was vital for survival.

Modern day men and women also react to stressors with the same response, for example, when you step off a curb, not noticing a car coming down the street, you hear the car's horn, you quickly jump back on the curb. Your heart beats faster, breathing changes, you perspire. These are all manifestations of your response to the stressor, which is the threat of being hit by the car. We encounter different types of stressors. There are environmental stressors like heat, cold, toxins. Some psychological stressors like threat to self-esteem, depression. And other sociological stressors like death of a loved one, unemployment and then there are other philosophical stressors like use of time and purpose of life. We encounter stressors everyday and in every walk of life.

The flight or fight response to a stressor is termed as <b><i>stress reactivity</b></i>. It includes increase in muscle tension, heart rate, elevated blood pressure, less saliva in mouth, etc. these reactions prepare us for swift response. When we buildup stress products and do not use them, this stress reaction becomes unhealthy.

Some stress is natural and necessary part of life. It is inevitable and also desirable. At low level of stress arousal you are not motivated to try very hard so you don't perform well. At another extreme, too high level of stress arousal disrupts your performance on all your tasks. Hans Selye (a researcher in stress) summarized stress reactivity as a three stage process termed as <b><i>General Adaptation Syndrome</b></i> (GAS).

Phase 1: alarm reaction- the body shows the changes characteristic of the first exposure to the stressor. A burst of energy is made available to you.

Phase 2: stage of resistance- resistance ensues if continued exposure to the stressor is compatible with the adaptation. The bodily signs of alarm reaction have virtually disappeared, and resistance rises above normal.

Phase 3: stage of exhaustion- following long continued exposure to the same stressor, the adaptation energy is exhausted. The similar symptoms of alarm reaction reappear, but now they are irreversible and this could be fatal.

Stress has many effects on our health. If not given proper attention could lead to hypertension, stroke, ulcers, migraine headaches, coronary heart disease, tension headaches, asthma, hay fever to name a few. Have you ever noticed that some people are more prone to stress than other. Some people tend to react to stressors with an all-out physiological reaction that takes a toll on their health. We call these people as hot reactors if you notice people who get angry easily, are often anxious or depressed, urinate frequently, experience constipation or diarrhea more than usual, experience vomiting or nausea, there is a good chance they are hot reactors. People who are perfectionist, obsessive compulsive, etc. are more prone to stress.

The management of the five components of stress in the way to reduce stress:

1) <b><i>Changing stressors:</b></i> Identify the regular or predictable stressors in your life. Commonly they are job, relationships, and unreasonable demands. You can change the stressor, quit it, improve it, or tolerate it.

2) <b><i>Changing your physiological responses:</b></i> Life style modifications, healthy diet, relaxation, exercise.

3) <b><i>Changing behavior:</b></i> An important part of managing stress effectively involves changing your behavior so as to replace old, stress increasing and self defeating behaviors with more successful behaviors.

4) <b><i>Changing your perception:</b></i> Interpretation of your situation as a threat makes it a stressor for you. Your expectation whether or not you will be able to cope with it influences your level of stress and your expectations of your not coping also influences your levels of stress.

5) <b><i>Changing your feelings:</b></i> How you think is how you feel. Learn to handle your bad feelings. Denying your feelings and pretending they don't exist will only make things worse.

These are just a few suggestions understand and start working on the stressors you feel in your life. Rare is a person who doesn't experience any stress. The first step is to be aware. Observe and introspect to identity the stressors in your life. As a starting point think of all the stressors in your life and the level of stress they bring to you.

Stress is an unavoidable consequence of life. As Hans Selye (who coined the term as it is currently used) noted, "Without stress, there would be no life". However, just as distress can cause disease, it seems plausible that there are good stresses that promote wellness. Stress is not always necessarily harmful. Winning a race or election can be just stressful as losing, or more so, but may trigger very different biological responses.

Stress Increases Productivity

Increased stress results in increased productivity, up to a point. However, this level differs for each of us. It's very much like the stress on a violin string. Not enough produces a dull, raspy sound. Too much tension makes a shrill, annoying noise or snaps the string. However, just the right degree can create a magnificent tone. Similarly, we all need to find the proper level of stress that allows us to perform optimally and make melodious music as we go through life.

Fight-or-Flight

Some of the early work on stress established the existence of the well-known fight-or-flight response. Researches showed that when an animal experiences a shock or perceives a threat, it quickly releases hormones that help it to survive.

These hormones help us to run faster and fight harder. They increase heart rate and blood pressure, delivering more oxygen and blood sugar to power important muscles. They increase sweating in an effort to cool these muscles, and help them stay efficient. They divert blood away from the skin to the core of our bodies, reducing blood loss if we are damaged. And as well as this, these hormones focus our attention on the threat, to the exclusion of everything else. All of this significantly improves our ability to survive life-threatening events. This is Stress.

Unfortunately, this mobilization of the body for survival also has negative consequences. In this state, we are excitable, anxious, jumpy and irritable. This reduces our ability to work effectively with other people.

How Can I Tell What is Optimal Stress for Me?

There is no single level of stress that is optimal for all people. We are all individual creatures with unique requirements. As such, what is distressing to one may be a joy to another. And even when we agree that a particular event is distressing, we are likely to differ in our physiological and psychological responses to it.

It has been found that most illness is related to unrelieved stress. If you are experiencing stress symptoms, you have gone beyond your optimal stress level; you need to reduce the stress in your life and/or improve your ability to manage it.

Stress Ball

Many organizations are now giving out free stress balls to their employees. Stress balls has been proven to relieve stress! Find out more about stress balls.

The stress response of the body is somewhat like an airplane readying for take-off. Virtually all systems (eg, the heart and blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive system, the sensory organs, and brain) are modified to meet the perceived danger.

Trembling Pounding Heart

With trembling and a pounding heart, we can find it difficult to execute precise, controlled skills. And the intensity of our focus on survival interferes with our ability to make fine judgments based on drawing information from many sources. We find ourselves more accident-prone and less able to make good decisions.

Become aware of your stressors and your emotional and physical reactions. Notice your distress. Don't ignore it. Don't gloss over your problems. Determine what events distress you. What are you telling yourself about meaning of these events? Determine how your body responds to the stress. Do you become nervous or physically upset? If so, in what specific ways?

Preventing Stress

Reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions to stress.

The stress reaction is triggered by your perception of danger... physical danger and/or emotional danger. Are you viewing your stressors in exaggerated terms and/or taking a difficult situation and making it a disaster?

Are you expecting to please everyone?

Are you overreacting and viewing things as absolutely critical and urgent? Do you feel you must always prevail in every situation? Work at adopting more moderate views; try to see the stress as something you can cope with rather than something that overpowers you. Try to temper your excess emotions. Put the situation in perspective. Do not labor on the negative aspects and the "what if's."

Good Stress and Bad Stress

The stress response (also called the fight or flight response) is critical during emergency situations, such as when a driver has to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. It can also be activated in a milder form at a time when the pressure's on but there's no actual danger - like stepping up to take the foul shot that could win the game, getting ready to go to a big dance, or sitting down for a final exam. A little of this stress can help keep you on your toes, ready to rise to a challenge. And the nervous system quickly returns to its normal state, standing by to respond again when needed.

Relieve Stress with Stress Ball

If you are working in an office environment, be sure to get yourself a stress ball. Stress balls are proven to relive a person from stress! So what are you waiting for? Get a stress ball today and learn how it can benefit you.

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.

What is Stress?

Stress may be defined as the three-way relationship between demands on people, our feelings about those demands and our ability to cope with them. Stress is most likely to occur in situations where:

1. Demands are high.

2. The amount of control we have is low.

3. There is limited support or help available for us.

Who is Affected Most by Stress?

Virtually all people experience stressful events or situations that overwhelm our natural coping mechanisms. And although some people are biologically prone to stress, many outside factors influence susceptibility as well.

Studies indicate that some people are more vulnerable to the effects of stress than others. Older adults; women in general, especially working mothers and pregnant women; less-educated people; divorced or widowed people; people experiencing financial strains such as long-term unemployment; people who are the targets of discrimination; uninsured and underinsured people; and people who simply live in cities all seem to be particularly susceptible to health-related stress problems.

People who are less emotionally stable or have high anxiety levels tend to experience certain events as more stressful than healthy people do. And the lack of an established network of family and friends predisposes us to stress-related health problems such as heart disease and infections. Caregivers, children and medical professionals are also frequently found to be at higher risk for stress-related disorders.

Job-related stress is particularly likely to be chronic because it is such a large part of life. Stress reduces a worker's effectiveness by impairing concentration, causing sleeplessness and increasing the risk of illness, back problems, accidents and lost time. At its worst extremes, stress that places a burden on our hearts and circulation can often be fatal. The Japanese have a word for sudden death due to overwork: karoushi.

Medical Affects of Chronic Stress

The stress response of the body is like an airplane readying for take-off. Virtually all systems, such as the heart and blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive system, the sensory organs, and the brain are modified to meet the perceived danger.

A stress-filled life really seems to raise the odds of heart disease and stroke down the road. Researchers have found that after middle-age, those who report chronic stress face a somewhat higher risk of fatal or non-fatal heart disease or stroke over the years. It is now believed that constant stress takes its toll on our arteries, causing chronically high levels of stress hormones and pushing people to maintain unhealthy habits like smoking.

Stressed-out men are twice as likely as their peers to die of a stroke. There are weaker such findings among women, which is likely due to the fairly low number of heart disease and stroke cases among women, rather than a resistance to the health effects of chronic stress. Women seem slightly more susceptible to the effects of stress than men.

Simply put, too much stress puts you at dire risk for health problems. Whether it comes from one event or the buildup of many small events, stress causes major physical alterations that often lead to health problems. Here is a list of some of these changes:

? Our heart rates increase, to move blood to our muscles and brains.

? Our blood pressures go up.

? Our breathing rates increase.

? Our digestion slows down.

? Our perspiration increases.

? We feel a rush of strength at first, but over time stress makes us feel weak.

These reactions helped our ancestors survive threats by preparing for either "fight or flight." Today, our bodies still react the same way, but the events that cause stress do not require this ancient mechanism.

Stress can also greatly raise our risk of:

? Ulcers and digestive disorders

? Headaches

? Migraine headaches

? Backaches

? Depression

? Suicide

? High blood pressure

? Stroke

? Heart attack

? Alcohol and drug dependencies

? Allergies and skin diseases

? Cancer

? Asthma

? Depressed immune system

? More colds and infections

We have to learn ways to relieve stress, because when it goes on for very long or happens too often, it obviously can cause many serious health problems.

A growing number of women are experiencing the challenges of being a caregiver. Whether they're looking after children, elderly parents or a sick relative, the stress can take a physical toll on even the most hardy individuals.

The editors of Caring Today magazine offer these tips to work a little relief into busy schedules:

&#8226; Make time for a hobby. There's no need to feel guilty for taking time to have fun. Consider a hobby a tonic for your health. Paint a picture, knit a sweater, strum a guitar or hit a few golf balls.

&#8226; Take a 10-minute vacation. Can't go on that holiday you really need? Take a 10-minute fantasy vacation instead. Close your eyes and picture yourself in a place that makes you happy. Focus on the details-the sights, sounds, smells and feelings-to bring the scene alive.

&#8226; Try the tennis ball trick. For a quick mood boost, roll a tennis ball over tight muscles. But make sure you use a firm pressure-a light stroke stimulates instead of calms.

&#8226; Write out your worries. Telling your troubles to a friend can make you feel better. So can venting on paper. In fact, study after study suggests that jotting down your feelings about an upsetting situation relieves stress, boosts immunity and results in fewer visits to the doctor.

What keeps Americans awake at night? While for some it may have been too much pizza, for most business people today, especially entrepreneurs, managers, and executives, it’s stress. There’s just too much to do, and not enough time to do it. The result of the hyped-up business climate we live in today is a population that’s dependent on medication and drugs to sleep and get through the day. These only serve to increase the devastating effects of stress on our lives.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 60% to 70% of all disease and illness is stress-related. Add to that the fact that an estimated 75% to 90% of visits to physicians are stress-related, and there’s good reason the drug companies are having a field day. This really isn’t necessary. There is so much good information and knowledge about stress and stress reduction to get all stressed out over stress!

These are the top nine stress busters that I teach all my clients which help them dramatically reduce stress and improve the quality of their sleep.

1. Mindful Awareness of Thoughts and Beliefs - Become aware of what you are thinking and feeling during the day. Are your thoughts negative, fearful or limiting? Do you worry about everything: money, health, and relationships? If you are thinking negative thoughts, you are attracting into your life negative people and unhelpful situations. You are doing the very thing you do not want to do. Try to “let go” of the thought and replace it with a positive belief or image.

2. Visualization - Clinical evidence shows that physical changes clearly happen when people practice imagery regularly. Creating a mental image in your mind is a very powerful practice to use in the morning when you get up and at night before you go to sleep. Start by relaxing with music or in silence and create an image of a peaceful place. Then envision in your mind what you want to happen. “I am totally relaxed, I will wake-up with the solution to my problem, I will sleep soundly all night.” If you practice this technique frequently, you can instill these messages into your subconscious mind and activate the relaxation response anytime you want.

3. Meditation - Mediating before bedtime for ten to twenty minutes can be very helpful for reducing stress and promoting sounder sleep.

Sit quietly in a comfortable chair, close your eyes and breathe deeply. Focus on your breath; relax your chest and body. When your mind wanders and you find yourself lost in other thoughts, let the emotion or thoughts go and return your focus to your breathing. This practice works quickly to reduce stress and rebalance your body. Continue for at least ten minutes or until you feel drowsy.

4.Purchase The Best Of Stress Management Kit -A ten-week multimedia course to help reduce stress, anxiety, promote relaxation, improve mood, lower blood pressure and much more. This course is based on the Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s world-renowned professional training program. It features James Gordon, Joan Borysenko, and other leading experts in mind-body relaxation and stress-reduction techniques.

5. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

It’s a great way to release tension and fortify ourselves against the physical effects of stress. Engage in aerobic activity; take a walk, run or swim. Try a new, fun exercise such as NIA, belly-dancing or boxing. Exercising in the evening, however can be counter-productive, particularly if the exercise is vigorous.

6. Laugher and Fun

Laughter is one of the healthiest antidotes to stress. Take yourself lightly and your work seriously. When we laugh or even smile, blood flow to the brain is increased, endorphins are released, and levels of stress hormones drop. Start to notice how often you smile. People who experience joy, fun and laughter sleep well.

7. Diaphragmatic Breathing - The following exercises make use of the breath and can enhance the ability to fall asleep due to their calming effect.

Put one hand on your abdomen and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose and expel it slowly and completely through your mouth. You will feel your belly flatten. Exhale fully, drawing in your abdomen. At the end of each third exhalation, hold your breath for as long as you can. Then repeat the process two or three times, or until you feel sleepy.

8. Take Action - Rather than worry, re-live the situation over and over or spend sleepless nights thinking about the consequences, take some action to move the issue forward. Talk to a friend, get a therapist, journal… just do something. Procrastination weakens productivity, compounds your anxiety and causes the stressful side-effects of guilt, anger and low self-esteem.

9. Get Serious- Hire a coach who specializes in stress reduction and mind-body coaching. Develop a blueprint for lifestyle change, set goals, have accountability and make the health lifestyle changes you have always wanted.

Discovering how to de-stress may be easier-and more important-than many people realize. A recent survey reveals that 34 percent of Americans report their daily stress levels are at an all-time high. Of those surveyed, more than 90 percent indicated a growing need for adding some stress-busting "instant luxury" to their lives, with decadent desserts and fine coffee topping their "favorites" list, followed by fresh-cut flowers and high-thread-count sheets.

According to Alison Deyette, lifestyle expert and host of the Fine Living Network series "Pocket the Difference," there are some simple things anyone can do every day to bring in life's little luxuries and reduce stress.

"These days, luxury is a mindset, not a lifestyle; to manage the daily stresses of life, consumers are finding ways to treat themselves with products and experiences that convey attainable luxury," said Deyette. "Products such as Nescafé Taster's Choice 100 percent Colombian coffee provide opportunities to enjoy simple indulgences, such as fine coffee, each day."

For coffee lovers in search of instant luxury, Nestlé recently introduced a new variety that allows anyone to experience the world-renowned taste of Colombian coffee, brewed fresh in the cup anytime. This new offering provides java enthusiasts an opportunity to indulge in delicious premium coffee at work or home, that until recently was only reserved for gourmet coffee shops.

Other instant luxuries Deyette suggests as ways people can treat themselves on a regular basis include fresh-cut flowers, possibly from a farmers' market or just a grocery store. She adds, "These types of indulgences can stimulate the senses and make those 'feel-good' chemicals in the brain spring into action."

Since every day should begin with a good night's sleep, great bedding is essential. High-thread-count sheets that are affordable can now be found at virtually any bedding store or major retailer and can add a "little luxury" to your life.

Defining "instant luxury" as a product or experience that's attainable by the average person, the survey by TNS Express asked 1,000 Americans ages 18 to 90 what they are doing to enrich their lives and cope in an increasingly stressed-out world