Stress: Daily Self-Care Habits to Manage Stress
February 26, 2010
Today we have more stress in our lives than ever before ? good stress, bad stress, red stress, blue stress (my little ode to Dr. Seuss). No matter what kind of stress it is, a real crisis or an imagined one, stress is incredibly harmful to our body, mind and soul.
Here are my favourite self-care habits for dealing with stress:
1. Get in the habit of noticing.
Take an inventory of all the things that just don’t feel right in your life or that you know are causing you stress. For example, when you approach certain people, places or situations do you feel more stress and tension? Once you have your list in place, look at what you can change yourself, and do it. You can also use this list to predict stressful situations before they occur.
2. Get in the habit of asking for help.
For what you can’t change yourself, you need a team. Build a team of experts to handle your list. A coach, at the top of the list, will help with the big picture and will keep you honest about your efforts. Other team members might be a family doctor who listens to you, a financial planner, a massage therapist and an exercise partner.
The Jerk is Never Me
February 11, 2010
Comedian George Carlin once remarked, “Have your ever noticed? Anyone going slower than you is an idiot. Anyone going faster than you is a maniac.”
When we observe someone else’s behavior — especially negative behavior — we attribute it to their personality. But when we make a mistake ourselves, we are inclined to blame the situation.
Thus, when I’m driving fast, it’s not because I’m a "maniac" but because I’m in a hurry. My fast driving is no reflection on my character, but rather the result of a rushed situation.
Similarly, if you accidentally break something, you tend to explain it as caused by the situation, e.g., that the object was slippery or that the handle came loose. On the other hand, if your child breaks something you are more apt to conclude that he’s careless.
Here’s another example. Suppose your spouse or roommate asked you to pick up some milk on the way home, and you forgot. You’d probably explain your forgetting in situational terms, e.g., that it was a busy day or that more important things were demanding your attention.
Beating Middle of the Night Stress
January 28, 2010
What do you do when you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep? Do you lie there tossing, stretch, panic, and feel your heart thumping? Do you notice your own shallow breathing? Do you try futilely to follow the random speeding thoughts that race through your mind?
Back in 1991 I met an elderly man in the grocery store. He must have been around 87. Approaching my cart, he leaned in and said "young lady would you like to know how to get to be my age?" To which I answered "sure". He then went on to explain that since he had been my age and out on his own, never once did he ever spend a sleepless night in bed. If he should have trouble dosing off, or worse-wake in the middle of the night, he simply & promptly got up out of bed and got busy about living.
At 22 I was not in the habit of having trouble falling asleep. No-in fact my trouble was choosing to go to sleep when there was always so much fun to get into. Now at 35, I fully appreciate the words this man offered to me. In my case, rarely is a sleepless night caused randomly. However, nights like that have occurred to me as well.
Be Yourself And Zap Stress!
January 12, 2010
Ask a hundred different people how to deal with stress and you’ll probably get the same amount of different answers….
Which could result in more stress….
And therein lies the key.
Stress is often caused by too much information coming from too many places.
There is more information in one daily newspaper than a person would have received in their whole lifetime a few centuries ago. And that’s without even taking the internet into consideration.
No wonder we sometimes get stressed!
Naturally, other people’s opinions can be interesting. But you don’t have to take them all on board. Trying to will just drive you crazy!
It’s so important to take some quiet time each day to be on your own. The answers that are right for you are found inside of you, you just have to tune in. Something that is ‘right’ just seems to ‘bubble up’ from within. So if something is bothering you by all means chat it through with friends if it makes you feel better. Just don’t think you have to take every opinion on board.
How Stress Effects Neurotransmitters
December 29, 2009
The brain uses feel-good transmitters called endorphins when managing daily stress. When the brain requires larger amounts of endorphins to handle increased stress, the ratio of many of the other transmitters, one to another, becomes upset creating a chemical imbalance. We begin to feel stress more acutely — a sense of urgency and anxiety creates even more stress. As a result, harmful chemicals are released in our bodies that may do damage, causing more stress. This vicious cycle is called the “stress cycle.” Emotional fatigue might result and be experienced and felt as depression.
The body responds to emotional stress exactly as it responds to physical danger. Without our being aware of it, usually not feeling it at all, our bodies are continuously reacting to emotions such as frustration, irritation, resentment, hurt, grief and anxiety. We physiologically respond to these mental and emotional struggles with a primitive “fight or flight” response designed to prepare our bodies to face immediate danger. Today, we usually don’t fight, we usually don’t flee. Instead, the high-energy chemicals produced in many everyday situations insidiously boil inside us.
Most all of our body organs and functions react to stress.
The Underlying Cause of Nervous Breakdowns
December 14, 2009
Life can offer us many challenges having to do with loss. When we are faced with relationship loss, financial loss, loss of health, loss of limb, loss of regard, or loss of love, we can feel overwhelmingly anxious, depressed and stressed. When the anxiety, depression and stress get too big, we may have a nervous breakdown ? that is, we become incapable of functioning in our everyday life and incapable of coping with our daily challenges.
What causes one person to have a nervous breakdown while another, with equally difficult or even more difficult challenges, is able to stay functioning and even optimistic?
Imagine a seven year old child trying to cope with a big loss in his or her life, like the loss of a parent. What enables the seven year old to handle this loss? A seven year old can handle the loss only when there is a loving adult helping him or her with the loss. When there is no loving adult helping with the loss, the child may handle the loss by shutting down. The shutting down may lead to a loss of functioning, such as doing poorly in school.
Mindfulness and Panic: Ask Your Anxiety
November 30, 2009
Panic.
Heart racing. Palms sweating. Breathing rapid and shallow. Mouth dry. Knees knocking.
Whether it’s a pop quiz, a job interview, a spider, an impromptu speech, a crowded elevator, a dirty restroom, the view from a cliff, a shot at the clinic, a flight across the ocean, a first kiss, or a trip to a crowded shopping center, we all have something that fills us with panic. In severe cases, we can develop anxiety disorders in which panic attacks occur at seemingly random moments.
Whether you have a case of the pre-speech jitters or a full-blown panic attack, the physical symptoms are easily recognized. However, what we need to see clearly are the thoughts going through our mind whenever we feel anxious.
No matter what triggers your personal panic parade– complete with lively emotions, colorful thoughts, and sizzling sensations–there is one key element that gets the party started.
No, it’s not just stress. It isn’t your personality type. It’s not solely your past memories or the way your mother raised you or your particular physical challenges.
It is simply this: you are lacking in self-esteem.
Stress and Your Immune System: 10 Ways to Relax and Rejuvenate
November 16, 2009
Stress seems to have become a constant factor in today’s fast-paced society. If left unchecked, it can wreak havoc upon our health. Learning how to effectively manage stress can mean the difference between being robust and full of life, or becoming susceptible to illness and disease. Stress can weaken the immune system and accelerate the aging process. The ability to relax and rejuvenate promotes wellness, vitality and longevity.
A healthy immune system regulates our body’s healing process and protects it against infections and diseases. When stress compromises our immune function, it can result in colds, flu, fatigue, cardiovascular disorders and premature aging. Stress increases heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, adrenaline, cortisol, free radicals and oxidative damage. This initiates the “fight or flight” response, places undue strain upon the heart, and can also increase the feelings of anxiety and depression.
Protecting the immune system is a vital part of living longer, feeling younger and being healthy. Here are ten natural healthy ways to reduce stress, boost your immune system and slow down the hands of time.
Setting High Personal Standards
October 31, 2009
In his book, The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness, author Greg Anderson wrote, “Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to.”
He also reminded us that, “When we change our perception we gain control. The stress becomes a challenge, not a threat. When we commit to action, to actually doing something rather than feeling trapped by events, the stress in our life becomes manageable.”
There are times when it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and trapped by situations that we’d rather not face. These situations might even be extremely unfair.
It’s easy to focus on how terribly unfair someone might have treated us. It makes sense to believe that unfair things should not be happening. Simply pretending that a problem doesn’t exist is much easier than dealing with it directly. However, stress builds, the situation doesn’t change, and it might grow worse.
In fact, focusing on the way things should be instead of dealing with the way they are can lead to disaster, both physically and emotionally.
How To Eliminate Or Manage Stress
October 15, 2009
Are you a “worry wart?” Is that term familiar to you? It is to me but it’s been a long time since I’ve heard it used. I do remember people telling me years ago when something was really bothering me and they would say, “Oh! you are a just a real “worry wart”.
I don’t believe I am a “worry wart” now but some times things do concern me and I may tend to worry about it somewhat. However I’ve learned most times things aren’t worth worrying about. Things usually turn out for the best even though they might not turn out as exactly you wanted them to be
Worrying about things in your life can create unwanted stress. Stress can create many health problems. Millions of people try to chase away worries by eating too much, drinking to excess, taking drugs only to find out they can’t eliminate worry. As a matter of fact, they are usually creating many more health problems than they realize.
I bet you, like I, know people who never seem to worry about anything. Either they don’t worry or they just seem to be able to handle life’s problems without creating much stress in their life. So how do they do it? Some have told me what helps them to conquer this is just stay busy doing things or going places.
