Top 10 Strategies for Stress Reduction
I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.”
…Steve Marabol[/i][/b]
Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.
…Terri Guillemets[/i][/b]
One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.
…Bertrand Russell[/i][/b]
Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down.
…Natalie Goldberg[/i][/b]
Have you noticed that when you do not practice proper self care--when you don't take care of your own physical and emotional needs--you are less able to take care of others, and your ability to handle stress is compromised? You're not alone--many people find that when they haven't had enough sleep, when their diet is lacking, or when they don't get regular exercise, time with friends, or time alone, they feel more frazzled. They find that little things bother them more. Their reserves get low.
However, making a concerted effort to take care of your own needs, and to maintain healthy habits to keep your reserves up, can help you to feel more in control of your life, and be more proactive when you deal with stress. You may feel more energized, so you can take more steps to create positive change in your life. You may feel more optimistic, so you see more opportunities and fewer obstacles. You may feel happier as you face whatever comes.
You can't always control the circumstances that life throws your way, but you can control how well you take care of yourself. And practicing this type of self care can help you to feel more empowered so you can see stressors as a challenge rather than a threat, and tackle them as such. Taking proper care of your body, soul and mind can keep you in optimum shape for handling stress.
We all have times in our lives when we just have too much stuff going on. There are always deadlines, exams, due dates and just too many priorities to juggle. And when everything is going wrong, the world is screaming for your attention and you just don’t have time – the last thing you need to hear is to “just take a day off”. So here are 10 ways you can take care of yourself when you’re pressed for time and attention. [/b]
Sleep is very important for your emotional and physical wellbeing. Lack of sleep can negatively impact your ability to handle stress, be productive, and function properly. Unfortunately, busy schedules and stress can make sleep more elusive. And if you really aren’t able to get enough sleep at night, don’t underestimate the value of a power nap!
Schedule enough time each day to get adequate sleep. If you are still groggy most days when the alarm interrupts your slumber, consider going to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier. This is particularly important for students when it comes to exam periods. It’s easy to think that a few extra hours of work will do you more good, but it won’t. Sleep will.
I know it’s tempting to order pizza, but it really pays off to take your time to cook and eat nutritious and healthy food. Not only will it help you achieve better, it will also boost your mood!
Many people aren’t aware of this, but a poor diet can actually make you more vulnerable to stress! While hectic schedules can make it harder to get proper nutrition, a poor diet is not inevitable! Follow a healthy diet -you may be surprised by how much stress you can handle!
3. Exercise Regularly
If you start your day in a stressful way, you’ll probably feel stressed for the rest of the day as well. Make sure your morning starts with 5 minutes of silence and ease. Stand up and stretch your body to make you as tall as you can be. Then bend over and touch the ground. Stretch again. Try to just feel your body and pay attention to your breath. Starting the day in a way like this will make you more relaxed as well!
Exercise can be great for you physically and mentally. It provides a stress release and keeps your body healthy. It also helps your body release endorphins, which increase your feelings of overall well being.
Social support can keep you healthier and happier, creating a buffer against stress. Friends can pick you up when you are sad, provide insights when you’re confused, and help you have fun when you need to blow off steam. Learn how to cultivate supportive friendships and expand your social circle so you’ll have someone to lean on when stressed. (Don’t forget, it’s important to provide a supportive ear when your friends need it, too!)
Treasure friendship, the reciprocal attachment that fills the need for affiliation. Friendship cannot be acquired in the market place, but must be nurtured and treasured in relations imbued with trust and amity.
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With today's stressful lifestyles, it is important to have time to do something just for the fun of it. While there are many great hobbies to choose from, there are some hobbies that are particularly useful in relieving stress. Examples are gardening,photography,reading,puzzles,drawing,painting,etc.
Having some “down time” is important, and hobbies can provide a nice distraction from stress and help you stay ‘in the moment’, which is also a great way to relieve tension. Out of the above,I recommend drawing and gardening as great stress relievers, but just about anything you enjoy can work.
If you are stressed out and need some time for yourself, set aside sometime to pamper yourself ,Lift [/b]your spirits,and recharge your life You will feel a lot better and more relaxed.
Taking care of your body on the outside—with a spa treatment or a massage or a visit to the beauty parlour, for example, can work wonders for your internal state.
Men folk can go for a game of golf,watch a cricket match, go for a long drive—there are many ways.
Don’t overlook the importance of pampering yourself on a regular basis, to feel great about yourself and feel ready to take on the world.
If you maintain the attitude that stress is a challenge—rather than a threat, you are better able to handle it. And by keeping your mind sharp, you are more equipped to solve the problems and take on the “challenges” that life presents.
Keep on trying something new.The younger you are when you follow this advice, the better. You never know what will catch your interest in a more permanent way than you imagined. It can make you even better at your expertise. Trying a new craft will also open you up to new connections when you discover a different hobby.
Much of what you experience in life can feel more stressful or less so depending on your point of view. Looking at things from an optimistic frame of mind can not only decrease your stress level, but bring you more success in life and more. You can even change ingrained negative thought patterns to more positive ones by using positive affirmations.
Live life in harmony and balance. Avoid excesses. Even good things, pursued or attained without moderation, can become a source of misery and suffering.
You are today what you thought about yesterday You will be tomorrow what you think about today, Every attitude is positive or negative, It doesn't matter what happens to you, It is how you take it that matters.
In the game of life you can be up one moment and down the next. The reason is not luck as in snakes and ladders, but the attitudes you choose consciously or unconsciously.
Your attitude will determine your entire outlook on life and how you see the world- happy or sad, positive or negative. You can choose to see it through rose-coloured spectacles (the eternal optimist who is out of touch with reality). You can also see everything as dark clouds (the absolute pessimist), or choose to see that every dark cloud has a silver lining, which is a good attitude to have.
Keeping your emotions bottled up usually leads to an emotional explosion later on. It’s generally healthier to listen to your feelings, process them and try to understand them. Consider them ‘messengers’ that tell you when something is not right with your world.
Emotional expression is natural for human beings, yet many of us were taught that sharing our feelings is inappropriate and even dangerous. In reality it’s the opposite; it’s the unexpressed emotions that are the most intimidating.
When emotions are acknowledged and faced straight on they soften, lighten and release all together. To prevent a backlog of feelings, spend time each day connecting with your body. Focus on your breathing until you feel relaxed. Notice sensations, aches or pains in your body. Then touch into your emotions. Ask your body what it’s feeling and notice a response.
When you write about your feelings, and potential solutions to your problems, you can reduce stress in your life and even see some health benefits!