Self Improvement Help | Stress Management | The Self Improvement Blog

Importance of Coping With Stress

January 13, 2013 by Admin Leave a Comment

The effects of long term stress are not to be taken lightly. Stress can lead to serious physical, as well as mental health problems. Managing our stress levels is very important if we wish to remain happy and healthy.

Common symptoms of stress include irritability, muscular tension, inability to concentrate and a wide variety of physical reactions, such as headaches and increased blood pressure and heart rate. Long term stress can also lower our immune systems, which consequently increases our chanced of picking up illnesses and diseases. Many experts even believe that this can lead to increased risks of cancer and heart diseases.

A person suffering from stress can start using the more emotional parts of the brain, shutting down the more logical side of the brain. This has the effect of lowering your intelligence whilst in this state, and effecting our judgment. It can affect performance at work, and our personal relationships.

We all have an Ultradian Rhythm, which is a 90-120 minute cycle of stress and relaxation. The relaxation dips are usually around 90 minutes apart. This is when your mind and body is telling you to slow down and relax. Typically you may find yourself daydreaming, which is a natural form of meditation and self hypnosis. Some people instead choose to carry out addictive behavior instead, such as drinking, drugs, and smoking.

This is not healthy because aside from the physical harm such addictions present, there are also psychological problems this can cause. A person cannot learn how to naturally deal with stress if they always turn to their addictions for a release. They do not adequately learn how to cope with the knocks that life inevitably presents. Instead they grow increasingly dependent on their addictions as a means of coping, which often creates many other problems in the long run.

There are a number of ways that can help you manage your stress levels. Relaxation techniques taught in disciplines such as yoga and meditation are very effective. They give you valuable ‘time out’ to slow down and just ‘be’ for a while. Remember we are human ‘beings’ and not human ‘doings’. If a person does not wish to become involved in these disciplines, then they can at least learn simple breathing exercises, such as taking long slow breaths in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Doing this slowly whilst counting the breaths until 50 or 100 is an excellent quick relaxation tool that you can do practically anywhere.

People often become stressed due to excessive demands of life. Learning time management skills, as well as learning how to say ‘no’, can really benefit these people.

Take a long look at yourself and ask if you are excessively stressed. If you are then take action now. Whilst you are living in this state you are wasting your time here on earth. We are meant to be happy and healthy. You cannot get this time back, so you must act now. Look at areas in life where you can make small, but important changes. It might be reducing overtime at work, taking adequate breaks throughout the day, avoiding certain people or situations, or even getting a new hobby. See the importance in your own stress management, and take action. Your long term happiness and health depend on it.

Jon Rhodes is a clinical hypnotherapist from the UK. Please click here for a superb collection of quality sites at his health links directory.

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Filed Under: Coping Skills, Stress Management Tagged With: coping with stress

Coping With Holiday Stress – 5 Ways To Survive The Chaos

November 25, 2012 by Admin Leave a Comment

By Ann L. Parker -

If you are like many people, finding remedies for coping with holiday stress migh t be desperately needed. Some people believe this is the most stressful time of year, filled with deadlines to meet, financial shortfalls and a lack of time or energy.

Coping with holiday stress is needed because there might be dreaded dysfunctional family get-togethers that cause psychological stress and shopping mall stampedes or “road rage” can further aggravate your anxiety or stress levels. Sadness can occur over the loss of loved ones and over-committing to social gatherings can be commonplace.

Dealing with strains on your budget, extra physical exertion from cleaning, baking and entertaining can take a toll for those that don’t handle this stress-load properly. Coping with holiday stress can be important because it can manifest itself with physical symptoms, besides the obvious mental distress.

There are more than 5 ways to survive the chaos, but here are suggestions that can make the holidays a happier occasion:

Get Plenty Of Rest And Regular Exercise
If you feel exhausted, you might feel more irritable and fatigued. This can increase stress in other areas, including increased family conflicts and a lack of proper financial restraints or impaired decisions about realistic social commitment levels. With proper sleep, coping with holiday stress is easier and with regular exercise, the healthy endorphins will lift your mood, give you more energy and make you feel better, physically.
Plan Ahead And Don’t Overspend
If you budget properly and plan ahead, the financial impact of coping with holiday stress will be lessened or eliminated. There are some people that do next year’s shopping at the year-end close out sales, but you can consider shopping throughout the year or search for the online bargains. Gift cards or cash gifts can eliminate the stress that comes with the hustle of traffic and crowded stores around the holidays.
Learn How To Say No
As tempting as entertaining or attending social events around the holidays might be, part of holiday stress management means learning when to say “NO”. You can easily over-commit and this can leave you without enough time for relaxing. Prioritize the importance of the engagements you wish to attend the most. You might need to spend a short time at each engagement or take a rain check, if possible.
Avoid Conflicts
If you have a family that tends to argue and might not get along, coping with holiday stress can be easier, if you have your family gathering in a public place, where it is easier to keep things on a civilized level. An open house might be a good way to keep family conflicts to a minimum, inviting friends and setting a limited time for guests to flow in and out.
Be Assertive For Better Communication
Don’t be afraid to speak up, especially if you can’t afford to give gifts, don’t have enough time for every social engagement or you just want to get away to an island retreat, for the holiday season.

There are more ways to survive the chaos of this busy time of year and we are happy to share them with you. It is easier than you might think to enjoy this holiday season and eliminating stress is important to your health. You can visit our website http://www.womens-health-fitness-solutions.com for more helpful tips, products and treatments that are proven effective for coping with holiday stress.

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Developing Coping Skills Within Stressful Situations

March 25, 2012 by Admin Leave a Comment

By Colette Morris -

A Vision is a Target that Beckons

When you find yourself in a stressful situation (i.e., a closing that is coming up, an especially important negotiation) you may discover that your normal cool is replaced with panic. With practice, you can learn to handle these situations with grace. Here are some points to consider.

Step back and see the big picture…

When things get too much, slow yourself down. Take a step back and observe the situation from a neutral stand point.
What is the key objective (s) that you have to meet or get out of the situation? – Think about it and write it down, if there is more than one objective write them down and then go back over them and label them in order of priority. If you are unable to do so, then you may need to communicate this to all parties to agree timescales and then set priorities accordingly.
How can you achieve this objective in the time you have? Can you partially achieve this, or is there another way to look at how others can possible help you to achieve this objective in the time you have?
When can you achieve this? Look at the level of the tasks at hand, and evaluate the length of time each task would take you.
Once you have the information to hand, communicate this to all concerned, get their agreement and understanding on what you can and cannot do in the timescales give, and then you can begin to work towards your objective.

Review your goal. Hannah More wrote, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”…

Always keep yourself focused on what it is your are trying to achieve. Remember, if you have your goal as a vision in your minds eye it will eventually become reality in the real world, but you do need to focus.
Go back over your goal regularly to ensure you are on track to achieving it. If you are not, then you may have to make some adjustments to ensure you can still achieve that goal.
Obstacles will always come up in the way, they are called ‘life’. Do not stay still when faced with an obstacle, look at how you can work around or over it, but get round them one way or another. Never make excuses of things becoming in the way of your goal / objective. The only thing stopping you achieving those goals or objectives is YOU.

Realize that stress is caused by fear. Fear is not a thing. It’s just a thought… Give yourself positive thoughts to dispel those fears.

Step back and see the big picture….
Sometimes, we just have to “feel the fear and do it any way”.

Give yourself a pep talk…

Have faith in yourself and what you are able to do, this will dispel the ‘fear fairy’ who takes great joy in feeding on your fear and builds it up no end. Play down the fear and go with your gut instincts.
Sometimes we have to fail in order to succeed…..
If you are into ‘mantra’s’ then devise one to say to yourself in such times. The most important thing is not what others tell us, but what we tell ourselves.. If we tell ourselves negative things, we will begin to believe them, and therefore fulfil our own self limiting prophecy. So tell yourself positive things and motivate yourself to get positive outcomes.

Do it now. Develop the habit of doing what you need to do when the thought comes to you…”

Colette Morris has owned two online business for the last 5 years and prior to that has worked as a Consultant Project Manager and Analyst working across Public and Private Industries. Her passion and hobbies include health and well being, personal development and helping others to achieve their potential.

See how Colette is helping others achieve their potential at http://www.bewealthywithme.com.

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Coping Skills to Help You Deal With Stress

December 27, 2011 by Admin Leave a Comment

By Janie Behr -

Whether a challenging event or circumstance has a stressful effect depends on your coping skills. Your reaction to a stressful event is related to:

Whether you perceive the situation as threatening or undesirable

Whether you feel you have some control over the situation

Whether you respond to the challenge in ways that interfere with your taking care of yourself

When faced with a stressful situation that you cannot control, it is important for you to know that there are other elements of your life that you can control.

Control what you can——–this helps break the stress cycle by counteracting the negative effects of feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. In times of stress, it is crucial that you take care of yourself. Only then can you deal with a demanding situation or help others. Among the things that you can control are your posture and body language, muscular tension, breathing, exercise and diet. Other useful techniques are:

Learn pacing

Learn to say no

Learn to assert yourself

Get enough sleep

Allow enough time for relaxation techniques

Don’t think you have to do it all

Allow sufficient exercise time for gentle muscle stretching

Make sure you are getting proper nourishment (THAT INCLUDES WATER)

Decrease or eliminate your intake of stress-inducing substances, including cocaine, marijuana, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs, especially analgesics, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, diet pills and muscle relaxants. ASK YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE REDUCING OR ELIMINATING ANY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION.

In making all of these changes, you are exercising control over important aspects of your life.

Janie Behr is a qualified life coach specializing in helping people find their purpose, achieve their goals, and explore all the possibilities that life has to offer. She is available for private individual coaching, group coaching and public speaking engagements. She runs frequent teleseminars dedicated to helping people find and live their most positive lives! For more information please visit http://www.jblifecoach.com.

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Tips For Coping With Holiday Stress – Be Merry Not Stressed!

December 18, 2011 by Admin Leave a Comment

By Patricia L. McCallum -

Tips for Coping With Holiday Stress

During the holidays, it is easy to get stressed out. Knowing how to cope with holiday stress is important so that you do not feel beat when the holiday season is over. You are less pleasant to be around when you look and sound defeated by the holidays. Here are some holiday stress management tips and tricks that will help anyone get over those seasonal blues.

Get holiday shopping done early

When comes to coping with holiday stress, getting your holiday shopping out of the way early is a good way to lessen your burden. Most people already know what they want to eat for the holidays. They also know how they want to decorate and what gifts they want to give. If you already know all of those things before they holiday season actually starts, it is fairly easy to get some if not all of the actual shopping out of the way early on.

Ask for help

This may seem silly, but asking for help can really help with coping with holiday stress. There are many people who would rather get hit by a train, then ask for help. However, many times people are willing to help their friends, relatives, and neighbors get things done if it will make everyone happy. So do not be afraid to go and ask for help, especially from the people you may be having over the holidays.

Listen to holiday music

One of the best cures for the holiday blues is listening to music associated with that holiday. Music is very soothing to the mind and body, and will help you feel less stressed out. Choose songs that are fun and happy to listen to over those that have a more mellow tone, because the cheerful songs will help you get into the right mood. This is the best way to manage your stress levels without actually doing the other two ideas. Do not let the holidays get you down. Instead put on a happy face and do what you can to help alleviate the pressure. Coping with holiday stress will ultimately make you a happier person to be around. It will make the holiday season be a wonderful time for everyone to be together. Each year, holidays will get easier and easier, and you will find that holiday stress management is the best thing that you could have done for yourself. Happy Holidays!

Click here for more Tips for Coping With Holiday Stress: http://www.stress-affects-health.com/holiday-stress-tips.html

Patricia McCallum is a certified yoga instructor, former Buddhist nun and creator of the Tibetan Life web site containing information about the fascinating Tibetan people; their customs, habits and traditions in Tibet and in the exile communities around the world.

She has created a series of Stretch Chair Yoga Instructional DVDs for people who need gentle easy exercise but who have trouble getting up and down from the mat. http://www.stretch-chairyoga.com

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“Me” Time

November 16, 2011 by Admin Leave a Comment

By Danae Matthews -

The U.S. Census calculated that Americans now spend on average about 30 minutes getting back and forth to work. Couple that with an average 9-hour work day and depending on what time you get to bed you’re left with maybe 4 or 5 hours of free time before you do it all over it again. Talk about the daily grind. But those are averages. For many of us they don’t represent the reality of living in a metropolis with public transport, rush hour traffic and suburban to city commutes. In all that time, when is there any time for you?

It is critical to carve out time within your day to center yourself and remember why it is you are working so hard. My Dad says all the time how life has flown by and I’ve never appreciated that sentiment more since I’ve started working 40-hours a week. Your life isn’t going to pause until you hit the button. Some great ways how:

Cook

My last two roommates’ cooking routine would start around 6 p.m. every day when they got off work. It included wine, music and good conversation with friends all piled into our kitchen. There was so much joy in their cooking; it never felt like a week night. I adopted this ritual once I moved out and still force myself to pick out a new recipe to try every week.Dance

I don’t mean at a night club, although that could work too…There are plenty of dance studios in every city, so take advantage of a beginners class. Partnered classes like ballroom or line dancing are great for those with a significant other. It doesn’t have to be about fitness just about having fun and picking up a hobby outside of your comfort zone.

Join a gym or studio

True, personal fitness can be accomplished anywhere without the use of fancy equipment or an expensive gym membership. However, if you’ve never had the experience and if money allows check out a gym or yoga/Pilates studio near you. The amenities, customer service and space are worth the price of admission. Especially if you are someone that loses motivation to stay fit easily, there is incentive in being a member. The possibility of a sauna/steam room access doesn’t hurt either.

Do a devotional/meditation/daily reading

Regardless of your spiritual journey it is always good to have some time to reflect on the day and gather your thoughts. Take out time to read a daily devotional or scripture. Sit with yourself in silence and focus on your breathing and pace of your heart. Pick out a great book and dedicate yourself to reading a certain number of pages a night. Buy a new newspaper or magazine and read it cover to cover.

Get a pedicure/manicure

Men I mean this for you too. Even if you are the one doing the manicuring. Soak your feet, trim your nails, polish up your toes, or bathe your body in Epsom salt. Doing these things mid-week will keep you reinvigorated and ready for the rest of the week.

Write

Even if you aren’t particularly good at it. Buy yourself a notebook and start journaling. It can be long lists or sporadic thoughts, but whatever comes up should come out. Making your thoughts permanent will help you be in tune with your moods and goals. This may be an asset to you when you are working through a much bigger problem later down the line.

Carpool

If your work is mostly autonomous you may want to give some thought to commuting with a work friend who lives nearby. Conversation can spark your brain activity early in the morning and get you ready for the day. Not to mention it is a great way to conserve gas and energy.

Save…for shopping

Treat yourself to something that you’ve been craving. Wait until the new trends come out for winter, spring, fall or summer and indulge in a piece that is really going to add something to your wardrobe. Don’t think shopping spree, think shopping for me.

Rent a movie

In lieu of zoning out to the TV all night long pick a movie every week to watch and curl up in bed. This is a great way to see those Oscar buzz flicks you missed in the theatre because you were too busy.

Remember

Habit makes ritual. Make sure that whatever you are doing you are doing with consistency. Doing it over it over will make it a ritual that you will won’t want to skip!

NOTE! Don’t feel guilty about your “me time.” Even if you have children. I know that life can get crazy and we all have responsibilities, but the idea isn’t to shirk those responsibilities to do whatever you want all day long. If you never recharge your batteries than you aren’t presenting the best you and that isn’t fair to your kids, spouse, career and most importantly yourself.

Danae Matthews writes for an on-line women’s health resource Women’s Health Base. She enjoys cooking, staying healthy and creating as much “me time” as possible.

Filed Under: Stress Management

Top Ten Teen Stress Management Strategies

November 6, 2011 by Admin Leave a Comment

By Ann Gatty -

Stay aware of your teen stress signals. If you are feeling stressed, try some of these strategies to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Since stress will be with you the rest of your life, sorry there is no way to completely eliminate stress from your lives – it is important to be comfortable with using some of these strategies. The most useful method of dealing with teen stress is learning how to use stress management strategies on a regular basis, so that you can avoid having a stress overload. Do not just try to manage stress when the pressure is already on. Knowing how to de-stress and doing it when things are relatively calm can help you get through challenging situations as they develop. Consider these ten tips:

1. Guard against over scheduling. If you are feeling your time is stretched too thin, consider cutting out an activity for a while and prioritize which activities are really important for you.

2. Take care of your physical health. Get regular exercise to release the build-up of teen stress. Eat nutritious meals so that you maintain the proper energy you need. Avoid caffeine. It is easy when you are stressed to eat junk food and skip meals. But your body needs vitamins and minerals more when it is under stress. Don’t substitute alcohol or drugs as a quick fix; your body will actually just break down sooner without its ability to cope well.

3. Get a good night’s rest. O.K. You have a term paper due and you haven’t finished your math homework. But you will not be able to concentrate well with little sleep. Yes, the biological clock shifts during adolescence, and many teens prefer to stay up later at night and sleep later into the morning. That is not working with the current school schedule, so you need to get to bed earlier than you may want so that you can be alert when you have to get up early in the morning. Looks like you are going to have to re-arrange the homework schedule and get it done earlier in the evening or tuck in some time right after school. If you need to spend some late nights for a dead line-build in time to catch up on rest soon after the assignments are due. Oh, and you might want to consider preparing for tests early-a little each day before the scheduled exam so that you don’t feel stressed cramming the night before.

4. Learn to relax. The body needs to recover from stressful situations through relaxation so that you can have a sense of calm. Learn simple breathing exercises and then use them when you are caught up in stressful situations. Take deep breaths, accompanied by thought of being in control (I can handle this). Learn progressive muscle relaxation (repeatedly tensing and relaxing large muscles of your body). Start relaxing the feet muscles, then legs, then arms, then shoulders. Also build in some other calming activities (reading a book or watching a movie, [spending time with a pet]) that allow you to relax and divert your attention from thinking about the situations that are causing you stress.

5. Be realistic. It might be wise to lower your expectations for yourself. Don’t try to be perfect since no one is. And don’t expect others to be perfect either since

that will put stress on them as well as you. If you need help on something like a school project, ask for it. If and when you make a mistake, learn from it-don’t dwell on your weaknesses or faults. Forgive yourself and others when things happen and may go wrong.

6. Focus on things that you can control. Let go of the things you can not control. It does you no good to worry about things that might happen, so try and concentrate on those things that you have direct influence over. Stop worrying about things that may never happen; a lot of useless energy is spent that way and when you are feeling stressed you need your energy for more productive uses.

7. Set goals that are manageable. Learn to solve everyday problems to give you a sense of control and accomplishment. If you break tasks into smaller manageable chunks then you can see the progress you are making as these tasks get completed. This helps with teen stress. Develop skills to calmly look at a problem and figure out how to create a solution so that you have a sense of control, not stress, in your life. Feeling confident in solving small problems first, builds inner confidence to tackle life’s more difficult problems and this will serve you well under times of stress.

8. Watch what you are thinking. Your attitude is very important to the way in which you approach life. Your outlook and thought influence the way in which you see things. Be positive. See the cup as half full rather than half empty. Optimism can help you make the best of a stressful situation. Try to learn to think more optimistically and you will find that things may not be a dire as you thought they were. The teen stress may not seem so bad.

9. Get involved with things that you enjoy doing. Schedule breaks and activities with friends or take some breaks for “alone and recharging” times. Enjoy music, arts, sports and socializing to balance the stress you find in other aspects of your life.

10.Talk about problems with others, including parents, older adults and friends. It is always great to get another point of view and talking with others, even a counselor, can provide a great sense of renewed perspective and stress relief. Pray or read something inspirational. Don’t go it alone. Humans are built to share and you will find a great deal of comfort in having support from others. Initially, the problems related to teen stress may seem difficult to discuss with others, but if you can overcome this feeling and talk about them, you will find that you will feel better.

For more information about teen stress, visit these pages.

Dr. Ann Gatty is an educator, author, organizational strategist and personal consultant. She has taught in classrooms, museums, boardrooms and employee seminars. She has mentored, coached and written curriculum in organizational leadership, museum studies, and teacher development. From her work and personal experiences, she finds a continuous need among women, of all walks of life, to find answers to questions about their life balance, goals, and health. Dr. Gatty hosts a website, http://www.stress-management-4-women.com. Visit to find answers to your concerns about handling the stresses of motherhood, professional work, teenlife, midlife and time management.

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10 Effective Stress Management Tips

October 20, 2010 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

By Alex Fir -

Stress is getting credit – or blame – for being the under-girding cause of a number of serious illnesses. And the stresses in our lives are increasing rather than decreasing. Most people need to cope with stress at one point in their own lives. Here are ten effective tips for stress management.

1. Getting enough sleep every night is very important. When you are rested, you feel fresh, alerting, and ready to accept ever day’s challenges. When you’re tired, problems always seem bigger than they are. When you lack energy, you are not able to stay on top of matters you need to do. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every morning, including weekends. To have good night’s sleep, your room should be in dark, cool and quiet. Get some exercises a few hours before going to bed.

2. Next tip for stress management is administration. Make a schedule and prioritize. Now exactly what activities, projects, works and meetings you must do. When you handle your time effectively, it makes such a difference in the level of stress.

3. Learn to take a break when you begin to feel flooded by the work you’re dealing with. Spend 10 minutes walking, putting the feet up, drinking a coffee, consuming something that you love, or listening to a favorite song. All this will relieve stress and give you new energy.

4. Procrastinating is common practice among people. So the fourth tip for stress management is learning not to put things off. Spending time worrying about a deadline instead of working will only cause more stress. Organize the things in order of importance and deadline.

5. Laugh as much as you can. It will carry you through hard times and help you relieve stress. Every day try to read something funny, watch a program that makes you laugh, or share pranks with friends or colleagues.

6. Have a healthy lifestyle. Exercise, eat healthy, proportionate meals, and avoid alcohol.

7. Don’t think about mistakes of the past or about things which you can’t change.

8. Interact with pets. Studies have found that spending time with pets raises mood and relieves tension. It will also help you to get rid of your sedentary life and to start living a life with physical activity.

9. Have a holiday without your cell phone or laptop computer. Even a very short holiday like a weekend escape will relieve stress.

10. Have fun and do not take life too seriously.

Do you know these proven stress management methods that will erase your stress and help you enjoy a more relaxing life? Or do you know about these stress reducing foods?

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How Beating Stress Can Help You To Boost Your Metabolism

October 19, 2010 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

By Adrian Hargray -

If you want to boost your metabolism, then chill out. Experts in this field are saying that stress can actually work to slow down your metabolism. So if your under a lot of constant stress, you will want to find ways to cool down and relax more often. Try to pick out fun things to do that will relax your nerves and will allow you to chill out more often.

When you’re under stress, your body sends of stress hormones that go all throughout your body. These hormones cause your body to produce large fat cells in the stomach part of your body. Because of this, either two things can happen. You can either gain weight, or you can slow down your metabolism.

For some people gaining more weight is just totally out of the picture, so you will want to do everything that you can to prevent this from happening. One way to prevent these stress hormones from plaguing your body is with exercise. Even if it’s a simple walk outside, exercise can play a key role in the speeding up your metabolism.

Exercise is also good for stress. Some people resort to alcohol or smoking when they’re under stress, but all this can do is cause havoc on your system. You want to resort to healthier alternatives when you’re under stress that will benefit you physical, mentally, and even emotionally – and this is exactly what exercise can do for you.

If you want to lose weight, try your best to calm down during the course of your day. The last thing you want inside of you is bigger fat cells and a slower metabolism. But this is exactly what happens to people on a daily basis. If you want to relax, try picking up a good book to read or turn on the TV. Both of these activities will help you to calm down and feel more at easy when you’re feeling blue.

The advice is simple: relax and chill out. Science doesn’t lie and the experts who give this advice know what they are talking about. Try listening to music, going for a walk, taking a hot shower, meditating, doing yoga, eating healthy foods, or just laying down in bed to take your mind off things and to relax more often.

You will find that when you do these things, you are much better off when it comes to relaxing, so keep this in mind. This is actually a simple tip when it comes to boosting your metabolism, but it is one that is highly effective.

Good luck with using these tips to boost your metabolism.

FOR MORE INFO: Learn how to boost your metabolism and lose more weight starting now. To learn more, visit the following website for more details: http://www.instant-downloadz.com/boostmetabolism.html

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5 Quick Stress Busters – How to Easily Remove Stress From Your Life

October 17, 2010 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

By Brett A Simpson -

Stress is such a problem that it is very quickly becoming one of the biggest health problems in modern society. This is because there are so many added pressures: work, family, financial, and emotional. There always seems to be too much to do and too little time to do it in. So, with that in mind, here are five really quick ways you can reduce the pressures bearing down on you and relieve your stress:

1. Sometimes when you are trying to handle a stressful situation you just end up with too much on your plate and it then becomes hard to find a solution. You may be stuck in a situation that is too hard to find a way out of. One good thing to do in this situation is to try to get some distance from the problem so you can get your true thoughts and feelings together. If it is at all possible, consider taking an entire day, or a weekend off completely. Go away from your normal environment and head to somewhere that you know is peaceful for you. When you get there relax. Be sure to take a journal along with you so that you can track any ideas that may come up. Sometimes all you need is a little distance away from your problems and you can get a whole new clarity on them. By taking the time to relax, you will be much better prepared, and more calm and the answers will come to you easier than when you have your pressures and problems around you everywhere.

2. Take time off to treat yourself to something special. Have a pamper day, where the whole day is all about you. Escape from the hustle/bustle of normal living so that you can enjoy stress-free time, alone. You will really feel great and best of all, your health and happiness will receive a boost too. Take the whole day to yourself; here are some things you might like to do: visit a sauna or steam room, take a dip in a jacuzzi, have an easy workout, and if you really feel like pampering yourself get a massage. If you live near a public bath (Turkish bath) consider having one of these, or visit a local full service spa for an incredible experience. Overall this excellent rejuvenating experience will prove to be a powerful stress-buster that you should try to follow at least once a month.

3. Try to take some time to find the positive feelings that are linked with any change in your life. Rather than being stressed over the change in your life, remember that change will always happen, and do your best to accept it and look for the good in that change. Do not resist it, as this can cause your stress to increase. Instead look at the change as an opportunity for growth. Change is not something that should cause stress, instead it is about how you react to that change that causes the stress. Do your best to avoid reacting in a negative way, because in the end you will only end up harming yourself by stressing (or worrying) yourself unnecessarily.

4. Take some time to kick back, relax and do whatever you want every day (for at least 1 hour). Relax, close yourself off from the rest of the world: turn off your cell phone and telephone and do whatever interests you most at the time. You might want to listen to some music, play a musical instrument of your own, read a good book, or relax with a hot bath, and a glass of good wine. Whatever you choose to do, do something that is so relaxing that it will unwind you completely from the stress and daily pressures that you are under. It’s bound to be a huge benefit for your mental health.

5. Because there is always going to be something that needs to be done, you need to find a way to have a checklist so that you can see that are getting things done and completed and you won’t feel like you are spinning your wheels. Make a daily list, or chore chart if you need to and pin it up, or tack it to the fridge. Make sure you check off each task as you finish them, that way all of the tasks that seem endless will get completed one by one, and best of all, you will have a good reference chart to see how far you’ve gotten. You could try scheduling one day to try to work through everything on your list and check it off, or you could split them up and try to accomplish all of them on the weekend. Whatever you choose to do, don’t put them off until the next week, when you’ll just end up adding to your tasks. Try to get them done without any breaks in between. Your stress will be reduced and all of those irritating tasks that bug you will stay where they belong – on your task list, until you tick them off; one by one. You’ll feel like you are getting more accomplished and you will be doing just that.

Brett has been a writer for nearly 20 years his latest interest is in appliances. Come visit his latest website that talks about products such as portable mini fridge and pink mini fridge which everyone needs.

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