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15
Stressbusting Tips
How you can reduce STRESS in your life.
Do you feel stress is increasing in your life?
Most of us answer this question with a resounding “Yes”.
Stress is a word, most people are familiar with. They feel it, complain
about it – yet, many don’t seem to do much about it. Do
they not know WHAT to do about it? Or is “doing something about
it” just more “to do” for them in their already stressed
mind?
If you want some helpful ideas read on.
How do you recognise stress
in your life?
Here are some signs you might recognise:
-
Tightness around your chest
-
Shallow, fast breathing
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Sweaty palms
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Increased heart beat
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Dizziness
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Headaches that keep increasing in frequency and/or severity
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Irritability
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Thin-skinned
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Anger, frustration
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A sense of constant up-hill struggle
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Worrying
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Feeling helpless
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A sense of hopelessness
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Disrupted sleep due to over-activity of the mind
If you already experience
some of these symptoms,
you feel more stressed than is good for you!
You might wonder, “How is stress supposed to be good
for me?”
Well, stress is a natural response to perceived danger. This is in
our genes. Remember the “fight or flight response”?
That’s where stress comes in. Adrenaline is released into our
blood stream, so that we can either fight or run for our life when we
perceive danger. Unfortunately, in the way we live, we find a lot more
threats than our forebears were likely to encounter on a day-to-day
basis.
We live extremely close with too many strangers – no longer in
a family/clan group, where we would know the people and all know their
place in the group.
Many of us rush around all day, trying to get to somewhere, achieve
all kind of tasks, take care of all kind of things and people - in a
constant stream of activities, ours and those of others. No breaks,
no sitting and relaxing with one’s family group, no grooming (bonding,
reaffirming), etc. Instead we have hurried meals and more rushing around
with endless lists of more tasks and dead-lines in our heads.
There are more reasons to our increased stress levels than the above,
and I am sure you can easily add your own experiences.
What can you do to decrease your stress levels?
The most effective, fast, easy thing to do is:
-
Learn to breathe!
You may wonder about this statement. Aren’t you breathing
all the time? Wouldn’t you be dead if you didn’t? Of
course. But there are different ways of breathing. I am sure you
already know THAT.?
A good, deep breath starts in your belly – moves up through
the lungs – right up to the top of your lungs. This is what
moves – this is what you “see”, imagine.
So, breathe in deeply to a count of 5 or 7. If you have been breathing
too shallow for some time, a count of 5 might be all you manage.
That’s fine. So, breathe in deeply to a count of 5 or more,
hold the breath for a moment and breathe out for a count of 10 or
more.
While you are breathing like this, put your attention to your breathing.
So to speak, “watch” your breathing. Be in and with
your body.
What that does: firstly, it supplies your body (and brain) with
more oxygen, which is very important for our health and proper functioning
of all our systems.
Secondly, it takes your attention away from your stress factors!
So you are doing two good things at ones! Congratulations! After
a short while, your body will relax and your heart beat and pulse
will normalise.
Keep breathing to the count – deeply, slowly & rhythmically
– while paying attention to it, until you feel calm again.
This is the easiest and fastest anti-stress technique!!! You can
do it at any given time, at any given place! It costs nothing! It
weighs nothing! You can take it with you wherever you go!
-
Stress CAN be good.
Remember the adrenaline release into our bloodstream? That increases
our response time and our power, as well as our ability to focus,
i.e. potentially, it improves our performance.
So, if we have ONE task and the dead-line is looming, we can put
stress to good use. It can help us to think focused and sharp, move
quicker and get things done faster than usual. A good example of
this, are athletes. If they were too relaxed at a competition, they
would be unlikely to get onto the winner’s podium.
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Prioritize your tasks.
There are different aspects that you can use:
-
Urgency – what should have been done already and
is very important to get done?
What is important because it could result in a loss if it does not
get done?
What is unpleasant or (perceived to be) difficult to get done –
and would, therefore, free up your mind and energy (and time) a
lot if you’d get it done?
What can you get done very quickly, in between other things? If
you get those things done, it frees your mind and gives you a feeling
of accomplishment, thereby motivating you do get your other tasks
done, too.
-
What is yours and what is not?
People have a tendency to worry about other people and their business.
Why? Really think about it: WHY???? You worry about your partner,
your children, your pets? Worry as such is not constructive. The
only good point about worry is, that it highlights an area that
MIGHT need our attention / action. However, if it is something that
is not our business, there is no need to worry. If it is something
that we cannot change, there is no point in worrying. So, learn
the differences and deal with the things that are yours and that
YOU can change.
-
Eliminate distractions!
In order to be able to concentrate on ONE task, we need to eliminate
distractions wherever possible. Pay attention to factors or people
that are distracting to you.
Some possible distractions to eliminate:
Lack of concentration: refer back to above points
and concentrate on the task on hand.
Light: do you need better light to do your work?
Comfort: do you need a slightly more comfortable
workspace? Or, are you too comfortable? Ex: if you need to study,
do not get too comfortable, or your system thinks it’s time
to unwind and relax, maybe even sleep – instead of paying
attention.
Space: do you have enough space to do your task?
Or do you constantly have to move objects to get to the things you
need? Or are you surrounded by too many objects / clutter? That
is very distracting.
Background Noise: Do you keep the TV or radio on
when you are trying to concentrate on something?
External Distractions: Do you allow the telephone
to interrupt you? Do you keep checking your emails or text messages
constantly?
Are people frequently interrupting your work- or study flow?
-
Use your best day form.
Whenever possible, utilise your day form = the time/s of day when
you are in better form to do your prioritised tasks. Some people
are full of energy in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some
in the evening. When possible, use your best times for the important
things. This way, you will get more, better and faster done.
-
Get enough sleep.
Eat regularly and healthy foods.
Drink enough water (approx. 2 litres/day).
Avoid coffee and other stimulants or only drink in moderation.
Get enough fresh air.
Exercise – move your body!
-
Avoid people who create stress!
Some people feel alive through drama. They dramatise everything,
they make a mountain out of a pimple and they s-p-r-e-a-d STRESS!
Keep away from them. Their energy is contagious and before you know
it, you get caught up in that energy. It leaves you confused, drained
and your mind cluttered.
-
Learn from the best.
Do you know some people who keep calm when all around them are “losing
it”?
What do these people do differently?
How do they behave?
What language are they using?
What actions do they take?
Maybe you can ask them about their techniques on coping with stressful
situations and/or people.
Learn and apply successful strategies.
-
Check your thoughts!
Who is master, you or your mind? Does it not often feel as though
the mind is in charge of us? Well, only when we allow it to be.
You can change that. Whenever your mind gets busy with unpleasant
thoughts, stressful thoughts, fearful thoughts, worry of any kind
– check if it is useful to have these thoughts.
Some points to check:
Is this my thought? (All too often, we allow thoughts
to go mad in our minds that are not even ours. They might originate
from our parents, siblings, teachers – or any other source.
Bring yourself back to who you are – what you want –
how YOU think. Be authentic!)
Is this thought bringing to my attention a matter that
I really need to deal with? (Is this one of my responsibilities?)
If so, figure out how you can best and as soon as possible deal
with it. If not, let the thought go.
Is your mind busy with constant worries? Again,
are these worries something that you need to be aware of? Something
that you need to and can do anything about? Then act on it. Otherwise,
consider that worry is of no use. Most imagined scenarios don’t
even happen. Fear and dread are paralysing. So, don’t allow
unnecessary worry to stop you.
If you find that many thoughts are just trivial, hectic “stuff”
in your mind – let them pass through without giving them energy.
Trying to suppress your thoughts gives them too much energy. They
will keep coming back. If you can relax and just think “ah
well, there is one of those thoughts that I don’t need…
oh, and look, there it is going”, you allow them to pass through.
After some time of practising this, you will find that unpleasant,
disturbing, confusing thoughts decrease. After some more time, you
will find that YOU are in charge of your mind. Enjoy!
-
Know your stress points.
People feel stressed for different reasons. For some it’s
giving a speech, for others it’s a job interview, a deadline,
parents-in-law, or the neighbour’s dog.
Find out what stresses you. Then think about ways how to make these
situations easier for yourself.
Things like giving a speech, doing a presentation, a job interview,
etc. are usually stressful because we feel not well enough prepared
and are fearful of losing!!!
Losing what?
Losing a job, we don’t even have. Losing the sale, we haven’t
had - losing respect, friendship, good-will, or whatever.
-
Cut back on fears. If you want a new job and you
fear not to get it, you won’t be at your best. We are at our
best when we are confident. Be as well prepared as you can be, then
relax – and be confident (as though the outcome doesn’t
matter). Try to enjoy whatever you are doing! That comes across
well and confident.
Make a list of your “stress points”. What can you do
to help yourself? Do you need more / new skills? Do you need more
/ new resources? Or do you need to remember that you have already
achieved so many things, obtained these skills and got those certificates?
Sometimes, we forget our achievements. Remember yours! Give yourself
some praise!
Understand: stress is born out of fear! (Remember the “fight
or flight” response!) What are you afraid of? Make a list
of your fears. Then look at each one and ask yourself, “is
it likely to happen”? Many fears are total fantasy and not
at all likely to happen to us. Eliminate fears by rationally checking
each one out.
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Perspective
Find perspective in your life. Of course, it could always be better.
Be honest, could it not also always be worse? Do you always look
at people and think they have a much better life than you? Do you
then wonder why – and why yours is not as you dream it to
be?
The truth is most people struggle. They may struggle with other
issues than you, but they struggle. It is all relative. Your friend
might get worked up about something that leaves you totally cold
– and vice versa. Consider all the good things in your life,
all the nice people and joyful moments. The more you find those
in your life, the more of those good things you will attract.
This brings me to the VERY IMPORTANT point of:
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Gratitude
Do you take for granted all you have? Do you complain about all
you do not have? Or do you live your life in gratitude? Grateful
for all the good, nice things you already have in your life. Are
you grateful for all the nice, loving, supportive people in your
life?
Consider that we are all energy. Consider that energy is vibration,
frequency. We attract like frequencies. So, be grateful for all the
riches you already have in your life – and thereby attract more
of those to you.
Look out for more articles on this subject. It is a very important
one.
Helpful books, products and ideas to help you
cope with stress
Ebooks
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Before reading any further -
Download the Special Report
'7 Ways to Prevent Becoming Stressed-Out, Over-Worked, and Run-Down
and - for FREE
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Herbal Remedies
Passiflora Complex
Avena Sativa
Hypericum and Hypericum Complex
Valerian-Hops Complex |
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Stress relieving exercises
Deep Breathing
Walking
Swimming
Meditation
Yoga |
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Relaxing Treatments
Reflexology
Massage
Indian Head Massage
Aromatherapy
Hot Stones
Hypnosis |
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