Smart Stress Management Tools for coping in a stressful world

How To Relax If You Are Ultra Busy

Posted on October 15, 2008

If you are busy person with tight schedules then you probably are stressed and tired most of the time. You are constantly tired which is affecting your sleeping patterns.

Do you know how to relax? Learn a few easy relaxation techniques which can improve and reduce your stress. It can remove your anxiety levels as well.

Learning relaxation skills will improve your sleep patterns also. The only question here is that you should find time to practice relaxation techniques.

Most relaxation skills have key skills which are common to all of them. Learning them would be a cake walk if practiced regularly. Relaxation techniques are one of the easiest to learn. To begin with, here is what you can do:

Stress Management Programs

Posted on May 28, 2008

stress management programs

The first step to developing a stress management program is recognizing your body's personal warning signals of stress. Since everyone is different, and we all have different stressors, those warning signals will vary from person to person. Some may include feeling anxious, mind racing, chest palpitations, problems concentrating, easily irritated, avoiding people and responsibilities, focusing on negative thoughts, anger issues, headaches, digestive problems, muscle tension and pain, sleep issues, fatigue, high blood pressure, weight loss or gain, skin issues- breakouts, rashes, hives, hair loss, decreased sex drive, nervous behaviors - nail
biting, pacing, teeth grinding etc.

If you experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis, chances are you have significant stress levels in your life. All of these symptoms have the potential to harm your health and emotional well-being. If you don't implement a stress management program to reduce or relieve the stress in your life, eventually your health will certainly suffer. Can these signs of stress make you sick? Definitely.

Some common features of stress management programs are meditation, yoga, exercise, special breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, aromatherapy, light therapy, massages, crying, bubble baths and salt baths to name a few. Of course if you think that your stress is rooted in deeper issues like depression or psychological trauma, you should definitely get professional help. It will do you no good to begin a stress management program that treats the symptoms and not the cause of your stress issues.

One very helpful way to eliminate or reduce stress in foreseeable stressful situations, such as presentations, performances, or a particularly busy schedule, is to add a plan of action to your stress management program. This is a pre-prepared plan that helps you to effectively overcome any problems or distractions that may occur to accomplish your goals.

To prepare your plan of action, begin by making a list all of the steps you need to take from preparing for any task through to its conclusion. Start far enough in advance to sort out any possible equipment, transportation, or clothing problems etc.

Next, work through each of these steps. Think through everything that could reasonably go wrong at each step, and identify any distractions and negative thinking that could undermine your confidence or inhibit you from accomplishing your goals.

Work through all of the things that could go wrong. Look at the likelihood of the problem occurring. Many of the things you have listed may be extremely unlikely. Strike these out and ignore them from your planning.

Look at each of the remaining contingencies. These usually fall into three categories:
1. Things you can eliminate by appropriate preparation, including making back-up arrangements and acquiring appropriate additional or spare equipment;
2. Things you can manage by avoiding unnecessary risk; and
3. Things you can manage with appropriate planning, preparation, or a stress management technique.

Write your plan down on paper in an easy to read format. Keep it with you as you prepare for and implement your stress management plan of action. Refer to it whenever you need it in the time leading up to the event, and during it. Although not all complications in any plan are foreseeable, having a plan will eliminate most complications and give you a feeling of being organized and in control.

Properly using stress management techniques lifts your mood and enhances your overall quality of life, while benefiting your emotional and physical health. Find what works for you, and watch yourself transform into the happy, confident and under control person you've always wanted to be.

About the Author:

Stress Management (http://www.stresslane.com) is one of the most effective ways to gain confidence and control in your life. The author Art Gib is a freelance writer.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Creating Your Personal Stress Management Program

Stress Management Workshops

Posted on April 25, 2008

stress management workshops

Some stress is normal in everyone's life, without it we would be bored and life would be dull indeed. We need the excitement of challenges and the uniqueness of new events in our lives. Stress becomes a problem when your environment and your personal circumstances create too many demands on your body and mind's ability to cope with them.

The first thing in understanding stress is that not everyone reacts to circumstances in the same way, what may not worry you at all may well be quite stressful to other people and conversely someone else may not understand why you are affected by what to them seems a trifling matter.

The second major point to remember is that stress is cumulative, continued exposure to minor stresses can over time build up to a level where your mind says " enough, I just can't cope anymore " at that point your health starts to be affected and you need to take measures to reduce your stress levels.

Stress compromises your ability to fight off disease and infection, throws your digestive system off balance, makes it difficult to conceive a baby, and can even stunt growth in children. Stress can significantly affect many of the body's immune systems, as can an individual's perceptions of, and reactions to, stress.

Causes of stress

1. Major events like the death of someone close, getting married, changing jobs, moving home, relationship breakups.

2. Long term worries like financial problems, ongoing illness, work related stress and strain between family members.

3. Daily hassles like rude workmates, traffic jams, environmental stressors such as an unsafe neighborhood, pollution, noise (sirens keeping you up at night, a barking dog next door), and uncomfortable living conditions.

Signs of stress

The best way to cope with unhealthy stress is to recognize what makes you feel stressed and to realize when your stress levels are building.

Some stress warning signs include:

Memory problems, indecisiveness, inability to concentrate, trouble thinking clearly, poor judgment, seeing only the negative side of things, anxious or racing thoughts, constant worrying, moodiness, restlessness, irritability, an inability to relax, a sense of loneliness and isolation, depression.

Physical Symptoms can include: headaches or backaches, muscle tension and stiffness, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, weight gain or loss, skin breakouts (hives, eczema), loss of sex drive, frequent colds, procrastination, using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax .

Coping with stress

1. Identify and acknowledge your problems

2. Take a deep breath

3. Plan your daily schedule

4. Connect an talk with other people

5. Take a vacation

6. Take up a physical activity

7. Have a good cry when needed

8. Think about positive things in your life

9. Delegate

10. Laugh

11. Stress management programs teach people about the nature and sources of stress, the effects of stress on health, and personal skills to reduce stress-for example, time management or relaxation exercises. Stress-management skills work best when they're used regularly, not just when the pressure's on

12. Getting enough sleep helps keep your body and mind in top shape, making you better equipped to deal with any negative stressors.

13. It's easy when you're stressed out to eat on the run or eat junk food or fast food. But under stressful conditions, the body needs its vitamins and minerals more than ever.

14. Although alcohol or drugs may seem to lift the stress temporarily, relying on them to cope with stress actually promotes more stress because it wears down the body's ability to bounce back.

15. There are also counsellors who specialize in stress; ask your family doctor for a referral to one.

16. There may also be community college courses and stress management workshops available in your community.

17. Whatever you do, don't do nothing ! Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack, stroke, and, perhaps, even cancer. Because physical and mental resources are depleted through long-term attrition, the symptoms of chronic stress are difficult to treat and may require extended medical as well as behavioral treatment and stress management.

For more information you can go to www.stressreliefsite.com

About the Author:

Dick Aronson has a background of more than 35 years in the healthcare industry.He has been involved in a number of projects in 23 different countries and is the author of several articles on health matters. He is the administrator of a stress website where you can get his ebook on stress.
Visit stress relief

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Stress - Understanding And Coping With It

Signs Of Stress

Posted on November 8, 2007

signs of stress
for each give two signs of stress associated with that group?

i need help i got stuck..please
Physical
1)
2)
Emotional
1)
2)
Mental
1)
2)
Behavioral
1)
2)

Physical stress may be 1) tension headaches and 2) heart palpitations

Emotional stress may be 1)crying a lot and 2) either taking drugs or drinking a lot of alcohol

Mental stress can be 1) always forgetting or 2)not being able to concentrate.
Behavioral stress could be 1) constantly feeling anger or hostility toward others, for instance, trying to start a fight or 2)nervous laughter.