Holiday Stress
holiday stress

What do you do to relieve stress in your own life?
Work, family, holidays- the stress can build up. What do you do to relieve stress in your own life?
Hi Miss M,
Relieving stress is not an as easy task as it seems. The reason is simple: it is intrinsic to the life we live because stress is caused by change and the only constant in this world is change.
So we are doomed to experience stress in our day to day life.
The key to manage it is to build effective stress management techniques in our life as a counter reaction to the stressors.
There are many sources in the net, which address only the effects of stress: headaches, backache, anger .... and recommend therapies easing them for a short period of time (massage, breathing exercise ...). But this is not the point because this is a reactive behavior: we have the bad effect stress has caused and then only we try to ease the pain.
The point is to act proactively: to deal with stress in the long run by addressing the true causes of it and avoiding the negative effects it creates.
Let's start from the point that stress is not really that bad. Certain doses of stress are even beneficial sometimes - during exams or at work for instance. We need it to mobilize and deliver the best we are able to.
So the question is not really how to get rid of stress completely but how to have the optimal stress levels in our lives. It is about effective stress management.
Effective stress management or the Science of Dealing with Change has one basic goal: to find out how to set up the basic activities we do in our day to day life in a way which guarantees minimal negative effects experienced as a result of stress.
Five simple steps guarantee us a good start towards a healthy life:
1 Mind your words
2 Keep smiling
3 Recognize your victories
4 Pay attention to what you eat
5 Move
If you stick to them there is a good chance that the events in your life will be only contributing to your ultimate success in the battle against stress.
Find out why here: http://www.stress-management-for-health.com
This is a web site which helped me a lot in finding solutions for many tough questions regarding stress.
Hope it will help
Regards,
Oil
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Stress Management Techniques
stress management techniques

What are your favorite ways to chill out when you've had a real bummer of a day?
I am working on a blog entry for my 360 Page that deals with stress relief and management techniques. What do you do to bring it down a few levels, when you've had one of THOSE days? I'll use some of your replys in my blog but I promise to give credit where it's due! And hey, it could be worth 10 extra points to you!
To see where your answer might wind up, Check out my 360 Page with the link below.
http://ca.360.yahoo.com/my_profile.html
Well, what a lovely response! So far all of your replies have been great! Each one has given me food for thought. I will wait one more day, than choose the best one. It's going to be tough decision!
i come home and cry if it was bad enough. or just look at pictures when i was the happiest.
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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 – How Smart Are You?
Regardless of who you are or what your situation is, it is important to practice smart stress management to maintain your mental and physical health. Slowing down in the crazy world we live in might seem like a luxury that most of us can't attain, but taking the time to learn how to manage stress will help us both physically and mentally.
Stress Management Plan

Answer these Health Questions?
1. Write one short-term goal for enhancing your sense of self, and list all of the
steps necessary to achieve the goal. The steps to your goal must include how
you will deal with the positive and negative influences on your sense of self.
2. Imagine you are teaching a fifth grader about health. Write a paragraph for the
fifth grader that explains why effective communication is related to health. Include
a definition of "effective communication" in your paragraph.
3. Pick a specific mental or emotional problem. List at least 5 signs or symptoms
of that problem. Then list at least 3 actions you would take if a friend showed
these signs. Then write down one reliable source of help you would use if your
friend needed immediate help.
4. Write down one source of stress in your life. List the 3 steps of self-
management, and create a plan to manage that stress in a healthy way. Your
plan should have at least 4 stress management techniques.
Do your own homework.