In our hectic day to day life, often we get exposed to stress. There are different reasons for our stress and there are various ways to alleviate it. Stress can create an imbalance in our personal and professional lives. Most of us often fail to understand the source or cause of such stress. It is essential to cope up with stress at various stages of our life to lead a healthy life with our dear ones.
Elimination of stress is unrealistic, since stress is a part of normal life. It is impossible to completely eliminate stress and it would not be advisable to do so. Some stress management techniques can be adapted to control the stress and its effects on physical and mental health. Managing stress is all about taking charge of your own thoughts, emotions, schedule and the way you deal with problems.
The most important stress management techniques are:Manage your time better: Poor time management causes a lot of stress. When you are running behind, it's hard to focus on learning. Make sure you do not over extend yourself.
Look at the big picture: Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run.Have role models: Emulate people who have had success that you admire. Learn about the struggles they have had during their career paths and the techniques they used to overcome difficult times.Be more assertive: Do not take a back seat in your life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. When you have got an exam to study for and your chatty room mates just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
Focus on priorities: Write down your priorities and celebrate when you reach each one. It is one of the best tools to achieve the desired goals.Do something you enjoy everyday: Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be playing the piano or working on your bike.Keep your sense of humor: This includes the ability to laugh at yourself.Exercise regularly: Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise.Eat a healthy diet: Well nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat.Reduce sugar: Sugar provides a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks chocolate and sugar snacks in your diet, you will feel more relaxed and better.Avoid drugs: Avoid alcohol and cigarettes. Self medication with alcohol and drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Do not mask the issue at hand; deal with problems with a clear mind.
The focus that you give the project helps to slow and relax your mind. When you are highly stressed it is likely that your mind works in high gear. This is a normal part of processing tension. The overall effect that slowing the mind down can usually be felt through the whole body. You can not concentrate on something pleasant while concentrating on being worked up.
Try it right now:Relax your body and free yourself of any signs of tension. Allow your tongue and jaws to relax. Drop your shoulders away from your ears. Let your abdomen relax and become softer, freeing yourself of all tension from that part of your body. Become aware of your breathing just as it is. Inhale and take in a deep, full breath.Allow the breath to flow all the way down into the lower belly. You can imagine that there is a small balloon in the belly. As you breathe in, allow that balloon to smoothly inflate. As you breathe out, feel how the balloon easily collapses. Take in several of these measured, gentle, deep breaths.
Stress has become a part of our lives and it is practically impossible to eradicate all stresses completely as they recur time and again with growing responsibilities. However, stress management techniques are effective methods to control stress and resist its influence on our lives. Frequent headaches, exhaustions, mood swings, sleeplessness etc. are some of the symptoms of stress. If you feel that you are undergoing a stressful life, spend some time with yourself to diagnose the real reasons behind your stress levels. You can take a break from your hectic life style to find yourself relieved from stress. Stress management is all about taking complete control of your schedule, emotions and thoughts and the way you tackle problems.
If you are just learning diaphragmatic breathing, it can be helpful to begin by lying on your back with your knees bent. In this posture, it is easier to feel "soft-belly", diaphragmatic breathing. Be mindful of the feeling of the belly rising with the inhalation and falling with the exhalation. Let the breath initiate that movement.You can also put your hands on your abdomen and breathe into their warmth. Feel how the weight of the hands goes up with inhalation and drops with exhalation. A thick book resting on the abdomen will create the same sensation.
Another wonderful way to find deep belly breath is to lie face down on your belly. In this position, the only way you can breathe is diaphragmatically.Lastly, it can sometimes be useful to let yourself sigh out loud with the out-breath. Sounding is a wonderful way to let go of stress and tension.Deep, diaphragmatic, soft-belly breathing has a profound effect on the body. Just three minutes of soft-belly breathing can shift your body out of Stress Response mode into the Relaxation Response! And if you can remain in that Relaxation Response for just 20 minutes each day, you will go a long way toward offsetting the destructive effects of chronic stress on your body.
Elimination of stress is unrealistic, since stress is a part of normal life. It is impossible to completely eliminate stress and it would not be advisable to do so. Some stress management techniques can be adapted to control the stress and its effects on physical and mental health. Managing stress is all about taking charge of your own thoughts, emotions, schedule and the way you deal with problems.
The most important stress management techniques are:Manage your time better: Poor time management causes a lot of stress. When you are running behind, it's hard to focus on learning. Make sure you do not over extend yourself.
Look at the big picture: Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run.Have role models: Emulate people who have had success that you admire. Learn about the struggles they have had during their career paths and the techniques they used to overcome difficult times.Be more assertive: Do not take a back seat in your life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. When you have got an exam to study for and your chatty room mates just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
Focus on priorities: Write down your priorities and celebrate when you reach each one. It is one of the best tools to achieve the desired goals.Do something you enjoy everyday: Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be playing the piano or working on your bike.Keep your sense of humor: This includes the ability to laugh at yourself.Exercise regularly: Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise.Eat a healthy diet: Well nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat.Reduce sugar: Sugar provides a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks chocolate and sugar snacks in your diet, you will feel more relaxed and better.Avoid drugs: Avoid alcohol and cigarettes. Self medication with alcohol and drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Do not mask the issue at hand; deal with problems with a clear mind.
The focus that you give the project helps to slow and relax your mind. When you are highly stressed it is likely that your mind works in high gear. This is a normal part of processing tension. The overall effect that slowing the mind down can usually be felt through the whole body. You can not concentrate on something pleasant while concentrating on being worked up.
Try it right now:Relax your body and free yourself of any signs of tension. Allow your tongue and jaws to relax. Drop your shoulders away from your ears. Let your abdomen relax and become softer, freeing yourself of all tension from that part of your body. Become aware of your breathing just as it is. Inhale and take in a deep, full breath.Allow the breath to flow all the way down into the lower belly. You can imagine that there is a small balloon in the belly. As you breathe in, allow that balloon to smoothly inflate. As you breathe out, feel how the balloon easily collapses. Take in several of these measured, gentle, deep breaths.
Stress has become a part of our lives and it is practically impossible to eradicate all stresses completely as they recur time and again with growing responsibilities. However, stress management techniques are effective methods to control stress and resist its influence on our lives. Frequent headaches, exhaustions, mood swings, sleeplessness etc. are some of the symptoms of stress. If you feel that you are undergoing a stressful life, spend some time with yourself to diagnose the real reasons behind your stress levels. You can take a break from your hectic life style to find yourself relieved from stress. Stress management is all about taking complete control of your schedule, emotions and thoughts and the way you tackle problems.
If you are just learning diaphragmatic breathing, it can be helpful to begin by lying on your back with your knees bent. In this posture, it is easier to feel "soft-belly", diaphragmatic breathing. Be mindful of the feeling of the belly rising with the inhalation and falling with the exhalation. Let the breath initiate that movement.You can also put your hands on your abdomen and breathe into their warmth. Feel how the weight of the hands goes up with inhalation and drops with exhalation. A thick book resting on the abdomen will create the same sensation.
Another wonderful way to find deep belly breath is to lie face down on your belly. In this position, the only way you can breathe is diaphragmatically.Lastly, it can sometimes be useful to let yourself sigh out loud with the out-breath. Sounding is a wonderful way to let go of stress and tension.Deep, diaphragmatic, soft-belly breathing has a profound effect on the body. Just three minutes of soft-belly breathing can shift your body out of Stress Response mode into the Relaxation Response! And if you can remain in that Relaxation Response for just 20 minutes each day, you will go a long way toward offsetting the destructive effects of chronic stress on your body.
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