 | ||
| ||
|
Managing Stress "Calming yourself, clearing your thoughts, being quietly confident..." |
|
|
|
|
Are You Soakin' It Up?
?And holding it way down inside you like an old sponge? Be careful. Just like an old sponge that's held its liquid a little too long, we may start to get stinky in a day or two. I'm referring to "soaking up" all that wonderful information that comes to us mainly through our televisions, radios and computers. Information that is then refortified and nourished through conversations with our friends or relatives. It's unfortunately a fact of life. Every minute of every day, the media presents "news" that is frequently disturbing. Coverage of terrorist acts, wars, airline crashes, natural disasters - all kinds of information that show, sometimes in graphic detail, the tragic events of our world and the how they are impacting the lives of our fellow man. As I write this, the TV is blanketed with video footage, stories, commentary, interviews and speculation related to the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. The devastation is truly mind-boggling. Here's the problem. Many of us humans have a tendency to become over-focused on these events. For some strange reason, beyond a reasonable desire to be informed, we find ourselves sitting in front of our televisions or our computers viewing, listening to and reading everything we can about the current "terrible event". We are "soakin' it up"! The unfortunate result is that we soon start to feel the negative emotions associated with our current focus. Don't get me wrong. It's normal - and good - to empathize - to feel compassion toward those people who are experiencing tough times. That's just a nice expression of our love toward our fellow man. It's not good for us personally however, to dwell on the negatives - to continually shove this stuff into our little brains to ferment into mind sludge. Whether we consciously realize it or not, it won't take long for our bodies to respond to this mental goo. We may find that we're not feeling quite as well as we did a few days ago. We may find it harder to deal with the pressures of our personal lives. We may notice that our patience level has dropped somewhat - that we're now kind of cranky and out of sorts. Whatever the effect, it's our body's normal reaction to a bombardment of negatives. So here's a suggestion. If you find that you've been spending a lot of time in front of your TV or computer soaking up negatives - and you are having a tendency to "feel" the emotions associated with this mental input, take a break from it. Switch to the cartoon channel, watch a comedy video, take a walk, bathe the dog, read a book, work on your stamp collection, play with your kids, mow the lawn, go to the mall - anything that will divert your attention away from the yucky stuff and more toward those things you enjoy doing. Give your mind a healing dose of positives. Trust me - you'll feel better? Gene Simmons, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles, quotations, thoughts and links along with affordable self-help and self improvement books & materials - all designed to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life's "secrets for survival" in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Stress Management and Mastery: What We Can Learn from 9 Trapped Miners Think back a few years to the nine coal miners trapped in a Pennsylvania mine and their rescuers.Do you remember that story?I thought the miners were goners. Stress Management and Mastery: Shake It Off and Step Up The moment I read the story I'm about to share with you, I knew it would make a good article. It has one of the best approaches to managing stress, change and, for that matter, life and its living that I have ever read. Conquering Stress and Depression with Exercise One of the best ways to combat stress and depression is to make physical fitness a part of your daily routine. Aside from the proven health benefits of exercise, people who exercise regularly are more apt to deal with stressful situations more easily, handle physical work tasks better, and tend to be less susceptible to illness and injuries. One Way to Beat Stress: Arrive Early! I'm so excited that I have discovered this secret today. It's something that I promise will reduce the stress level in your lives. Stress Management: The Power of Expectancy On a beautiful summer day years ago, I went water skiing with some new friends. I hadn't skied in a while, and as I floated in the water with long pieces of wood strapped to my feet, here's what I remember thinking:"I wonder if I remember how to do this. How to Say No and Let Go of Stress It was one of the first words you learned to say and you used it at every opportunity. Until someone convinced you that you couldn't, or shouldn't. Myth Busting: What Causes Mental Breakdown? I came out of a nightmare 5-year period of anxiety and depression and I did it without taking any drugs. What frustrated me is that despite advances in understanding as to why people become stressed, depressed and anxious, sufferers are still told numerous myths about what causes their illness. Adventures in Relieving Stress Whether we are at work, traveling, or at home, we've all had bad days. Those stressful times can be difficult, but important, to shake. 100 Ways to Reduce Stress Don't let stress wear you down. Next time you are feeling stressed, step back from the situation and try one of the following tips to take control of the situation and de-stress:1. 5 Steps to Stress Relief Take a moment to think about the week that just passed. Are your first thoughts of long hours at work, driving your kids to every kind of practice imaginable, hurrying to make dinner, clean the house, do laundry, vacuum and wash dishes? Is it any wonder that in today's busy world, more and more women suffer from stress-induced anxiety than ever before?If you often find yourself struggling with the effect stress has on your physical and emotional well-being, follow the following 5 steps to stress relief:1. Reclaim Your Life - Extraordinary Self-Care Day When was the last time you took a day just for yourself? If you're a small business owner or anyone else for that matter, you answer is probably never. I first learned the principal; of Extraordinary Self-care Day at a workshop given by my friend Terri Levine the author of Work Yourself Happy. Seven Simple Steps to a Stress-Free Start Most of us lead busy lives, trying to successfully juggle the responsibilities of home and work and personal interests into one cohesive happy life. There is nothing that could better start your busy day than having a smooth stress-free morning. Stress Management: 7 Universal Laws for Managing Change 1. The Law of StagnationThis is also known as first order change. Technology and Stress- How to Prevent Technology From Taking Over Your Life 1. 5-minute rule. Planning Stress Management Deadlines at work, demanding bosses, bills to be paid at home, kids demanding for time and attention, changes in the environment, etc. AAARRRRGH. Stress Managment and Mastery: Learning to Rebound Q. I've suffered a few setbacks and disappointments in the last year and seem to be bogged down in them. Rising to the Top: Overcoming Bad Situations We've all been there, right? We find ourselves living with the weight of our circumstances growing heavier by the day. We agonize over the "what if" questions and wonder just how we'll ever get out from under the burdens we bear. Seven Steps to Reducing Stress and Reclaiming Your Life at Work According to the StressPulse survey by ComPsych Corporation completed at the end of 2003 and is still valid today:· Employees in the category of high stress have increased by 15%· More than 29% of employees come to work five or more times a year when they are too stressed or distracted to be effective· 63% have high levels of stress with extreme fatigue or feeling out of control· 32% have constant but manageable stress levels· 43% lose one or more hours per day in productivity due to stressThe Definition of BurnoutAt some point in your career you will experience burnout. No matter how much you enjoy your job there will come a time when you just do not feel like doing it anymore. 10 Symptoms of Workplace Stress It is no secret that stress and related disordersare the most frequent cause of employee disability(National Institute for Occupational Safety andHealth). As far back as 1992, a United Nationsreport called job stress a "world wide epidemic. Deep Breathing - How It Can Simultaneously Improve Health And Bring You Closer To Your Goals I hope by reading this article you will see the value in being aware of your breath and also how it can have the potential to not only improve your internal health but also give you an instantly accessible tool to help you focus on those goals and ambitions you have been putting off. Be sure to try the simple exercise below also to get you started on developing your awareness of how (and where) you breathe.
|
|
|
| © Career Consulting Limited.com 2010
|