5 Ways To Combat Stress

Is it just me, or are people crabbier this time of year? I don't think it is just me. The nastiness and rudeness are just the symptoms of "stress." There is so much stress heaped upon us, that sometimes we just allow ourselves to be harnessed in. The next thing you know, we are pulling a load to a cracking whip without realizing we didn't even want to go in that direction.

I was at the grocery store a couple of days ago. I was wearing my sunglasses because I had 3 viral infections in my eye. Not only was it extremely painful, but I was very sensitive to light. My husband can't drive, so I had no choice but run to the store for my prescription.

I was standing in line behind a mother and her cart. She decided to brave the Self-Check-Out line, so I stepped back to let her swing her cart around. Two men then butt into the line in front of me. I wanted to say something, but, I bit my tongue.

The store finally opened another till, so some of us moved over. Now I am standing in line behind a woman berating her husband. When she turns to pay the cashier, she says, "now I know why I never come to town."

Excuse me? I just wanted to smack her. Living at home like a hermit isn't the answer. You need to learn some social skills lady, or you are going to be miserable AND alone soon.

She's not the only one trying to cope with stress, everyone is affected. The sooner we learn how to deal with it, the better.

Here are some quick tips that will help keep you calm, cool, and in control when you feel your voice rising and your shoulders are up by your ears. Plus I threw in a little humour.

Tip #1 Breathe

You might be thinking, "of course I breathe, if I didn't I would be dead." True. But did you know that when we are feeling stressed and tense, we breathe shallower? Sometimes we actually "stop" breathing.

My husband Ken has not been sleeping well at all. His heart has stopped so many times, we are both living on the edge. So a couple of nights ago, I was really worried we would end up at emergency again, so I couldn't sleep. He finally fell asleep, and that is when I noticed something very scary! He would actually "stop" breathing for about 4 of my breaths. Then he would start breathing deeply again, slowly tapering off shallower until he would stop altogether. Very unnerving. Another thing we will be traipsing to the doctor about. But that, no doubt, is from stress.

There is a magical solution to reduce stress...."deep breathing." It is best to lie down if you can, but if you can't, just do it standing. Inhale through your nose, counting to 5. Direct your air to the bottom of your abdomen first, then up your chest. Kind of like blowing air into the bottom of the balloon first.

Hold and count to 3. Then exhale fully from your mouth, counting to 5. Push out as much air as you can. Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Tip #2 Smile

Smiling actually changes your mood. It tricks your body because it releases endorphins (natural pain killers) and serotonin (natural uppers). Your blood pressure drops when you smile. Also, your wrinkles now become smile lines, what's not to be happy about that!

Tip #3 Simplify

Look at tangible and physical ways to relieve your stress. Look for shortcuts. Whenever I do my house cleaning and I vacuum the corners or wipe some spots on the wall, Ken calls that "spring cleaning." This is not the time for spring cleaning. This is the time for "lick-and-a-promise."

Everything does not have to be perfect, nor does everything have to be home-made. If you are feeling stressed, then it is not fun, and it just not worth it.

Tip #4 "Make" Time For Yourself

Moms, dads, care givers... listen up. If you are feeling overwhelmed, tired and stressed, then it is time for some "self-care."

When Ken permanently retired over 15 years ago, I found we were together 24-7. Sounds like fun, and for the most part it was. But as his caregiver, it also meant I was on "red alert" 24-7. When my nerves were shot and my hair started falling out in patches, I knew something was wrong.

The solution.... time alone. It is like water to a plant. Time to just think, do what you want, or just do nothing. It can transform you from Jeckyl & Hyde to Cinderella!

So play hide-and-seek with your kids. You hide.... and make sure you hide "damned" good!

Tip #5 When Momma Is Happy.... Everybody Is Happy

The most important tip. Teach this to your children from "infancy!"

Elvie Look: Is your Professional Organizing Coach who is helping people get organized with her easy tips and suggestions. These systems help the busy mom, businessman or woman,  entrepreneur or student learn the keys to organizing in simple, actionable & manageable steps. She teaches how to get organized & maintain your organized space while carrying on your normal busy life. She is the author of "21 Steps From Chaos To Calm" & "One-A-Day Organizing Tips, & "The Relax Without Guilt Video Series." http://elviesessentials.com/

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Stress Relief Techniques - 3 Effective Ways To Combat Stress Easily

Stress, and stress relief techniques are now part of modern-day culture and society.

Stress is your body's response, emotionally or physically, to the demands you put on it.

Stress is a normal part of life, whether from the environment, our bodies, or our thoughts.

We are all designed to feel and experience stress.

There are two types of stress:

Good stress, and bad stress.

Good stress or positive stress is necessary for life

We need it for our very survival, learning and our creativity. It's also what catapults us to excel, and reach our true and full potential.

Things such as physical exercise, mental challenges and spiritual and emotional fulfillment are activities that put us under some sort of stress and pressure but are all things we ultimately enjoy

Without any of these kind of positive stresses we develop an attitude of complacency, lethargy and boredom.

Now the bad stress is a whole different ball game.

It is this kind of stress that makes our lives worse.

It's the stress that comes from conflict, fear, worry and doubt.

Constant challenges and difficulties without any rest or relief, causes a condition of distress. If untreated this condition leads to physical symptoms of blood pressure, chest pains, weight gain, problems sleeping and eventual disease etc.

So, constant negative stress can decrease your health and the quality of life.

But as I've alluded to above living in today's world, these negative Stress are unavoidable and it's just a fact of life.

So below, I'm giving you three stress-relief tips that you can start following today

MEDITATION FOR STRESS RELIEF.

There is no more obvious way to relieve stress than relaxing the entire body and bringing it into a state of deep calm and tranquility.

If stress is brought on by our debilitating thoughts of worry, doubt and fear, then replacing them with more calming and peaceful thoughts has to be a good idea don't you think?

The power of Meditation is that it helps create positive and peaceful thoughts to bring us internal peace

The focus of all meditation is deep breathing.

Taking full, deep, cleansing breaths is a fantastic relaxation technique, and is incredibly powerful in keeping your stress levels in check

EXERCISE TO REDUCE STRESS.

Despite meditation being advocated as probably the #1 technique to reduce stress, I have to say that exercise definitely ranks up there in my list.

Doing any kind of exercise, whether it's a long run, cardio-gym session, a swim, a weights work-out or a nice brisk walk, it always puts me in a good place.

Exercise is an extremely effective stress reliever and I'll give you some of the reasons below:

·Decreases Stress Hormones- Stress hormones like 'cortisol' can dramatically decrease when exercising, and increase endorphins or our body's 'feel good' chemicals which will naturally lift our mood

· Increased Health and Well-Being- As I've already mentioned, stress can lead to illness and disease. But illness and poor health can also cause stress. With exercise promoting much greater health, fitness and well-being, the stress of worrying about staying healthy and well will be greatly reduced.

· It's A Great Outlet For Frustrations- If you've had a frustrating or difficult day then you can release all these unhealthy emotions and pent-up frustrations by doing a good work-out in the gym or martial arts class.

· Distracts Us From Our Problems- Doing exercise is a great way of removing ourselves from any problems we may be facing, and instead you concentrate our mind and efforts on the task or activity in hand

· Social Support and Interaction- In a general context support from friends and family is a great tool for stress relief. Because exercise and physical usually involves the participation of others, you can have fun working with a partner or friend as well as them helping motivate you to do a harder workout.

LAUGHTER TO REDUCES STRESS.

Laughter is a powerful and effective tool to manage stress.

There are several benefits to laughter and having a good old giggle.

Extensive research has shown that laughter can reduce stress hormones such as, cortisol, epinephrine and adrenaline. It also been shown to increase more of the body's 'feel good' chemicals such as endorphins and help produce more anti-body producing cells to strengthen the body's immune system and counteract the negative physical effects brought on by stress.

So as I've already said, we all encounter stress at different times in our life.

The good stress are emotions and feelings that we need and should embrace in order to have a less stressful life.

However, it's the bad stuff that we need to be weary of and find some effective ways to deal with it.

Hopefully, the stress relief techniques I've mentioned above will go some way to helping you overcome and conquer its harming and often crippling effects a lot easier.

Stress is now part of our everyday existence. The stresses and worries we constantly have to face make life more challenging and problematic than ever. Learn some proven stress relief techniques that will help you discover a richer, happier, more fulfilling life.

Original article