The one constant in life is change. In fact, change is happening around us, in us, through us, and about us all the time. Some changes will be good, some bad, and some won’t make any difference at all. Some changes you like, some you hate, and others just don’t matter.
Changes you like you’ll deal with easily. You’ll probably look forward to them. But what about the changes in life that aren’t so great? How do you handle those?
Let’s take a look at the stress and anxiety caused by some of these common changes and the best stress coping skills to deal with them.
Job Loss
Right now job loss is on the forefront of almost every American’s mind. This type of change can produce a lit of anxiety and be very stressful, if you allow it to be. However, there are ways to look at the situation so job loss doesn’t have to be so stressful.
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There are times for everyone during the day when the neck gets a little tight or the head hurts a little or you just feel a little anxious and stressed out. These are the times when you want to just close your eyes and relax, if you only had the time. You know that a just a little down time would help, but you have a deadline. You need to get things done now. What should you do, stay anxious and stressed out and feel crummy?
Don’t worry, there are some simple ways to relieve the stress and anxiety you experiencing. There are ways to slow down relax, no matter how busy you are. The best thing about these ways to relieve your anxiety and stress is that they don’t take a lot of time or equipment.
Here are 5 common scenarios that can increase your stress and anxiety and some natural methods of dealing with them:
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I don’t care what news channel you turn to it seems that they are all telling us how awful the economy is. Now the media is telling us we might have a “double dip” recession. It you listened to the people in the media you would think that the whole world is “going to hell in a hand basket” as my mother used to say, but even though times are tough, they aren’t as bad as the media is telling us it is.
Before I go on I first want to say that I know that there are more people out of work than in the past, and for those of you that are out of work and have been out of work for a while my thoughts and prayers are with you. But for most people, except for a decrease in our retirement funds and the value of our homes, there hasn’t been any immediate affects in income or buying power. It just seems like more people are hording the money they have, the same way big companies are doing right now. In fact, according a September 2, 2010 article in USA Today, “American businesses are sitting on top of a record $2 trillion in cash — money that could be spent hiring more workers, funding new projects or paying out dividends to investors.” It seems that big companies are spending their time listening to the news media also, instead of developing more business. The reason I’m pointing this out is so you can understand what all this news is doing to our national psyche. But you don’t have to let all the talk of our country’s financial meltdown get you down. You can keep the anxiety and stress of these financial times under control and stay cool.
First and foremost don’t let the fear of the future take over the control of your mind and emotions. Fear will put you in a reactive mode, and cause your minds to freeze, think irrationally and, as a result you’ll make bad decisions. Living in fear causes anxiety and stresses your mind and body. Thinking like this actually makes your situation worse.
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We experience stress every day in our lives. It doesn’t matter if you are at work or at home, with so many tasks to do and so many people to take care of, it can be easy to forget to slow down and take care of yourself.
Deep breathing and meditation are extremely beneficial ways to relieve the stress you face on an on-going basis. They are used by millions of people around the world. These methods are also one of the easiest and most effective treatments for anxiety, they can lower your blood pressure, and can help to improve your immune system. Deep breathing and meditation have been used successfully help people stop smoking as well as get rid themselves of other bad habits.
I have used deep breathing and meditation as a quick way to relieve stress for many years. In fact, I found that it was when I didn’t meditate and exercise daily that I experienced the greatest amount of stress.
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What happens when you are in a stressful situation? Does your head hurt or your back ache? Does your stomach start to get upset? One of the best ways to more easily relieve your stress is to know how to define the stress you are experiencing.
Psychologists tell us there are two types of stress. One is known as distress and the other is known of eustress. They are both a result of your fight or flight response and can have the same physiological affect on your body. Even though they have the same physiological affects, they are as different as two sides of the same coin. One is actually useful to your body while the other is harmful.
Eustress is an anxious feeling that feels more like anticipation than dread. You may experience eustress before giving a presentation at work, going out on a date, before a job interview or when preparing a gourmet meal from a recipe you’ve never tried to cook before.
Although all these types of activities can give you the feeling of uncertainty, the outcome isn’t fatal. A good way to look at eustress is when a man’s hands shake as he shows the engagement ring to the one he loves. It also manifests itself as the bride’s pre-wedding jitters while she prepares to walk down the aisle. While stressful, I am sure you would agree that both these would be “good” stress because they represent taking a step toward a positive outcome.
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Right now financial stress seems to be affecting everybody. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. If you somehow managed to meet your financial obligations this month, your car’s probably ready to break down but it doesn’t qualify for the clunker credit.
You know what they say, when it rains, it pours. Most of us can relate to this sentiment. We know that stress is a fact of life, but knowing this doesn’t make it any easier. What you do need to know are the tricks and techniques of relieving stress effectively. Once you get a handle on dealing with stress, you can ease the daily grind of stressful situations. The less stressed out you are, the better able you are to make good decisions and make the best use of what you’ve got to work with.
Just in case you need convincing, let’s take a moment to look at just a few of the common outcomes of stress, in terms of your physical and mental responses. When you’re under stress, your body responds with an adrenalin rush, triggered by the fight or flight syndrome. Many of us are under pressure from some outside stimulus on a more or less regular basis. Finances, health, family issues, job concerns and just plain worry can keep you on edge and stressed out. This is a toxic recipe for anxiety, insomnia and high blood pressure. Living in a constant state of stress will result in having health problems while reducing your ability to relieve stress effectively. It’s a vicious cycle.
Today I want to give you a few stress relief tips that you can take in small steps that will add up to a healthier, more relaxed perspective on life. This will allow you to make better, more considered decisions, which result in less stress!
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Does stress makes you feel like you’re all tied up in knots? The interesting thing is that, in a way, you are. When you are under stress, your muscles get tense which reduces the blood flow to your head, causing it to throb. You really want to make the stress go away, but you feel like if you move at all it will only make you feel worse.
The facts are that this is just not true! Moving around is one of the best natural ways to relieve stress. It works almost immediately and can help make you look and feel great. Any expert with tell you that exercise is an excellent, natural way to relieve the harmful effects of stress.
Some people turn to food, drugs or alcohol to deal with stress, but this is no way of overcoming stress. When it comes to food, not only is stress eating fattening, it can grow into an eating disorder. This is particularly true when your stress is compounded by a depressed mood.
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I’ve had a few bouts with depression. All of these were as a result of me being stressed over one thing or another, from losing a girlfriend to not being able to make my business succeed. Fortunately I got over them.
If you are like me, when you are in a depressed mood, you just want to lie on the sofa and stare at the television. You don’t want to watch anything that takes too much energy. You don’t even feel like reaching for the remote to change channels. It’s like your mind has super-glued you to the couch.
The last thing you want to do get up and go outside, but believe me, in order to fight depression, that’s exactly what you need to do. The cure for depression is almost always acting against what you feel like doing. Getting up and moving is one of the best ways to relieve stress and depression that can literally choke the life out of you.
According to studies by mental health professionals I’ve read, exercise is a necessary for overcoming stress and regaining a sense of self-control. The great thing is that, at least while you exercise, you’re thinking of something besides what is stressing you out. It can also provide you with a better night’s sleep, which will help your immune system better defend you against stress factors like colds and the flu.
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Why is it that some people seem to get angry at the drop of a pin? Well I don’t know about you, but when I’ve been experiencing stress for days in a row I can become easily angered and snap at my daughter. It’s also even easier for me to yell at the guy in the next lane that doesn’t know how to drive. Most people find that when they have been under acute or chronic stress for a period of time they get angry fast!
The problem with anger is that it affects our health and physical well being. Symptoms from being angry include feeling light headed, having chest pains or an upset stomach. You may experience heart palpitations or have difficulty breathing. If you experience chronic stress and remain in an “angry mode” long enough, your anger can give you high blood pressure and other health problems.
If you find that you are angry a lot then you probably need to find ways to relieve stress effectively. By relieving stress you relive your anger. Here are 5 simple steps that can help you control your stress and anger.
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Even though the economy is turning around, its still seems like there is lots of bad news surrounding it. Although the average price of homes has begun to creep up, construction is still in the tank. Unemployment is still in double digits. The number of people defaulting on their mortgages continues is rising. The FDIC announced the failure of 4 banks in the last week. I don’t know about you but I really need a break from all of this bad news.
Life doesn’t have to be so dour. In fact if you want to escape all this negativity there is a really simple solution. Visit the internet. What’s that you say? Isn’t the internet where all this bad news resides? Would you like to see how to use the internet to escape all the bad news?
You’ve heard it said before, laughter is the best medicine. Well in the past 30 years or so this old saying has been backed up by both medical and psychological studies. Your brain contains the biggest pharmacy in the world. When you laugh, you release endorphins into your brain. Endorphins are natural narcotics that are not only good for relieving stress, but also give your psyche a boost when you’re feeling a little down. Studies have concluded that people who laugh often tend to live longer because they have a greatly reduced chance of being affected by a stress related illness like heart disease or cancer.
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