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Stress is one of the major causes of under achievement in life. It prevents us from transforming our full potential into success but first let us examine the meaning of the word ‘potential‘. A typical dictionary definition is;
‘Possible but as yet not actual; latent; that may be manifested’.
In other words something that exists but has not yet manifested itself, which is quite appropriate when applied to human beings!
The laws of physics state that everything has a tendency to degenerate from a condition of order to one of chaos. The human being, however, is a contradiction and there is hardly an area of human endeavour that does not undergo continuous progress; science, medicine and sport to name but a few. Humans are continually expressing their potential by turning their latent possibilities into reality.
Although history has shown that humans are limitless in their ability to innovate and achieve, they also have the tendency to wilfully doubt their potential and place barriers in the way of their progress. How many times have you given up on something saying “I can’t do this” and then regretted it afterwards knowing that with a little more application you could have succeeded?
The ability to transform potential into reality is influenced by only one factor. Belief! Unfortunately in most cases this has become a belief in an inability to achieve despite the lessons of history.
A typical dictionary definition of the word is;
For example, prior to the 1976 Olympic Games, weightlifters considered that it was impossible to lift a deadweight of 500lbs. In other words they all had a belief in their inability to do so. During the Games, the Russian weightlifter, Vasily Alexeyev, was preparing for his final lift, which if successful would win him the gold medal. His trainers told him he would be lifting 499lbs, which he believed was possible and he promptly lifted it to win. Afterwards they showed him that he had actually lifted 501lbs.
Within only a few months of the Games he was regularly lifting over 560lbs and most of the world’s leading lifters had broken the previously ‘impossible’ 500lbs ‘barrier’.
He proved that the only factor previously limiting his performance was his belief in his inability and not his muscular strength. Once he discovered this, his belief system changed from that of being limited to one of having unlimited potential.
So where do these beliefs in our inability come from?
It is a complicated and subtle process that starts early in childhood. How often have you heard the following from parents, teachers and friends;
“Don’t be silly. You will never be able to do that”.
“Let me do it for you. It’s too difficult, too hard, too far etc. Try something easier”.
“Are you sure you can really do this”?
And so on resulting in our perceptions of our abilities in our formative years becoming slanted. One limitation after another becomes an internal reality until we are finally entrenched with a belief system that says, “I am a human being therefore I am limited“.
Yet everybody, with very few exceptions, was born with willpower, imagination, intellect, desire and the capacity for action, all of which allow us to give expression to our potential and achieve at a high level. It is the loss of one or more of these qualities that leads us to become limited. The challenge is to undo these limitations as they are only perceptions that have been imposed either by oneself or by others.
Let’s take an example of how this can affect you later in life.
Let’s assume you are a salesperson and regularly reach your target of selling 100 units a month but your company management suddenly decides that your target should be increased to 120 units a month. Unfortunately you have also become a limited person and can’t exercise any creative abilities or use your imagination to form new ideas. Logic prevails! “Nobody has ever sold this amount before so I’m not going to be able to do it. It’s impossible” you complain.
However, the only barrier to achieving your new target is your own negative perceptions. You believe that you do not have the ability to cope with the demands being placed on you with the result that you suffer anxiety about your performance. And performance anxiety is plain and simply stress, invariably accompanied by a lowering of your self-concept and self-confidence, which in turn will increase your stress levels, probably resulting in a reduction of present performance.
The barrier to reducing stress levels and achieving your full potential is your own false belief in your own inability to perform. The secret is to control the traffic on the two way street. Control the external reality on your own terms and unleash your own resources and impose them on it.
This is a subject that I hope to write more about in further articles.
Mike Walker is the originator and author of The Stress Blaster Programme, which examines stress from a new pespective and allows users to identify their own, unique stressors through a series of assessments and provides sophisticated tools to overcome them quickly, easily and permanently. For more information please visit;
http://www.thestressblaster.co.uk or my blog at http://thestressblasterprogramme.blogspot.com
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/stressone-of-the-major-causes-of-under-achievement-in-life-1326392.html
In today’s stressful environment, anxiety and stress are common complaints. It is a universal problem that seems to be getting worse.
There are a myriad of drugs available for anxiety and stress relief. However, they can be expensive and can cause unpleasant side affects such as nausea, fatigue and digestive distress. The best way to handle the problem seems to be with natural methods that can help calm the system down without physical repercussions.
Anxiety and stress relief can be accomplished through a variety of natural methods such as deep breathing and exercise. Taking deep, slow breaths often is relief in itself. Still another method to quell anxiety is Yoga. Yoga incorporates deep breathing, stretching and meditation to sooth anxieties and calm your nerves.
Still, anxiety and stress relief can be helped with exercise. Walking or swimming are great ways to relieve your body and mind of undue stress. It forces you to concentrate on the activity rather than on problems that might be causing the anxiety and stress.
Activities outside work are important to everyday life. Those who tend to dwell on work related problems experience more stress than those who can let go of job duties once they are off the clock. Taking up a hobby or visiting with friends can be a great help. Also, volunteer work…where you can concentrate on someone else’s problems…often helps. This will put things in perspective where you can see how unimportant your concerns are in comparison to what others are experiencing.
Anxiety and stress relief are very important to live a full, vital life. But medications are generally not the answer and one should try to relieve the symptoms with alternative means before turning to the doctor for prescriptive drugs. Although there are some superb medications available, they can be very costly and if taken incorrectly, can cause major problems physically and mentally. That is why it is important to study alternative means to handle your emotional stress before turning to your doctor for medicinal relief.
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Feeling Stressed Out? We all need to relieve stress and find our release. Sometimes we find it hard to let go of our troubles and find our comfort zone, especially if it was a grueling day. Stress is not only bad for the mind, but stress affects the physical body as well. Stress can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and other serious ailments.
Relieving stress and tension is no easy task. After a hard day, we find ourselves unable to let go and find peace. Our minds race in circles replaying the day’s events and our mind as well as our bodies feel the repercussions. We know that there is no need for this, and carrying this stress doesn’t do anyone any good, but our brains are too stubborn to just forget and move on.
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The medical industry has drugs designed to alter your brain functions to assist in relieving stress, but these drugs come with side effects, addiction, and other risks. Along with the risks come the monetary expenses. Stress relieving drugs can not only pose physical risks, but also put a hole in your pocket.
Instead of buying a limited supply of risky drugs, beat the stress with a reusable binaural beat recording that is guaranteed to melt your stress away quickly and effectively. When you use our recordings, you will feel totally relaxed and stress free both mentally and physically.
How Does It Work?
Sine wave generators were used to create two separate frequency waves which were introduced to each ear independently. The brain reacted by creating a third tone which was the difference between the two. The brain instantly reacts to these frequencies causing a Shift In Consciousness.
Using this technology, we created an array of stress relieving recordings that focus on soothing frequencies that will relax you from head to toe within minutes. Your mind and body will be gently guided to a state of inner harmony with the exact variance of Alpha, Theta, and Delta frequency waves.
When you feel stress building, simply put on your headphones and your brain waves will be instantly adjusted to a truly euphoric relaxation state every time!
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JanuszJanulis
© 2003-2009 World Marketing Media, Inc.
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Is your to-do list 8 feet long? Is everything on it for the benefit of someone else? Do you want to reclaim some of your time for self? Learn to say no without guilt and put some sanity back into your day.
Assess What You Do
Assess your priorities first. Figure out which things you do because you want to, which things you do because you have to, and which things you don’t want or need to do. The things that you don’t need or want are the things you have to let go of and learn to refuse to do. It’s someone else’s turn to pick up the pieces for awhile.
Procrastinate
Sometimes this is good! If you need time to assess whether this request is something you
need to do or not, take a day or two to think about it. Never commit to anything right on the spot. Always say "I’ll get back to you on that, I need to check my calendar" or "that date rings a bell, let me get back to you". This allows you to think it through without the pressure of the face-to-face.
Do This/Not That
Substitute where you can. You don’t have to cook a nice meal every night of the week. Get subs, make pancakes, eat leftovers or grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.You don’t have to say yes to every committee request that comes your way at work. Say "I am already committed to too many things right now, but thanks for asking". This answer works in many situations, at work, at home, at school, at soccer games, etc.
Practice
Make saying no part of every day. Look for things you don’t have to do, and don’t do them! You will start to feel so empowered that saying no will become easy. I’m not suggesting that you shirk all responsibility, of course. You need to prioritize and take care of important things. You will be surprised though by how many things aren’t important, pleasurable or worth your time. You just do them because someone else asked. Practice saying no to these things. If no still doesn’t come easy, practice procrastinating. Put off saying no. NEVER say yes right on the spot. ‘No’ will come easier tomorrow.
Once you see that the world continues to turn with someone else at the wheel, you will find it easier to commit a little time to yourself.
Amy Ashwell writes about stress relief and mental focus at http://mentalstresstraining.com as well as the financial challenges of parenting at http://thebudgetingmom.com
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/relieve-stress-by-learning-to-say-no-1312096.html
There are different situations in life. Some of the situations are common to every people but the reaction to the situation may be varied. These are those differences in reactions to a situation which are the causes of stress. For example, every one has to face interview board, but there are some people who tackle the situation so perfectly that they don’t have sweaty palms or in other words stress. Most of the people have to face the death of some or other loved ones. Some people will deal it with reasonable calm and some may develop post traumatic stress disorder.
Different ways of tackling the stress;
• If you have a difficult boss who insults you at every possible opportunity, s/ he gets can give you stress. Moreover, s/ he might assign extra work and asks for it in unreasonable time limit. Try to tackle this problem instead of getting stress. You can be jovial and give him some snide remark in a mild tone when he is unnecessarily insulting you. You can tell him that you would require a certain amount of time to do the work in a proper manner without any mistake.
• If there is a break up in your romantic relationship or marriage, take it as a bad joke. If a relation is dead and gives more pain it’s better to sever. It will take some time for you to recover but remember that only your comfort zone has been ruffled. After some time you can adjust and may like your freedom from pain. This situation may give you a few sleepless nights but should not result in chronic stress. You may try to look for a new life partner or romance to combat the stress.
• If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with some severe illness it is bound to cause some stress. You must try to find a way to cope with the medical and financial aspect of it. Getting stress will aggravate the illness and can cause more harm then usual.
• If you have been suffering with stress due to job loss, then instead of grumbling and self pity, try to explore the different avenues which can give you a mean of good livelihood. Ponder on your savings and skills. Check the avenues which you have wanted to get into but could not manage earlier.
• Try to see that positive side of a thing. If you remain positive in your thinking, nothing can go wrong. Never get into stress as it can reduce your thinking process and attention span.
• The stress can increase the risks of cardio vascular diseases. To tackle the stress one must try to remain happy.
• Eat a healthy diet and do exercise regularly to keep your stress under control. These can be taken as the two greatest antidotes of stress.
• Yoga asana for stress relief is an exceptionally effective stress reducer.
• Increase your social circle; this will help you to combat stress.
Inequilibrium can help you to tackle the menace of stress effectively and help you lead a happy and joyous life
For more information on Stress Management visit www.in-equilibrium.co.uk
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/tackling-the-menace-of-stress-1315901.html
The holiday season is quickly approaching and many of us are preparing for this joyous time of the year. Some may embrace the holidays with cheer, hope, and thanksgiving while others may embrace the season with burden, anxiety, and personal failure. This article addresses three ways you can overcome anxiety and depressed mood during the holidays.
The first and most effective way to avoid anxiety and depressed mood is to recognize unachievable and unrealistic expectations (unhealthy thoughts) that you may subscribe to. Our thoughts have a direct bearing over our emotional disposition and the consequences that occur in the aftermath. We often cannot change circumstances (situations, events, and the behavior of others) that occur in our lives but we do have the power to alter the way we feel and react to them by simply changing the way we think. If we would like to avoid experiencing anxiety and depressed mood during the holidays, we must take ownership and control over our own thoughts by identifying unhealthy thoughts that we may subscribe to that might be contributing to a negative emotional disposition and replace them with healthier ones.
Some may fear social rejection and judgment from others. Though others may choose to judge negatively, pondering on this thought can ultimately rob you of experiencing joy and happiness. The following are six common unachievable and unrealistic expectations (unhealthy thoughts) that are often pondered on during the holidays:
1. “I need to spend a lot of money on gifts otherwise I might be perceived negatively by others” – It is a shame that so much worry is attributed from the issue of money especially during the holidays. We should not feel or be made to feel that the holidays are all about external/physical gifts. The most precious gift that we can give to one another is our fellowship and love (internal gifts). No external/physical gift can replace this. Internal gifts have a longer shelf life and increase our self-esteem more than external/physical gifts. We must keep this issue in the proper perspective otherwise we can inadvertently teach others that external/physical gifts are more precious and desirable than our fellowship and love.
2. “For gatherings, my home must always be clean and tidy otherwise I might be perceived negatively by others” – It is never okay to invite guests to a filthy home. But expecting your home to be constantly tidy might be an unrealistic expectation, especially when children are present. Expecting such would only cause you anxiety and depressed mood. Do not worry about the cleanliness of your home but rather focus on fellowship as this is much more important and significant.
3. “I must prepare a flawless meal for my gathering otherwise I might be perceived negatively by others” – The quality of meals should not be the main focus of the holidays. If food preparation is an issue, there is nothing wrong with purchasing meals from a restaurant. To go one step further, having a potluck might be a better and less expensive idea as your guests would be directly involved with the food preparation by offering a variety of foods at your gathering freeing up time for fellowship.
4. “My physical appearance must be acceptable and appropriate otherwise I might be perceived negatively by others” – Aside from daily hygiene, do not worry about your physical appearance. The fellowship that you can give to one another is much more important than your physical appearance. More times than not, our own anxiety over our physical appearance has more to do with how we feel about ourselves rather than how others may perceive us.
5. “I need to bring a mate to the gathering otherwise I might be perceived negatively by others” – If you are single, sometimes attending a gathering by yourself where couples are present might make you feel uncomfortable as you might feel that you do not fit in. Keep in mind that you are not alone as there are many people that are divorced, separated, or single. If having a mate was a prerequisite for gatherings, I guarantee you that there would be a lot less gatherings! In addition, avoiding gatherings would only rob you of the experience of possibly meeting a potential mate.
6. “I need to pretend that I am happy during gatherings otherwise I might be perceived negatively by others” - Experiencing happiness is not a prerequisite for attending gatherings. Oftentimes, life events and experiences that have nothing to do with the holidays may play a direct role in your emotional disposition. The wonderful thing about gatherings is that there are plenty of people that you can talk with. If someone asks you how you are doing or feeling, be honest with them and let them know. Do not tell them that everything is fine when it is not. Oftentimes, having someone to discuss your problems with might actually help you resolve them as well as make you feel better. Take advantage of this opportunity.
If there are any other unhealthy thoughts that you might be dealing with that are not discussed in this article, I encourage you to write those thoughts down on a piece of paper writing a healthier thought (one that you would like to subscribe to) next to it. It would also be a good idea for you to review these thoughts daily so that it becomes easier to recognize and replace unhealthy thoughts.
The second way to avoid anxiety and depressed mood is to establish personal and professional goals for yourself. There is a lot to be said for New Year’s resolutions. Establishing short and long-term goals is a healthy idea because they can provide you with structure by giving you something to look forward to. Goals oftentimes give meaning to our lives. Those who do not have goals often feel hopeless and helpless. Just make sure that the goals that you establish are significant and achievable otherwise they will not be effective or worth your while to achieve.
And finally, the third way to avoid anxiety and depressed mood is to work at giving to others. Sometimes we are fooled into believing that happiness is achieved through the gifts that we receive or the items that we purchase. Just the opposite is true. You can achieve true happiness by helping others in need, volunteering your services, holding the hand of one in despair, or just simply being there when one experiences a low moment in his/her life. Oftentimes, it is not the words that we say that lifts one’s spirit or gives one hope. But rather, it is just being there that makes all the difference in the world. At times, we feel uncomfortable because we do not know the right words to say to those who are hurting. Words are not always important. The fellowship and the love that you can provide is what the holidays are all about. Let’s not lose this perspective and let’s not give unhealthy thoughts, with all the anxiety and depressed mood that goes along with them, the ability to rob us from experiencing the joy and the happiness that we all deserve to experience during the holidays. Happy holidays to all!
Mark Lakewood, CEO of Building Strong Families National Seminars, is a distinguished bullying prevention expert, author, and speaker with over 20 years of clinical experience as a family therapist. As a professional speaker, Mr. Lakewood facilitates national seminars on family and school-related issues. He facilitates the “Standing Up To Bullying” Conference, http://www.StandingUpToBullyingConference.com and the Sudden Compliance Program Webinar Series, http://www.SuddenComplianceWebinars.com.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/three-effective-ways-to-reduce-stress-and-depressed-mood-during-the-holidays-1308922.html
Do you suffer from working mom stress? The answer would no doubt be a resounding “YES”! Understandably so, given all the responsibilities women face on a daily basis.
You’ve just had one of the busiest days at work that you’ve ever had. The phone rang off the hook; the copier just up and died and you had to work late to meet your deadline. Tired, you make your way through construction traffic and finally make it home, only to find the house a mess. The laundry is spilling out over the side of the baskets, the floor needs swept and you have absolutely no inclination to cook dinner. What do you do now?
Get Your Kids To Help!
- You can enlist the help of kids from any age group. Here are a few suggestions on how they can contribute and help solve working mom stress:
- Preschoolers can make their own beds. They can pick up toys, feed the family pet and help put away clean clothes.
- Younger kids can dust, sweep and clean the windows.
- Elementary kids can take out the trash, water the garden, pull weeds and rake leaves.
- Middle school children can clean the tub, wash clothes and shovel snow.
- Teens can do heavier yard work, wash and wax the car, clean out the refrigerator and help cook dinner.
If organized into a regular routine or schedule everything will get completed in a timely manner and teach your kids responsibility and good work ethics. The added bonus of fresh air and exercise will do them all good, no matter what age you are dealing with. When you are physically tired a person will usually sleep better. After a good nights’ sleep they will wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new day.
Charlotte Winslow wants to help as many women as possible solve working mom stress. Grab all the information you can at http://stressreliefforwomen.info and make your life easier today.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/solve-working-mom-stress-get-your-kids-to-help-out-at-home-1308987.html
Stress has become a pervasive “lifestyle disease”
In an increasingly busy world moving at a dizzying pace, new research shows almost half of Americans now suffer adverse health effects from stress. These health problems include hypertension, anxiety or depression (two sides of a single coin), insomnia, and obesity.
To relieve stress, Americans often engage in unhealthy behaviors. Surveys, such as one conducted in 2006 by American Psychological Association in partnership with the National Women’s Health Resource Center and iVillage.com, show that the most common ways people try to combat stress are comfort eating (eating when not hungry, making poor diet choices), smoking, excessive alcohol and caffeine intake, and inactivity.
This unhealthy coping behavior may alleviate symptoms of stress in the short term, but creates significant health problems in the long run. And the health problems themselves are a new and deeper source of stress.
A closer look at what we are looking for
What do we feel when we experience stress? A sense of compression. A sense of pressure, of overwhelming demand that we feel we cannot meet, and a lack of control over our lives.
When we seek to alleviate stress, what we seek is the opposite: a sense of expansion, of freedom, of boundlessness, of inner power. It should come as no surprise that caffeine and food loaded with fat, cholesterol, and empty calories aren’t going to get us there. Likewise, inactivity, smoking, and excessive alcohol cannot give us a sense of power and control, weightlessness, and enterprise.
It makes a lot more sense to turn to the one thing we do effortlessly, which is in itself the most restorative and grounding thing we do: breathing. Its expanding inhales, its relaxing exhales, its sheer routine and dependability are a comfort and a sensuous restorative like no other.
How breathing and stress affect each other
A lot of attention is paid to heart rate, when it comes to stress. We correctly associate a fast and irregular heartbeat with stress and anxiety. In fact, the heartbeat doesn’t respond to just the brain, but also to each breath you take: As you breathe in, your heart rate naturally speeds up. As you exhale, your heart rate naturally slows down. In a relaxed person, slow, easy breathing creates slow, smooth heart rate changes that create an inner sense of calm, of coherence.
A stress response to anything such as a difficult conversation with someone, driving in busy traffic, or nerves before public speaking changes your heart rate independently of the breathing-related variations, leading to irregular heart rate changes that create a feeling of panic, of unrest.
These “stressed” heart rate changes can cause ragged and irregular, forced or shallow breathing — which disrupts an optimal and even supply of oxygen to the brain. Likewise, steady and relaxed breathing can give the brain what it needs to function best and smooth the heart rate back into a regular, natural variation that is free of stress response.
Simply put: Breathing in a relaxed, effortless way relieves stress and creates a sense of balance and calm.
Stress reduction, one breath at a time
Whereas overeating, drinking and smoking for stress relief are costly, damaging and ineffective, breathing is free, easy, effective. Plus, it’s something we already know how to do and can do anywhere!
Here are a few of quick breathing exercises that are easy to remember, developed by a physio-psychologist, for relaxation. You can do them anytime you are looking to combat stress with a sense of expansion, of freedom, of inner power:
Pursed-lip breathing
Breathe effortlessly, relaxing your abdomen muscles. (Don’t try to slow down your breathing: Slowing down our exhalation is natural as we relax, as if we took a blown up balloon and let the air out slowly and gently.)
Purse your lips as if you were going to blow out a candle, or as if you were going to whistle. Relax your lips a little more than they if you really were whistling. You can also imagine yourself blowing soap bubbles. Breathe in…and breathe out slowly, gently, naturally. Breathe with your lips gently pursed like this for a few minutes, feeling your exhalation naturally lengthening as you blow your candle…or bubbles.
Abdominal breathing
Place one hand over your lower abdomen and one on your chest and breathe comfortably, through your nose if you can. Use your hands to help you notice where your body moves as the air flows in and out. Continue paying attention to your breathing for a few breathing cycles.
Now, try this. As you breathe in, imagine a balloon in your abdomen filling with air as you inhale. Then feel it deflating as you exhale. Imagine this for a few breaths. Notice the internal feelings as the balloon is expanding and contracting. Continue to breathe with the balloon for a few minutes. Now while you continue to breathe easily, take a moment to open your eyes and notice how your body feels and how your natural heart rate changes feel smooth.
Mindful breathing
Breathe naturally, sitting in your work area, at your home or any other place you choose. Pay close attention to your breathing without trying to change anything you notice. Notice yourself breathing in and out. After awhile, the rest of the world will recede, leaving you with just the observation of inhaling, then exhaling. Build your ability to observe your breathing gradually; at first try this only few minutes a day. If you find it difficult in the beginning to pay attention only to your breathing, try silently counting “one, two, three, four…” as you breathe in, “one, two, three, four…” as you breathe out. If you lose track, start over again.
These simple breathing exercises use your natural biology to relieve stress, and are effective in a long-term as well as short-term sense — creating balance by making relaxation as much of a lifestyle as the stress we experience each day as we go about our lives.
Bringing healthy stress reduction into the mainstream
Americans can blame themselves for all the unhealthy coping mechanisms they have come to depend on for stress relief, but the marketplace is just as much at fault. The average American is exposed to upwards of 3,000 advertising messages a day, and corporations worldwide spend over $620 billion each year to market their products and boost revenue. With stress having become a universal and significant factor in everyone’s lives, you can bet that there isn’t any category of product that isn’t being sold as a “stress-buster” in some way.
We can’t change how the marketplace works or protect ourselves from unwholesome or misleading messages. But a recent explosion of “green” products and initiatives and a growing awareness of healthy habits and attitudes means that some very effective and soundly health-based commercial stress-reduction products are joining the fray.
Breathing skills you can buy
One example of effective and healthy stress-reduction in product form is biofeedback games and software tools. Biofeedback is a discipline that first became popular in the 60s, by which people can see visual representations of their “automatic” body functions (breathing, heart rate, skin sweat, and brain waves), and then watch them achieve better balance and harmony as they practice simple and sound techniques to reduce stress. In recent years, biofeedback has been becoming more sophisticated and more widely available to consumers instead of just to clinicians and their patients.
Companies like Wild Divine and Somatic Vision, both based in San Diego, California have developed ways of bringing biofeedback to the mainstream through software that feels like the computer games people are used to. Both companies make software that features a breath pacer as well as heart rate graphing, combined with fun activities and environments. While Wild Divine extends its products offscreen with partnerships with prominent “natural health gurus” like Drs. Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil, Somatic Vision provides products featuring intensive step-by-step breathing workshops and a full 8-week program that coaches people in breathing techniques for stress relief.
The next step for stressed-out Americans
Whether we go the consumer route and buy products that combat stress effectively without unhealthy behavior, or simply learn to slow down and use the simple, biological act of breathing to bring us back into balance and calm, the clear next step for Americans is to take a healthier, more long-term approach to stress reduction.
Sources: American Psychological Association, Americans Engage In Unhealthy Behaviors To Manage Stress, 2006, http://apahelpcenter.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=23; Elizabeth Scott, MS, Unhealthy Responses to Stress and How These Bad Habits Affect You, 2008, http://stress.about.com/od/unhealthybehaviors/a/bad_habit.htm; Google Answers: American Advertising in the Media, 2009, http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=56750; Marketdata Enterprises, The U.S. Market For Self-Improvement Products & Services, 2004; The Somatic Vision Alive Advanced Breathing Workshop; Somatic Vision Alive 8-Week & Beyond Program; Somatic Vision’s Web Site, http://www.powertorelax.com; Wild Divine’s Web Site, http://www.wilddivine.com.
Abigail Hamilton is a writer and marketing professional whose focus is consumer value and truth in marketing.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/stress-relief-that-elusive-breath-of-fresh-air-1304272.html
What is Stress? Well, I think everyone has an opinion of what stress is. Since this is blog aimed at talking about stress reduction, and reducing anxiety and depression, it seems appropriate that we take a moment to talk about how we define stress.
While stress can talk about how much stress is placed on a bridge by the passing of cars or trucks, or the point where a material begins to deform, Wikipedia defines stress as “a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined (taken from Wikipedia).”
So stress actually is a term describing what happens to our bodies when we do not adapt to stressful situations. Notice too that the term includes both physical and emotional threats. While there are probably not too many physical threats in our daily environment, when clients enter my office, they are usually describing emotional pressures they feel from home, work or family.
The effect on our bodies from physical or emotional stressors is probably about the same. One of the differences, though, is that physical threats are real while emotional threats are imagined.
Sure, your boss could threaten your job (emotional stressor) but, even though it may seem impossible, you really can find different work, even in a terrible economy. Remember, in the big depression, 75% of the people were working; and, at present, only about four percent of well educated or well trained trades people are out of work. So, you often have options which you are overlooking.
The real question is why don’t more people move out of stressful situation and move to working or living arrangements that are better?
The answer appears to be a part of being human. In Nudge, the authors (Thaler and Sunstein) point out that all people, even well educated ones, don’t like to change, even if it would mean a better or longer life. That’s clearly seen in the increasing rates of obesity in the US, Europe, Russia, Mexico, China and India. Despite being told that being fat will have all sorts of negative effects, people keep on eating too much because not eating so much might lead them to …using a smaller plate or sharing a meal! Tough stuff.
However, this all boils down to how we see ourselves and how we handle the pressures of stress. Underlying this is our view of ourselves and what we have to do to change it.
Hi, my name is Dan Watson and my daily job is that of a psychologist in Palm Desert, CA. My goal is to provide the reader with insights and techniques to assist them in reducing anxieties and depressions, and in improving sleep. Read more at www.stresscontrolnow.com or
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/welcome-to-stress-control-101-1300409.html
Standing in line at the grocery store you begin to feel your heart race. Inside moments your hands are sweating, your breathing becomes short and quick, you feel hot, dizzy and overpowered with a sense of fear.
What is this sensation? Where is it coming form? If you have experienced similar sensations in the past and particularly if you have started changing your life and routine in the fear of experiencing it again, you may be affected by panic attacks.
WHAT ARE PANIC ATTACKS?
Panic is a physical reaction that may be a reply to stress. Frequently called the ‘fight or flight’ response, panic is an ordinary response to danger and is actually your body’s cue to get out of harm’s way. However [*COMMA] when panic sets in when there’s no source of danger it can be linked to two causes – stress or presumably, a panic disorder.
The following indicators are common during a panic attack :
- quick heartbeat
- lack of breath or inability to breath
- dizzy spells or nausea
- sweating, shaking or trembling
- a feeling of fear or dread
- tingling sensation in the fingers or toes
- chest pain
- hot flashes or chills
- thinking you’re going to die or go craz
WHAT causes panic ATTACKS?
Stress in our lives is not generally caused by a physical danger ; in truth most stress is caused by utterly standard daily activities and is not harmful to us. Too much stress , however , is dangerous to our body and in a number of cases it may cause panic fits, particularly if we have experienced an additional trauma or burden like the loss of a friend or massive change such as a new job or move. While ordinary stress could cause foreboding, when panic attacks become regular a panic disorder might be the cause.
Panic disorder might or might not be directly related to over stress. Some analysts are linking the panic episodes due to panic disorder to a physical cause. If this is the case you must seek professional help in dealing with the symptoms.
Sadly most individuals subjected to panic disorder don’t get properly diagnosed. Many start to suffer the physical and mental aftermath of changing their lives, their jobs and their fun activities to accommodate their panic episodes before finding a consultant that may properly diagnose their condition. The symptoms of panic attacks may also lead someone to believe they have got a dangerous physical condition and seek treatment for assorted unrelated diseases and conditions.
CAN PANIC DISORDER BE TREATED?
If you suspect you have been experiencing panic attacks you will need to be diagnosed by your consultant or referred to a psychiatrist. While the physical symptoms might not be attached to a mental condition, often the fear of having panic fits in public leads to phobias that may have to be treated as well .
a mixture of medicine and care could be used to combat the panic attacks and help a person to overcome related fears.
The excellent news is that panic disorder replies very well to treatment and those who receive treatment can lead healthy, standard lives.
For exact systems on how to halt panic attacks, there are a number of resources available. The popular guide, Panic Away, is one case of a resource that is readily accessible and sketches out the steps to do to lessen the impact of panic fits in your life. You may be successful.
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Seth Chen is an author and blogger with many years experience in the self help field. Check out the Panic Away review at my-personal-growth-reviews.com
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/panic-attack-help-for-those-who-need-it-1296663.html
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