How You Can Reduce Stress by Oscar Carlos Lama Seliman

The Top 5 Stress Management Tips That Really Work

By: Jim Johnson

In short, stress management tips are something that just about every one of us has to deal with. We need this because of the huge amount of responsibility, worry, and need that we have placed on our shoulders. Today, most than 2/3 of all Americans say that they deal with stress, in some form, every single day. Stress management tips can help you to notice the amount of stress that you are under and help you to effectively treat the stresses so that you can better your life in the long haul.

Stress Management Tips To Incorporate

Here are some easy stress management tips to place into your life for a bit more help:

1. Manage your life’s tasks on paper. If you feel that you do not have time to get everything written down, make the time. Use a date book, a calendar or any other form of paper and jot down all that you need to do each day. When you do this, you will develop a true sense of what has to be done, what does not, and you will stop forgetting about things and worrying about them.

2. Block time for nothing. You need to commit to giving yourself a block of time, a few hours at the least, per week to just do nothing. When you follow this stress management tip, you will feel relaxed and therefore you will be able to focus better in the long run. In turn, you can do more by taking a bit of a break.

3. Stress relief games and stress relief products are on the market to help. Consider a stress relief ball for example. Placing this in your hand and working it can help you to dispel all of that nervous energy that truly plagues your life style. You can commit to having a better overall experience because your body can better concentrate.

4. Ask for help. If you do have too much on your shoulders, you need to ask for help from your loved ones, by hiring someone or just learning to say no. Here’s why. When you try to do it all yourself, stress builds up to a much too high amount. Your physical condition will worsen and eventually, everything will collapse. Ask for help or just do not commit to so many things.

5. Seek out medical attention or alternative treatments. These stress relief tips can help you to find the inner peace that is incredibly important at this time in your life. Things like yoga and meditation can truly help you to relax and expel stress. You may also need to seek medication if your stress levels have gone so far as to cause physical pain to you.

The Top 5 Oscar Lama Stress Management Tips

Finding A Stress Management Technique That Works For You

By: Michelle Bery

There’s no greater tool to have in the arsenal of life than an appropriate and successful stress management technique. Having a variety of things to turn to in order to alleviate the negative impact of stress can change your life and bring you a health and happiness you may never have previously imagined.

Stress can affect every area of your life and send you on a journey of deteriorating mental and physical health. An effective stress management technique can be invaluable in striking an all-important balance in your life.

For some, an appropriate stress management technique means a dedicated and consistent exercise program. Giving your body a physical outlet is paramount to letting the air out of a tire. Your muscles are given a much needed chance to relax and tension is released. Exercise can positively impact heart rate and blood pressure as well, offering you increased health overall.

Try an exercise that establishes a strong mind/body connection - such as yoga - for a stress management technique. You’ll be surprised at how quickly exercise begins to positively affect you.

An additional stress management technique is the practice of meditation. Meditation - done consistently - can dramatically lower your blood pressure and heart rate - the most common physical manifestations of stress.

Find a stress management technique that’s unique to you by further exploring those activities and hobbies that bring you the greatest amount of relaxation. Take time for yourself each and every day to do something that brings you peace and has nothing to do with work or taking care of anyone else. These few small moments each day will do much to refresh your mind and body, giving you increased energy to face your next challenge.

To find other ideas for a stress management technique - such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and many others, turn to the Internet. There is an abundance of online resources available to help you combat stress and find the stress management technique that’s right for you.

There are even chat forums where you can find support within a larger community; you’re not the only one affected by stress. Look to others in a similar situation for ideas on finding a stress management technique.

A Oscar Lama Stress Management Technique

By Wayne Perkins

Do you feel stress at work? Do you carry your stress home with you at night?

Here are some tips that will help you achieve success over stress. You can reduce stress on the job.

1. When making phone calls, as you pick up the phone and dial, take three slow deep breaths. Concentrate on pushing tension out of your lungs as you exhale.

2. Sit down to eat. (Do not eat while standing or driving in your car) Focus on relaxing and enjoyable talk at lunchtime. If co-workers only insist on rehashing all of the negative stuff at work, insist on eating alone.

3. When you drive your car to your business or your job, listen to something enjoyable or motivating.

4. On the way home from your business or your job, listen to enjoyable or relaxing music.

5. Take a few minutes each day to thank God, in whatever form is consistent with your belief system, for the glorious sunrise. At sunset, do the same. If you are at work while the sun is setting, take a quick break to watch the sun set and again, thank your concept of “God” for the glorious sunset.

6. Take a few minutes at work to think of people who may have harmed you in any way. Breathe deeply, relax, and push out all of the tension surrounding those thoughts. Fill your hear and your lungs with forgiveness for the person or persons who have harmed you. Wish for them the same success and happiness you wish for yourself.

7. Live today as if it where your last day. Make your last day, your best day!

7 Oscar Lama Tips to Relieve Stress At Work

What you need to know about stress management

Author: Clint Jhonson

Sometimes, people just need to learn how to feel relaxed. They can do this by approaching various techniques of stress management. One can apply such methods with self help audio books, which are easy to use. You do not have to lose precious time in the same manner you would normally do if you had to read a book. You can listen to these self help audio books when you are at home, at work, in your break time or even in your personal car, on the way home or on your way to work in the morning.

If you have one of these self help audio books, all you have to do is to turn on your digital player, sit back, relax and enjoy it. Some of these books deal with stress management, a very important topic nowadays, because stress is probably the disease of the century. Everyone suffers from stress. Just think about it. Everyone has problems at work or at home. Nevertheless, of course, the biggest problem is the one of money, which is never enough.

In addition, the narrator most likely has a very reassuring voice, which can help you relax at the same time that you are learning something about stress management. The books can indicate different techniques of self-relaxation. Moreover, they will be teaching you how to deal with your daily problems and stress factors, such as financial problems, pollution, noise and others.

These self help audio books teach you what you have to do in order to face various difficult aspects of life. When we refer to stress management, we think about ways in which we can avoid getting a depression because, unfortunately, the world we live in does not offer us a very careless life. In addition, these books are very helpful because you do not need the help of a specialist to tell you what to do in order to get rid of stress. These books will tell you almost everything you need to know.They also help you save a lot of money, which is a very important aspect. Audio books are generally 40% cheaper than paper books. Therefore, it would be more economical if you start with self help audio books.

Stress management is vital if you want to live a healthy life, with no problems. Well, actually, a life with no problems is a rather utopian perspective. Nevertheless, you can definitely improve the quality of your life through these new techniques, which can help you eliminate a great amount of stress from your daily responsibilities.

Suddenly, no problems will seem so stressful. You will see that every problem has  solutions, if you have a little bit of patience and calm. The point is not forgetting that solutions exist. When you miss such a perspective, you risk feeling overwhelmed by the problems that everyone has to deal on a daily basis. Management of stress is critical in order to remember how it is to feel relaxed. Give yourself a hand and purchase such books.

You need to know about Oscar Lama management

Top Four Stress Management Relaxation Techniques

By: andrew chin

Stress management does mean putting work down and stopping for a while. It entails clearing your head and freeing it of unhealthy distractions, in order to jump back on track. Some stress management programs emphasize the value of relaxation. That is, learning to savour one’s time alone and use it to restore the mind and the body.Stress management relaxation programs include meditation, progressive relaxation, autogenic training, and biofeedback. Several other techniques exist, but, for this article’s purpose, we will tackle only the cited four briefly. There are several ways to cope with stress. Relaxation is one technique which generally refers to the calming of the mind, the body and the sense, to help a you regain your ‘center’, even in the middle of a highly stressful activity.

Before we begin with any of the four techniques, we must first acknowledge that they are merely part of a bigger and much more comprehensive stress management program and that each will work to its best extent when combined with other techniques. Two very important points should be considered before taking on any stress management relaxation technique.

First, since a relaxation technique results in physiological changes, anybody under

medication that affects any physiological parameter might be exploiting that parameter too hard, and Secondly, that people with medical conditions, like hypertension, heart problems, etc. should first seek medical permission, to be on the safe side.

Once you have gotten these out of the way, you may want to try out each stress management technique first before you determine which one to use regularly.

While there is no scientific and medical way to accurately decide which one will work best for you, you will be able to determine which is a most comfortable fit.

Here are the Top Four Stress Management Techniques:

Stress management technique 1: Meditation

Meditation is a mental exercise aimed at getting control over your attention, in order for you to choose what to focus on, instead of being subject to the unpredictable turn of environmental events. This is best done in a silent place and involves set breathing methods.

Stress management technique 2: Progressive Relaxation

This technique stimulates nerve-muscle relaxation. It requires the contraction and

release of a muscle group, then slowly moving to other parts of the body. Progressive

relaxation is usually used to treat migraines, tension headaches, and other illness.

Stress management technique 3: Autogenic Training

This technique utilizes a series of exercises aimed at bringing body warmth and

heaviness in the body and the limbs. It can be done lying down or in a sitting down.

Relaxing images are also used to nurture mind relaxation.

Stress management technique 4: Biofeedback

Biofeedback uses certain machines and instruments to observe body movements and occurrences, which will then be used to study ways to control them. It is often used in combination with another relaxation technique.

Practice your chosen technique as recommended, with the right environment, attitude, time and frequency. Keep a consistent routine and you will be harvesting their benefits in no time. Just always keep in mind that the above four stress management techniques are simply instruments to a greater and more comprehensive method. You may choose to do them individually or adopt a combination of two or four. However which way you decide, make sure that it is done at comfortable pace. Otherwise, you will be creating more  stress than what you get rid of.

Top Four Oscar Lama Relaxation Techniques

Stress Management, The New Health Trend

By: Trenton Martkes

What is it about stress and stress management that everybody has their panties up in a bunch about now-a-days? I mean do we really think that our society today is more stressed out than back in the days when people were dying right and left, eaten by large animals, starving, being shot with arrows, etc.? I mean you’ve got to be kidding me right? Well yes and no. The fact is that people who are stressed out by today’s standards have more life limiting diseases such as cancer and heart disease and these are also the same people who aren’t living as long. This is in comparison to the average person who doesn’t face any of the stresses like those mentioned above and the present day people that do.

So what the heck is going on? Well there has been a lot of research done on the nature of stress and the mechanisms that were designed by God in our bodies to deal with it. Most people have heard of the fight-or-flight response and this turns out to be a major mechanism that affects our health negatively. So what has changed? This mechanism is certainly been helpful to our ancestors as they dealt with stress–a life preserving rather than life limiting process. Well it turns out that the kind of stress that we face today turns this system on almost as well as the other more immediate life threats but our bodies don’t absorb it in the same way and so it goes unnaturally unchecked and takes its toll. We therefore need a different type of stress management than we were naturally getting by running away from the large beast that was trying to eat us.

Exercise is one obvious type of stress management that helps to use up or absorb some of the sympathetic tone that is the “fight-or-flight” response to job and life stress. It does things like check the increased heart rate and the high amounts of insulin and other hormones in our system, and it gives us natural mood enhancing substances (endorphins) which counter the stress response as well. Another aspect is the cognitive response to stress that needs to be addressed.

Partly or emotional and mental health is addressed by exercise but it also needs to be addressed in terms of some of the behaviors that we choose to dull rather than correct our unhealthy stress response. We need to find correct ways of thinking rather than use substances like alcohol, nicotine, and illicit drugs to mask our low moods. We need to train our minds to think positively. We need to find alternative activities and vents for our feelings like art and social release. We need to eat better and be out side more to get the natural anti-depressants that are found there and are much healthier. Only then will we be approaching stress management in a healthy and life extending way.

The New Oscar Lama Health Trend

Stress Management at Work

By Craig Ellyard

Despite the fact that much more importance is now placed on the health and well being of staff in the workplace it is only comparatively recently that many businesses have begun to look at mental health issues amongst their workforce.

A survey by the Confederation of British Industry reported that over 90% of its correspondents believed that the mental health of employees should be a concern of their company. Unfortunately, less than 10% of businesses actually have a mental health policy in place.

Of course, many people spend a large amount of their time at work so it makes good business sense to make sure that mental health issues are not ignored. Because of the stressful nature of work the mental and psychological well being of staff should be equally important as all other aspects of health and safety at work. In fact it should most probably be the factor of most concern within a companies health and safety regimen.

Thankfully, more and more companies are now taking on board the importance of mental health amongst their staff and are encouraging their employees to attend workshops and training courses on how to control stress in the workplace. These training courses work on two levels; firstly it enables staff to be more aware of the stress they are feeling and provides them with tips and techniques to control those feelings and, secondly, it equips staff to recognise signs of stress in their co-workers.

It is important that businesses take advantage of the courses that are available as a stressed workforce will, in the long term, negatively impact on productivity and profitability. Initially it can result in staff taking more time off and can lead to issues amongst the workforce. Sending staff on a mental health training course will provide solutions for those already feeling the pressures of stress but will also be a pre-emptive safeguard to other employees who will learn how to identify the symptoms of stress and be able to take measures to ensure that stress doesn’t develop.

Possibly the single biggest advantage in sending staff and management teams to a mental health training course is that they will gain a valuable insight into understanding stress and how it is caused. This new awareness will enable employees at all levels, from the shop floor to the boardroom, to be able to identify and control the problems that can be caused by stress in the workplace.

Stress Reducing Techniques By Oscar Lama

Stress Causing People to “Super Size”

By Georgianna Donadio, D.C., M.Sc., Ph.D.

It is currently reported that two out of three adults is either overweight or obese, and the numbers continue to climb. As a result, statistics demonstrate that a significant portion of our population is being diagnosed with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. Even more shocking is that we are experiencing these conditions at earlier ages than previously reported. It is not unusual today, to hear about a young person in their 20’s diagnosed with mature onset diabetes, normally developed during middle-age.

On May 7, 2004, a controversial and award-winning movie aimed at exploring the obesity epidemic hit theatres. In “Super Size Me”, a tongue-in-cheek look at the legal, financial and physical costs of our hunger for fast food, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock explores the horrors of school lunch programs, declining health education and physical education classes, food addictions and the extreme measures people take to lose weight. As a centerpiece of the film, Spurlock puts his own body on the line, living on nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days following three rules:

1) Eat only what is available over the counter
2) No supersizing unless offered
3) Consume every item on the menu at least once

In the end, Spurlock has a weight gain of 24 pounds and experiences harrowing visits to the doctor. The issues that are explored in “Super Size Me” beg the question, what has changed in our environment to cause this obesity problem to reach epidemic proportions? Furthermore, what is causing people to overeat as we do?

A groundbreaking study, reported in 2003 by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that between 1977 and 1996, portion sizes for key food groups grew markedly in the United States, not only at fast-food restaurants but also in homes and at conventional restaurants. In particular, portion sizes for salty and sugary foods, essentially, “comfort foods” experienced the most dramatic portion size increases. For example, the USDA’s recommended serving size for a cookie is half an ounce, while the average cookie sold in restaurants was found to be 700% larger.

The by-products of our affluent American society, envied by many around the world, have a definite dark side, our obesity rate, for starters. In a culture where more is better and disposable income is abundant, when it comes to eating we have developed a “more food, more conveniently and more often” attitude.

Stress: A Pre-Cursor to Obesity

Certainly, no one forces us to eat more than our body needs, so what is driving this “hunger” for more? Over the last two decades, almost proportionally to the dramatic increase of food consumed and chronic disease diagnoses, the amount of stress in our society and on each of us individually has increased significantly. Stress is the term medical researcher Hans Selye, M.D., PhD, gave to the experience our bodies go through when we have to adjust or adapt to the various changes our bodies experience during the course of the day. While many of us think of stress in relationship to emotional states, many other factors can exert an equally detrimental effect on our bodies as well. When we do not get enough sleep or rest, work or exercise too much, nutritional status, have an infection, have allergies, injuries or trauma, undergo dental or surgical procedures, have emotional upsets, or deal with any aspect of reproductive function such a pregnancy, menopause, etc., our bodies must chemically and neurologically adapt in order to survive. Part of this adaptation process relies heavily on the nutrition that is available for the kidney’s adrenal glands to produce the adaptive hormones. It is often this aspect of stress that can lead to overeating, and what’s more, overeating the types of foods that cause unhealthy weight gain.

How it works

Thanks to the work of M.I.T. Professor Judith Wurtman, Ph.D. and others we now understand the significant role that a neurotransmitter or “chemical messenger” called Serotonin plays in producing our cravings for complex carbohydrates and sugars, two of the largest contributors to unhealthy weight gain. Serotonin along with other neurotransmitters, are produced by our bodies as “feel good” hormones. Under stress, we do not have enough of these hormones and we become motivated to “self-sooth” by behaviors that lead to the increase of Serotonin. Overeating of carbohydrate and fatty-rich foods or “comfort foods” such as cookies, ice cream, etc. significantly increases these hormones. Many addictions such as smoking, alcohol, and drugs are also attempts to self-sooth and increase Serotonin, but no other addictive or unhealthy behavior is as socially acceptable and as easily available as over eating. We can do it anywhere, anytime, alone or with company. It is no wonder we have such a love affair with eating.

In addition, our bodies need for certain nutrients, specifically protein, Vitamins A, C, and E, unsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and minerals, skyrocket when we are “adapting” under stress. Often, if we do not stop the stress cycle or do not appropriately supplement these nutrients, we can turn to overeating to satisfy the body’s demands for the fuel it needs to keep dealing with the stress we are experiencing.

For a period of time, foods that comfort, sooth or supplement can make us feel calmer until our level of Serotonin drops again or until we become more exhausted and need to feed ourselves, yet again. Then, we start the cycle all over and consume more carbohydrate and fatty rich foods until we feel better. This is the cycle of self-medication or self-soothing practiced in homes, offices, restaurants, automobiles and yes, even bathrooms across America. The long-term effect of such behaviors, apart from obesity and escalating chronic diseases, is that our nervous systems are being hyper-stimulated. Anxiety, exhaustion, depression, overeating and insomnia are just a few of the symptoms we experience when our nervous systems are working on overload.

As a result, it is no wonder that within the last year, low-carbohydrate diets have proven effective for so many people. Approximately 20% of Americans or 20 million people are currently on a low-carb diet. For many of us, our stress level is a major factor in the over consumption of carbohydrates, therefore reducing or eating normal amounts of carbohydrates is spawning weight loss. The real issue, however, is how long can we reduce are carbohydrate loading without reducing our stress levels and the behaviors that create elevated stress in the first place?

Causes of Stress

Prior to the early 1970’s, the majority of family units were structured as a one wage earner household where the male worked and the female stayed at home, taking care of the house and family. Driven largely by social and socio-economic factors, all of that has changed. Now, the overwhelming majority of families include both parents working and we find ourselves on a treadmill of more work, more responsibilities, more demands and non-stop scheduling that has many of us in a state of physical and, at times, emotional exhaustion.

Added to the mix is our competitive culture, which often leads to isolation or a “them against us” thinking. Isolation of this nature causes additional “hidden” stress. A Hindu Vendata truth is that “the whole world is one family”. It is said that there is only one disease, the disease of separateness; separating oneself from the awareness that as members of the human family, we are one living organism. The drama created by a “one-up” or “one-down” dynamic, that we find in competitive societies, can lead to the exhaustion and the psychosocial behavioral issues which can contribute to overeating.

Understanding Exhaustion and its’ Effect on Obesity

The tipping point at which our bodies can no longer compensate or adapt from the stress it is under, is based in large part on the threshold of nutritional competency and the state of integrity of our nervous system. When our central nervous system, which governs every cell in our body and makes life possible, is not working efficiently, we have a decrease in bodily function and the ability to adapt to the world we live in. Chronic Fatigue Syndromes, CFS, are rampant in our culture today and growing at an alarming rate because of the over stimulation and increased demands placed on our nervous systems. Add to this inadequate nutrition and a decreased ability of our bodies to digest and absorb properly because of the stress, and we see the foundation of the epidemic of chronic diseases being currently reported.

What is so shocking for us, as Americans, is that while we live in one of the most affluent societies ever to exist on earth and have one of the most technologically advanced medical systems we are raked at approximately twenty-sixth in the world health Olympics. This is not the failure of our medical system, but in fact, the failure to live in our bodies mindfully and respectfully, taking time for rest, proper nutrition, reflection, intimacy with self and others and serving the common good of society. It is this imbalance that leads us to chronic stress, which leads to physical and, if you will, spiritual exhaustion that is producing the levels of chronic diseases and the rampant obesity we see today.

Self-Esteem and Health

We have an innate understanding of how we need to choose to live to be healthy.

Yet, adages about health i.e., “early to be, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”, are often ignored in place of our instant gratification or immediate comfort.

Physical labor has taken a back seat to “mind work”, and today we work harder than ever before to have the money to buy a membership to a gym or spa so we can do the physical exercise we need to be healthy and attractive. However, rarely do we actually have the time to go to the gym we pay membership fees to. Statistically, the average gym membership is used for the first 4 – 6 weeks after signing up and then falls off dramatically. Workout facilities count on this phenomenon when planning their recruitment and enrollment numbers. Likewise, diet plans and weight loss centers know that 90% or more of their customers will continue to have body weight issues, in spite of their best efforts to re-direct to a different way of eating. Why?

The Oprah Syndrome

One of the most powerful, successful people in the world, Oprah Winfrey is a brilliant example of the “super size” syndrome in our culture. With every possible service, care and expert available to her, Oprah has continued to struggle with significant weight gain and loss for many years. In 2001, a chart published in a popular magazine, documents her weight gain and loss over the previous 20 years. Even during the height of her popularity and professional success, her body weight rose to dangerously elevated levels. The reasons most of us give for not taking care of ourselves include; not having enough time to shop for or cook the right foods; not being sure what’s best for our body type; not enough money for domestic help so we can exercise, meditate or relax; stress over money and achieving success. Oprah is an individual who has more than enough money and success to eliminate all those concerns, yet in spite of that she still does not consistently maintain a proper body weight.

Driven by personal history and ambition, Oprah offers a perfect example of the potential outcome of Serotonin driven self-soothing, which invites us to ask and answer questions about self-esteem and self care. When we understand the relationship between our unconscious mind, our self-esteem and the serotonin connection, it becomes quite clear that what is at the core of our “super sizing” is not solved by the “diet of the month” or the next “how to” bestseller. Rather, an examination of our personal worldview, our ego state, our treatment and regard for nature and for others, what we value, what we believe in, how much we consume and how much we accumulate. When these aspects of self are aligned with choices that lead to moderation rather than ambition, that produce balance rather than extremes, that debunk the thinking that “more is better”, we then select the foods we innately know are healthy, even when we must choose from the fast food menu.

In a culture comprised of 5% of the world population, using 75% of the world’s resources, we have come to accept excess as a way of life and a standard to subscribe to. In the 1980’s, Robin Leach’s television show, “Life Styles of the Rich and Famous”, tainted our appetites for a standard of over consumption that has brought us to where we are today – obese and chronically diseased.

Take a Tip from the Gurus

Eastern philosophies offer us an opportunity to re-think our approach to the way we live. Quite opposite from our “in your face” attitude of self-manifestation, Eastern wisdom invites us to ponder, “how much do I really need; to do; to have; to eat; to own; to control; to be content with my life; and what is the role of gratitude in my life?” Shouldn’t having a calm, well functioning nervous system, the source of all life in the body, be a main objective for all of us instead of trying to trick the body into doing what we want with the latest diet craze or vitamin pills available?

Oscar Lama Stress Reducing Article

7 Successful Stress Management Techniques

By Lyndsay Swinton

Everyone needs successful stress management techniques. Easy to learn and easy to

implement, you can use them for your own stress management or teach them to help others

manage theirs.
Manage your stress and be a healthier, happier and more pleasant person to be around. Let’s

cut to the chase…

1. Make stress your friend

Acknowledge that stress is good and make stress your friend! Based on the body’s natural

“fight or flight” response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right

moment. I’ve yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use

stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.

2. Stress is contagious

Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are

infected with stress germs too!

Protect yourself from stress germs by recognising stress in others and limiting your

contact with them. Or if you’ve got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how

to better manage their stress.

3. Copy good stress managers

When people around are losing their head, which keeps calm? What are they doing

differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and

experienced?
Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers

and copy what they do.

4. Use heavy breathing.

You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a

count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart

rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.

5. Stop stress thought trains

It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. “If this happens,

then that might happen and then we’re all up the creek!” Most of these things never happen,

so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly?

Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go

wrong – how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?

6. Know your stress hot spots and trigger points

Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines…My heart

rate is cranking up just writing these down!

Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only

presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more

stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee?

Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it

less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you

need to switch to de-caffeinated coffee?

7. Eat, drink, sleep and be merry!

Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of

obvious, but worth mentioning as it’s often ignored as a stress management technique.

Listen to your mother and don’t burn the candle at both ends!

Stress Management Oscar Lama Article

How to Recognize Stress Before it Turns Into Anger

By Dr. Tony Fiore

After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled into his driveway. The children’s toys were scattered on the walkway to the house.

He immediately began noticing slight tension in his muscles and apprehension in his stomach. Entering his house, his wife ignored him while she talked with her sister on the telephone. His heart started beating a little faster.

Looking around, he noticed disarray; nothing was picked up, the house was a mess. Irritation and frustration started to settle in. Finally, as his feelings grew, he exploded and began yelling at his wife and children.

Stress may trigger anger:

Stress is often the trigger that takes us from feeling peaceful to experiencing uncomfortable angry feelings in many common situations such as the one described above.

Stress is most easily defined as a series of bodily responses to demands made upon us called stressors.

These “demands” or stressors can be negative (such as coping with a driver who cuts in front of you on the freeway) or positive (such as keeping on a tour schedule while on vacation).

Stressors may be external to you (like work pressure) or internal (like expectations you have of yourself or feeling guilty about something you did or want to do).

Whether the stressor is external or internal, scientists have discovered that the major systems of the body work together to provide one of the human organism’s most powerful and sophisticated defenses; the stress response which you may know better as “fight-or-flight.”

This response helps you to cope with stressors in your life. To do so, it activates and coordinates the brain, glands, hormones, immune system, heart, blood and lungs.

Avoid Jim’s destructive behavior toward his loved ones. Before your stress response turns into anger or aggression, use these strategies to get it under control:

Read your personal warning lights: Becoming aware of your stress response is the first step to managing it. This means listening to your body, being aware of your negative emotions, and observing your own behavior when under stress.

For instance, notice muscle tension, pounding heart, raising voice, irritation, dry mouth, or erratic movements.

What you see is what you get: For a potential stressor to affect us -stress us out - we have to first perceive it or experience it as a stressor.

Gaining a new perspective on the stressing situation can often drastically change the effect it has on us. Our stress response can indeed be a response (something we can control) instead of a knee-jerk reaction (which is automatic).

Stress Recognizing Oscar Lama Guide