Stress Management Techniques Are Perfect Stress Busters

By Victoria W. Bergman


Stress is a feeling of emotional and physical tension. It can cause severe health problems and in extreme cases can cause death. If you are a learner, you have probably noticed that you are experiencing stress from many different areas. Worries about finance, relationships and academic performance can all have an impact on your mental and physical health.

Seeing things through from start to finish is important, as it can be tempting to start one piece of work, then another and have several projects on the go at once. This can apply equally at home or at work; starting to clean a room, then doing a little ironing, then the garden can result in nothing being finished and leave a dissatisfied feeling at the end of the day. If a work task has to be left part way through make sure that you make clear notes so that it can be resumed efficiently once you return.

Delegate. Let others help and they will take pride in the responsibility, become more proficient and experienced and may even be in a position to offer useful ideas and suggestions. It can take a little time and patience to teach someone new skills, but in the long term it usually pays off.Say 'no' sometimes. This is a useful way to manage stress for several reasons. It makes other people appreciate that you're busy, gives you a reminder that you have some control over the way you allocate your time and allows you to focus on doing what you're already doing with a clear, calm mind.

Look at the big picture: Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run.Have role models: Emulate people who have had success that you admire. Learn about the struggles they have had during their career paths and the techniques they used to overcome difficult times.Be more assertive: Do not take a back seat in your life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. When you have got an exam to study for and your chatty room mates just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.

Focus on priorities: Write down your priorities and celebrate when you reach each one. It is one of the best tools to achieve the desired goals.Do something you enjoy everyday: Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be playing the piano or working on your bike.Keep your sense of humor: This includes the ability to laugh at yourself.Exercise regularly: Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise.Eat a healthy diet: Well nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat.Reduce sugar: Sugar provides a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks chocolate and sugar snacks in your diet, you will feel more relaxed and better.Avoid drugs: Avoid alcohol and cigarettes. Self medication with alcohol and drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Do not mask the issue at hand; deal with problems with a clear mind.

Remind yourself to value the other areas of your life, your family, friends, hobbies and interests as well as work. By introducing stress management techniques it becomes easier to find a balance between all those different areas. You establish a better quality of life and establish a healthy work/life balance that brings satisfaction, pleasure as well as challenge and only occasional stress.

Try it right now:Relax your body and free yourself of any signs of tension. Allow your tongue and jaws to relax. Drop your shoulders away from your ears. Let your abdomen relax and become softer, freeing yourself of all tension from that part of your body. Become aware of your breathing just as it is. Inhale and take in a deep, full breath.Allow the breath to flow all the way down into the lower belly. You can imagine that there is a small balloon in the belly. As you breathe in, allow that balloon to smoothly inflate. As you breathe out, feel how the balloon easily collapses. Take in several of these measured, gentle, deep breaths.

Then begin to become aware of a slight pause that spontaneously takes place at the end of each out-breath. Give yourself permission to remain here without rushing to take the next inhalation. Allow the next inhalation to surface when your body is ready to welcome it.Take pleasure in the comforting tranquility of the pause. Float peacefully in the silence of this pause between exhalation and inhalation, letting the breath happen of its own accord. Let the breath breathe you!

The act of tuning into something like this has profound physiological effects and can help you reduce your reaction to emotional tension faster and with greater ease. It is certainly not comfortable to be worked up. Allowing an activity to help you cope is a great way to learn how to stay calmer.

Another wonderful way to find deep belly breath is to lie face down on your belly. In this position, the only way you can breathe is diaphragmatically.Lastly, it can sometimes be useful to let yourself sigh out loud with the out-breath. Sounding is a wonderful way to let go of stress and tension.Deep, diaphragmatic, soft-belly breathing has a profound effect on the body. Just three minutes of soft-belly breathing can shift your body out of Stress Response mode into the Relaxation Response! And if you can remain in that Relaxation Response for just 20 minutes each day, you will go a long way toward offsetting the destructive effects of chronic stress on your body.




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