Attention Women In Medicine: Wrap Up Your Day In A Powerful Way (By Dr Stephanie Wellington)

Women in medicine have a full agenda. Once your day begins you are on the go, whether it is clinical responsibilities or catching up with things at home. The high demands of a life as a doctor, nurse practitioner, or nurse with little time to regroup and re-energize contributes to a buildup of stress, overwhelm, and feeling like you are on a hamster wheel.

As important as it is to set an intention for the beginning of each day, it as crucial to set the intention to wrap up your day.

For women in medicine, wrapping up your day brings closure to the career part of your life as you re-enter the personal part of your life as a mother, wife, and the other roles you have. It is important to become mindful of the energy you absorb when working in high acuity, high demand settings of medicine. We are exposed to patient stressors, colleague complaints, and overwhelm as the clock ticks and patients still need to be examined and administrative responsibilities completed. There are also things we trouble shoot that are beyond our scope of practice. A wrap-up routine at the end of day releases that high stress energy. It honors your strengths as you move into your next role. It is a stress management tool that lends itself towards experiencing harmony in your life.

Here is are strategies my clients and I use.

Celebrate the everyday wins

When you have dedicated your life and career to serving others, it is imperative to focus on the cycle of giving and receiving. This shifts you from feeling like you are always giving and sacrificing and opens you to acknowledging what you receive. Celebrating your daily wins is one quick way to shift your energy. Ask any woman in medicine and she can tell you what she's done for the day. She often follows that with a long list of all the things left undone. Pause. Take a break and bask in the progress, little or big, that happened today.

• Maybe it was spending an extra 10 minutes with a patient and their family without worrying about how it will throw off the schedule.
• Maybe it was staying focused on your higher purpose as you brainstormed solutions for today's challenges in the unit.
• Maybe it was a few minutes of quality time with your family before heading off to the hospital.

Wrap up your day by celebrating what has gone well today.

Learn from the lessons

Medical professionals tend to be perfectionists and our own worse critic. We do most things ourselves because we want it done right. When it's not done right, we call it failure. Within the failure are the lessons. Lessons such as:

• How to honor and respect a colleague's point of view.
• How to delegate to the right team member, then release it and allow the end result to manifest.
• How to acknowledge a patient's ability to make the best decision for himself or herself and their family, particularly when it differs from our own.

From a place of lessons we are open to learn from others rather than judge and condemn. Wrap up your day in the hospital or office with the question, "What have I learned today that benefits me, my team, and my patients?"

Create a transition point to leave it all behind.

Confession. I am as guilty as my clients. During the commute home, I would replay my day, with all its stressors, frustrations, and things left incomplete. My inner critic had free reign to replay the day. The more I stayed in this space the less available I was for my children when I arrived home. Enjoying life was just beyond my reach. The shift came when I decided to put an end to my work day and move into my home life with ease and grace.

I created the transition point. The transition point is the place along my commute where I move out of doctor mode and into "Me" mode. Me as the woman, the mother, the daughter, and the other roles in my life. As a woman in medicine I lead the team, digest diagnostic lab tests and clinical data, and communicate with families about their newborns in the NICU. In "Me" mode I get to switch gears and lessen the demands of my life. I can say 'Yes' to top priority items and 'Not Yet' to less pressing items in favor of time with my children and things that bring more joy to my life. My transition point was a bridge that I crossed every day on my way from the hospital. Before approaching the bridge I gave myself permission to replay the day. Initially the replay was from a place of stressing about all that I had done and all that was left to do. Then I went deeper and looked for the lessons. Once I approached the bridge I was thankful for the lessons of the day and then released them.

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ABCs of Stress Management

The ABCs of Stress Management Is Awareness, Balance and Control.

Stress is created when external or internal demands made on an individual are in excess of his coping strategies and capabilities. Let us illustrate how physical stress is formed. If you are asked to pick up a glass of water and place it on the table it is not stressful. If you are asked to pick up the glass of water and fill it to the brim without dropping any water outside, it is mildly stressful. If you are asked to hold that full glass of water for two hours without dropping any water, you will get totally stressed out.

Awareness

How stressed are you? Do you feel that you have absolutely no worries and stress in the world? Then you are lucky indeed to be part of the minority of the population today. For most of us stress plays an important part of our daily lives. It disrupts our energy levels, affects our performance and can be a huge drain on our resources. Becoming aware that one is experiencing stress is also difficult as people have got used to being under fire from all sides. It is not a natural state and will affect the health of a person in the longterm.

Balance

Once you are aware of the fact that you get stressed in certain situations, what do you do next? It is now time to manage stress levels better. Keep yourself primed for action without the accompanying tension. This can be accomplished by ensuring that you balance out the stress you are feeling in a certain situation in an optimum manner. You can avoid or modify certain stressors right away on your own. Other stressors may need some contribution from outside influences. The idea is to get hold of the problematic stressors and neutralize them.

Control

Here the idea is not to control the stress. Instead it is to control your own reaction to them. By directing one's own actions and thoughts it is possible to stay in a positive frame of mind. This defeats the stress and allows you a measure of self responsibility and control. A good night's rest is often one of the best ways to control stress. It is easier to deal with issues when you are well fed, well rested and healthy. So make sure that you actively look after your physical body and stress will begin to disappear.

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Stressed Out? Here Are Three Ways to Improve Your Coping Skills

Stress... Stress... and more Stress!

Sometimes it seems as though daily life amounts to little more than contending with one crisis after another. Or maybe your stress is about all those little niggling irritations that never go away - the traffic, the annoying coworker, the backlog of household chores and home repairs. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, this article is for you.

I've noticed in my years as a counselor, speaker, and author that stress management really encompasses three types of coping skills:

• Palliative Coping Skills - skills that restore your equanimity.

• Instrumental Coping Skills - skills that solve problems,

• Adaptive Coping Skills - skills in which you develop a new response.

To cope effectively with the stress life throws at you, you need all three for maximum flexibility and resilience. Let me describe each concept.

Palliative Coping Skills

Palliative coping skills are somewhat passive. They don't directly change external circumstances, but they do reduce stress because they calm the central nervous system, helping us to relax, feel peaceful, and remain healthier.

One example is Progressive Relaxation. In Progressive Relaxation, you take time out. You lean back or lie down and purposely, consciously, relax each part of your body.

You could also consider meditation. One of the most popular forms is Mindfulness Meditation, inspired by Buddhist teachings. You sit quietly to simply be aware of your environment, or your thoughts, or your physical sensations and breathing. You make no opinions or judgments. You take the role of an observer who notices, with no desire to change anything -accepting things as they are for now.

Learn about Mindfulness Meditation from books and audio recordings by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the leading expert. He defines mindfulness as "... the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment by moment."

Kabat-Zinn founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. There, he taught hospital patients how to practice Mindfulness Meditation to cope with a range of chronic medical conditions. His studies showed that after eight weeks of daily meditation, these patients reported reduced pain, less depression, accelerated healing, improved relationships, and a better sense of well-being.

In The Mindful Brain, psychiatrist Daniel Siegel cited a host of studies demonstrating that long-term meditative practice bestows these benefits:

• Changes connections in the brain, with increased thickness in parts of the brain that regulate physical processes, balance emotions, modulate fear, and support insight and empathy.

• Enhances cognitive flexibility and reduces impulsivity.

• Promotes behavioral flexibility.

• Improves the capacity to regulate emotions.

• Improves thinking and reduces negativity.

• Promotes healing, immune response, and a general sense of physical well-being.

• Improves relationships, because of enhanced empathy and the ability to interpret nonverbal emotional signals from others.

• Reduces symptoms of depression, personality disorders, substance abuse, obsessive behaviors, eating disorders, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.

• Enhances resilience in the face of difficulty.

Other candidates for palliative coping might be:

• Yoga or Tai Chi

• Listening to soothing music

• Reading novels or poetry

• Talking walks in natural settings

• Hobbies such as painting, playing an instrument, or gardening

• Spending quality time with a pet

• Singing in a chorus

• Exercise

• Maintaining a gratitude journal

Palliative coping skills don't fix the situation that causes your stress. Instead they make you stronger and more resilient through activities that are soothing, relaxing, and restorative.

Instrumental Coping Skills

With instrumental coping skills, you take action to change the source of your stress. You negotiate or eliminate whatever is bugging you. Sometimes changing a stressful situation requires a single one-time action. Sometimes the new behavior is one you must repeat and maintain over time.

With complicated circumstances, such as finances, health issues, or interpersonal relationships, single-step solutions do not always work. That's where detailed problem-solving comes in. Here are the steps for detailed problem-solving.

1. Identify the problem that is causing your stress.

2. Define the result you want.

3. Consider alternative strategies that will bring about the result you want.

4. Evaluate and compare the various strategies. Choose the best one - the one that offers the most advantages with the fewest drawbacks.

5. Make a plan. Define the steps involved and when you can implement each one. Identify the resources you'll need: people, finances, time, expert advice, tools, or equipment.

6. Access your resources and take action. Follow through and stay with the plan.

7. Monitor your progress. Notice whether things are going in the desired direction.

8. Modify the plan as needed.

9. Stop when you have accomplished results; or continue action as needed.

This problem-solving method is ideal for teams and families too, not just individuals.When you realize that most complex problems are not solved overnight, you will develop "next step" thinking. This means you eliminate or resolve the problem one small step at a time.

Adaptive Coping Skills

With Adaptive Coping skills you change your internal response so that your thoughts, emotions, physiology and possibly your behavior are better adapted to the circumstances. You develop a more resourceful response to situations that you have typically found difficult or challenging.

In other words, you meet the challenge; rise to the occasion. You replace nervousness with confidence. You replace anger with patience. How do you do that? Neuro-Linguistic Programming teaches a process called anchoring. It's a strategy of replacing a problematic mind-body state with one that is more resourceful. Here it is in a few quick steps.

1. Identify the stressful situation where you feel anxious, or short-tempered, etc.

2. Identify the response you would rather have in that situation. Example: You'd rather have confidence instead of anxiety.

3. Identify some other activity or situation in your life where you do respond in your desired manner. Choose some circumstance in which you typically feel confident, competent or patient, for instance.

4. Immerse yourself in a memory of your desired response. Repeat this step until you easily access that state.

5. While accessing the desired response, mentally rehearse how you now will respond to the situation that was the source of your difficulty.

This is what solution-oriented thinking is all about. It's changing the focus from the problem to the solution. Studies show that mental rehearsal is essential to lasting behavioral change. World-class athletes use it to hone their skills. You can do it too.

Imagine feeling poised while delivering a speech. Imagine feeling confident and sincere when asking that special someone out for a date. Consider that you could replace distraction with concentration, confusion with curiosity, and timidity with assertiveness.

All Three Skills are Important

All three types of coping skills are important. With palliative coping skills, you can maintain equanimity in meeting the often unpleasant circumstances of daily life. With instrumental coping skills, you will take action to eliminate the source of your stress or discomfort. With adaptive coping skills, you will expand your flexibility to meet various challenges that could improve your health, your relationships, and your career. Adaptive coping skills will help you rise to the occasion, instead of engaging in avoidance behaviors.

Sometimes it isn't easy to develop a reliable routine of say, meditating or writing in a gratitude journal. It might be difficult to get past heavy-duty emotions so that you can think clearly enough to engage in effective problem-solving or in developing a new, adaptive response.

If developing these skills seem difficult, it could be to your advantage to consult a coach, mentor, or counselor who can help you prepare and plan, walk you through the steps, monitor your progress, and hold you accountable for the results. Such expert guidance might be just the push you need to get past such sticking points and implement effective stress management.

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Building a Strong Body Part 2: Tao of Stress Management Series

In Chinese Medicine, it is said that the Jing, or Essence, is the physical manifestation of Qi (Vital Energy). Based on this principle, it is essential to have a strong physical foundation in order to sustain good energy levels, emotional stability, and mental clarity. So, effective stress management MUST start with building a strong body that can function harmoniously in any situation.

Water - The Foundation of Life

Adequate water intake is absolutely essential if you want to be less stressed out. It is almost too simple, but it can go a long way towards helping you feel better.

Why? Water is the fundamental element of life on this planet. Every single physiological process in your body depends on the presence of water. That is why your body is over 70% water.

We are literally walking oceans, teeming with life, with a complex and intricate ecosystem that needs water to survive and thrive.

Because water is so essential to life, when you don't have enough of it, your cells are literally stressed. Think about how it feels when you are breathing in exhaust from a truck, or when you are coughing and have difficulty breathing.

When you are chronically dehydrated, your cells are constantly undernourished and looking for nutrients. Simply put, this creates a lot of stress for your body.

And, when your cells are stressed out, so are you. It's that simple. Cellular stress is reflected as imbalance in your adrenals, testosterone, serotonin, ATP, insulin, cortisol, and every other biochemical substance that regulates your body.

Or, in more direct terms: Your virility, energy, mood, and metabolism all suffer when you don't drink enough water.

My baseline recommendation is a minimum of 8 to 10 glasses of filtered/RO water daily. For example: Drink 2 when you first get up, 2 by lunchtime, 2 more by dinnertime, and 2 more before bed. It's that simple.

Spare the Caffeine

That cup of coffee sure feels good and so does that Coke at lunch. But what it does to your stress levels is another story. Let me explain how it effects your stress levels and hopefully you will see that too much coffee or caffeine is one of the best ways to ensure you have more stress than you need.

Caffeine causes your adrenal glands, to secrete stress hormones. These stress hormones wake you up by raising your blood pressure to bring more blood to the brain, and by releasing stored sugar into your blood, giving you a rush of energy.

But, higher blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar are not good for you. In moderation, caffeine can be useful and has some documented benefits. Unfortunately, most of us are far from moderate in our caffeine use.

Drinking caffeine is like consuming liquid stress. Doesn't life provide enough stress as it is? I don't advocate anything too extreme, so of course if you just like to have that morning coffee, please do so. But, try decaf or half-caf for a little while, and see if you notice your moods leveling out, your energy picking up, and your mental clarity increasing. Moderation is the key.

Build a Stronger Body and You Will Build a Better Life

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Building a Strong Body: Tao of Stress Management

In Chinese Medicine, it is said that the Jing, or Essence, is the physical manifestation of Qi (Vital Energy). Based on this principle, it is essential to have a strong physical foundation in order to sustain good energy levels, emotional stability, and mental clarity. So, effective stress management MUST start with building a strong body that can function harmoniously in any situation.

We Need Stress

Stress is a natural part of life, and it can't be avoided. In fact, a life without stress is not life at all. One must be challenged in order to grow and thrive.

In today's fast-paced world it is easy to become overwhelmed by stress. Stress from work, relationships, financial problems, and the crazy pace of information exchange can create a constant drain on your life, energy and health - if you let them.

And, therein lies the key. You have a choice. Are you going to let things control you? Or, are you going to take charge of your circle of influence and make it as peaceful and productive as possible?

If you choose to take charge, the most important thing to know is this: What can I control?

The answer to that question is rather simple, but many of us simply don't see it. Simple things are like that. They are elusive because as humans we have a tendency to overcomplicate things. But, when we can clear our minds and mute our pride long enough to see through all the little games we play, the simple truth shines through.

In this series I will be telling you things that you've probably already heard. They are simple and straightforward -- so much so that our overcomplicated minds have trouble believing them. Keep an open mind and this will all make sense.

The ABCs of Stress Management

The first step in effective stress management is to simply stop creating more stress for yourself. As humans we are masters of creating stress, and the reason for this is that we are always trying to control what we can't control. Being out of control can be very stressful, so it is important to learn what we can control, then learn how to let go of the things we can't.

The things we can control are what I like to call the "ABCs" of stress management: Attitude, Breathing, and Choices.

Think about it for a minute. Is there ANYTHING you really control outside of those three aspects of your life?

When you get a handle on your attitude, learn to control your breathing, and learn to make positive, beneficial choices for yourself, you are well on your way to stress-reduction and long-term stress-management.

Taking Control of Your Physical Body

The first step in effective stress management is to take control of your body's health. We do this primarily by making good choices, but we also need to adjust our attitude towards ourselves.

The most effective way to a stronger body is the same thing we already know: proper diet and a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise. When you incorporate these into your regular habits, you are choosing to feel better, be stronger, and prepare yourself to meet life's challenges in a balanced way.

Here are a few foundations you can implement to help yourself better manage stress right now.

Sleep - The Cornerstone of Stress Management

Your body has a miraculous ability to restore and heal itself. The vast majority of its restorative powers are at work while you sleep. This is another expression of your body's intelligent function -- while you are awake and responding to stress, the cells and tissues are in "fight" mode, hence most of your body's resources are directed at the muscles, skin, and sense organs.

At night, however, your body goes into healing overdrive. Glands and deep internal organs become infused with blood, and the resting state of the muscles and sense organs allows your "sixth sense" to take over and direct a massive reconstruction effort. This reconstruction is designed by nature to keep you fresh, alert, and ready to handle the stresses of the following day.

Even the most advanced conventional drugs and medicines fail to compare to the effects of rest and recuperation during illness.

Your ability to handle stress is dramatically weakened by sleep deprivation, because your body is not able to restore itself. It is like a road that is never maintained -- the cars keep driving over it, the weather keeps beating cracks and holes into it, and nobody ever comes to smooth it over or clean it up. Over time it becomes more and more difficult to drive that road.

Therefore, without adequate sleep and rest, you only ensure that your road in life becomes less smooth and more difficult to navigate.

The commonly recommended amount of sleep is 6 - 8 hours nightly. I encourage you to make 8 hours the minimum, and to get more from time to time when it is feasible.

Sleep well, and it will help you be well.

Build a Stronger Body and You Will Build a Better Life

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4 Simple Techniques to Remove Stress

"I'm so stressed!"

"I'm fed up of my job!"

"What is going to happen in the future?!"

Are you familiar with any of the above-mentioned statements? More importantly, have you used any of these in your life?

Well, you must have used at least one, if not all, of these, at some point in your lives.

What do we mean by the term 'stress'?

Technically, there are two types of stress, namely, 'eustress' and 'distress'.

Eustress, or the 'good' stress is the minimal amount of stress that we require in order to complete a task, successfully. But, when we let ourselves become susceptible to more amounts of stress than is required, that creates a possibility of us declining towards the other kind of stress.

As a psychologist, I meet people on a daily basis, who say, "Tarun, I'm so stressed, I don't know what I'm going to do!"

Upon asking them the reason of their stress, they give me one or more of the following reasons:-

• Job
• Career
• Exams
• Relationship
• Political reasons
• News
• Child's exams
• Daughter's wedding ... and many more.

If we scroll through the feed of our beloved social networking sites, we will find 10 things that we disapprove of or hate, in the first 5 minutes, and maybe, 2 or 3 things that we love or even like, in the same duration.

There is a lot to stress about, in today's time.

I'm going to provide you with some of my personal stress management techniques.

They are as follows:-

1. News fast

This is one of the most effective methods of stress management that I have ever used. Nowadays, whichever medium of news you choose, more than half of it is filled with negativity and stressful news. Also, no! A news fast doesn't mean that you let go of the news, forever. You can just start by ignoring the news for 7 days.

2. Selective Social Media

Yes, you read it right! I am not asking you to give up social media completely. I am just asking you to be selective about it. Choose what is relevant to you and what is not. You can always turn your back on the things that don't concern you or are inducing negativity in your lives. You won't be missing out on anything as it doesn't concern you. There was a wonderful dialogue in some Bollywood movie, that had come out some years back. It went something like this: "You can't be at two places at the same time. That means that you will, definitely, be missing one thing at any given time. So, why not make the full use of it and enjoy the place, you are at that time?"

3. Use a Stress Ball

Well, as old-school as it sounds, it does work! Always keep a soft ball, handy! A medium-sized sponge-like ball will help you in many situations. Whenever you feel stressed, just squeeze it and keep on doing that till you start feeling a little better.

4. Deep breaths

Remember - there is nothing that 5 deep breaths can't solve. Whenever you are in a stressful situation, sit down, if you're standing, and place your palm on your stomach, sit straight, close your eyes, and take 5 deep breaths, feeling each of the breath as you exhale. After each deep breath, repeat the following to yourself: "I am capable of handling this situation!" and start making your tone firmer, with each breath.

Try these steps the next time you feel a little stressed and think about your challenges from a third-person's point of view. Also, do think, "How is this problem going to affect me in the next 5 years?"

All the best!

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Six Steps to Alleviate Stress for Chronically-Ill Individuals

Managing stress is hard for most of us. However, it is especially hard for the chronically-ill person as she experiences a lot of pain and fatigue at all times. And this pain and fatigue over time can cause stress of its own.

The best thing you can do with stress is to learn to cope with it. Today, I will show you how to manage stress in six easy steps.

1. Cope with pain or discomfort right away instead of waiting until your pain gets so bad that you are stressed out by it. You may want to take a pain pill or just simply rest. But listen to your body.

2. Practise self-care. The best way to reduce stress and to manage it is to consistently take care of yourself, even when you are feeling good and all is well. Do things that you enjoy every day. Don't forget to meditate and take deep breaths. All of this will help you in the long run to feel better.

3. Cope with feelings of frustration, confusion and anger right away. If you feel very frustrated or angry, it is time to stop and take things off your to-do list. Please don't just keep on going. Instead, just take the time to make space for yourself and how you are feeling. Journal, crochet, take a long walk, take a long bath. Do whatever you need to help yourself focus.

4. Take steps to maximize the quality of your life. It can be hard to do this suddenly. However, if you take your time to do things that you enjoy and to not overdo it and put yourself first every day so that you don't overstress, you will be improving your quality of life.

5. Understand your condition. They say that knowledge is power. And this is absolutely true when you are living with a chronic condition. You must try to know as much as you can about what you are experiencing. Go to workshops and read books about it. There is a lot of literature on all different chronic conditions.

6. Observe your own body. Determine if you are getting more disabled or if your condition is getting worse. Take the time to look at yourself in a full-length mirror often. This will also give you a good indicator if you are standing straight, how your posture is, and so on.

By taking these steps, you will be managing your stress and taking a bold step forward towards living better with your chronic illness and breaking the cycle of pain and disability. Only you can do this for yourself.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Six-Steps-to-Alleviate-Stress-for-Chronically-Ill-Individuals&id=9627228

Self-Care and Stress Management

What is stress? Stress is made of stressful thoughts and images in the mind, a rush of adrenaline, and corresponding sensations and tensions in the body. Anxiety and fear are other words for stress. Fear is as natural and healthy a response as is the pain we feel when we put our hand in the fire.

Fear is a helpful message that says, "Danger! Pay attention! Take care!" The question is, is there real danger (immanent), or is it imagined danger, like the thought, "I won't be able to get it all done", and the feeling that something awful will happen if I don't?

Usually, when we talk about stress management, we are talking about ways of getting rid of or reducing the tension or fear. The only way to reduce fear is to feel safe again. Fear/stress activate our fight/flight/freeze response so we can get back to safety.

But what happens when we cannot find our way back to safety, as in our fear of failing to complete our dissertations or getting our degrees; or fear of losing our loved ones; or fear of losing our health, etc.? We remain in the fight/flight response longer than is healthy for our bodies, so they start shutting down to conserve energy. This shows up as tiredness, fatigue, lack of energy, loss of motivation, or depression.

To feel safe again in the face of failure and loss, we can come to accept these as inevitable in life and to realize that, while uncomfortable and painful, they are not dangerous. We have all already survived both. They are like an injury or illness from which we heal.

I am reminded of the quote from At the Will of the Body by Arthur Frank, to paraphrase, "Every time we get ill or become injured at some level we fear our death, yet we recover from every injury or illness until we encounter the one from which we do not recover".

This brings us squarely to our inevitable existential fear of death, which we all-too-successfully deny (see The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker), yet of which we are inevitably and frequently reminded.

There is a saying that states, "F E A R can mean two things - Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Rise. We can spend the rest of our lives running and distracting and avoiding, or we can find the courage to face our fears and rise above them to do what we love and live our lives fully until we die. We get to choose. Only one of them qualifies as self-care.

Kelly McGonigal found research that shows that stress is not bad for us. What is bad for us is the belief that it is bad for us. The people who died from stress were only those who believed stress was bad for them (see her TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend )

To summarize, the impulse to manage stress is probably always motivated by our fear and resistance to our stress, which only adds to our stress. It is not stress that needs to be managed, but our response to stress.

When we respond to stress by simply acknowledging, allowing and accepting it, we are switching off the sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight), and switching on our parasympathetic nervous system (that returns us to calm). We could call this "permission to be stressed".

When I first learned of this, I'd tell myself, "I get to be as stressed as I need to be for as long as I need to be", to counter the years of messaging that told me that I should not be stressed, I had no reason to be stressed, and to get over it. Meeting stress with acceptance is self-compassion and is the first step back to our longed-for calm. This is self-care in the face of stress.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Care-and-Stress-Management&id=10235312

Simple and Effective Ways to Increase Your Energy: Tao of Stress Management

All of us know what it feels like to be "run down". Whether it is from working too many hours, staying up too late, or feeling overwhelmed with too many things to do. When we are tired, we become less able to handle stress. In this low-energy state it is easy to become irritable and lose our optimism. Our tempers can become shorter, and our days seem intolerably long and difficult.

All of this happens when we don't generate, conserve, and efficiently use our energy.

When you feel energetic, on the other hand, you are naturally easy-going, optimistic, and things are more fun. When problems come your way, you can handle them because you have the energy and clarity to solve them quickly and effectively.

When we think of how to create more energy, we usually think about ways to increase energy -- exercise, "energy foods", and supplements. All of these can help. But, our results are limited if we continually use too much of our energy by doing things too fast or by overextending ourselves.

One of the most important keys to increasing energy is learning how to conserve it at the same time.

There are a few simple things you can do to ensure that you are using your energy wisely while constantly replenishing it. Pick one or two of the following recommendations and try them out for a week to see how they affect you.

* Create Ten To Fifteen Minutes For A Break Each Day

If you spend all day working, traveling around town, and generally doing things non-stop, your body becomes stressed trying to keep up with the constant demand. A brief fifteen minute break can do wonders to replenish and conserve your body's precious energy.

Find time in your day when you can have 15 minutes to yourself. Go into a small room, which can even be your own office. Close the door. Turn off the computer monitor, TV, lights, and other noisy, distracting things. Just sit quietly. It is OK to read a book you enjoy, or listen to some relaxing, soft music on your iPod. The idea is to have some "me" time where you aren't talking at all, and you're not thinking about much of anything. Just relax and be in the moment.

You'll be amazed at how much better you'll feel when you incorporate something like this into your daily routine. 30 minutes for "Me" time is even better while at home.

* Take Two Things You Do Fast Every Day and Slow Them Down

Another way we tend to waste our energy and tire ourselves out is by doing everything so fast. We drive fast, eat fast, walk fast, and talk fast. Doing things in a hurry always creates tension and depletes your energy.

Find two things that are in your daily routine already, and do them very slowly. Some things you might decide to do more slowly include brushing your teeth, driving to work, and eating. Whatever you choose in your daily routine.

You may have to make a little extra time, but those few extra minutes will go a long way toward teaching you what it feels like to keep your energy more calm, relaxed, and stable. You will notice a big shift in your energy after just a few days.

* Do 10 Deep, Relaxed Breaths Each Day

Nothing relaxes the body more than deep breathing. We can live without food for weeks, without water for days, but we only have moments to live without breath. It is for this reason that breath is the absolute key to unlocking the deepest levels of contentment and relaxation the body can produce.

By tapping into this reserve of deep relaxation on a regular basis, we are literally building a storehouse of positive energy that naturally cascades into every aspect of our lives. Our entire physiology is shifted into a more restful, aware, and open state where things take less effort, and stressful events have less effect.

Here's how to do the deep breathing:

1. Before you lie down to sleep, sit on the edge of the bed, feet on the floor.

2. Place your hands in your lap, palms up.

3. Tilt your head down slightly, bringing your chin towards your chest. This is just so your neck stays straight and doesn't get tense.

4. Now just inhale very gently into your belly. Don't force it, and don't overdo it. As you inhale, just feel your belly gently and naturally expanding.

5. As soon as you reach the end of the inhale, where you feel a little bit of tension in your belly, release and gently exhale. On the exhale, count "10" to yourself.

6. Inhale again, as in step 4 above, then exhale and count "9".

7. Continue breathing gently and deeply in this way, and count all the way down to "1".

Do this every night before bed for 1 week, and see how you feel in the morning, and how your emotions and energy levels change.

Our energy levels depend on how we use our energy, not just on how we accumulate it. Enjoy Your Life and Have Energy Too!

https://ezinearticles.com/?Simple-and-Effective-Ways-to-Increase-Your-Energy:-Tao-of-Stress-Management&id=9543856

Become a Stress Revolutionary

For close to 100 years, most stress researchers have defined stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demand. If you really want to take control of your stress you need to do something really revolutionary and break away from this outdated conceptualization of stress.

Stress is much more than a non-specific response. If you stop and think about it there has to be at least one other thing involved; what triggered the response. Most stress-researchers of the past 30 years would also argue that there is a third component, what your mind tells you about the trigger and your ability to cope with it.

Realizing this I combine the three components and define stress as a combination of three things: a potential stressor, what your mind tells you about your ability to cope with it and (3) a stress response that kicks in if you feel unable to cope with it.

Viewing stress this way is revolutionary and it changes you in the following ways:

• You stop being a victim who believes that stress is something that just happens to you, and is beyond your control.
• You start viewing stress as something more than just "bills, traffic, Hurricane Irma, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton", or a million other things that you are exposed to every day.
• You start accepting that what your mind tells you about potential stressors and your ability to cope with them is the key to managing your stress.

You start accepting that the jump from potential stressor to stress response does not have to automatically happen because you can intervene in all three components of stress..

Let me explain how:.

When it comes to stress, words are everything. Just substituting the words potential stressors, for stressors, begins to defuse their power to create stress.

By calling things potential stressors you stop accepting the outdated belief that certain things are universally stressful for everyone under all circumstances. The whole notion of universal stressors is nonsense and outdated.

Let me give you an example of a universal stressor that doesn't always hold up. In their original studies of life events, Holmes & Rahe (1967), pioneer stress researchers, identified the death of a loved one as the most universal of all stressors. They gave this life event a score of 100 points and gave it the most weight in determining if someone would suffer from a stress-related illness in the coming year.

Since then, countless studies have disproven their findings regarding the universality of Life Events. For example, the death of a loved one is not always viewed by people as a stressor.

Step back and try to think about this objectively for a second. I know this is difficult because death of a loved one hits all of us hard.

If you lost a child or a friend in their teens or 20s to an unexpected accident, injury, or violent crime would you view it the same way that would view the loss of your mom or dad who was in their 90s, had been suffering from a painful, debilitating illness, and had been constrained to a hospital bed for months or even years?

I'm sorry, I know this is painful to imagine or to revisit if you have experienced such loss. I have been there so I am asking for your forgiveness as I try to make this point.

While both losses represent the death of a loved one, would your mind view them the same way?

While you probably would feel guilty or ashamed admitting it, you might feel that the latter death was a blessing in disguise. In fact, if you are totally objective about it, the death of your mom or dad actually ended their pain and suffering and reduced your stress.

I faced this with the death of my mom who suffered for years with painful, debilitating illnesses that had her in and out of emergency rooms, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. On many occasions she asked me to promise her that I would not let doctors or others keep her alive against her will when it was time to pass. I watched her waste away in a nursing home and ultimately hospice care and when she finally passed I must admit that I felt relief and a reduction in stress because I knew she suffered no more and her wishes had been granted.

When you can categorize something as powerful as the death of a loved one as a potential stressor, you can begin to view most other things as trivial, and not even worth getting stressed out over.

When you realize that the determining factor in triggering the stress response is what your mind tells you about potential stressors, and your ability to cope with them, it opens up a whole new world of coping possibilities.

Think about those words for a minute; what your mind tells you about potential stressors and your ability to cope. Those are two different areas that you can begin to work on.

One of the reasons I asked you to start keeping a stressor journal in the last column was to help you begin to look more critically at your potential stressors. When you do that you start asking questions such as; " Is that really threatening?", " Is this really worth getting stressed out about?", "Is that such a big loss that I am going to let myself get all stressed out over?", "Did what she say/do/imply really harm me in some way?"

Most clients who work with me for a few months find that when they first start out, they tend to overestimate the threat, harm and loss posed by potential stressors and underestimate their ability to cope with it. Their minds tend to blow things out of proportion and they do not give themselves enough credit for being able to cope.

After a few months of working with me that trend reverses. They laugh when they look back at their stressor journals and see how they tended to overestimate threat and underestimate their ability to cope.

Part of the change comes from learning that sometimes what your mind tells you about potential stressors, and your ability to handle them is not very accurate, helpful, or stress reducing.

Another reason for the change is their increased ability to cope. Over a few months they learn new and effective coping skills. This new found set of skills leads to a more positive mental outlook regarding their coping. Stress experts call this your perceived ability to cope.

In other words your mind starts to tell you, "I can cope with that" when confronted with the same potential stressors that used to trigger a stress response. Once this happens, the power of your mind stops the stress response dead in its tracks.

Lastly, there are several ways to short-circuit the stress response even after it is triggered. Face it, sometimes potential stressors are real threats that you can't do anything about. In this case your mind signals the alarm and your body mobilizes energy to fight or flee.

What you can do to minimize the harmful effects of this response is cancel it out by triggering a relaxation response. In other words, even when you do get stressed you can keep the effects of this response to a minimum by not letting it continue any longer than necessary.

There are many ways to induce a relaxation response but the key is recognizing that you are stressed, and making the commitment to do something about it as soon as possible.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Become-a-Stress-Revolutionary&id=9954856

Stress Management In 3 Easy Steps

Have you noticed that we generally tend to stress about future events? Typically, we stress about the exam next month, the company restructure next year, the "having to buy a house" at some point in life, the presentation that's due next week... And have you noticed what happens when all of these events become a fact of the Now? We usually become resourceful, we pull ourselves together and we deal with it! Success is inevitable eventually, even if we have to veer off course temporarily. Why then do we have to spend countless nights awake worrying about what is to come? How does that help us achieve a better outcome? Of course it doesn't, and we all know it. So let's do something about it, let's stop worrying and start living. It is actually not that difficult. All you need is awareness and willingness.

Assuming you are already willing to do away with your stress, the key to building your awareness is mastering your ability to live in the Now. You can't be where you want to be; you can only be where you are!

Living in the Now is a muscle that we have to exercise consistently. Here is an easy three-step approach to doing so. Practice this daily and you will become more and more present and release the stress as a consequence:

1. At the beginning of each day create a goal related to how you would like to feel that day. Let's say today you would like to feel peaceful.
2. Immediately after you've set your goal, spend some time engaging all five senses: smell something that gives you peace; taste something that gives you peace; look at something that gives you peace; listen to something the gives you peace; touch something that gives you peace. You can either do this "for real" or you can imagine smelling, touching, tasting, hearing and seeing something peaceful. The brain doesn't know the difference between doing something for real and imagining it, and your body will react the same way (i.e. by getting out of Fight / Flight and activating the parasympathetic nervous system which helps us rest, digest and regenerate).
3. Now that you have engaged the five senses, you have altered your state of mind and you can be present. From that space, you can go about your day feeling happy, and you are far more likely to complete your tasks successfully.

Remember: Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Stress-Management-In-3-Easy-Steps&id=9571405

Practical and Effective Stress Management Techniques - Part One

Stress is an emotional or mental tension which results from demanding circumstances. Before moving further it's imperative to clarify a very common misconception about this psychological state. Most of us believe that stress is always damaging and has negative implications, which's far from the truth. In reality, stress can either be good or bad depending upon its amount an individual is absorbing.

The moderate level of stress is positive, which is known as EU-Stress. It's considered somewhat significant since EU-Stress pushes us to get our chores done. Whereas, distress is the real culprit which results from extremely high levels of stress. So now you know when someone is complaining about stress, then it is actually distress they want to get rid of.

There is a wide range of physiological and psychological complications which are associated with distress, and the only good thing about this condition is that it's curable. This is the first part of the stress management techniques trilogy. Each article of this series will provide three practical tips on manage stress and live a happy life.

Stay a Mile Away from Nicotine, Alcohol and Caffeine

When it comes to stress management the usage of nicotine, alcohol and caffeine is a big no. Nicotine and caffeine are key stimulants which increase the stress level instead of decreasing it. On the other hand, when consumed in small quantities alcohol functions as a stimulant. Therefore, drinking alcohol for the alleviation of stress is apparently not a wise decision. It's highly advised to swap alcoholic and caffeinated beverages with fresh juices, herbal teas and water.

Deep Breaths Always Work!

Ever wonder why smoking makes people feel relieved under extremely stressful scenarios? Even though it is true, nicotine which's found in tobacco is not responsible for decreasing stress level. It's basically the procedure of smoking we must be grateful to. A person is required to take deep breaths in order to inhale the smoke from a cigarette followed by long exhales to throw it out. This whole natural process ultimately helps in stress reduction, which can easily be performed without smoking a cigarette.

Consult a Specialist

Gone are the days when paying a visit to shrink was a big deal. Now people have realized that distress is a real problem and consulting a psychologist doesn't mean that a person has gone insane. Thereby, feel no hesitation in getting some advice from an expert who can provide valuable insights and remedies about the problem on hand.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Practical-and-Effective-Stress-Management-Techniques---Part-One&id=9789294

Understanding the Art of Stress Management

Most people in the world experience stress at different stages of their lives. Stress arises due to such circumstances or situations which are perceived as obstacles by an individual. The belief of inability to cope with such obstacles leads to stress. Stress may be big or small depending upon the situation and how people perceive it. It can be classified according to the level of difficulty to tackle and the level of anxiety it produces in the particular individual facing it. Some people may feel helpless and hopeless in these types of stressful situations while there are others too, who learn the art of understanding situations and ways to manage stress.

The first thing one should think while in a stressful situation is the primary or actual reason behind the stress. Often there are surrounding similar obstacles which contribute to stress but it is important to find and focus on the main cause. Simplification and solution to this primary cause of stress can eventually release the stress and the other smaller contributing factors become easy to take care of. Once the chief stress causing reason is clear, the next task is to think of the immense amounts of pressures and stress which people are facing around the world. There are conditions where even simple livelihood becomes difficult. If one compares his reason for stress to such conditions, some amount of stress is sure to decrease in the initial step itself. The next step is to tell oneself that "you are NOT alone!", because as someone thinks of the stress other people are facing, one should also think that nobody is facing a particular type of problem situation alone in this world. There are thousands of people who face similar stress causing issues. Finally the self-motivational part of thinking that if people with even lesser resources are confronting their stress, then it is surely possible for others too. Resources may include trustworthy people around us, things which can motivate us and things which can actually solve our problem.

Another reason to feel stress-free is the fact that nature does not differentiate between individuals. For example, usually when the sun shines, it provides heat and light energy to a particular region impartially, equal for all the individuals. People should learn to make use of the available resources positively so as to resolve their obstacles in the simplest of possible ways without causing much stress or anxiety. When such stress causing obstacles are resolved, an individual not only feels relaxed and free but also becomes experienced and mentally strong, to face such tough situations in the future. It becomes particularly important here, that not only should an individual seek help from close friends and relatives when in stressful situations, but should also share his experiences with them when one resolves these issues successfully. This can motivate them to clear their obstacles with patience and strength.

The world is full of various types of anxieties and stressors. It is the choice an individual has to make whether to think positive or negative about a situation. Stress can be in any smallest of things we try to do and there can be no stress in doing the biggest of things in life. It entirely depends on individual attitude, self-motivation and the use of available resources. There is a need to understand the art of managing stress with a positive approach of mind.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Art-of-Stress-Management&id=9947434

Ways to Improve Quality of Life - Improve Your Life With Long-Term Changes

There are qualities that we need to address to improve quality life. We all have these to some degree and must be cognizant of them so they do not take control of our life.

Fears change?

I have listed 4 qualities that we need to change. Once we will learn how to overcome these, surely we will obtain what we desire in life.

Enjoys Seeing Others Fail - There are individuals out there who enjoy seeing others fail. Some of them hide it well but instead of congratulating a person when they attain some form of success this individual deep down inside wishes that successful person falls flat on their face.

These feelings could stem from the individual having a narcissistic personality or some deep-rooted psychological problem. A successful person likes to see others achieve greatness as well, the more people who succeed the greater the wealth for everyone. This "evil eye" mentality may come back to haunt the person who enjoys seeing others fail.

In business and life if you help people they will help you at some point in time but if you kick a person when they are down you may find yourself in a similar predicament in the future so try to help individuals whenever possible. If you feel this way then seek out professional help, having this condition is not a character flaw but failing to get it treated is a sign of selfishness.

Irritable And Angry Most Of The Time - Everyone has a bad day here and there but if a person is constantly irritable that other people avoid them then that is a sign this particular individual is either in the wrong position or is dealing with internal challenges.

The reason a person gets angry is they feel like they are overwhelmed and out of control otherwise they wouldn't be angry. Unless the individual in question is suffering from withdrawal due to a drug addiction i.e. smoking cigarettes there is no reason for them to be irritable all the time.

This negativity can be toxic for your company, nobody wants to go near an individual who is constantly negative so if this sounds like you it may be time to look at your workload and maybe adopt some stress management exercises to keep the angst in check. We all get angry from time to time but it is how we deal with it that makes all the difference in the world.

Will Find Excuses And Blame Others For Failure - No one wants to fail, but we only fail if we stop trying. Whenever something happens that seems to be negative an individual with the wrong mindset will look for excuses why a particular project did not go according to plan.

Some of the excuses are "not enough time" "not enough money" "someone else dropped the ball" all of these excuses are nothing more than lies, the project did not go according to plan which does happen to the best of companies.

A successful person would say "you know what, this is what we did right and can implement and this is what didn't go according to plan and we can avoid in the future". By making you accountable to yourself and those around you will exude confidence and people respect that, no one likes a whiner and if a person constantly makes excuses they are essentially that a "whiner".

Does Not Set Goals - If you do not set goals in life how will you measure results? Not trying to be rude but if you do the same things day in and day out without willing to make goals and measure them then what is the point of living?

Please don't take this the wrong way but if you had a job and you went to work every day but did absolutely nothing your boss would fire you. You are the boss of your own life so if you are not doing anything to make your life better what kind of message are you making about yourself as a person?

I know you are scared, we have all been there but you only have one life to live so why not try something different, positive and see where it takes you, who knows where you will be but one thing we know is what you are doing now does not produce results so take the first step and try something new.

Erase these negative mindsets and embrace new things to improve your life with long-term changes. You do it for the better.

ezinearticles.com/?Ways-to-Improve-Quality-of-Life---Improve-Your-Life-With-Long-Term-Changes&id=9397418

A Challenge Only Becomes An Obstacle When You Bow To It

To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. I don't run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I've learned that success comes in a very prickly package.

Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them. Challenge is the pathway to engagement and progress in our lives. But not all challenges are created equal. Some challenges make us feel alive, engaged, connected, and fulfilled. Others simply overwhelm us.

Life is a series of punches. It presents a lot of challenges that presents other challenges. Then sometimes it all comes together. The challenges of change are always hard. It is important that we begin to unpack those challenges that confront us and realize that we each have a role that requires us to change and become more responsible for shaping our own future.

Don't give up! It's not over. The universe is balanced. Every set-back bears with it the seeds of a come-back. The key to life is accepting challenges. No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges.

When we come to understand this, we live our lives not avoiding problems, but welcoming them as challenges that will strengthen us so that we can be victorious in the future.Sometimes the darkest challenges, the most difficult lessons, hold the greatest gems of light. hose who mistrust their own abilities are being too wicked to themselves, discouraging themselves from doing what they should have been excelling in.

Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen. Changes are inevitable and not always controllable. But once the pain subsides, the gifts remain. Never let anyone bring you down. You got to keep going. You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage.

Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.

I overcame the challenges because I just decided to be happy. Everything that has happened to me in my life has defined who I am, and all of the things leading up to my being a researcher and a writer, all came from overcoming challenges in childhood and overcoming challenges as I got older especially in my failed marriage. I realized that hurdles aren't really hurdles at all. They're welcome challenges, tests. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

It's easy to look at the things of this world to solve our challenges and obstacles in life, but when we submit our lives to Christ, His grace, mercy, peace and love will bring true fulfillment to our lives.

No matter what kind of challenges or painful situations we go through in life, we can still find the inner strength to get through them.

http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Challenge-Only-Becomes-An-Obstacle-When-You-Bow-To-It&id=9666078

A 'Life' at Work? Here Is What You Need to Know About Work-Life Balance (By Suzie Doscher)

In the past it was always that there is life, and then there is work.

Somehow in recent decades it seems they can be so intertwined that you 'live to work' rather than the other way around and 'work to have a life'.

The term 'Work-Life Balance' seems to be all over the place now and usually closely related to preventing 'Burnout'. As a professional coach focusing on personal development I have been lucky to work with many millennials. (Apparently these younger generations X & Y, are now all mixed together and make up 'Generation Stress'!)

What I have learned from these young, motivated and focused young individuals is:

• Not only is it important to them to achieve their goals, work/life balance HAS to be in the mix. A good life means quality of life both at home and at work. This is what they strive for and frequently the goal in our coaching.

Work-Life Balance An Essential Ingredient to Success

My younger clients are inspiring and fun to work with. I value being by their side supporting and witnessing their growth as they strive to reach professional goals and enjoy their life at the same time.

The fact that these younger generations reach out to seek professional help and support impresses me. The thought to ask for help never would have occurred to me when I was their age - I believed I had to handle everything myself!

Younger generations can have an ingrained emotional intelligence. Asking for feedback - constructive feedback is not regarded as a weakness but rather a strength. Older generations can struggle with overcoming this feeling and expectation of "I should be able to... without asking for help or support".

Looking to Understand and Achieve Work-Life Balance?

Here is what you do:

• Examine what feeling balanced means to YOU.
• Know your core values - create your life based on what is important to YOU.
• Acquire the skills necessary to cope with and handle difficult situations.
• Time management to make sure you know how to plan and create a REALISTIC schedule.
• Priorities - know how to prioritize in the moment. If in a difficult moment and needing to take a few minutes to get a clearer picture, then buy yourself some time to do so.
• Stress management - skills to help you 'put fires out' and 'talk yourself off the ledge' when the pressure is high and you are feeling stressed.
• Health management - get to know your body. Learn to respect good eating habits and what foods offer you energy rather than drain you.
• Exercise - find out what gives you pleasure, challenges and energizes you.
• Motivation to achieve a healthy and realistic work-life balance. Without motivation, you will find it difficult to succeed. You might reach certain goals but it is possible you will keep going in circles. Make sure you know what you have to gain and what you have to lose.

Here is what you need to know:

• It will require patience to change certain behaviours. Everybody has self-sabotage routines. With patience you can unravel these and replace them with healthier ones.
• Just like in sports 'practice makes perfect'
• Reward yourself with a compliment when you achieve a benchmark or goal. Your brain likes to be rewarded; compliment yourself and in turn it will release a nice feeling. Again rather like in sports. You do sports, the body releases endorphins = you feel better!
• "Where there is a will, there is a way."
• Stick with it, be kind to yourself and be patient. Change takes time if you want it to be sustainable.

My clients are not only from the 'Generation Stress' but also more experienced managers/executives. Everybody is aiming to find a healthier, less stressful daily life by improving their work-life balance. I would say that once a good recipe is found then it is all about maintenance! What each person of any generation benefits from is finding what their own individual way forward is. There is no universal answer.

Get to know yourself and meet your needs. The choice is yours.

http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Life-at-Work?-Here-Is-What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Work-Life-Balance&id=9554017