10 Practical Tips and Tricks for Stress Relief

"Take Control of Your Health Naturally"

1. Plan Ahead - Whether it is getting the family ready in the morning or planning a trip, getting everything ready ahead of time always relieves the stress of rushing around trying to get everyone out the door. It also relieves the press of forgetting something as you have thought about it ahead of time.

2. Deep Breaths - Stressful situations arise on a daily basis. Usually, your heart rate goes up, which makes your blood pressure rise. Take in a deep breath, counting to ten and then release the air slowly. This will give you a minute to regroup and calm your little britches down!

3. Stretch - Stand up, move around, and stretch your legs, arms and shoulders. Most people carry all their stress in their shoulders. By stretching you are releasing some of the stress that you are carrying in your shoulders.

4. Get Enough Sleep - The average person does not get enough sleep. This causes us to be cranky to begin with. It also causes us to gain weight. Not to mention adds stress to our lives. You will be shocked what a good night's sleep will do for you. Natural Sleep

5. Do It Tomorrow - Sometimes you just have to decide to do it tomorrow. The dishes will wait. It is not going to hurt for them to sit one more night. When it comes down to dishes or sleep?... laundry or sleep? Well folks, sleep has to win sometimes!

6. Drink Herbal Tea - Chamomile is a natural stress reliever and it is quite tasty too!

7. Take A Hot Bath/Shower - Soak in a hot tub with Herbal Bath Oils. These are natural stress relievers. If you don't have time for a leisurely bath. A hot shower will do in a pinch.

8. Drink A Glass of Wine - Wine has been used for a bazillion years as a relaxant. Science has discovered just how influential the power of being relaxed can be in both stress-release and in fighting illness.

9. Aromatherapy & Soft Music - Get out those essential oils and turn on the soft music. There is nothing that will calm down your senses like some lavender and Bach!

10. Cut Down Your Caffeine Intake - Caffeine is a stimulant. Carbonated drinks, tea, and a lot of the energy drinks are chalked full of caffeine. This will cause you to become irritable and cranky. Replace them with some water instead

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Optimism and Ways to Develop It

Whenever someone has a problem, we say automatically to the person to "look on the brighter side" or "see the cup as half full". Such wise advice may lead the person to shed off negativity. When faced with stressful situations, positive thinking helps us calm down and review the situation in a wider perspective, which can prove to be useful in handling it.

To maintain a positive viewpoint in stressful situations is a mental attitude of optimism. Being optimistic is defined as expecting the best possible outcome from any given situation. Like all psychological traits, optimism is heritable but is strongly influenced by environmental factors, including family environment.

A recent meta-analysis of optimism supported past findings that optimism is positively correlated with life satisfaction, happiness, psychological and physical well-being. Generally, optimists choose lifestyles, which make them lead a healthier life.

Many suggest that optimism is a learnable behavior. Moreover, it is positively contagious.

The following are some effective ways to develop optimism -

Associate with positive people - Company one keeps closely influences the person. So, surround yourself with people who have positive outlooks. Their positivity will definitely infect you. There goes a saying that if you want to soar with the eagles, you have to stop hanging out with the ducks.

Expect ups and downs - Having a realistic perspective helps prevent things from being blown out of proportion. By maintaining an attitude that we all have ups and downs in life, we will be able to face every situation positively. The reality is that life isn't always rainbows and butterflies.

Find an opportunity in difficulty - Optimism means understanding that difficult situations will inevitably appear, often temporarily. It also means that one has ability to combat the challenges that one faces. Optimism implies having a sense of hopefulness that a situation whether good or bad has an inherent opportunity for us to learn from. Remember, the most beautiful rainbows come from the sunlight after a thunderstorm.

Keep positive reminders within range of vision - By writing down short statements that inspire optimism and placing them where one can see them everyday - bathroom mirror, inside of locker and on computer monitor - really helps one maintain positivity.

Work on things that can be controlled - Whenever we land in a situation we think we cannot control, instead of becoming its victim, we should acknowledge the fact. This will prevent us from slipping into pessimism. May be, we find a solution at some point in future if we stay positive. Instead, we should concentrate more on what is under our control.

Practice gratitude - We all have so much good in life, for which we should be thankful. But it is a paradox that we think more about what we don't have as compared to others. Always count your blessings as an old adage goes. This will help frame a better attitude and take your mind off of the negatives.

Appreciate all is impermanent - Nothing is permanent in life that includes everything. However, a current good or bad situation will also change. This belief will kindle optimism in a person.

Focus on the present - We are all obsessed with the past and the future. But, as a matter of fact, life is happening right now. Instead of living in the past and worrying about the future, we should practice living in the present moment.

Conclusion -

The trait of optimism is inherently present in all albeit to varying extents. Nonetheless, it is possible for those, who lack the trait, to change their mindset and start thinking more positively. And thus they can reap a whole host of its benefits including improved wellbeing, lowered stress levels, better relationships and improved quality of life.

Optimism is a trait that makes one look at the sunny side of a situation however bad it may be. An optimist is intrinsically happy because of this special trait. Further, an optimist never fails to affect others with one's positiveness. It is significant to know that optimism is a behavior that can be learned by anyone.

                                Download 25 Most Powerful Motivational Quotes

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10 Suggestions On Achieving Your Inner Peace

Inner peace may seem like a mythical peak. Almost unachievable, far away, maybe even unreal for many. In fact, for almost every single one of us. Indeed, very few can rightly claim “I feel calm right now” in a midst of stressful situations, worries or problems requiring immediate attention.

However, there is a secret. The only way to achieve the fabled inner peace is to embrace the fact that it is only marginally defined by outer circumstances. Mainly, it is a choice you must make for yourself. You can be calm and peaceful in any situation by surprisingly, simply choosing to. This requires constant practice, but with practice your inner peace can become a habit, and then, a reality.

So, these are the steps you may start with. Even by following these few suggestions, and constantly reminding yourself about them, you can make, eventually, inner peace your normal state of mind.

1. Simplify

Simplicity contributes to inner peace because it allows you to direct your energy and effort into one single point. Get rid of everything that hinders you, including acquaintances and friends who may only drain you while giving you nothing in return. Remember that the key is always quality over quantity. Throw out or give away everything that you don’t really need. Every time you buy something new, ask yourself whether you can do without it, whether it’s really necessary to you. Don’t let unnecessary information like TV news or gossip into your life. Keep it simple and at all times stay focused on one or two tasks that matter.

2. Direct your mind on the present moment

The only time that truly exists is this present moment. Past was, once, the present and future will once too, become the present. For all that matters, you should not obsess yourself by things gone. Or by the unpredictable future, which is in fact nothing more than your fantasy. So be focused on the present. Give all your best to it, and simply live. Don’t let the real, present moment go by because you live in the past or in the future.

3. Express gratitude

Stop and think about how fortunate you really are. Your mind may constantly wander off in the future, and desire something new. Yet if you are reading this article, you probably are relatively well off. Just think about the fact that 80% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day. Or that 20% can not even read or write.

Try to think about all the things you have, there sure are plenty. Then realize that your mind is, at times, your worst enemy. Remember that even if you get what you hope for at this instant, your mind will very soon find some new object of desire. This is a vicious circle you can only break by expressing gratitude for what you already have or achieved, more and often. Even for the simplest things we otherwise take for granted.

4. Try it someone else’s way

Your point of view should not be a law. Do not hold to it and be quick to let it go whenever it gets shaken by a better logic or opinion. When you find yourself in an argument, do not make a battle out of it. Remember that argument should be a synonym to discussion. If you find yourself on a losing side, be strong enough to accept a flaw in your opinion and thank a person for enriching your perspective. At all costs, keep your mind open. Life is a constant growth and motion, and whoever clings to his fixed ways, is eventually left alone behind.

5. Remember that everything will pass

Look around yourself and ponder for a while about the fact that everything – EVERYTHING – will once pass. Time can be generous, but ultimately, it is indifferent. However dark it may sound, everything and everybody will eventually perish. Nothing is forever, so how senseless it is to wage little personal wars with people you happen to dislike, or to give into sorrow over a break-up? Time will heal even the deepest wounds, but it will work faster if you don’t scratch them… So, quite often, the best option is to simply let time resolve the problem. Because it inevitably will, eventually.

6. Smile

That’s right, just smile. A simple smile does wonders. It can help to soften hearts, make “no” into “yes” and instantly change mood of others as well as your own. Smile to members of your family, smile to your coworkers, smile to everybody you meet. Smile even to yourself in the mirror if there’s nobody else around. Smile is deeply connected to Love. And what you give, comes back to you later. Notice that it’s impossible to sincerely smile and to experience anger, sorrow or jealousy at the same time. While smiling, you can’t help but feel calmness, happiness and love.

7. Take your time

Be patient. Enjoy your life as a kind of journey. Everything will happen when the time is right. Good or bad, all is finely interconnected and you can not be defeated until you yourself proclaim capitulation. Remember something bad that happened to you? Try to think of what good it also gave you. If this “bad” experience didn’t happen, how much different you’d be from your current self? Try to appreciate small things in life, good or bad. And take your time.

8. Finish what you start

Or in other words, close the circle. Your unfinished business (unforgiven griefs, unspoken words, started but unfinished projects or tasks) is a heavy burden for your present consciousness and peace. Try to notice just how often they pop-up in the back of your mind, leading to anxiety and dragging you down. If there is a thing you started but definitely don’t want to finish, take your time to think deeply about it and make a mental final check-line next to it. Then be sure to never go back to it again.

9. Keep calm

If you find yourself agitated, take few deep breaths and wait to fully calm down before taking any kind of action or decision. Rushing anything leads only to poor outcomes. The ability to keep calm and focused amidst chaos and changes is a true sign of inner peace. This one is closely connected to another advice about keeping your mind in the present moment. Because look around you… Is there really anything that bad to disturb your calm self, or is it just you imagining the future or reliving the past?

10. Do not make money your priority

Always remember that money is just a means to achieve something, not a goal in itself. So what do you have in mind? What is the purpose of money you are working so hard for? Always think before-head why do you work, and what is the purpose of your work. Would you keep doing what you do now if money would not be an issue? If your answer is a definitive no, then there is a serious reason to slow down and reflect. Life is short, so try to find your passion, and think of a way to make money practicing it.

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-suggestions-achieving-inner-peace/

Relaxation tips to relieve stress

         

Relaxation can help to relieve the symptoms of stress. It can help you calm down and take a step back from a stressful situation.

Although the cause of the anxiety won’t disappear, you will probably feel more able to deal with it once you've released the tension in your body and cleared your thoughts.

All relaxation techniques combine breathing more deeply with relaxing the muscles.

Don't worry if you find it difficult to relax at first. It's a skill that needs to be learned and it will come with practice.

Yoga and tai chi are both good forms of exercise that may help to improve breathing and relaxation.

Relaxed breathing

Practise deep breathing at a regular time and in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Loosen or remove any tight clothes you have on, such as shoes or jackets. Make yourself feel completely comfortable.

Sit in a comfy chair which supports your head or lie on the floor or a bed. Place your arms on the chair arms, or flat on the floor or bed, a little bit away from the side of your body with the palms up. If you’re lying down, stretch out your legs, keeping them hip-width apart or slightly wider. If you’re sitting in a chair, don’t cross your legs.

Good relaxation always starts with focusing on your breathing. The way to do it is to breathe in and out slowly and in a regular rhythm as this will help you to calm down.

• Fill up the whole of your lungs with air, without forcing. Imagine you're filling up a bottle, so that your lungs fill from the bottom.
• Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Breathe in slowly and regularly counting from one to five (don’t worry if you can’t reach five at first).
• Then let the breath escape slowly, counting from one to five.
• Keep doing this until you feel calm. Breathe without pausing or holding your breath.

Practise this relaxed breathing for three to five minutes, two to three times a day (or whenever you feel stressed).

Deep muscle relaxation

This technique takes around 20 minutes. It stretches different muscles in turn and then relaxes them, to release tension from the body and relax your mind.

Find a warm, quiet place with no distractions. Get completely comfortable, either sitting or lying down. Close your eyes and begin by focusing on your breathing; breathing slowly and deeply, as described above.

If you have pain in certain muscles, or if there are muscles that you find it difficult to focus on, spend more time on relaxing other parts.

You may want to play some soothing music to help relaxation. As with all relaxation techniques, deep muscle relaxation will require a bit of practice before you start feeling its benefits.

For each exercise, hold the stretch for a few seconds, then relax. Repeat it a couple of times. It’s useful to keep to the same order as you work through the muscle groups:

• Face: push the eyebrows together, as though frowning, then release.
• Neck: gently tilt the head forwards, pushing chin down towards chest, then slowly lift again.
• Shoulders: pull them up towards the ears (shrug), then relax them down towards the feet.
• Chest: breathe slowly and deeply into the diaphragm (below your bottom rib) so that you're using the whole of the lungs. Then breathe slowly out, allowing the belly to deflate as all the air is exhaled.
• Arms: stretch the arms away from the body, reach, then relax.
• Legs: push the toes away from the body, then pull them towards body, then relax.
• Wrists and hands: stretch the wrist by pulling the hand up towards you, and stretch out the fingers and thumbs, then relax.

Spend some time lying quietly after your relaxation with your eyes closed. When you feel ready, stretch and get up slowly.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/ways-relieve-stress.aspx