Three techniques to reduce STRESS instantly

Feeling Stressed? Here are 3 tenhniques to reduce stress instantly:


1. BREATHE

The benefits of effective abdominal breathing have been shown to be benefical to both our physical and psychological wellbeing. Take three full breathes through your nose and out through your mouth whilst keeping your eyes closed.

2. MOVE

Although you may not feel like it, exercising when stressed offers an instant way of releasing pent up stress, whilst flooding your body with happy chemicals known as endorphins. It also helps you become more rational and focused. Just get up and walk around the block and you will return with a clearer head.

3. CONFRONT

Many of us complain to our co-workers about our spouse or other family members and then we get home and complain to our spouse about our co-workers or boss and we wonder why nothing has changed and why we are still stressed. Don't let things fester and get out of control, talk to the person you need to calmly in order to be heard and for things to change.

Addicted Too...

Regardless of whether you are addicted to shopping, drugs, food, drink, porn, technology, exercise, gambling or caffeine the symptoms tend to be pretty much the same.

A good way to measure the severity of your addiction or habit is to think about how you would feel if you could not have or do the particular activity. Does the thought of this freak you out? If so, this is a sign that you are dependent on your vice more than maybe you should be. The above examples are all things which are freely available in our world and we have access to. You may partake in some or all of these activities regularly, but feel that you could do without them. However, over time we may need to do more of a certain thing to get the same high.

Next time you reach for your fix, pause and assess what is happening at that exact moment. Has a disgruntled customer infuriated you? Your spouse irritated you? The traffic ground to a halt? Someone insulted you? You're bored, lonely, afraid, stressed? Whatever it is, let the feelings associated with that situation come up. Now think about alternatives to reaching for your fix. Be honest you know that your fix will not fix the situation, just numb it for a while.

Have the courage and conviction to admit your addiction and then begin to make small changes to overcome it. Seek help from a trained professional.

People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.  R. Anderson

Banishing the Blues Using Exercise

A recent large scale Gallup survey found that participants who report not having exercised at all in the past week are almost twice as likely to report having been diagnosed with depression as those who report having exercised five to six days.

In the past decade, researchers have conducted studies that follow depressed people over time. Such studies indicate that exercise can ease feelings of depression and improve mood.

Therefore if you are feeling blue, often the last thing you feel like doing is exercising, but trust me your mind will thank you for it. Just a walk around the block, a gentle swim or a yoga class will help banish negative thoughts and release much needed endorphins (the feel good chemical). Exercising also helps you focus on something else for a while. The health benefits of exercise have been well documented, but now we know that exercise has many psychological and emotional benefits too. As the Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/) reported it can help you:

Gain confidence
Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
Take your mind off worries
Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
Get more social interaction
Exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help your mood.
Cope in a healthy way
Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on their own can lead to worsening symptoms.

How do I get started — and stay motivated?

Starting and sticking with an exercise routine can be a challenge. Here are some steps that can help. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program to make sure it's safe for you.

Identify what you enjoy doing. Figure out what type of physical activities you're most likely to do, and think about when and how you'd be most likely to follow through. For instance, would you be more likely to do some gardening in the evening or go for a walk early morning? Go for a bike ride or play football with your children after school? Do what you enjoy and not what you think you should do.

Set reasonable goals. Your mission doesn't have to be walking for an hour five days a week. Think realistically about what you may be able to do. Tailor your plan to your own needs and abilities rather than trying to meet unrealistic guidelines.

Don't think of exercise as a chore. If exercise is just another "should" in your life that you don't think you're living up to, you'll associate it with failure. Rather, look at exercise as a gift to yourself.

Address your barriers. Figure out what's stopping you from exercising. If you feel self-conscious, for instance, you may want to exercise at home. If you stick to goals better with a partner, find a friend to work out with. If you think about what's stopping you from exercising, you can probably find an alternative solution.

Prepare for setbacks and obstacles. Give yourself credit for every step in the right direction, no matter how small. Go for it.

Seven Ways to Create More and Consume Less

Being more creative in our everyday lives is easier then you think. Consuming less can help free us from the pressures that we often surround ourselves with. Here are seven practical ways to help you create more of what you want in your life, whilst consuming less.

1. Pay More, Eat Less
Where possible try to eat organic food, which tends to be more expensive, but on the whole is likely to have fewer toxins and often tastes superior. The quantity and quality of the food we consume has a huge impact on how well our minds and bodies can perform. With obesity levels and type II diabetes on the rise, it is more important than ever to limit the amount of processed food we consume.

2. Resist the Temptation to go to the Mall
Think about the last time you went to the mall. How did you feel while you were there and afterwards, energized, bored, frustrated? Did you need or even really want the things that you bought? We may wonder around aimlessly, but we are still actively processing on a subconscious level the bombardment of promotions that are around every corner. Next time you feel the urge to go to mall, be honest about what may be really going on. Once you begin to recognize the triggers of your consumption, you can begin to diminish its hold on you.

3. Don’t Buy Glossy Magazines
Be selective about what you read. As the song ‘Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen’ by Baz Luhrmann goes “Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly”. Reading magazines exposes us to a whole host of advertising that permeates through us and often influences the purchases we make. Low self esteem in adolescents has also been linked to reading glossy magazines. So ditch the magazines and read some inspirational, uplifting stories or biographies instead.

4. Turn Off The Television
We often don’t realize how television eats away at our time. For a week, try and keep a log of how often you watch television and how it makes you feel. At the end of the week reflect on how many hours you watch television and think about what you could achieve if you watched it less. Try to restrict the amount of television you watch and instead play a board game or just talk without any distractions.

5. Volunteer
Get involved in something that you feel passionate about, be it on a local, national or international level. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to meet like-minded people and appreciate the many gifts you have to offer. It is also a great way to explore a new career and gain new skills.

6. Exercise
Choose an exercise or team sport which you genuinely enjoy and you will be more likely to keep it up. If you would like to get fit, start with small achievable goals, such as being able to walk up the stairs without becoming breathless and then aim for bigger more challenging ones such as competing in a race. Besides the myriad of health benefits that regular exercise bestows upon us, it has also been found that after prolonged aerobic exercise creative thinking also improves

7. Love Your Job
If you love what you do for a living, you are likely to find your job rewarding, enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. However, if you are unhappy in your work, it is probable that you consume more in order to bury your discontentment. What facets of your job do you really enjoy? Are there ways that you could do more of what you like on a more regular basis? Often the things we like doing are also the things that we are naturally good at, so get creative and think about what you love about your work.