Category Archives: Stress
Using the Relaxation Response to Lessen Stress
Learning to use the relaxation response guarantees you will be able to relax under any kind of stress. Using the relaxation response, you need to focus on a word, phrase, sound, or activity (for example, put a rubber band around your wrist). Then when you are focused on this word, etc., you need to passively ignore other thoughts that come into your mind. You can not think two thoughts at the same time. Choose to be relaxed when you get into stressful situation.
(1) Freedom to Relax:
“Sometimes I focus too much on what I can’t do or wishing I was different than I am. I forget about the things I can do. Like today I took my kids to the one place where I can let myself relax – in the woods – in the hills – in nature. That’s where I feel alive – free – energized. In the woods, in the mountains, I feel connected – to my body, my mind and to God.”
“Today the three of us hiked and ran up the mountains. We laughed and sang and shouted. I danced around them encouraging them to keep climbing. Later on the drive home, my oldest told me I love the extreme stuff and she loves doing it with me. My youngest said she had a ton of fun. I thought of the beach. Maybe it’s ok to be who I am. My daughters words echoed in my head long after they had said them.”
1. Reduce Caffeine
2. Do NOT consume alcohol or nicotine before bed-
3. Always finish vigorous exercise 5 hours before bed.
4. Avoid heavy meals before bedtime.
5. Keep fluids to a minimum after 8PM.
6. Avoid stress inducing activity prior to sleep- e.g. emails, voicemails, paying the bills or stress inducing television programs such as the news, etc.
7. Establish a bedtime routine
8. Write it down
9. Create a restful environment in your bedroom
10. Utilize Relaxation techniques- light stretching, soothing music, aromatherapy oil, deep breathing, guided imagery, meditation. You can do any one or better yet a combination of these activities to release the stress of the day, relax your mind and prepare your body for sleep. Sleep experts highly recommend these stress relieving techniques because they work and because anyone can do them.
(3) Get Less Done: Stop Being Productive and Enjoy Yourself
- Take 5 minutes to go outside for a walk. Breathe the fresh air.
- Give yourself more time to do things. More time means less rush.
- After work, get outside, take in nature, run around if you can.
- Play. Play like a child. Play with a child. Play when you work.
- Give yourself a day off. Sleep. Watch TV. Eat bon bons.
- At work, give yourself an hour off. Don’t try to be productive. Just have fun.
- Work with someone who is exciting. Get excited about a project.
- Take evenings off. Seriously, no working in the evenings.
- Get a massage.
- Breathe.
Using Stress for Positive Energy
My heart in your hands by aussiegall
When beginning a new job or getting married or other life challenges, extra stress helps to solve these experiences. But often we experience stress that is non-productive and is robbing us of our energy.
Some and even great stress can be beneficial. The added energy from stress helps us to more to more and better solutions for our lives. Changemaker is aimed toward finding the repetitive non-productive stress that robs you of energy.
Since stress has been found to contribute to most of human illnesses, Changemaker encompasses mental, physical, emotional, behavioral, social and spiritual reduction techniques.
Your mind, body and emotions either work together to help you experience your life more fully or are each using energy in avoiding behaviors. The way to control your life is to control your thoughts and your words. So many of the techniques you will learn from Changemaker will introduce you to ways to stop over-reacting or avoiding behaviors.
When we were children, we often had to learn self-defeating or self-limiting behavior to appease our authority figures. Many parents confuse discipline with punishment. To avoid punishment, we often learn ways of avoidance or delay that rob us of our true being. So in continuing these behaviors we are using our energy non-productively.
We tell our bodies how healthy we want to be by the choices we make in using our energy. The Changemaker goal is for you to learn how to tell your body that you want to be completely healthy. By learning how to reframe your thoughts in order to choose positive thoughts, you are telling your emotions that you want to be healthy.
By learning convenient and easy ways to exercise, you are telling your body that you want to be healthy. By learning how to incorporate meditation, relaxation, visualization, and other coping techniques, we tell our minds and our soul that we want to be healthy.
You can learn all these techniques by using the Changemaker Blogs. Each blog is about an individual topic that you may choose to focus on.
Stress should lead you to exercise–
“Take a Break! A few quick tips -”
“Get up out of your chair or leave your workbench and walk over to an open window. Change your point-of-view. Breathe some fresh air. Go for a five-minute walk, either in the corridors of your building or out-of-doors. Call a friend and chat for five minutes. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and take an imaginary vacation – relaxing on a warm beach, deep-sea fishing on a beautiful yacht, or skiing down a gorgeous mountain.”
“These short, focused breaks can help reduce muscular tightness and physical stress, and also help your brain recharge so you can be more creative and productive!”
“How to transform anxiety into something productive and positive? Here are some suggestions:”
- Simplify everything you can. Pare down and get down to the bare bones in life. Eliminate as much of the “fluff” as you can.
- Keep a complete calendar and list of everything you have to do and all appointments. Trying to carry all this information around in your head adds to frustration and a “muddled” feeling. Let it go, get it out of your brain, and record it somewhere else!
- Relax when you feel stressed. Make a conscious effort to take deep breaths and physically relax your body.
