Monday, January 21, 2013

Manage Stress With Effective Stress Management Techniques

By Roxanna Dolfing


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

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

The most important stress management techniques are:Manage your time better: Poor time management causes a lot of stress. When you are running behind, it's hard to focus on learning. Make sure you do not over extend yourself.

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

Never let stress overshadow your life and happiness. A healthy body and a healthy mind, both are significant to lead a healthy life. A stressful mind cannot let you enjoy your life. Learn to manage and beat the stressful situations with ease today and 'live life king's size'.Coloring books make for one of the better stress management techniques for a variety of reasons. For starters, it keeps the hands busy in a calming fashion. When you have a crayon in your hand the simple back and forth motion can be very soothing. Whether it triggers nice childhood memories or is just a motion that relaxes you, it is easy to find that you settle into a nice rhythm.

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

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

Stress has become a part of our lives and it is practically impossible to eradicate all stresses completely as they recur time and again with growing responsibilities. However, stress management techniques are effective methods to control stress and resist its influence on our lives. Frequent headaches, exhaustions, mood swings, sleeplessness etc. are some of the symptoms of stress. If you feel that you are undergoing a stressful life, spend some time with yourself to diagnose the real reasons behind your stress levels. You can take a break from your hectic life style to find yourself relieved from stress. Stress management is all about taking complete control of your schedule, emotions and thoughts and the way you tackle problems.

If you are just learning diaphragmatic breathing, it can be helpful to begin by lying on your back with your knees bent. In this posture, it is easier to feel "soft-belly", diaphragmatic breathing. Be mindful of the feeling of the belly rising with the inhalation and falling with the exhalation. Let the breath initiate that movement.You can also put your hands on your abdomen and breathe into their warmth. Feel how the weight of the hands goes up with inhalation and drops with exhalation. A thick book resting on the abdomen will create the same sensation.

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




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