“A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” – Paul Dudley White
Exercise is paramount to optimum health. Exercising not only burns off excess calories, but it also rushes extra oxygen throughout your body and brain to help in cell function, which keeps your heart, circulatory system, lungs, and muscles in shape.
Exercise releases stress and helps you maintain a healthy metabolism. It warms you up in the winter and makes you look good all year round!
So exercise not only prevents stress, but also helps eliminate it. If you exercise at least 3 times per week, it’ll help you combat stress.
Strive to be active whenever you can: take the stairs instead of elevators, go for a walk with your friends, and play with your kids. The goal is to keep moving and enjoy a healthy lifestyle!
Last night I was watching the winter Olympics — and I started thinking about the incredible ability the athletes have developed to keep focused on their goals – and to accomplish them. Their success is pretty impressive, wouldn’t you agree?
This lead me to thinking about the Law of Cause and Effect. How every cause (hours of dedicated, focused practice) leads to a knowable effect (phenomenal gold medal wining performance)!
Watching the US versus Canada Olympic hockey match reinforced this thought. As I watched 42 saves by the American goalie, I wondered how many goals he had blocked before this match. How many hundreds or thousands of shoots did he block in practice in order to be preform at an almost super human level on this one occasion. He invested the time, he paid the price.
Remember the Law of Cause and Effect during your daily Olympic run. Know that if you pay the price in life, the effect you are seeking will come. The Olympic athlete knows the pain, the sweat, the effort pays off. The Law is inescapable.
Wishing you a larger life,
BB
Tags: cause and effect, focus, goal, success
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” – Richard Bach
Is this the end, or the start of something new?
Its almost the end of 2009, which would also make it the end of the decade. Of course that means its almost the start of 2010 and the beginning of a brand new decade.
Some look at the daily challenges we all face as ends. The end of a job. the end of a relationship. The end of a vacation. The end of the year.
I choose to perceive these things as beginnings, as the start of something new. A successful career, the chance to meet new people, the chance to begin work with new vigor.
Why do I choose this strange path? Well, because I choose to be happy. Endings are generally thought of as sad negative things that imply loss. I prefer to be as positive as possible, even when there is evidence to the contrary.
After all since youre alive, you might just as well be happy about it:-)
Wishing you and yours prosperity, health, and the very largest of lives in the coming year.
BB
3VH8JAV7WD8G
Tags: job, personal success, prosperity, reducing stress, Richard Bach
“Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.” – Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965)/p
Health Stress
Health stress can come in many forms, mental, physical and spiritual. When your body doesnt get what it needs, it becomes physically stressed, which causes increased physical and mental stress. It can easily turn into a non-stop vicious circle!
This section will explain how to provide your body what it needs to keep it from getting stressed, as well as what you can do to counteract the harmful effects of stress itself.
Without a doubt eating nutritious meals and regular exercising are the best things you can do for your body. When you feel good and look good, it helps you gain confidence and fight stress as well.
When you eat the healthy foods your body craves, you help maintain it in peak-performance condition: your body, brain, and immune system all work together to keep you healthy and alert and fight off disease.
On the other hand, filling your body with greasy, sugary or over-processed foods purposefully introduces toxins into your body that cause its functions to fail, which prevents it from getting the nutrients it needs to heal itself.
The result is an unhealthy body burdened by increased stress.
Tags: albert schweitzer, effects of stress, fight stress, peak performance, Stress
“Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.” – Johnny Carson (1925 – 2005)
Job stress can make your life miserable and can carry over into every other area of your life, if you let it. Reducing stress at work plays a large part in making your job – and your life – more pleasant and fulfilling.
Follow these tips to reduce your on-the-job stress and become happier and more productive:
1. Create a work environment that fosters a healthy lifestyle. Arrange the lighting to reduce eye strain. Keep your desk uncluttered. Get a comfortable chair. Go for frequent “health” breaks. All these little tweaks will make your workplace more comfortable.
2. Associate with positive people. Positive people help bring out the best in you and reduce stress. Rather than gossiping, they see the good in people. Rather than complaining, they find what’s good about the job and focus on that, which makes for an uplifting workplace.
3. Adopt a positive attitude. Let yourself be one of those people whom others enjoy being around. Uplift others and you’ll find your own spirit is lifted as well. Smile and others smile with you!
4. Set realistic goals for yourself. If a project is too big, divide it into easily achievable mini-goals. This sets you up for success every day.
5. Take a tip from Santa and make a list! Each morning, determine your tasks for the day and arrange them by priority. Keep your list where you can see it and cross off each task as you complete it. This gives you a sense of accomplishment which grows as the day goes on.
6. Delegate as much as possible to the best person for the task. This lets you concentrate on the more demanding tasks while others do the legwork. All in all, the team becomes more productive and successful.
7. Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. This is much less stressful than being unable to do something that was expected of you, and then facing the consequences of it not being done or being done incorrectly.
8. Communicate. Open, honest communication can prevent misunderstandings and hard feelings. Even if you feel upset about something, let the person know about it with the intent of resolving the issue peacefully.
9. Take frequent short breaks. Get up, shake out your muscles, and take a short walk outside. This gives your mind a rest while rejuvenating it with some fresh oxygen for mental clarity when you return.
10. Take vacations. You’re more productive and perform higher quality work when you give yourself a chance to get away for a while and relax. A vacation doesn’t have to mean a week at an exotic island. A weekend trip would serve you just as well!
11. Leave your work at the office. When your workday is done, forget about the job and concentrate on enjoying your time away from work. Make it a policy to never take work home with you. It’s much less stressful to come in a little early to get a head start on your day, instead of working all night.
12. Here are some affirmations to help you reduce job stress:
I plan my work and work my plan.
I remain calm at work.
I bring joy to my workplace.
I handle rush projects with mental clarity and efficiency.
I have patience with my co-workers.
I am a success.
Tags: johnny carson, reducing stress, stress at work, success, work environment
“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” – Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968)
Unresolved conflicts can be a constant source of stress. Are you harboring anger or resentment against a loved one, friend, or co-worker? It’s time to learn how to let it go! Use these tips to help rid yourself of this type of stress:
1. Bring it out into the open.
If you’re hurt, let the other person know. It’s possible that they’re unaware of how the event affected you. Once it’s out in the open, try to resolve it together.
2. Express your emotions creatively.
Write your thoughts in a journal or release your negative emotions in a creative outlet like painting, composing music, dancing, or other activities.
3. Put it in perspective.
There are much worse things that have or could have happened, right? Be thankful it wasn’t worse.
4. Forgive them.
As you’ve experienced, holding onto this negativity has hurt only you. Refuse to let it affect your life any further. Forgive them, let it go, and move on with your life free from this stress. If the other party isn’t willing to forgive, that’s not of your concern. Once you forgive, move on.
5. Use daily affirmations.
You can repeat these on a daily basis to help you heal from stress due to conflict:
- I let go of the anger inside me and I feel free.
- I sincerely forgive others.
- I am strong enough to overcome any negativity.
Tags: how to deal with conflict, martin luther king, Stress, stress relief, unresolved conflicts
“In times of stress, be bold and valiant.” – Horace, (Latin Latin in full Quintus Horatius Flaccus) Roman poet.
As promised, over the next few posts we’re going to discuss a number of specific stresses and a number of ideas for dealing with these specific issues. Although I was originally intending four separate posts on eliminating financial stress, I decide to do one larger post today. Enjoy!
Horace’s concept applies especially well to your finances, just as long as you don’t consider “bold and valiant” to mean that it’s okay to be reckless with your money! If you’re suffering stress from financial woes, the best cure is to be bold: take swift, decisive action to get your finances in order, cut expenses, and bring in more money.
Here are some tips for reducing your financial stress:
1. Assess exactly where the cause of the stress lies. Once you know the culprit, you can work to eliminate the cause.
Create a budget. This will let you see how much you’re spending and what you’re spending your money on. List all of your monthly income and expenses, then you can make a plan of action.
Do you overspend on unnecessary items? If so, impose weekly limits that fit into your budget and stick to them.
Do you make enough money to pay for your basic necessities? If not, you either need to cut down on your expenses or make more money. Take action to get yourself out of debt. Don’t wait to win the lottery, it probably won’t happen!
2. If you need more money, consider your options and take action right away. Devise both short term and longer term solutions. Your stress levels will go down as soon as you start focusing on positive actions to bring in some extra cash.
Short term options might include: working overtime hours, getting a second job, having a garage sale, selling unwanted stuff on eBay, doing lawn maintenance for others (this can bring in $300 for one Saturday’s work), waiting tables, and more.
Start your own business selling products or services. This can open up the door to a whole new career for you. Online, the whole world is your marketplace. Established businesses on the web are always in need of people who can do programming, website design, graphic arts, transcription services, content writing, customer service, marketing, and so much more. Offer your services to website owners or use a marketplace like Elance to bid on jobs.
Find a better job. If you need to, further your knowledge and strengthen your skills, then get out there and start interviewing for higher paying jobs. Be bold and valiant! You can’t land a better job if you don’t take action to get one.
Once you decide on the best option for you, the best thing you can do is to take massive action on one strategy to make it happen. Go for it with all the gusto you’ve got rather than divide your energy into many different directions.
Instead of sitting around worrying about your situation, or worse, lying awake nights with insomnia from the financial stress, put that energy into taking action on bringing in more money. Just thinking about it won’t get you anywhere. Take swift action!
3. If you’ve suffered the loss of your job, (as many have) get help. Take advantage of government and other services to help you get through these rough times. A little help can go a long way to providing the much needed funds to reduce your stress.
Apply for unemployment benefits. You can even do this online in many areas. Plus, they can aid you in your search for another job.
See if you qualify for food stamps or monetary aid from your state government. Find out if there are programs that can help you at your local Salvation Army, United Way, or similar organizations.
Many churches get truckloads of groceries and give them away once a month. If you have a local food bank, take advantage of it.
4. Reduce your debt. Put your credit cards away, start a scheduled plan to pay down your debt, and stick to it. If you increase your debt by charging more on your credit cards, it’ll raise your credit card payments and makes your financial situation worse. As the bills rise, so does your stress level.
Wishing you a larger life,
BB
Tags: everyday stress, financial stress, Horace, stress levels, stress relief
“How we perceive a situation and how we react to it is the basis of our stress. If you focus on the negative in any situation, you can expect high stress levels. However, if you try to see the good in the situation, your stress levels will greatly diminish.” – Catherine Pulsifer from My Story
Breathe.
No matter what, you gotta breathe! When those stressful moments appear, pause for a moment and breathe slowly and deeply. It relaxes your muscles and delivers fresh oxygen to your brain to counter the fight or flight response to help you think clearly.
Many varied cultures from east to west and disciplines from yoga to the martial arts teach the importance of deep controlled breathing, this technique has truly stood the test of time. Try it the next time you feel stressed – it really helps!
The techniques we been posting assist you in dealing with all kinds of stress, regardless of the underlying cause. In future posts, we’ll examine additional ways to reduce, avoid or redirect stress based on different specific issues.
Tags: Catherine Pulsifer, controlled breathing, everyday stress, stress relief
“Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.” – Maurice Setter
Look for the silver lining.
There’s always good things to be discovered and enjoyed in your life. When you focus your energies on searching for and acting on the good in a situation, you spend less energy and time on worrying and other negative stresses. “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!” You’ll reduce your stress and you’ll enjoy the eventual outcome.
Live in the moment.
When you focus on the now, you leave yesterday behind and let go of worry for the future. Those stressors are not in your picture, instead, you enjoy each moment to its fullest.
Rejoice in the simple things: a cool breeze in the summer, the aroma of the coffee brewing, or the beauty of the dawn. Enjoy what your senses bring to you and fully experience it in the moment.
Laugh! When something is funny, don’t just deliver a reserved chuckle. Allow yourself the pleasure of a full belly-laugh. This immediately releases stress and makes you feel good at the same time. Laughing is spontaneous, instantaneous, and makes it impossible to harbor a negative feeling.
Living in the moment brings you a sense of peace and calm. Yet, it also enables you to hurtle forward toward your goals
Wishing you a larger life,
BB
Tags: everyday stress, Maurice Setter, worry
“Mach-S, the speed at which stress can’t keep up, is simply forward motion. But it has to be self- propelled. Note that people in cars are still stressed.” – Jef Mallett, Frazz, 08-26-05
Exercise.
Cartoon humor aside, exercising is one of the best ways to eliminate stress. It gives you a positive outlet for pent-up energy and frustrations. Properly done, excercise burns those excess calories, stretches and develops the muscles.
Exercise re-energizes you by sending a fresh supply of oxygen throughout every cell of your body. This also asists in clarifying your thinking.
Best of all, it produces endorphins – the feel good hormones – that de-stress you and put you in a good mood! When you feel good, it’s easier to fight stress and overcome challenging situations.
Make time for yourself.
You can do anything you want during this time – reflect, pursue a hobby, shop, take a relaxing bath with soft music and candles, or just lie down and stare at the ceiling in the peace and quiet if that makes you feel good! The time you reserve for yourself allows you to relax and replenish. You’ll find that you have more energy and patience in your life if you take time for yourself. Rather than being selfish, you’re actually allowing yourself to become the best you can be. Tags: Mindset, personal success, positive attitude, Stress