Sunday, January 22, 2012

Growing Up Starts With Stress Reduction

By Owen Jones


Although we are all conscious of the fact that most people are under more stress than ever before, do people also comprehend how very bad for you too much stress can be?

At the thin edge of the wedge, stress can give you butterflies in your stomach or even diarrhea; it can produce headaches and even depression and it can lead to heart disease. Stress can seriously affect your mind and your body. Having said that, some stress is or can be a good thing.

Some people say that they work better under stress, actors and some executives, for example, but the real key is to be able to keep your stress levels within a sector that you are comfortable with.

The first step to dealing with stress is to find out what is causing you the most stress. The two main causes are financial and emotional: either you cannot pay your bills or you are having difficulties with your partner. Next comes your work, your kids and your house or an illness in the family.

What can you do to alleviate this stress? Well, to be honest, it is horses for courses. We are not all the same and we do not all like doing the same things, but I can name a couple of the most popular ways of reducing stress without having to resort to a psychiatrist.

Reading a magazine in a comfortable and soothing location is quite de-stressing to many people. Sitting up in warm bed or sitting out in a scented garden reading a good book is very popular. So is writing. Some people find that it helps to write their sentiments down. This need not be in the form of a novel, but you could keep a diary, a journal or even a blog (an online, interactive journal).

These writings can be as simple or as complicated as you like: from random notes about how you feel to full explanations. Just do not let writing become a chore, which will only add to your stress.

You could also take a hot bath or go for a cool swim. You could enjoy a sauna, a Jacuzzi or a massage or a facial or pedicure or have your hair done. Pampering yourself is a good way of rewarding yourself, which will give you a feeling of accomplishment, which will also relieve stress. It makes all that stress seem worth it.

Often stress comes out of chaos, so try to put some order back into your life. The best place to start is to try to sort out your time, your life, around the things that you NEED to do. You need to eat, rest, pay your bills and work (whether that is in the home or at a job).

Once you have allowed enough time to achieve those tasks, you can 'fill in the spaces' with other activities that you would like to do. This is the space for friends, hobbies, sports or even a second job, so that you can afford a really special holiday, but keep the second job a fun job.

Keeping away from negative people will reduce your stress.. Some people are always grousing and those people are no good to you. Socialize with people who are positive about life; people who appreciate that not everything will always go their own way and understand that they have to do something about it, not just grumble over another beer between puffs on a cigarette.




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