Take Heart
and Have Faith!
|
|
Please visit my new website
|
|
|
Easing The Burden of Stress
|
Remember, "Anything Is Possible!"
|
Your boss tells you that the company needs to see higher profits this quarter - or the company will begin to downsize. The muscles in your throat tense you and you are having trouble breathing.
You are in a traffic jam, late picking up your youngest child from day care, wondering if there is anything at home for dinner, when your cell rings. Your high-schooler has gotten into a fight and the principal wants to see you - NOW. Your heart begins to race as you look at the endless stream of cars....You have a deadline at work, difficulty making ends meet and your back goes out. You may be at a point in life where snatching a few moments to yourself each day is all you can manage.
Stress: Our lives are getting faster, fuller and more demanding. And we are feeling the effects. Much of our stress is job related. A recent study concluded that we are working more hours each year than we were 20 years ago. Stress is also on the rise because of growing concerns about money, family, health, education and personal safety.
Healthy stress is a natural part of life. We need a certain level of stimulation to perform daily tasks and achieve goals. The good stuff of stress fuels performance on deadlines, juices creativity and creates adrenaline rushes that allow people to perform beyond their natural capacities during emergencies.
But when stress is excessive, extended and unfocused, it becomes DISTRESS, and can cause real damage. Over a long period of time, high levels of stress take a serious toll on our health and well-being.
While we can't completely avoid stress, we can take some sensible precautions so that life's challenges won't send us into a tailspin. We may even find that some of our stress points can become opportunities for making mid-course corrections in our lives. Here are some suggestions for managing stress and minimizing its negative effects.
Understand the sources of stress. Stress is "an effect of the fight within ourselves of who we are, the values we have and how we think about ourselves".
Any major life passage or change - whether positive or negative will bring on stress. Life's most stressful events include the death of a family member or close friend; separation or divorce; relationship break-up; personal injury or illness; marriage; job loss; change in work conditions; retirement; pregnancy; financial reversal; a change in job, school, or residence; holidays, a child leaving home, family reunions, and legal troubles.
Write down the stresses that have happened to you and your loved ones in the past year - or that seem destined to happen in the coming year. Targeting specific stress points so that you can relieve unfocused anxiety.
Working from this list, ask yourself, "Are all the stresses you have listed actually distressing or are they, in some way, energizing for you? Which are within your power to change or improve? Are any of your own making, perhaps created out of a need to be constantly busy or to have others dependent on you? Do any of them reflect a difficulty you might have in saying no? Are you using the stress in your life as a convenient way to keep from making difficult changes or facing painful life issues?
Your answers are likely to tell you something about yourself and to offer new ways of coping with stress. Perhaps it is time to challenge the unreasonable "shoulds" and "musts" in your life and replace them with "wants" and "love to's". Perhaps it is time to set limits. To say "no" when you want to. Perhaps it is time to discern distinctions between real stresses and ordinary, everyday challenges. Perhaps it is time to look at the degree to which you are living out your deepest needs, desires and values.
What truly is important to you? How do you want to feel every day when you wake up in the morning? Would you like to experience the effects of stress or not?
Physical and emotional symptoms of stress are:
* anxiety or depression; unexplained crying
* difficulty concentrating; nervousness; restlessness
* shaking or trembling; dizziness
* heart palpitations; chest pain; headaches; back pain
* stomach/digestive problems
* sleep problems; chronic fatigue; early awakening
* lack of energy or stamina
* lack of interest in sex
* eating disorders
* alcohol and marijuana dependence
If any of have above symptoms are a regular feature of your life, consult a physician and take steps to defer, interrupt and eventually eliminate unhealthy sources of stress from your life. Seek counseling, if necessary, to sort through the issues, and summon the courage you need to improve your life.
Click Here to Register for any Upcoming Workshop
|
|
 Working Your Way Through
|
Teach yourself the art of taking "minute" vacations - slow down and smell/look at a flower, chat with an old friend, pet a dog/cat, answer a child's question or read a few lines from a great book. There is more to life than always doing, doing, and doing. Use quiet moments at the beginning or end of the day to restore a sense of calm to your life. Simply be.
1. Find a Refuge. Remove yourself from the stressful situation and find a quiet spot where you can be alone. Discover a quiet, private space ~ close your eyes, and bring to mind your favorite vacation spot. Now take a deep breath to relax and let go. Continue to focus on your calm breathing, peaceful mental vision and relaxed state.
2. Stop and Breathe. Be seated, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths to calm yourself and gain some distance from the stressful situation.
3. Take your physical and emotional pulse. Check your heartbeat and allow it to slow down. Release the tension in your body. Now check your emotional state and identify the dominant emotion you are feeling - Fear? Anger? Frustration? Grief?
4. Search for the source of the emotion. What triggered your feelings? What can you do to respond to the source of your stress? In any situation there are factors you can change, and factors beyond your control. Focus on what YOU can change.
5. Make a decision for Change. Before leaving your refuge, make a decision to change at least one factor that led you to feel overwhelmed by stress in this situation. If you are uncertain about how make that change, decide where you will turn for help.
6. A healthy spirituality is also a key to handling distress. Sharing your faith with others brings bonds of friendship, support and community.
|
- Women on The Journey Series - A New Workshop
- Loving The Life You Live!
- Living, Loving & Learning
|
LOCATION:
Sue's Office in Verona
|
$40.00 for each workshop (early registration) ~ inquire about bulk discounts
|
|
|
|
Take Steps to Reduce your Stress
|
|
|
|
Manage Your Daily Stress
|
While we can't completely avoid stress, we can take some sensible precautions so that life's challenges won't send us into a tailspin. We may even find that some of our stress points can become opportunities for making mid-course corrections in our lives. Here are some suggestions for managing stress and minimizing its negative effects.
1. Take good care of yourself - body, mind and spirit. Eating a balance, nutritious diet will help fortify you against stress. Exercise. Regular exercise releases calming chemicals, relieves built up stress, increases self esteem and facilitates relaxation. Consider joining a health club or buddy up with a friend to reinforce your regular workout. A brief, brisk walk, taking the stairs not the elevator, spending time in the garden are all gentle, inexpensive ways of giving your body the care it needs. And get adequate rest. Examine your sleep patterns. Try to fall asleep earlier than you ordinarily would or try to sleep an extra hour in the morning. Surround yourself with positive, loving friends. Spend time with those who make you feel good about yourself. Try to laugh every day.
2. Meditation, yoga, prayer and simple quiet time are also essential antidotes for stress overload. Take advantage of any time alone- including time spent commuting, standing in line, waiting for someone - try to imagine yourself when you are most peaceful. Get a massage, take a walk, listen to music or write a letter. You may want to listen to a tape of calming music, light incense or go some place to hear water trickle.
3. Learn new skills. Seek out training that you need. Many of us enter into life's most stress-filled adventures, such as, marriage, parenthood, a new job, re-location, with little or no training. We may have the best of intentions, but we need more than that to successfully negotiate these challenges and keep our stress manageable. Go to your public library. You might also look into counseling services, support groups, and volunteer agencies that can help to give you the tools to cope with whatever challenges you face. Take an evening adult class or sign up for a local workshop. Make time for a retreat or a day away to get back in touch with the divine presence within you and around you.
Facing the inevitable stresses of life sensible and courageously can help you to clarify your values and set new directions for yourself, releasing creative energy for personal growth and service to others. You will begin to see stress as less of a burden and more of a blessing - a catalyst toward living a life that is full, healthy and whole.
|
- The Sun & Sea ~ A Women's Retreat
- Register Soon! Dates: Sept. 12 - 15th
- Only SINGLE rooms with private bathrooms available
|
LOCATION:
Barnegat Light, Long Beach Island, NJ
|
$315/night registered by 8/15/08 ~ inquire how to save over $300.00
|
|
|
|
Relax!
|
|
|
|