Stress-busters

Stress in today's tough economic environment is at an all-time high.

Study after study has shown life events of all types (buying or selling a house, losing a job, being promoted, moving to a new location, surgery, etc.) are significant stressors that can lead to physical and psychological problems. Two-thirds of the visits to family physicians are for stress-related symptoms, and three-fourths of modern disease is related to stress.

Avoid being a victim of the debilitating affects of stress. Here are a few stress-busting strategies you can use.

Use auto-suggestion. An easy and effective technique for body relaxation involves auto-suggestion. Doctors and psychologists have been using this internal verbal instruction technique for centuries. You simply give yourself a command such as: "I am relaxed and at ease," or "I am calm and relaxed." Repeat the command until your body accepts it.

Maintain a regular exercise program. Numerous studies conclude that exercise results in measurable improvements in relieving depression and anxiety due to stress. Studies show physical activity is positively associated with good mental health, especially positive mood, general well-being and less stress overall.

Exercising three to five times a week can serve as a buffer for stress. Try jogging, walking, racquetball, basketball, swimming, aerobics, dancing, weight training whatever works for you.

Put yourself in time out. As you become aware of your suffering mood or inappropriate behavior, take a break. Relieve yourself and others around you by excusing yourself and de-magnifying the moment.

Counting to 100 may help. So will a quick walk around the office building.

Distinguish what is trivial and what is important. To lead a tranquil life, learn to differentiate between trivial and important. The way you perceive and react to situations determines whether you'll be stressed or relaxed. Use this question to get a handle on the difference: "Is this going to matter 10 years from now?"

Use the power of breath. Whenever you feel anxious or nervous, take a few deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. When breathing out, say to yourself, "three." On the next out-breath, "two." Continue to "one" and repeat the cycle. This will send a message to your brain and body that it's time to relax and calm down.

Don't watch the news for a week or so. You will be informed of all the news (bad news) that may be "important" in our society without watching television. The news will come in from friends, co-workers and numerous other sources whether you like it or not. Stop watching the news and spend that valuable time enjoying life.

View crisis as an opportunity to grow and expand. If you were to recall an experience you had in the past that was at the time a "crisis," it is quite possible, in hindsight, that it was one of the best and most rewarding learning experiences you've had. Look for the lesson in all challenges.

Accept what you cannot change. Many people needlessly worry about things over which they have no control. The Serenity Prayer is a great reminder. We all know how it goes: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and have the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. It is easy to dismiss such familiar platitudes. Read the words again today and take them to heart.

Stay organized. When you come upon a disorganized situation take the time to recognize your own discomforting symptoms. Recent studies have proven that organized individuals have lower blood pressure and live in a substantially more relaxed state of mind than those living and working in cluttered environments. Not only are organized people more relaxed, they get more done in less time!

Practice stress-free eating. Start your day with a balanced breakfast. Most people who skip breakfast or eat sugar and fatty foods in the morning increase their propensity for a whole day of stressful imbalance.

Choose plenty of low-fat starches and fiber; carbohydrates tend to calm you down. Avoid eating large amounts of food later in the evening; it tends to disrupt sleep and cause more stress. The people who eat just what they need to feel comfortable and think clearly greatly increase their relaxed, productive lifestyle.

Get the facts. Most people make decisions emotionally rather than intellectually and then work toward supporting their decisions with facts. Intuition generally won't lie, but emotions often do. Help your intuition by getting as many impartial facts as you can and writing them down as you collect them. When the time comes to make the decision, you can simply weigh the facts without stress.

Make time for recreation. The average human heart is beating only nine of 24 hours a day. For each beat

there is a rest. Design each day, week, month and year with time to rest. Protect this time as though your life depended on it because it does.

Laugh often. Keep a book of jokes in your personal library, a video of your favorite slapstick comedy and an audiotape of your favorite comedian. Use these as tools to make you laugh when you feel your stress level rising. Laughter cleanses the system and needs to be part of your daily regime.

Rejoice in your successes. Keep a simple chart of successes for each week and update it daily. At the end of the week, review the chart to see how many successes you achieved. When you are feeling challenged, look back through these charts and remember how successful you truly are and have been.

Go ahead. Use at least one of these proven stress-busting strategies to live a more relaxed, tranquil and fulfilled lifestyle.

Best of success to you!

Jeffrey Benjamin, the co-author of Real Life Habits for Success and the founder of Breakthrough Training, hosts Breakthrough Radio every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on 99.1 FM Talk. Contact him through breakthroughtraining.com.