Managing Your
Stress- 7 Day Stress Management Program

We all have had one of those days...ok, ok maybe a few of those days when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress that life brings. Things get throw at us from a variety of different places, whether it's our home life, our work, dealing with our family, friends, co-workers, and of course from a variety of situations. We can't CONTROL everything, life would be so much easier huh if we could!!

As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, to have the walls starting to cave in on you and just when you don't think you can handle anymore ... life brings even more for us to cope with. The stress that we do feel is not always something that we brought on ourselves, I mean the least little thing can set us off, with so many variables and personalities out there, no one can skip through life and handle everything calmly and effectively all the time.

They, whoever "they" are, say stress is in the mind. I don't know about you, I feel it everywhere and I am certainly not IMAGINING IT!!!

The good news is that there are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of our lives. I know, it seems impossible, but it is true and here is al ittle seven-day course that will help you!

1. Acknowledge stress is good - Make stress your friend! Based on the body's natural "fight or flight" response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. I've yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.

2. Avoid stress sneezers - Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too! Protect yourself by recognizing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you've got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage themselves.

3. Learn from the best - When people around are losing their head, who keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced? Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.

4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing - This is something I've learned from a gym instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.

5. Give stressy thoughts the red light - It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. "If this happens, then that might happen and then we're all up the creek!" Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly? Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong - how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?

6. Know your trigger points and hot spots - Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines…. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down! Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee? Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?

7. Burn the candle at one end - Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it's often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don't burn the candle at both ends!

So having stress can be a total drag, but that should not hinder us to find the inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a long time. In any case, one could always go to the Bahamas and bask under the summer sun.

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