You Can be Great If You Really Want To

They say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It’s a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.

And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the edge.

As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and believe me there are many variants when it comes to stress. Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that you can carry once you head out that door. You can’t blame them for being like that; they have their own reasons, so much like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. They say that stress is all in the mind, well, what’s bugging you anyway?

There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of your life one of these days. So I’ll try to divide it into a seven-day course for you and I promise it’s not going to be too taxing on the body, as well as on the mind.

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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Have you ever noticed that people who exercise regularly have more energy, less stress, and seem to get more done in a day than those who do not have the time for exercise? Why does exercise increase your energy level, and how is it possible to be more productive in less time?

As you know, Yoga is more than an exercise; but you will discover solutions for stress management within and any form of Yoga – even the less physical styles. In fact, Yoga is a lifestyle full of methods to relieve you from stress.

People often say they have no time for meditation, breathing correctly (Pranayama), eating correctly, good hygiene, good posture (asanas), giving to others, or praying to God. Most Yoga teachers do not cover all of these Yogic aspects, within their classes, but some do.

The masses have no time for Yoga, or improving their life, but they are full of stress, anxiety, and bad feelings, because they are reacting to life. Yoga practitioners have a pro-active lifestyle, which is much similar to the person who wakes up early to exercise, walk, or run in the early morning.

Most people are reacting to deadlines at work, and home, every day. People often worry about lack of income, finances, and their relationships, because they do not have a plan and see no solution to the never ending cycle of excessive stress.

All of this worrying, stress, anxiety, and lack of positive action, contribute to a variety of ailments, poor quality life, and premature death. So, how does a “stressed out” person begin to design a plan to change his or her lifestyle, before it “gets cut short” by stress?

There are many places to go, and the solutions do not have to take place all at the same time. Writing a list, of what bothers you, is a start. You could list the problems on the left side of your sheet and list possible solutions on the right side of the sheet.

To be honest, Yoga could be the solution to most of your problems, but you have to take action. You have to want to take action, and move in a positive direction for your complete health. Your local Yoga or wellness center probably has most, or all, of the solutions you seek, “under one roof.”

So, why does exercise increase your energy level and how is it possible to be more productive in less time? About increasing productivity: A “spark” of energy from Yoga exercise (Asanas), Sun Salutations, meditation, or Pranayama, in the early morning, will create a positive flow of energy within your body, mind, and spirit, for the rest of the day.

Some would say a coffee will do the same thing. However, if you are not exercising, excessive amounts of coffee will usually cause more stress and anxiety. The body is “screaming” for some form of exercise, if it is full of energy and you sit down all day. If you are exercising regularly, moderate amounts of coffee should be fine.

Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Stress can lead to an eczema outbreak. There is an increased tendency to itch whenever you feel pressurized or unable to cope with the situation at hand. Over a period of time, you can find that your eczema becomes increasingly uncontrollable as you cannot stop the itch. Thus, you can prevent eczema through stress management.

Yet, it will be impractical for me to advise you to avoid stress and hence prevent eczema from happening altogether. We cannot escape stress from our environment today. All of us face stress in one situation or another, almost every other day. Stress is not all the bad. There is good stress, which motivates you. Bad stress is those that cause an overload to your body systems and give rise to a host of health problems. Here is what stress can lead to: mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.

It is obvious that if you can learn how to manage stress and cope better, you can prevent eczema. Here are some easy ways for you to take action:
– Consider what are the factors that trigger stress for you? Is it work related? Exam related? Are you feeling overwhelmed because you feel that you have too much to do? Then, it is important that you prioritize. Break your tasks into smaller manageable ones. Work out a schedule to reach your goals.
– Have a good laugh. Watch a comedy, read a funny book, listen or tell a joke or describe a hilarious moment to a family member or friend. Laughter is not only a good outlet for stress but it also has a number of health benefits. Laughter activates the immune system, it lower blood pressure, and it triggers the release of the natural painkillers, endorphins, in your body. Laughter also reduces stress hormones, helps reduce pain, allows muscles to relax and is very helpful for the breathing process as frequent bouts of laughter empties air from the lungs.
– Take time out to relax and put your worries aside. It may be getting together with friends, watching a movie or playing a game of tennis. You can also distract yourself with artistic pursuits such as painting, pottery or writing poetry. Finding ways to de-stress can help decrease your flare-ups tremendously, not to mention also improving your quality of life.
– Learn relaxation techniques such as meditation or breathing exercises. This helps you to feel calm and peaceful and not over react unnecessarily to external events. Practice these techniques in the mornings or at night every day.

It is important that you learn how to make peace with stress and keep things in perspective, since you cannot completely escape stress. Prevent eczema by getting less tense. When you feel less tense, you are less likely to have a body reaction including an uncontrollable urge to scratch yourself.

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