Let Go Off the Stress...

I am not going to pretend that everyone faces the same kind of
stresses daily that I do, or many of us..I advise daily who are
constantly looking for ways to minimize the stresses that plague
them. But I can offer you SEVEN stress-management strategies
which can be used to reduce the stresses in your life:
[1] Lower Your Exposure To Media
You are unlikely to be surprised when I tell you that the majority
of information coming from television and newspapers is negative
and causes fear and worry. Sure, we all want to stay connected to
the outside world and know what is going on. But the majority of
that information is delivered after being filtered according to
what sells. Bad news draws us back to the media source more than
good news does. An unfortunate side effect is stress, but it does
keep the media companies in business. Realize this and try to keep
the world picture they paint in perspective.
[2] Sever Your Toxic Relationships
Your relationships with other people, especially those you see on
a daily basis, have probably the most profound influence on the
quality of your life. Toxic relationships, which are all too
common, can be a source of extreme stress. If you have people in
your life who are obnoxious, controlling, disrespectful or
unnecessarily intimidating, you need to find a way to minimize
your exposure to them. This can be hard to do, but the payoff
in stress reduction can be HUGE.
[3] Revise Your Nutrition And Your Exercise Schedule
I'll cover this in more detail some other time, since I can write
volumes on this subject! The most important thing I can remind you
about is that food with poor nutritional content (which is just
about every piece of food you have access to during your working
hours) is going to poison your system and stress your metabolic
and nervous systems. On the same note, unless you are exercising
with the intent of reversing the effects of aging, your lack of
physical activity will only compound the other effects of stress
in your life.
[4] Get A Decent Amount Of Sleep
Try to get a full 8 hours of sleep each night. I read about a
recent study which showed that people who lack sleep end up
gaining more weight than those who get proper rest. Lack of
sleep elevates your stress, and stressed out people eat more
junk food to try to relax themselves. At least, that's my take
on this.
[5] Meditate
Meditation is a wonderful way to cleanse your mind. It can help
eliminate obsessive thoughts which worry you unnecessarily.
Meditation also gives you an opportunity to focus your attention
on developing practical plans of action for getting what you
want, and for creative problem solving. This is a habit that has
been practiced for thousands of years, and for good reason,
it works!
[6] Bring A Pet Into Your Home
While I think this is especially good advice if you are single,
studies also show that couples who have pets have a better
chance of maintaining a healthy relationship. I have two dogs that
help keep me grounded and more physically active than I otherwise
would be (since I have to take them on long walks). Pets add a
great deal of joy to your life because their love is unconditional
and they are always there when you need them. Also, they give you
a greater sense of purpose in your life because you have something
counting on you for survival.
[7] Increase Your Financial Independence
I left this one til last because I wanted to underscore its
importance. Lack of money is right up there as a source of
severe stress in the lives of most people. Many personal
relationships come apart at the seams when money does not
materialize at the rate that people had hoped for, and it can
be easy to blame the other person for where you are now in
your life. This is why getting on top of wealth creation can
be one of the most important things you can do to reduce the
stresses in your life. ..