Stress Management for Self Improvement

Stress has always been a part of our daily lives. We often find ways to deal it with but it can become unbearable when you're tightly under its grip. The important part here is to take control of stress before it ends up controlling you -- which is to say that you will be making a lot of mistakes that will take quite a lot of time and effort to fix. This is where stress management comes in.

Why Get Rid Of Stress?

We can never deny the fact that stress can be a big hindrance in everything you plan to do with your life. It can get in the way of business, career, or even with your family and friends. If you give in to the irritation and anger that is often the result of stress, you are bound to make the wrong decisions and commit plenty of mistakes that will cause any number of problems for you and your family.

You can lose your job, do badly in a business deal, or even make enemies left and right when you let your stress control you. Learn to control your stressors and get rid of them every time they crop up to improve your quality of life.

Find The Source Of Your Stress

Knowing the source of your stress can help give you a number of possible solution options to help counter it. If your stress stems from overwork, then take some time off from your busy schedule to relax. The home can also become a stressful environment, especially when it's disorganized and sometimes cluttered. If you think that the design of the interior is giving you problems, then take some time to rearrange the furniture, or add some home décor to make it more comfortable to live in.  Once you are able to determine the problem(s) then you can take the necessary steps to correct them.

Learn To Relax Once In A While

Everyone would agree that work, or the demands of work, is a major cause of an individual’s stress levels. If you think that you have “that wild look” in your eyes every time your boss asks you to do something, then it might be time to ask for a vacation, or some leave to relax yourself outside of work before it leads you into trouble.

Take some time off from your busy schedule and visit the local spa. Pamper yourself by indulging in a full-body massage or get an aromatherapy session going on to help you relax. You can always take a vacation if you really want to get the thoughts of work out of your system, but a regular massage will do wonders if you can't afford to be absent from your work for an extended period.

Find the Child within You

Kids are known to be stress-free. Even if you scold them or force them to eat vegetables, you will rarely see them suffer from stress for a prolonged period of time. The reason for this is that their mindset is set to enjoy life as they see fit. We can all take our cue from them and enjoy life a little bit more.

Find your inner child and just play. You can grab your Playstation 3 out of the cabinet and bring out the games you usually play during your free time. Another idea is to listen to your favorite music or read some of your favorite literature on the internet or your kindle. You can even play online games if you like, anything small just to help get your mind off of your work.

Keep in mind that the basis of stress management lies not in the methods you use for removing stress from your system. The focus here is to learn new methods to divert your mind from the situations that cause us to stress.  The point is to give ourselves time to relax and later come back to face the situation with a clear mind.

Earth Therapeutics Stress Management Kit

Here are a couple of positive affirmations for you:

"I accept and learn from my mistakes."

"Wealth is pouring into my life."

"I welcome and accept abundance into my life."

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Meditation as Stress Management

Stress is purely a mental problem. When the mind goes haywire, then the rest of your body will also do the same. You will become emotionally unstable when you're under the throes of stress and you will mostly like feel the repercussions on your body, like muscle cramps, headache, and more. It is important that a person learn stress management techniques to get rid of it before it becomes permanent.

Stress Is All In Your Mind

The initial effect of stress is in our minds. Our normal thought patterns are disrupted.  These patterns, once disrupted would lead to confusion. This would eventually negatively affect us both emotionally and physically if subjected to it over an extended period of time. Stress is oftentimes caused by both work and financial matters. Friends and family members can also become a source of your problem.

Since stress starts with the mind, you need take the necessary steps to control it within your mind. Relaxation plays a major role in stress management.  Relaxation is often the prelude to every other technique that you use to help you cope with the problem.  It is a fact that we can think clearly when we are in a relaxed state -- we weigh each thought that passes through our minds calmly and rationally, whether it’s a problem or just some stray thought from the day's events.

Meditation to Help You Relax

One way to help your mind relax is through meditation. This method can help you focus your mind clearly on a problem without getting distracted and come up with the right solution to get it out of your system. After all, a calm and focused mind can easily cope with stress.

There are several ways to practice meditation.  You can either enroll in meditation classes and be instructed in a group environment, or you can do it on your own. The former is perfect for those who have some spare free time, since meditation classes take around 2 to 3 hours per session. You will be guided slowly by your mentor on the different exercises, both mental and physical, to help you relax and focus your mind.

If you don’t have the leisure time available during your work day, then you can do it on your own for a few minutes while you're in the office or on a break.  Ideally, you can set aside an hour or so for quiet time at your house in a comfortable chair or bed.

Starting With Meditation

There are different methods and tools you can use to start meditation on your own. You can listen to calm music or chant a mantra. You can also buy books to help you achieve meditation through visualization techniques. Pick one that suits your individual taste and get started practicing.

First find a quiet place to start your meditation exercise. If it's your first time practicing, then make sure that you won't get distracted with the noise in your surroundings. Lock your room or tell everyone that you don’t want to be disturbed.

Start with the meditation by looking for a place where you can sit down and relax. Don’t lie down since that will only put you to sleep before you can complete the exercise. Apply your own relaxation method. Concentrate on your mind and let random thoughts fill your head. Observe each thought calmly as if you are watching a movie. If a stressful scene comes out, try your best not to focus on it, but push it aside and allow a new though to surface. Keep doing this exercise until you arrive at a time when your mind becomes comfortably fuzzy and blank.

Next you want to try to think of one problem that you want to solve and focus on it. Again, don’t get emotionally attached to the image and only observe it in passing. You will eventually arrive at a solution to the problem without even trying to do so.  That is the whole key to meditation.  Allow your thoughts to flow freely in and out of your mind and the best solution will undoubtedly present itself to you.  When you are done with your contemplation you can arrive on the best solution from all the thoughts that passed through your mind. 

I hope this brief explanation of meditation helps in some way.  If nothing else maybe it will peak your interest and encourage you to try meditation.  I hope you do practice meditation, it has been a great help to me.  I am much more patient now than I ever was in the past.  I also have developed some deep breathing techniques that go with meditation that help me calm down in stressful situations.  I enjoy meditating every night before I go to bed and try to set aside some times during the day as well because it is easy to fall asleep when you meditate before you go to sleep.  I also enjoy listening to brain entrainment and isochronic tones but that is another story for another day.

Here are a couple of positive affirmations for you:

"I am calm and relaxed in every situation."

"My work is deeply satisfying."

"I study and comprehend things fast."

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Links To Try Out And Be On Your Way To Self-Improvement... A Great Helping Resource!

The popularity of self-improvement books, tapes and seminars is a reflection of the universal interest we all have in overcoming our limitations, or "being the best we can be" or "achieving our full potential."

Popular applications of self-improvement programs include motivation and confidence, personal relationships, sales and job performance, enhancement of sports performance, public speaking, weight control and smoking cessation.

Here are some basic principles to help you determine whether such products or programs are worthy of your time and money.

There is no book or program that will be an exact fit for your needs and interests. Books and group programs are necessarily general in nature. Some of the ideas and concepts may apply well to you, but others may be irrelevant or just plain wrong as applied to your own personality and life situation. Use good judgment and discrimination in following advice offered in any self-improvement program.

Be wary of any program that is highly authoritarian and that tears you down, or attacks people who question what is being done. There have been many group self-improvement programs that have enjoyed a temporary burst of great popularity over the years that have been extremely damaging to some participants.

The most effective program or tape would, of course, be one that is designed specifically for the individual, addressing his or her unique goals, motivation and personality. Obviously this can be done only in personal consultation with a professional person such as a psychologist and involves the cost of paying that professional person for the time it takes them to provide the individual attention required to design a program or tape tailored exactly to your needs.

Suggesting a link to which you can seek for help can make things easier for you to achieve your goal. Help is on its way. Here are links that I can suggest you can visit.

• Psych Web by Russ Dewey:
 

The content of this awesome and well-organized site might be described as half-way in between the sites "Self Improvement Online" and "Mental Health Net."  Although its modest self description on the home page is "This Web site contains lots of psychology-related information for students and teachers of psychology," it is that and much more. The links on its self-help directory page alone are worth the time of the trip to this site: http://www.psychwww.com/resource/selfhelp.htm.

• Internet Mental Health:

In their words: "Internet Mental Health is a free encyclopedia of mental health information. It was designed by a Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Phillip Long, and programmed by his colleague, Brian Chow...Internet Mental Health is for anyone who has an interest in mental health: -Mental health professionals -Patients who want to learn more about their illness -Friends and families of patients -Mental health support groups -Students -Members of the general public who want to learn more about mental health"  This is an impressive site with many helpful articles and resources. If you are interested in mental health from any point of view, you'll be happy you visited.

•  Life Mentoring:

Because of the demand from our clients we started this site Life Mentoring for individual visitors, in
1998. It's mission is to provide you with the best collection of thoughts, ideas, philosophies and practical concepts for leading a truly meaningful and successful life. It is not linked to any school of thought, but rather wants to give you an overview of all different approaches - and so you to choose and pick whatever suits your needs best." The site has a number of very good articles, excellent collection of links, a free newsletter, a bbs/forum. Lots of enthusiasm, but no commercial hype.

A group program or a general tape is, of course, less costly. If it does in fact does come close to fitting the goals, motivation and personality of the individual reasonably well, it may prove to be a useful self-improvement tool. It is a less costly approach, but it could not reasonably be expected to be as effective as a program or tape designed specifically for you.

Here are some positive affirmations for you:
"I feel good about the way I do my job."
"I am kind and compassionate."
"I am an expert at what I am doing."

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5 Ways to Maximize Your Personal Energy Supply

Different governments, officials, environmental agencies exhort us to conserve the energy we use in order to save the environment and sustain our continued existence on the planet.

On a personal level I think that we also need to know how to conserve, focus and maximise our own personal supply of energy. We unconsciously dissipate and waste our energy on people, situations, thoughts, attitudes and events which do not serve us well. This leaves less space and energy for creating and attracting the kind of abundance that we want in our lives.

Interestingly enough I've also found that as I conserve, focus and thereby maximize my energy, I tend to use less energy on craving and acquiring "stuff", but more energy focusing on what is truly important to me, thereby helping the environment.

So here are 5 Ways to Maximize Your Personal Energy Supply.

1. Release Resistance

Releasing resistance will affect a profound change in your level of energy and how you view the world. Resistance often feels as though we are going against ourselves in order to satisfy some internal authority or a myriad of "should's" "ought's" and "have- tos". It takes a tremendous amount of energy to be resistant.

Related feelings and behavior include: procrastination, using willpower and discipline to effect change (otherwise known as "I Have To Struggle To Achieve What I Want"!), stubbornness, inflexibility, wanting to be right rather than happy (a very popular one:), holding onto self limiting beliefs way past their sell by date.

Releasing resistance can be as easy as just making a decision to let go of whatever you are holding onto. Energy therapy also helps release resistance at a very deep level.

2. Reduce time watching TV

Watching TV unconsciously is very exhausting. Haven't you noticed that when you watch TV continuously and do little else, you become extremely tired? That's because you are merely a passive recipient of information that you're not fully engaged with. On an energetic level, taking in all of those rays from the TV (similar to a computer) is overstimulating on a physiological level. Of course while you are watch TV, it means that you're not doing something more productive.

Am I saying that you stop watching TV altogether? No, but to be more selective and watch only those programs that you are engaged with. I'd also say that stop watching the TV news - all of that manufactured fear really affects you on a cellular level. I find that my mindset, moods and overall energy improve significantly when I watch less TV.

 3. Consciously create vacuums

Ever heard of the saying: "Nature abhors a vacuum". If you clean out an area of your life, you are giving the Universe a message to bring in something to replace it. This is otherwise known as energetic and/or physical clutter clearing. Start with either. Most people find it easier to start with clearing out the physical which has an effect on their energies. You are consciously creating the space for change to occur and inviting what you want into your life. This is much much easier than efforting to make things happen.

4. Avoid/deal with Energy Vampires

One of the quickest ways to get an energy boost is to disassociate yourself from those with those whose energy drains you. It is very effective. Unfortunately, it also becomes a little more difficult if they are your partner, member of your family, work colleagues or boss. It helps to develop a stronger set of boundaries and energetic protection, so that they are less likely to affect you in this way.

5. Create quiet time for yourself every day.

Not to do anything (unless it relaxes you), but just to clear and refresh your mind. We are human beings, not doings. There are times when our crowded schedule and minds don't allow space and time for the creative to be welcomed in. Einstein liked to go sailing in the afternoons after working in the morning. Okay, most of us don't have this opportunity, but you get the point.

If you only do one of the above, then your life will undergo a profound change.

If you want more information on this topic,you can check out a very interesting site called Wake Up World.  This site has some very interesting insights on different ways to both gain and maximize your personal energy.

Here are some positive affirmations for you:
"I look for my stars, not my scars."
"I am lovable."
"I accept and celebrate my humanness."

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Meditation technique for different environments

Meditation technique for different environments:


There are people who have good sense of focus and concentration. They have the ability to stabilize their mind no matter what kind of environment they are into. However, there are also people who seem to be always disturbed. They can hardly concentrate, thus, affecting their judgment and quality of work. Meditation is a good aid for these types of people. During meditation, mental space is created in order to achieve a certain degree of enlightenment.

The effects of meditation to different people also vary. These could be affected by factors such as the mood, character and individuality. When a person hardly understands himself, his confusion reflects to his actions. That is why contemplation is necessary in order to achieve an enlightened consciousness.

A quiet space conducive for reflection, a mantra to be recited and absolute concentration are the essentials of meditation. While sitting meditation is considered the basic and most efficient form of meditation, there are other ways to modify the process. On the whole, you can only create other forms of meditation when you become habituated with the practice. When your mind had been set for meditation, it will be easy for you to stay tuned-up. Plus, you can integrate the spiritual essence and mental awareness with the physical and mental rhythms of life.

As meditation becomes part of your routine, you will always find time to stop and make a connection with the process of meditation. Naturally, you will seek the blissful state that you can experience only when meditating.  

So what should you do when the place you are into is not conducive for meditation? There are ways to establish focus and concentration. You can capture your mind to be in the meditation state when you direct your attention to a spot in the room, or listen attentively to your breathing or focus on a small object. With the help of a relaxing music and tricky colors, you can employ meditation and extend such practice even beyond the meditation period.

Active people such as athletes need to stay focused in their skill or art while staying grounded. However, their physical ability could be more enhanced if they are in touch with their higher consciousness. A famous female boxer revealed that in her violent and aggressive profession, she never fails to meditate and chant. She constructed her own way of escaping the gym atmosphere in order to find peace within. She listens to the sound of the speed bag as she hits it one way. There is a distinct sound for a one-way blow and the sound varies with the difference in the impact of glove. Then all she had to do is close her eyes and meditate on the sound of the speed bag.

Even a basketball player can employ meditation at the free throw line if he is able to transcend the noise of the crowd and the pressure of the play. In this manner, he can manage stress and anxiety while connecting to his meditation process.

Be creative in modifying your own way of meditation. Break your patterns and make your imagination work.

Here are a couple of positive affirmations for you:
"I have a right to be treated with respect."
"I love others as I love myself."
"I believe the world is a good place and I have a place in it."

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