Kill Your Stress ... Before Your Stress Kills You!

Just about every illness is either directly caused, or made worse, by stress. That includes heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, along with:

• Back pain and headaches
• Stomach and digestive problems
• Tooth grinding
• Sleep loss and fatigue
• Skin problems
• Weight gain or loss
• Depression
• Confusion, irritability, forgetfulness and more

Since stress is something that you encounter every day, you simply must have tools to deal with it if you want to be happy and healthy. One of my personal favorites, as many of you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which involves simple tapping with your fingertips to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on your head and chest while you think about your specific problem and voice positive affirmations.

But there are many others out there and, really, the more stress management tools you learn, and use regularly, the better of you’ll be.

The following tips from Lifehack will help you develop practices and a mindset that dissipate and reduce the inevitable stress of life itself.

1. Make quiet time: Whether you meditate daily or just spend an hour a night with a book, you need to create a space where you can clear your mind.

2. Eat better: A good diet can help your body better deal with the effects of stress.

3. Make family time: Try to eat at least one meal a day with your family (or with friends if you’re single).

4. Talk it out: Bottling up your frustrations, even the little ones, leads to stress.

5. Prioritize: Figure out what in your life actually needs attention and what doesn’t.

6. Accept interruptions gracefully: Leave enough wiggle room so you can adapt to changes in your day.

7. Pay attention to yourself: Notice when you feel stressed, and determine the cause.

8. Love: Build relationships. Share yourself. Feel human warmth.

9. Learn How to Relax and Center: Try this free download created by Dr. Neil Fiore that will guide you through proven breathing and relaxation exercises.

Sources:

  Lifehack.org April 11, 2008