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Stress is Not Just For Adults

Stress is not just for adults. Stop everything you are doing and think upon this one fact if you read nothing else of this article.

Let me repeat it. Stress is not just for Adults! Kids are getting it too and this is really worrying if you follow this concept through to its natural conclusion. The knock on effects of this and the side effects of this could damage generations to come.

Before I start sounding as some weird harbinger of impending doom and disaster my line of thought is as follows. If the average age of those who find themselves suffering from stress becomes younger then the problem we have is that they will have insufficient natural and emotional resources to help them cope with this unnatural phenomena.

Or is it unnatural?

Many people don’t realize that stress is a very natural and important part of life.

What is Stress? OK if you remove the need to strangle the nearest Parking Warden. Only joking here, Parking Wardens are nice people, I love Parking Wardens, well not in the biblical sense as my wife might object but I digress. Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events. The problem with stress is when it becomes excessive, and when you don’t allow yourself the opportunity to recover from stressful episodes.

Stress is epidemic in the western world. Stress is your response to any physical, emotional or intellectual demands. Stress is different for each of us. Stress is a fact of life, but it need not be a way of life. Stress is any factor in a person’s life that causes change.

Stress is what you feel when you react to pressure from others or from yourself. Stress is an unavoidable part of life. Workplace stress is costing Britain billions and causing some 150,000 Britons to take at least a month off each year.

Stress is clearly a problem, and the need for remedial action is apparent. With Industry suffering under thousands of days lost due to excessive stress and pressure you would think that by now someone at possibly a governmental level would have tried to do something about it but nope, hey lets go and bomb some other country smaller than ourselves and really make ourselves popular.

But perhaps that’s it? Our glorious leader’s response to excessive stress is to go and relive it all by bombing someone else. Let’s just move the stress around a little and share!

If we get back to the real world for a little….

Stress is the physical and mental response of the body to demands made upon it. Stress is defined as a response to a demand that is placed upon you. Stress is something which affects only those who have high-pressure lives.

The level of your wellness or health is, in part, determined by the ability to deal with and defend against stress. Health officials stress that spreading knowledge is the key in the area of wellness and preventive medicine.

As a closing thought let me just repeat the opening line

Stress is Not Just For Adults! Many people don’t realize that stress is a very natural and important part of life. It is just that as with most things too much of it can cause damage.

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Music and Emotion

The Age-old Puzzle of Human Response   If you’ve listened to more than a little music, you’ve most likely received an emotional reaction from some of it. You’ve probably noticed that whenever that happens, the effect is initially unexpected and varies in its intensity. Its also a safe bet that you cannot truly explain or define why it affected you.

You might be listening to a Symphonic work, a Jazz combo, something Country or a Folk song. Whatever the style, it becomes obvious that certain musical creations are able to communicate in a way that transcends the moment.

Those with a broad and varied interest in music soon discover that not all music is equal. Some of it may simply be functional, contrived, uninspiring and produce little or no emotional reaction. Other music may call forth a few emotional moments here and there but you find yourself wishing for more.

Then, there are those truly inspiring musical creations that lift one out of oneself, somehow transporting the listener in a way that defies explanation.

Inspiring music appears to contain an abundance of emotional peaks and valleys that may evoke pleasure, sadness and other diverse manifestations of emotion. For the listener, this often becomes a very unique and moving personal experience – and the oddity is that neither the composer nor the performers of the music will be able to explain exactly how or why it creates that effect.

This seeming inability has nothing to do with the extensive technical abilities of the composer or members of the orchestra. Rather, it concerns the difficulty anyone encounters when attempting to define or describe the ethereal nature of inspiration. For example, how does one go about describing the Source?

Apparently, it matters not the musical style – a simple folk song might trigger an emotional reaction as powerful as that created by a complex symphonic work.

Why this happens has been debated for ages but most musicologists will agree that trying to find the answer to this and other human response questions becomes a gigantic task due to the plethora of human, technical, psycho-biological and other variables that permeate an inspiring composition and its performance.

Another unusual aspect is that no two people will react to any given piece of music in exactly the same way. What might be a moving experience for one person might be somewhat different for another.

Back to the future 

In order to gain a better understanding of why this disparity occurs, look to the subject of human conditioning – for it contains insightful information regarding how and why people react in the manner that they do.

The concept of human conditioning is based upon the premise that human perspective is influenced from birth onward by parental, societal, religious and other forces. Consequently, all future human experience is filtered through and measured by past experience.

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Maintaining your Road Bike. Some simple rules to follow.

As every one knows a bike that is kept clean and tidy will work much better than one that is dirty. However before your proceed to carry out any maintenance on your road bike you should ensure that it is clean, but this does not mean just giving it a quick wipe over with a cloth, rather you should spend time cleaning it correctly and there are a few essential items that you will need to carry out the work property. You may find yourself having to spend a little cash on getting some equipment that is specifically for your bike, but most of it will be found around the house (a good place to look is under the sink).

Certainly the first pieces of equipment that you will need are as follows:-

A work stand for your bike (or if not then a wall or a tree will do just as nicely for placing your bike against).

Secondly you will need an old rear hub or axle or a stick.

Then you need to get some degreaser (or if you want you can use diesel fuel instead, but be careful when using diesel to wear gloves or some form of protection as it can cause damage to your hands).

Plenty of hot water, washing up liquid, 2 buckets (one which contains soapy water and the other with just water), a paint brush (for getting into all those awkward places, and old water bottle and bottle brush, a soft scrubbing brush, two sponges and several cloths.

You will also need oil (for the chain, the cogs and around the wheels and their axles).

If you want to give your bike an extra bit of shine then don’t forget the spray polish (but keep it away from the chain area).

However, one of the most important things you should remember when cleaning your bike is to be aware of anything that may need repairing or fixing and which can be carried out later (this is the way a mechanic will do it who works for a professional team, and don’t forget he can have up to 10 bikes to look after) so it is certainly a lot easier for you as you only have the one to worry about.

So where do you begin?

The best place to start when cleaning your bike is the wheels, remember the old water bottle in the list above, well cut the top off of that and pour in some degreaser. You could if you want use a spray degreaser, but the problem with this type is a lot get wasted. Using the paint brush work the degreaser into the bikes sprockets (make sure that you do not put too much on to the bearings), then leave for a little while (allowing the degreaser a chance to work its magic) and then with some hot water with washing up liquid scrub the sprockets clean and then after that scrub the rims of the tyres (making sure that you remove any old brake block residue that you see, you can use some degreaser on this if it helps, but ensure that you do not get it near the tyres).

The next task is to clean the tyres themselves using a soft scrubbing brush, whilst you are doing this you can check them to see if there are any cuts in the tread that may result in a puncture later on. Also it is a good idea to inspect the tyre rims for any damage or if they are just wearing thin. Then with a soap sponge clean the spokes of the wheels and rinse them off using clean water and allow them dry, but do not place them in direct sunlight.

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Stress Relief Music – more than just a pretty sound

These days, almost everyone is affected to some degree by stressful conditions and apparently, more and more people are searching for ways to find relief. To prove this to yourself, do a Google search on the word-phrase “stress anxiety” and you’ll find results in the millions. Next, add the word “music” (stress anxiety music) and millions more results will appear.

As you’ll see, there’s clearly a lot of interest in relieving stress and music is becoming more and more acceptable as a way to accomplish that goal.

It is well known that certain types of music have a calming, soothing and uplifting influence upon mind and body. However, not all music is equal in its efficacy and applicability. Why? Because listening to music is a very subjective experience and the reality is that sometimes, a piece of music may work well for one person but not as well for another.

Effectiveness depends upon so many technological, physiological and psychological variables that it is often very difficult if not impossible to determine exactly what it is in music that causes human response. Thus, the only meaningful measurement we have is the degree of feeling we experience as we listen. This is how it has been for centuries

Obviously, ‘one-size-fits-all’ is not an option. It’s just as well. There’s already too many digital cookie-cutter sound bytes being passed off as music for stress – and listeners should be more aware that effective music is much more than a compilation of pretty sounds with suggestive titles.

Among its many attributes, truly effective music for stress contains an outstanding characteristic; an inherent ability to alter human perspective. It does this by creating a relaxing, uplifting ambience that gradually helps the listener to deal with stressful conditions in a more positive and constructive manner.

When listening to music, most people assume that the human ear does all the work by registering the sum total of musical information. Up to a point this is correct, but feelings generated by a musical experience are the end result of a more complex physiological and psychological process – an end result that does not immediately become apparent until after the fact.

What about people who are deaf? Can they appreciate music? Yes, but to do so they “listen” differently. There is evidence that skin perceptiveness and cellular resonance also play a part in how they perceive sound. If this is true, the implication is that deaf or not, we all perceive, experience and evaluate music on more than one sensory level.

A case in point is Evelyn Glennie, the famous deaf percussionist who performs with various symphony orchestras worldwide. She does not hear music – she feels it. For more information, do a Google search on “deaf percussionist” (without the quotation marks).

Returning to the subject of stress-relief music, some people might say that the music was “peaceful, soothing, beautiful, uplifting” or something similar. Others might comment that it had no effect – “it just put me to sleep”. Either way, the music caused something positive to happen, even though the person sleeping was not consciously aware of it.

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Aromatherapy an Alternative Answer For Stress Management

Although we may be under stress at times one may not know that there are alternative solutions for stress other than sex, exercise or alcohol. Finding the right solution can be made as easy as looking no further than your nose If you are searching for an easy and pleasant ways to help get your mind off of an unpleasant or stressful situation, consider aromatherapy as an alternative solution to your stressed life.

The sense of smell is strongly tied to memories. As with all our senses the sense of smell can trigger chemical reactions within your body that can actually help your body feel relief from the stress you are experiencing. Just as stress releases chemicals into your body creating an uneasy feeling so can your sense of smell create a release of chemicals to help you feel better. Your powerful sense of smell can help you feel calm and relaxed. After tense hours at work or just experiencing tension in general you can administer aromatherapy simply by lighting a candle. This is an easy way of helping yourself through a tough situation by encouraging you to take a few minutes to unwind, breathe in a pleasant scent and release any thoughts that may be causing you stress.

One of the most popular fragrances for relaxation is lavender. The lavender fragrance is often combined with vanilla for an extra-special effect. The vanilla is a traditional scent that is closely related to memories of growing up. There is a homey feel about vanilla which will stimulate memories and release chemicals into your body to help you feel a sense of comfort. . This scent mixed with lavender is a new classic among aromatherapy and is an easy way to administer stress relief at an un-conscious level.

The lavender is one of my favorite and I started using it years ago. I noticed that just by burning a lavender soy candle in my house helped to make me feel calm, relaxed and have a feeling of well being. I have also noticed that the bubble bath that I prepare for my girlfriend also has natural lavender and she always tells me how relaxed she feels after she takes her bubble bath and how she just loves the smell.

So if you are feeling stress and are looking for alternative ways to relax and release the stress Look no further than your nose and explore aromatherapy as a safe easy way to alternative for stress release.

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Mental and Physical Stress

All people experience stress and anxiety in one form or another. Sometimes it can be helpful but if allowed to become chronic, it produces a physically debilitating, unhealthy and destructive mind-set that actually increases stress levels and lowers immune system efficiency.

Generally speaking, helpful stress is similar to a wakeup call that motivates one to (a) do something that needs to be done or (b) accomplish something that is beneficial and constructive. It is goal-oriented and usually contains a promise of material reward or personal attainment.

Another source of stress is that created as the result of unfortunate natural events such as floods, quakes, hurricanes, and the like. 

However, in today’s fast moving and competitive world the most commonly mentioned stressful situations are usually those created as the result of day-to-day human interaction. 

Since all humans are conditioned since birth by familial, social, religious and other forces, human interaction takes place within the confines of that conditioning. Because of this, the resolution or prolongation of stressful, anxiety filled situations will, more often than not, depend upon how we respond.

Some people become a bit uneasy when told that their stress problems are basically a mental condition. To them, that diagnosis suggests they are flirting with the looney bin and in some manner, displaying deficiency and lack of control. 

In their view, stress is something created by someone or something outside of themselves such as a boss, co-worker, dead-end job, traffic, competition, not enough time or money, a dysfunctional family, marital issues, et al. In some cases this viewpoint may be true.

But as the saying goes, “it takes two to tango” which is a rather old-fashioned but still valid way of saying that when stress begins to negatively affect our health and the manner in which we function, we need to take a good hard look at our own participation in what is happening around us.

Granted, we all live in an over-stimulated, stressful world and in the midst of all that, it’s often difficult to maintain a sense of equilibrium. Why?

Well, much of the time, our own perspective gets in the way of corrective action. When trouble brews, we tend to stoke fires rather than put them out by allowing our emotions to inflame issues and influence how we think and act. In other words, we allow ourselves to react in a manner that actually produces more stress rather than minimizing it.

Don’t think so? Here’s a hypothetical example:

Bob works for a company that is going through some corporate downsizing and he has just discovered that a co-worker has been spreading rumors about him that are intended to discredit him in the eyes of management. 

He doesn’t want to appeal to management for support because most likely, they will not be pleased with being dragged into what would appear to be a petty employee situation. 

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Human Conditioning

The predominant role human conditioning plays in a stressful environment. Perspective, reaction and remedy.How music can help.

Creating music for stress management can be a rather complicated process. Due to the nature of stress, music must promote and sustain a therapeutic ambience and provide a calming influence that opens the door to reflection, corrective action and ultimately, inner peace. Consequently, creative effort in this genre often leads to considerations that have more to do with psychology than music per se.

In its development stages a musical sequence may point to possibilities for music therapy, but to successfully complete the final sequence, one must consider the variables of human nature.

Whether or not these musical possibilities grow into something of benefit depends upon many factors, not the least of which is the creation of sound structures that are compatible with and beneficial to the human organism.

Another extremely important issue that must be considered during the composition process is that all humans are conditioned since birth and there is little that humans experience throughout their lives that is not filtered through previous layers of conditioning.

At first glance, human conditioning may appear to have little if any relationship to stress management, anxiety, burnout – or for that matter, music. But a closer look reveals the connection.

To understand how this connection works, we’ll need to dig into some information that may seem a bit ‘heavy’. The subject of conditioning is extensive and of necessity, comment here must be confined to only a few of its more prominent twists and turns.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the statements presented here, the following is the result of years of observation, study and application. Its presentation here is intended to promote a better understanding of how and why we so often react in counter-productive ways when dealing with stressful conditions.

Admittedly, this information is but a small part of a much deeper subject. Nonetheless, it is my sincere hope that what is presented here will provide some insight for those who suffer from the unpleasant, debilitating and unhealthy conditions of stress. That said, please read on and it will become apparent that where human conditioning is concerned, almost everything is related. ________________________________________________________________________________

The problem

When one studies the work of men such as Roger Sperry, Freud, Jung, Wilhem Reich and others, it becomes clear that (1) general reaction to stressful conditions tends to be aberrant and (2) the manner in which humans perceive and react is, for the most part, a learned behavior.

This learned behavior has much to do with how we view ourselves and our place in society. The picture that we present to the outside world is our identity, or image, of who we think we are and that image is the direct result of everything we have been taught and everything that has ever happened to us.

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Stress Tips

26 ways to minimize and manage the unhealthy effects of stress, anxiety and burnout.

No doubt about it – we live in an increasingly competitive and stressful world. In many subtle and not so subtle ways it affects us all and it’s not unusual for people to lace their conversation with phrases like ‘Stressed out’, ‘Anxiety syndrome’, ‘Panic attack’, ‘Burned out’ and more. That’s today’s reality.

The question is, how do we go about dealing with that kind of world? What can we do to minimize the prolonged, unhealthy effects of a stressful environment? How can we prevent stress, anxiety and burnout from becoming a way of life?

Well, first we need to take a good hard look at what exactly is stressing us out and perhaps do a bit of repair work on our perspective of the situation. A good way to do that is by reviewing some very basic and constructive advice that has always been available but is often forgotten in our daily scuffle to get ahead.

For the most part, the advice is based upon common sense and can often provide clarity and guidance in stressful situations.

That said, study the list below to see if it contains something that will work for you. At first glance, these suggestions may appear deceptively simple but each will, nonetheless, require dedicated effort and discipline.

1. Don’t try to please everyone. It’s impossible, debilitating and very stressful.

2. Stop living your life according to the beliefs, opinions and prejudgments of others. Its your life, not theirs.

3. Create dependable friendships with people who can be counted on to support your effort to change, learn and grow.

4. Try to make changes gradually. Doing so will help you to maintain a more positive outlook as you progress. Attempting to change too much too soon often leads to disappointment.

5. Establish priorities that are consistent with your own values.

6. Examine your beliefs and goals. Are they unrealistic or unattainable?

7. Accent the positive and learn from the negative.

8. Focus on the present. The past cannot be changed. The future hasn’t arrived yet. That leaves you with now. Now is the time to create the future you desire.

9. Are you a workaholic? If so, try to create a more balanced lifestyle. By so doing, you’ll minimize a lot of stress too.

10. Choose a goal that you can be proud to work toward and which enhances and maintains your self-respect.

11. Don’t forget to take short breaks throughout your workday.

12. Think ahead. Always have a plan B in case plan A does not work.

13. Mistakes happen. If it’s your fault, admit it and don’t waste time and energy with excuses.

14. Take the time to exercise regularly. Exercise is a good stress-buster.

15. Improve your relationships. Give up those that lead nowhere and drain your energy.

16. Pace yourself. Know your limits. If you feel you can go the extra mile and it’s a worthy goal, then go for it…but don’t obsess or overdo. Sometimes, less is more.

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Black Belt Negotiating

How would you like an extra $5,000 or more a year? This money can be earned simply by becoming a better negotiator, yet most people in the United States rarely take advantage of the power of bargaining, except on rare occasions when making large purchases like cars and houses. In other countries, like Asia, people there negotiate everything everyday and save thousands.

Negotiating is like a martial arts contest where power, leverage and timing can mean the difference between winning and losing. For instance, a martial artist would never go into a contest without first spying on his opponent to find weaknesses. In the same way, you can gain bargaining power by doing your homework. If you’re buying a diamond ring, for example, find out how long the ring has been on display, the standard profit margin on jewelry and how badly the owner wants to sell it. Finding answers to questions like these could save a lot of money.

Before engaging in contest a martial artist warms up by stretching. Likewise, a savvy negotiator warms up by building rapport and finding common ground with the other party, because people like to do business with people they like.

Next, fighters will cautiously probe each other looking for weaknesses. In bargaining this is done by throwing offers onto the table to see how the other party reacts. Experienced fighters often use guile to lure their opponents into range by pretending a blow has hurt them more than it really did. Similarly, a negotiator could pretend to be shocked by an opponent’s offer to get her to come up or go down in price. Visibly showing surprise or hurt is called flinching and it used by master bargainers to gain concessions without giving up anything.

Martial artists are taught to read the body language of their opponents so they can see a blow before it is unleashed. Experienced negotiators can literally read the other party’s mind by watching body language and listening carefully. If a seller says, “My price is $500 but make me an offer” you know their price is flexible before you even start. Without saying a word their body language can also tell you if they like or dislike any offer you make.

Martial artists do not believe in win-win and neither should you. Even when sparring their best friend they want to give their best effort. When bargaining, fight for the best deal possible assuming that the other party will take care of themselves because they will.

Fighters are supremely aware of time and try to use it to their advantage by saving as much energy as possible for the last few seconds of a round when they can score points against a tired opponent. Black belt negotiators put their opponents under time pressure by setting deadlines. A car buyer might visit the dealership only an hour before a doctor’s appointment so the dealer must give his best offer before the customer leaves, likely never to return.

In martial arts, as in life, there are unfair fighters who will do anything to win, so you must protect yourself at all times. Negotiators must be aware of unfair tactics such as nibbling, which is asking for concessions after an agreement has been reached. If this happens to you just remember this blocking technique, “Before you give a concession – get a concession.” For example, if a seller says, “Couldn’t you give me just twenty five dollars more because I’m not making any money on this deal?” you can respond with, “If I did, would you throw in the extended warranty?”

Finally, when a contest ends, fighters will bow to each other as a sign of respect as if to say, “You were a worthy opponent” which makes both contestants feel good whether they won or lost. Negotiators should also congratulate the other party for having gotten a good deal. Otherwise he might change his mind and go back on the agreement.

Just like becoming an accomplished martial artist, achieving black belt status in negotiating takes practice. Every time you pull out your wallet ask yourself if this is an opportunity to hone your bargaining skills. If it is – get out there and earn a black belt!

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Conduct Your Own Leadership Seminar: The 10 Step Process

The Value of a Leadership Seminar

Contrary to the opinion of many, leadership skills can be taught, and many effective leaders have learnt the various strategies needed to accomplish leadership. It is not something that you necessarily have to be born with, although of course life may be somewhat easier for those people if choosing leadership roles. So an advertised leadership seminar will not be there simply to hone the skills of natural leaders, it may be there to teach leadership skills to those without that natural advantage.

Employee Satisfaction

Trust in our leaders is a very important indicator of unlikely employee satisfaction in an organisation. But how can this be taught through the simple forum of a leadership seminar? As it turns out, quite straightforwardly. The needed trust and confidence are a result of effective communication in three essential areas: identifying the employee’s place in the company, communicating the business plan, and communicating and setting the organisations business goals and how the individual may contribute to them.

Principles of Leadership

The U.S. Army have identified ten principles of leadership. They are very straightforward

1. Knowing your job. You need to know what needs to be done and how to do it along with those jobs undertaken by comrades. Many times we may see in the workplace jobs delegated to junior staff in the leader’s sincere belief that they are quick to perform; this may not be the case at all in practice.

2. Seek out responsibility and take responsibility when matters go awry. We can see this happening in the workplace all around us all the time.

3. Make decisions in a solid and timely fashion. An effective leadership seminar will deal with problem solving and how to make and take decisions.

4. Example setting. An obvious one perhaps, but we all need an example to follow; perhaps hard work is a good example of this.

5. It is important that our leaders also look out for us – for some this may come naturally, but a leadership seminar will cover this too.

6. This deals with communication again, with an effective leader ensuring that all around him are aware of relevant situations.

7. The important task of encouraging beneficial character traits in co-workers.

8. Communication; again employees must know what is expected of them in going about their tasks and what are the signs that they have been completed successfully?
9. Teams must be trained together; they are not just a collection of individuals.

10. Lastly, the full potential of the organisation must be utilised.

That should be enough to run your own leadership seminar – good luck!

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The Effects of Stress – How Adrenaline Adds Years to Your Face

A threat is a threat as far as your subconscious mind is concerned. Whether real or imagined your brain reacts in the same way to any ‘threat’ – by pumping stress hormones into your bloodstream.

It’s these stress hormones that trigger immediate changes in your body’s biochemical state. You have experienced it – we all have – raised blood pressure, palpitations and mental reactions such as anger, fear, worry or aggression.

In short, stress upsets your normal bodily balance. Of course nature doesn’t do this to you lightly. Adrenaline is released for a reason – to save your life. Raised adrenaline levels prepare your body to run away from trouble or to confront it with a superhuman effort in dangerous situations.

Adrenaline is the reason you could survive a life-threatening situation. Adrenaline is also at least partly responsible for great sporting achievements or a supreme test of endurance. Unfortunately, when the stress response occurs in less threatening situations, the adrenaline released simply causes burn out and disruption to your body.

Think about a situation which caused you acute anxiety recently – a job interview; standing up in public to say a few words; confronting a personal difficulty with a friend or colleague; an argument at home. You probably felt your heart thumping, your brain racing, your blood pressure increase and every sense in your body on high alert.

When the situation was over no doubt you felt exhausted – physically and mentally drained. That is the toll the stress response takes on your body. Fine if it saved your life – but extremely harmful otherwise.

Most times the extra chemicals in your bloodstream from the stress response don’t get used – for instance in fleeing for your life or fighting off attackers. Many times the imaginary or real threat persists over a long period. In this way your immune system is affected and you can become more prone to mental and physical illnesses.

It can happen to anybody from a high profile business executive to a student, or a home-maker. We are all are burning out our energies to defend ourselves from real or perceived causes of stress.

You probably won’t be at all surprised to learn that stress accelerates the aging process. The stress response upsets your body’s natural balance which causes damage to hormone secretion, cell repair and collagen production.

So next time you look at someone and conclude they must have had a hard or a sad life – based on what you see on their face – the chances are you’re right. Worry, anxiety and stress really do etch themselves on our faces.

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Self Esteem and Stress – Stop Worrying!

Quit Your Worrying!

Many people it seems as if they are married to their worries, that poor stress is controlling their lives. They wear their stress like a badge on their chests. The increase of stress and decrease in self-esteem are a wicked combination. Stress is everywhere, whether there are several small items that cause worry or one big issue. Stress is very dependent on the individual what might stress out one person is a piece of cake for the next. Why is that so? Well, the symbiotic relationship of stress management to self-esteem has a powerful impact on how we handle stress, i.e. our stress management tools are driven by our self-esteem.

The causes of stress are varied, it could be job, marriage, home, money or family. When we are stressed our minds become immersed in possibilities that have negative outcomes, this becomes obsessions and then affects sleep patterns, eating patterns and daily living. When our self-esteem is low, these stressful behaviors and situations are like carrying around a bag of bricks.

Drop that bag right now! The secret to increasing better stress management is increasing your self-esteem. Over 85% of the world’s population is suffering from low self-esteem, and you can bet they are the highest stressed members of the world population. What drives low self esteem? A number of issues related to nature v. nurture, but you can beat it and increase your tolerance for stress. Successful stress management is the ability to handle your stress positively – almost thrive on it.

The first step to stress management – after you drop your bag of bricks – is to stop the worrying! To stop worrying, you need to take small incremental steps. Get organized and Prioritized! Look at what’s worrying you. Once you organize what’s stressing you – mentally or physically – on a list – you can then prioritize – what’s most important and how you can deal with it. This is stress management at it’s simplest most realistic form. Once you tackle the small things first you will begin to realize that worry doesn’t help anybody. Action and confidence help everybody – starting with you. The stress of being overwhelmed will take away your energy, your self-esteem and self-confidence. Stress management begins with facing the reality of your life and moving beyond the reality to your life’s desires.

Stress Management and Self-Esteem are a wicked combination because if stress management increases – self esteem increases and if stress management decreases, yes, self-esteem plummets as well. So, your stress management and self-esteem are either wicked good or wicked bad. When stress management is wicked bad, you lose a lot of energy. Your focus is completely on what may happen and not on what you can make happen. The more stress you are the lower your self-esteem. The lower your self-esteem the more stress you are likely to encounter. This can seem like an endless downward spiral. Break out of your negative stress management -by stopping the worry! Increase your self-esteem by better stress management. Use this stress management technique to boost your self-esteem to create an upward spiral of positive outcomes. Remember, the secret to self-esteem and stress management are organize and prioritize!

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