stress – Page 6 – Personal Growth Cafe

October 23, 2017

Helping others helps me manage my stress.

Showing others compassion is a beautiful gift. Finding ways to help others manage their stress is a way of showing my love.

I find comfort in seeing happiness radiate from others. If I can find a way to help another person manage their problems or overcome their difficulties, then I will take action.

Finding ways to soothe their worries and remove pressure from their lives is a worthwhile use of my time.

I have been given many wonderful gifts and talents. Finding ways to share my fortune with others is important. I am so grateful that I am in a position to help other people.

When I help others, I feel like I am doing my part to make the world a better place. By channeling my energy into providing my support, I lessen the stress in my own life.

Some people may find it hard to accept help or acknowledge the kindness of others, but that is okay. I lend a hand because it is the right thing to do and that is the only reward I need.

Seeing others relax removes stress from my life. It is like taking a deep breath and finding the world a calmer place. I know that if I can remove stress from other people’s lives that I am also capable of bringing calm into my own life.

Because I am a kind and loving person, helping others is in my nature. I am so lucky that I have received so many blessings in my life, and I look for ways to share my gifts. Giving back to others makes me feel calm and happy.

How do you use your time and talent to help others?

How do you feel after you have helped someone overcome difficulties or problems?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Also, as your gift for taking this to heart – and this is profoundly important… to us ALL – go to UnitingPlanetEarth.com/ignition/ and do the Uniting Planet Earth 7-Day Quick-Start Ignition Program… and Allow it to Transform Your Life.

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 23, 2017

As I soak in a tub of comfort and warmth, I wash away the day’s stress.

October 19, 2017

Where Does Stress Come From?

From the time you were young you probably heard people talking about being stressed out. Then the moment you experienced stress for yourself, you immediately knew what everyone was complaining about!

Stress is a part of life, but where does stress come from? What is the origin of stress? This is a question that many people ask but can never quite pinpoint it.

Where Does Stress Originate?

If you ask 10 people where their stress comes from you’re likely going to get answers such as their kids, family, work, and especially money.

These are stress factors that are common to most of us. Yet, when you receive these answers and really understand them you’ll notice that these are causes of stress but not where the stress actually comes from.

So where does stress come from?

There are many different schools of thought about where stress comes from. The fact of the matter is that stress is our body’s response to the demands that we place on it.

The demands may be physical, mental, or emotional in nature and when we place these demands on our body, chemicals and hormones like Cortisol and Neuropeptide Y are released into our bodies and then we feel stressed.

Stressful Thinking Leads to Stressful Feelings

Some believe that stress can stem from our own minds. This is true to some extent because we can cause stress through our worries, fears, and anxiety.

We often get into the habit of negative thinking where we can somehow convince ourselves about things that are untrue. For example, have you ever convinced yourself that you aren’t good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough to do something?

This negative self-talk creates stress within our own minds. Unfortunately, these thoughts are going on unbeknownst to us because we have come to accept our negative thoughts as truth, even when it’s far from it.

This is precisely why we need to begin to tame our negative thoughts and replace them with positive truths.

Stress is a normal part of life so we’ll never be able to escape it. What really matters is how we deal with stress, but we all experience stress differently; hence there’s no universal stress treatment!

Dealing with Stress

As we now know, stress is a bodily response to the pressures and demands that we place on ourselves in every day life.

To limit the negative effects of stress – such as heart attack, breathing problems, reproductive problems, and stomach problems – you need to learn how to actively manage your stress.

There are many simple stress coping strategies that you can employ such as:

Getting more exercise
Using positive self-talk
Getting more restful sleep
Eating a healthier diet
Knowing your work limits
Saying no when you need to
Asking for help
Creating time for fun
Using positive imagery
Employing deep breathing techniques
Listening to calming music
Clearing your life and workspace of clutter
Keeping things simple

These are all effective ways to deal with the stress in your life, however, you need to remember that the goal is to proactively manage your stress.

If you react to your stress, you’ll be spending most of your time putting out fires. Instead, if you constantly implement just a few of these stress management techniques, you will live a healthier, happier, and more productive life!

How can you react to stress healthily?

Which of the tips above can be most useful for you?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 18, 2017

Top Seven Reasons Stress Affects Your Health

Are you constantly feeling stressed? Stress is something we all encounter on a regular basis, but when it starts to have a negative effect on your body and mind, it means you are distressed.

What many people don’t know is that stress is a state of being that negatively impacts the body. In fact, stress has a bigger impact on our bodies than most of us realize or care to acknowledge.

Facts About Stress and Your Body

There are some downright scary facts about the toll that stress takes on the body. When you look at these facts it is hard to deny that we all need to learn how to manage our stress more effectively. Some of these facts include:

43% of all adults have health problems related to stress

75-90% of all doctor visits are stress-related

82% of workers are at least a little stressed in the workplace

Stress is known to cost American businesses more than $300 billion each year

Seven Ways In Which Your Body is Affected By Stress

There are two kinds of stress. The “good” stress is called eustress but we generally only hear about the “bad” stress known as chronic stress or distress.

Chronic stress gradually affects your health at first; in fact, you may not even notice the symptoms at all! And if the stress is not managed, the symptoms will get worse and its effects may even be irreversible.

Seven ways in which stress may manifest itself in your body are:

1. Depression. When you are stressed out, it is very common for people to become depressed. There are only so many chemicals in the brain to help a person deal with stress, and when they are used up, they’re used up.

This can lead to a person becoming profoundly depressed in what seems like a relatively short period of time.

2. Anxiety. Those who are stressed are likely to deal with uncontrollable levels of anxiety. Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand, and this can cause many different changes in the physiological functioning of the body.

3. Heart disease. Stress is very closely linked to heart attacks and death associated with cardiovascular disease. When stress is not managed, the body breaks down quickly and the heart is often profoundly impacted.

4. Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world and both mental and physical stress can cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

The long-term effects associated with this include heart disease, blindness, liver problems, kidney disease, and more.

5. Hair loss. We often tease our friends and family when they begin to lose hair, but this can be a symptom of unmanaged stress.

If your hair is falling out prematurely don’t blame genetics, look closely at how you are dealing with the stress in your life and see if there are things you can do to control it more effectively.

6. Obesity. We often cope with stress by consuming unhealthy, fattening foods. Plus, stress prohibits the control of necessary chemicals that are needed to break down fat, which can lead to obesity.

7. Sexual dysfunction. Stress is one of the most common reasons associated with impotence in men.

As you can see, stress can affect your health in many ways. This is by no means an all-inclusive list of how stress affects your body and health.

You may also suffer from hyperthyroidism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, tooth and gum disease, ulcers, and even cancer.

Stress is serious stuff! This is all the more reason to start actively managing your stress today.

What effects does stress have on you?

How do you distress yourself?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 16, 2017October 16, 2017

Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one. – Hans Selye

October 16, 2017

The Link Between Diet and Stress

Do you ever think about the fact that, if you ate differently, you might be better able to handle the stress in your life? Do you ever wonder how stress might affect what you eat?

No matter which way you look at it, stress and food are related. There are many things that you can do to help deal with your stress without resorting to food as your crutch.

How Your Diet and Stress Are Related

When you’re stressed out you’re more likely to either over-eat or under eat.When you do either of these things you are negatively impacting your blood glucose levels and your moods may swing violently, which will only create conflict and intensify your stress.
Unfortunately, most of us don’t realize how we can sabotage ourselves with food! Once you become aware of your stress response, you can make the choice to change it.

Food cannot cure stress, but it can help. When you eat nutritious foods you are giving your body what it needs to deal with your daily demands. In other words, when you eat the proper foods you are giving your body the fuel it needs to make it through common stressful situations.When you predominantly eat sugars and fats in your diet, your body doesn’t have all of the nutrients and energy supplies needed to deal with stress, so instead, you’re more likely to feel grouchy, tired, or anxious.

Stress breaks down the immune system, while the right foods can help support it.Time and time again, studies have proven that stress makes our immune system weaker, leaving us exposed to dangerous viruses, bacteria, and illnesses.
It has also been proven that when you eat the right foods you’re helping your body build and maintain a healthy immune system. The key here is simple: Eat right, feel great!

Your Stress and Your Diet

When you look at all of the ways that stress and diet are interwoven, it’s hard to deny the fact that the foods you eat affect how you think, feel, and react.

After all, an unhealthy diet not only stresses your body, but your mind as well. A good starting point is to evaluate your daily diet and make one change at a time to create that healthy lifestyle you deserve.

Not Just the Diet

A healthy and balanced diet can help you manage stress much more effectively, but simply eating right is not enough to help you deal with stress.

There are many different things you can do to help control and manage your stress such as:

Getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night
Making time to relax
Having a support system
Knowing your limits
Proactively planning and organizing
Being able to say no

These are just a few stress solutions that, in addition to healthy eating, will help you limit and control the stress in your life.

When you incorporate even just a few of these healthy living strategies into your life, you’ll find that overwhelming stress is a thing of the past; and the weight will be lifted off your shoulders (and thighs!)

How can you turn an unhealthy habit into a positive one?

What will you do about it today?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 12, 2017

Stress Tips for Moms

Being a mother will likely be one of the most difficult things you have ever done, but on the other hand, it will be one of the most rewarding jobs of your life.

As a mother, you often forget to take care of yourself because you’re caught up in the madness that is life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay at home mom or you work outside the home, being a mother is stressful!

Luckily, there are some great strategies to help you deal with mom stress.

Stress Tips For Every Mother

Get the kids on a schedule.

The best thing that every mother can do for herself is to get her kids on a schedule and keep them on it. When you try to stick to a routine you’ll feel more comfortable handling breakfasts, lunches, naps, and bed times.

When you don’t have a schedule, you may begin to feel scattered or disorganized and your stress levels will increase exponentially!

Things are always unpredictable when kids are involved, but when you have even the simplest structure, your days will be a little more predictable and you’ll save your sanity!

Don’t be afraid to put yourself in time out.

Many mothers feel like they just have to keep pushing forward when they are about to come unglued.

Moms get stressed and often need to take a breather, just like kids! Instead of continuing to push forward when you are about to snap, walk into another room and just breathe deeply for a few minutes.

While you are breathing, picture how you would like to respond to the situation and then remind yourself that it is important for you to follow through in a calm manner.

After all, you’re a role model for your children. A minute or two in “time out” can make for a great day for the whole family!

Eat healthy.

If you ask 100 moms what their diets are like, at least 85 of them will look at you and cringe. Unfortunately, there’s a tendency to just eat what you can, when you can.

Even if you are on the go you need to make a conscious effort to eat well. When you eat nutritious foods, you are providing your body with the energy it needs to keep up with your kids and cope with the stress you encounter every day.

Create a support system.

Teaming up with other moms makes a great support system. Even if you can’t get together every couple weeks, it is nice to know that you have someone you can call who won’t question your abilities but will just listen and empathize.

All mothers feel the stress that comes with the job, so make sure to surround yourself with other moms that will be happy to listen to you when you need a shoulder to lean on; and be sure to return the favor!

Make time for yourself.

As a mom, you may forget that you’re important too! This is why you need to make time for yourself every day.

You may think that there is no time, but there is if you get help or if you sneak in some relaxation after the kids go to bed or before they get up.

Give yourself a manicure or pedicure, drink that cup of tea slowly, read a book, take a long bath, or get a massage.

Your relaxation time doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it needs to be there. Even 15 minutes every day can make all the difference!

What tools can you use to manage stress positively?

How can you alter your life to protect yourself from stressful situations?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 11, 2017

Stress Tips for Dads

Many people think that dads have the easy job, but this is not true.

When you look at the job of a dad you’ll see that they are expected to move easily between their professional and family lives, all the while remaining calm, relaxed, productive, and attentive.

If you’re a dad you are likely experiencing stress on a daily or weekly basis.

There are some great stress management tips that you can work into your life so you can continue to be the very best dad you can be, regardless of how old your children are.

Stress Relief Tips Just For Dads

Make sure that you are taking care of yourself.

Not only does your family count on you being well, so does your employer, friends, and others. Eat right, get enough sleep, and make sure you are taking vitamins.

When you combine these things, you help to fight off stress by building up your immune system so you are more likely to be healthy.

Be a member of a team.

Make your family your team. If you try to do everything on your own, you will suffer burnout in short order.

When everyone pitches in around the house, you will find that you have a lot less stress overall and you can be a more attentive and involved father.

Make time management a priority.

When you are a parent you have a lot of different things vying for your time. That’s why you’ll want to manage your time well so you can be where you need to be, when you need to be there.

You can do simple things to make your life and the lives of your family members easier. For example, create a chores schedule, work together with your spouse to prepare meals ahead of time, or create a schedule to pick up the kids.

When you manage your time you will be able to get more done without the headaches.

Create a support network.

When you are stressed out or angry you should be able to talk to someone to vent. Sometimes just being able to say how you are feeling or what is stressing you out can help a lot.

Your support network can consists of your spouse, friends, or even family members.

Communicate with your spouse.

When you have kids it can be difficult to get a full thought out in one breath because of constant interruptions. That’s all the more reason to make a concerted effort to communicate well with your spouse.

This will allow you to work better as a team so the family unit functions well, but it will also help you be attentive to one another’s needs. After all, you need to love and support each other first!

Being a dad is a rewarding experience, but it can also be stressful at times. The strategies mentioned above can be worked into any dad’s schedule so stress is always kept in check.

When you start to incorporate these strategies into your life, everyone will benefit because a relaxed dad is a friendly, interactive, and present dad and that is what every child wants and needs from both of their parents.

The great thing about these stress tips for dads is that they are easy to incorporate into your life, so becoming less stressed doesn’t need to be a stressful experience!

Take action, today, to proactively manage your stress and your entire family will benefit.

How does your family really know that they come first in your life?

How can you invite more peaceful moments into your life?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 10, 2017October 10, 2017

Simplifying Your Life

When you are stressed out and you can’t seem to find a moment of peace for yourself, you probably need to simplify your life.

We often make our lives more difficult than they need to be, so when we dial it down a notch and make things simpler, our stress levels will fall rapidly and our life will be much more enjoyable.

Many times we think everything is of equal importance in our lives, but there are some great ways to evaluate what really matters so we can gain a new perspective on life.

6 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Life

1. Determine what is important. Make a list of all activities you have going on in your life right now. You should look at the first four or five and make sure that you are putting more of your energy into these things.

It is the first four or five things in your life such as your relationship, family, and work that should get the most emphasis on a day-to-day basis.

Once you make this list, it’s a whole lot easier to see where you’re spending most of your time (and where you should be spending more time).

2. Reconsider your commitments. Many times we simply over-commit ourselves. You should look at the “extras” in your life and see how they align with the things that are most important to you.

If there are things that you are committed to doing that you don’t enjoy or don’t add meaning to your life, consider giving them up.

You can reduce stress and make your life more relaxed when you release yourself from commitments that are only tying you down.

3. Say no. Many times when we’re stressed it’s because we don’t know how to say no to the people in our lives.

Saying no to kids, family, friends, and even the boss is important. I know it can be tough to say no, but you can say it with grace or by delegating the request to another capable person.

If you’re finding it difficult to stay firm, remember that you are not superman or superwoman. You can’t possibly take on the world by yourself!

4. Simplify your work. Every day when you’re at work you likely have a 10-page to-do list. In reality, there are things that just aren’t all that important and aren’t worth the effort.

And yes, there will be some things that you’ll never get around to. That’s okay! Accept that fact and re-evaluate your activities to determine what is really essential and do away with the rest.

5. Involve the family. There is as much to do at home as there is at work. Make your family your team and involve them in the home activities. Get everyone involved in the little tasks around the home such as taking out the trash, dusting, and doing the dishes.

For example, you can require that each family member pick up 20 things around the house before bed.

This way, cleaning the house is a lot easier and you can spend more of your time relaxing instead of worrying about every little task around the home.

6. Clear the clutter. In your home and office there are probably a lot of things that are cluttering your space.

Everything must have its place – even if it’s in the trash! When you clear the clutter from your space, you’ll find that cleaning, finding things, and simply going about your daily life is a lot simpler and a whole lot less stressful.

As you can see, simplifying your life does not have to be difficult. You just need to get back to basics and do away with everything else.

Living a simple life is living a happier, less stressed life and that’s something that we can all aspire to do.

What makes your life fulfilling?

How can having a simple life affect your way of living?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 6, 2017October 10, 2017

Managing High Job Expectations

Do you have a boss who expects nothing less than perfection? Managing high job expectations can be challenging, but it isn’t impossible.

You simply need to develop coping skills so your stress never gets the best of you. In fact, you can learn how to deal with the stress of high job expectations in a way that allows you to become more effective at your job!

How to Manage Your High Job Expectations

There are many different tools that can help you deal with high job expectations.

The goal is to handle your job expectations more effectively so you can feel better and accomplish more in less time.

For those with a boss who always expects the best, this is a must!

Prepare for the stress. When you know you’re going to be stressed out or that expectations will be high, you can proactively prepare for it to take the debilitating properties out of the equation. For example, if you’re worried about the uncertainties that can’t control, involve others to find out the answers.

If it’s literally impossible to predict, then all you can do is accept the fact that you can’t control everything and make some contingency plans that will help you feel more confident and comfortable.

Rehearse for stressful situations. For instance, if you know that you will be making a presentation in front of an audience or that you have to present information to your boss, rehearse your presentation using the same materials you will use for the real deal.

This will allow you to see your areas of opportunity so you can work on gaining the confidence you need. When you rehearse, you take the unknown out of the equation so you can simply focus on doing your best without adding any additional anxiety.

Be aware of your thought processes. Many times, when there are high expectations placed upon us, we start thinking negatively. For instance, when your boss is being demanding, you may think to yourself, “There is no way I can ever get that done! I’m incapable!” This kind of self-defeating talk gets you nowhere.

You need to replace the negative thought processes with thoughts like, “Stress challenges me to do more and be more.” You will be able to excel when you disallow any negative attitudes and replace them with empowering thoughts.

Organize your work. When you create an action plan, you’ll find that it’s easier to deal with high expectations. Create a list of the things you need to get done, and prioritize them so if you start to feel distracted or stressed out, you can always defer to the plan.

When you have a plan, your performance will live up to your expectations and you will find that you are less likely to give in to stress and frustration.

As you can see, there are some simple, yet effective, ways to deal with high expectations.

Remember: when people expect a lot from you, it really means that they believe you’re capable of great things. It’s actually a compliment!

How can high expectations tend to lead you to stress?

What can you do to meet and beat the expectations and work efficiently without stressing yourself?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!