Do You Use This Skill to Decrease Stress?

A recent study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 75 percent of adults have experienced moderate to high levels of stress in the previous month. Almost half of the group reported that their stress had increased in the previous year. Unfortunately, only half of the participants said they were doing enough to manage their stress.

Does that sound like you?

It is acknowledged that the high unemployment rate has caused difficulties for many individuals and families. It certainly has created more stress for individuals, marriages, businesses, and schools.

Another contributing factor to the increase in peoples perception of stress is the information or cognitive overload that appears to be almost everywhere. During the day, you may find yourself struggling to balance and juggle things at the same time. Juggling requires a lot of effort and energy to keep things from crashing. In order to get balance, you may even need to drop some balls.

There is a solution to this dilemma. When you find yourself in this situation, it is the optimum time to prioritize. Imagine yourself being flooded with information and things to do. Yet, you calmly and confidently make choices about completing the things that are urgent and important. You are focused on what you are doing and efficiently moving through the items one by one. Your energy level stays steady as you complete the necessary items for the day and have time for some relaxing before the day ends.

For some people, prioritizing is a lost skill. So many things are going on in their lives it is almost automatic to respond to them in the order in which they happen. Reading email is an example. Unless you have set up a system for sorting your email, you are likely to read through the list in a top down order.

It does not have to be this way. Prioritizing can bring order and confidence to your life. Let’s look at what actually happens when you prioritize. You need to look at:

• Your values.

• Choices you have made in the past.

• What is important to you?

• Why it is important to you.

Prioritizing also involves imagining and moving around concepts which you might not have experienced. You have to understand the concepts, recall past experiences, and make a decision - a triathlon of mental tasks. All of this takes a great deal of mental energy or brain power which is why it is best to prioritize when you are refreshed and alert.

While this may sound like a lot of work, the payoff for you is worth it. Here are some tips to make it easy for you to start practicing prioritizing:

1. Your choices need to reflect your core values.

2. Have standards and set boundaries – taking breaks, how long you will work, etc.

3. Prioritize as early in the day as possible or the night before if you are refreshed.

4. Write down and circle (on paper or a white board) the main and more urgent projects for the day.

5. Look at each circle to find patterns, the hardest item, or other criteria.

6. Know what is most important and why.

7. Look at the outcome you desire – what you really want.

8. Can something be delegated?

9. Simplify by saying “No” to excess.

10. Set your priorities for the day.

It is important to write down your main projects because it will be easier to compare the items prior to making your decision. When you actually see the words, patterns will appear which helps clarify your priorities.

As you practice prioritizing, it will get easier to do. When you spend time in the areas that bring you the results you desire, you will find yourself enjoying more or what you do! I challenge you to develop this skill and reduce your stress.


Author's Bio
Maurine Patten, EdD, CMC, Achieve a Life Worth Living.
Get my free report: Unlock the Secrets to Happiness and Success in Today’s World and my bi-monthly ezine Achieve Personal & Professional Fulfillment at
http://www.pattencoaching.com or my blog at http://www.pattencoaching.com/blog/ Contact me at Mailto:mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com

5 Ways to Develop a Positive Mental Attitude

A positive mental attitude is one of the most important assets you can posses. Not only do positive thoughts help to dissolve your stress but they also have a positive impact on your physical health as well. The importance of this state of mind can not be overlooked in how it affects our performance both socially and professionally. In fact your attitude is directly related to the degree of success you may experience in just about any endeavor. With all that said how can we can develop and maintain the proper mindset needed to perform at our best and enjoy optimal health as well?

Here are 5 behavioral habits you can practice and adapt to your lifestyle to help create the positive change you are looking for.

Create a Positive Environment

Become more aware of the way you think because this is what forms the foundation of your attitude. If you 'condition' yourself to always think in terms of positive thoughts your outward mood will reflect this. Do not wait for something good to happen to create this positive change for you but rather create the change by altering the way you think.


Do Not Give Up

Be realistic and understand that events or occurrences will NOT always go the way you expect or desire. One thing certain about life is it will present you set backs but it is up to you as to how you choose to deal with them. If you view these set backs as lessons to be learned you are more likely to reach your goal as opposed to giving up and walking away.

By quitting you now feel defeated and disappointed but by sticking to it success will be that much more gratifying. Count on set backs and plan on working through them when they occur!

Just Laugh

Find humor in whatever you can since laughter automatically puts a smile on your face and makes you feel good inside. There is no better way to break the tension or snap out of a 'funk' than by laughing.

Live in the Moment

Capture and relish the good and the beauty of every moment as it occurs and do not spoil it by worrying about yesterday or tomorrow. Yesterday is now the past and tomorrow has yet to occur so appreciate what it is you got in the present!


Expect Good Things

Learn to expect the best out of every situation with the understanding that you deserve good things. When you are thinking along these lines your mood is more upbeat as is your disposition. You are now more attractive to others due to the feelings you radiate. When you combine your positive outlook with that of others who think or feel the same way it dramatically increases your well-being and also your chances of success.

A positive mental attitude can give you the leverage you need to create and live a happy and rewarding life. Being able to avoid a continual build up of stress by maintaining positive thoughts helps improve our personal performance and also enjoy better health. It is not however always easy to put on the 'happy face.' Sometimes it is necessary to consciously take certain measures that will have a positive impact on your attitude. The 5 behavioral habits reviewed above, if practiced, can give you the positive change you need to produce and maintain a happy and productive mindset.

Author's Bio
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
For more tips about developing and maintaining a positive mental attitude and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques for marketing online visit:http://affiliatequickstart.com/

How to Deal With Stress With Basic Stress Management Tips

How to deal with stress. Stress causes the sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones during the fight or flight response. These hormones need to be in balance. When released on a continuous basis due to chronic stress it has an effect on your nervous system.

There is a simple way to gain control of this. When you feel stressed Breath Deep! By using effective breathing exercises you can lessen the effects that stress has on your body. Activate your parasympathetic nervous system, how?

Relax, you can be seated or lying down for this exercise. Take a deep breath, watch your chest and stomach rise. Then let it out. Focus on those breathes. Repeat this 5 to 8 times. Do this daily.

The parasympathetic nervous system helps our body's to relax from the fight or flight response that was activated by the sympathetic nervous system. So, by breathing deep you are letting your body communicate with your brain. The message is De- Stress.

Breathing exercises are very healthy for the body. When we have poor breathing habits it steals our needed energy, impairs your concentration, and leads to muscle stiffness. This is because you are unknowingly depriving your body of the proper amount of oxygen. Breathing exercises are very popular. This is because of their effectiveness in stress relief and you have the ability to practice this virtually anywhere! Whether you are at work seated at the desk, or watching a movie with the kids you can do this simple exercise.

The fact in life is we are all faced with different types of stress. Recent medical studies show that stress affects health. Putting into practice basic stress management techniques can help you to relieve the stress you feel from the pressures of life. Good health to you.

Author's Bio
My name is Brenda Hoddinott. A common issue everyone faces is STRESS. I have made it my aim to aid others in stress management and prevention. Stress can have dramatic effects on our personal health, but there is solutions for all of us. We can be proactive in improving our own quality of life and personal health conditions if we learn how to manage our stress level.If you would like more helpful information on how stress affects health, or stress management techniques please visit http://www.stress-affects-health.com/ If you have a question that is not covered there feel free to click the contact us button.