When you were born you did not come with a set of instructions. In fact, if you are an only/eldest child, you parents might have raised you with a lot of trial and error. Growing up, you have probably anticipated the glories of adulthood, only to find out that it was not so bad being a kid. After all, Mum and Dad had all the responsibilities, paid all the bills, and dealt with any challenges that came up. Now, your shoulders are weighted down. You need to consider a life-makeover and learn how to lead a stress-free life.

Leading a stress free existence does not mean that you will never have any challenges or concerns in your life. Instead, you can learn how to deal with the situations in life, without letting them throw you under the bus, so to speak. In other words, what amount of worry and stress can change you circumstances? So, instead of reacting and building a mountain of stress, a life-makeover can teach you how to act. You can take control of how you deal with the everyday challenges.

Part of knowing how to act and cope with stressful situations is also realizing when to step back and take care of yourself. Although you friends and family can make a pretty good guess, you are the only person that understands exactly how you feel and when you need to take a break.

Knowing when to stop the regular routine and detour for a little fun is part of learning how to treat yourself right, and avoiding getting in over your head, until stressful situations that come up are impossible to manage. You need a chance to rest, unwind, and just enjoy yourself. Even if you love your job, and are at the top of your game, you cannot work your life away and avoid stress and burnout.

Even the most gung-ho executive will benefit from time off. Not only will friends and family be grateful, if you take time off from work and potentially stressful situations, you will be more productive and better equipped to handle life’s little surprises, if you give yourself a chance to rejuvenate.

If the pressures of life often weigh you down, you definitely need to learn how to lead a stress-free life. If you are truly committed to making a change, a life-makeover can help you find a balance. You can learn how to act, instead of simply reacting to challenging situations. Likewise, you can discover the importance of allowing yourself to simply enjoy life and all the blessing it has to offer. You can change your life for the better-starting today!

Paul Sutherland is an Accelerated Business Growth Coach. His company – Daniel Thomas International is also heavily involved in personal development and growth. Now a website www.perfected-products.comhas been created. Here you will find some of the very best tried tested and proven methods for creating the life you really want.

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We all have stress in organizations, and it is as simple as having water. However, it becomes all the more difficult when we do not understand the exact causes, and what we can do under any given set of circumstances.

Let us take a typical example. There are six colleagues who are as qualified, skilled, and experienced as you are. But roles overlap, and since there is some confusion, you are subject to stress. The simplest solution is to sort it out with your colleagues, by opening up and letting them know that you care for them, and their success. If this does not get you anywhere, intervention of the immediate boss or the big boss might as well solve your problem.

Often, our own fears and inhibitions come in the way, and cause stress. The moment we believe in ourselves, and exhibit that extra bit of positive body language, we will have achieved a little more than what we normally think is possible. Try this, and you can positively reduce stress.

Distractions, and living through our personal problems can also cause stress, as we would be wasting time in organizations on matters that are purely personal — differences of opinion with wives or cousins, or even parents. If this gets on you, try your best to shake off such thoughts. It is eminently possible to do this, provide we attempt it with all sincerity.

Yet another cause of stress is the terrific amount of crisis management that is now part of our everyday lives. However, this is once again a myth, and even if we are part of it, solutions to surmount the same can be truly rewarding, if only we try. For instance, it is wise to find system-related solutions to any non-value adding activity. A massive dose of computerisation for instance, has been introduced in matters pertaining to employee attendance, or compliance with statutory requirements. Every problem related to crisis management can be solved, for instance, through the PDCA approach, where once starts with planning, does the implementation of the plan, checks for accuracies or mistakes, and takes corrective action as required. In fact, the learning is standardised, so that every process is split into several small bits of action that needs to be taken, in conformance with some definite plans. The Japanese are known to be experts at doing this in Toyota and in several other organizations round the world.

Modern management concepts dictate that once we are clear about both short-term and long-term goals, it becomes easier to manage stress. For instance, for saving money, there are several long-term plans in India, though it could be different in different parts of the world. But once one is very clear on the amount of money that he or she needs, it will become easily possible that stress related to money in a futuristic perspective is reduced to that extent.

Hence, in organizations, we need to just try and innovate. Certain or sometimes most solutions can come from those who are very successful in reducing stress, in any organizatonal context. While this article is by no stretch of imagination original or complete, I do hope that I have made some points. I shall welcome comments from any reader.

Iam A.B. Sivakumar, and am based in a small temple town called Sholinghur in South India. I serve as Manager – HR in Brakes India, one of the leading auto-component manufacturers in India, and in clear market leader in brake systems for all types of four-wheeler vehicles. I have also served for around two years with the presitigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, in a reserch capacity,and have published over one hundred and twenty articles in Indian management magazines, and in Business line, the business newspaper from the publishers of THE HINDU, India’s National newspaper, from Chennai. This is my first article on this website.

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Stress and children ought to be poles apart. Children have double capacity to create and remove stress among the elders, by their rants and tantrums. Let us assume for a while that children do not have serious stress causing habits like smoking and drinking. As for problems related to poverty the perspective of children is entirely different. Children are capable of enjoying their difficulties and hence they don’t have stress on this account.

The story seems so nice and simple. But this is not the case always. There are some kinds of stress that not only affect the naive child severely, but also becomes a great cause of stress to the parents. Brain injury is one such condition.

The trauma related to brain injury amongst children is the real cause of stress not only to the suffering child but to the elders as well. Thanks to the advancement in the field of medical research, many types of brain injuries can be cured completely. But many such injuries take a long time to heal.

Many a times, children remain in comma for a long period of time which is full of uncertainties. What will be the state of their health, by the time they regain consciousness is a matter of conjecture. This apart, brain injuries may even result in partial or total paralysis in some cases.

The greatest problem of the child is when it begins to compare itself with the other healthy children. If the child has a total or partial paralysis attack, its normal schooling stands terminated and this could be the reason for the greatest stress on its part. It is a stark fact now that the educational career of the child has come to en end. Life-long dependency on others for sundry jobs is another cause of stress.

Generally, most of the countries have social security schemes to assist such physically handicapped children. Whatever may be the facilities provided to them, the basic fact remains that the children have become dependent on others for their livelihood, and this itself would be a major cause of stress when the children begin to grow.

Whatever be the level of social security, the individual problems of the children, consequent to the brain injury shall remain their own problems. Well timed out support to their physical, educational and dietary needs would definitely lighten the burden of their problems but there could be no permanent solution. A loving, understanding and supportive society is only their hope. Only time can heel the intensity of their stress.

The author writes about a number of different topics. For more information on stress management visit http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/ and also visit the article page: http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/blogs/self-improvement.htm

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“Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important.” Natalie Goldberg

Stress is all around us. Everywhere we go people seem to be talking about stress, the news is full of stress and how it affects our health, and I know in my own life I have to constantly monitor my stress level.

Managing stress and maintaining life balance are tough things to do. Just when I think I have it under control, my life slips out of whack or something comes along that dumps my life upside down. Then I let stress get out of control, I take my eyes off what’s most important and, before I know it, I am out of balance once again.

I do many seminars on stress-management and life balance. The funny thing is that every time I am booked to do one of these programs my own stress level grows and life gets out of balance. This used to frustrate me but now I sit back and laugh. It’s funny because every time this happens I once again get to learn the lessons that I teach. It definitely keeps me on my toes and keeps me from being complacent. There is an old saying that says, “A teacher teaches because he/she needs to learn what he/she is teaching.” This is definitely true in my life as a speaker. This is both a joy and a frustration as I get to continually learn and practice what I teach. And continual learning keeps me humble.

I know I will never conquer stress or have life balance completely figured out and neither will you. We live in a world where things happen that are out of our control, people do things that we don’t like, and we get things thrown at us that we did not ask for. Life has a way of keeping us humble and continually challenging us to grow.

Yet even though we will not be able to remove all stress from our lives or be in complete balance all the time, we do have a choice. We get to choose how we respond to stress and the effects it has on our lives. We get to choose what we focus on, what we participate in and how we live out our daily routines. 

Focus

What we focus on becomes reality. If we constantly focus on being too busy or feeling stressed, we’ll make it bigger and allow it to drive our lives. Stress is not something we have to give in to. Life will be stressful but how we handle it and what we focus on does not have to be stress-producing. Focusing on stress increases its effects in our lives. By actively focusing on being productive and taking care of our inner selves, we can eliminate or reduce the effects of stress.

Years ago I read Richard Carlson’s book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and it changed the way I felt about focusing on stress and “busyness.” In the book he challenged the reader to stop saying they were “busy” or “stressed out” for a day or a week, depending on how long you could do it. I tried the technique and the results were amazing. Not only did I realize how often I responded to “How are you?” with “I’m so busy,” I also began to notice how often others responded the same way.  After a week or two, it became unbearable. I could not believe how often people talked about and focused on their stress and busyness – it stressed me out just listening.

Participation

When we listen to others talk about their stress and commiserate with them, we begin to participate in their stress and eventually move back to our own. The principle of participation is one we have used in parenting. We have always told our kids that what they watch, listen to and participate in will become part of who they are. This has not always gone over well because they do not get to watch or listen to things their friends do. But not long ago our daughter watched a movie she knew she shouldn’t have. After a few nights of nightmares, she came to us and told us we were right about the principle of participation. She had learned that what you watch does become a part of you – a valuable lesson at 11 years old.

All that we see, hear, read and participate in with regard to stress will become a part of us, too. If we spend time commiserating with colleagues or friends about their stress it will affect us. If we spend time watching or reading stressful things in the news day in and day out, it will affect our stress level. And if we participate in our own stress by making it bigger, talking about it and listening to it run through our minds, it will control us.

We have a choice. We can choose to stop participating in things that are stressful in order to stop producing stress in ourselves.

Daily Routines

One of the ways to choose to stop stress or decrease its level is to create routines that keep us free from the cycle of focusing on and participating in stressful activities and relationships. Some of the things I have created as daily routines for taking care of myself and minimizing the effects of stress are as follows: turn off or limit TV, read positive/inspirational books daily, exercise, take time for myself each day, play and have family dinners.

When you look at your life and your current stress level, I challenge you to ask yourself:

What am I focusing on? What am I participating in? How can I create daily routines to renovate the stress in my life? 

Below I have listed some concrete ways to begin lowering the stress in your life. Happy renovating!

7 Keys for Reducing Stress and Maintaining Balance

1.  Take time for yourself daily. Get in the routine of setting aside 10 to 20 minutes a day just for you. This could be time to exercise, read, write in a journal or just sit.

2.  Plan Ahead. If we do not plan, we plan to have chaos and confusion. Make sure you take time to plan your week before it begins to happen. Don’t forget to include family member’s events in the planning. Having a good calendar, a personal digital assistant (such as a Palm Pilot) or planner helps with organization.

3.  Say “No.” Give yourself permission to say no to the things you need to each week. Remember that saying “no” to something means saying “yes” to something else. Decide what you really want or need to do each week and then say “no” to the rest.

4.  Stop saying “I’m so busy!” You will be amazed at how much less stress you feel when you stop focusing on it and verbalizing it all the time. Instead of “I’m so busy,” try “I’m productive” or “I’m excellent” or “I love life.”

5.  Have a mini vacation each week. Plan a two-hour block of time each week to have fun and take time for yourself and your relationships.

6.  Create an absolute “yes” list. These are things you say “yes” to no matter what. Things on this list are work commitments, family, church, etc.

7.  Give yourself permission to be out of balance sometimes. I balance my life in chunks. When I am busy, I am usually very busy. But when it ends, I schedule a few days of down time to rejuvenate.

Michelle Neujahr, Motivational Speaker & Small Business Consultant
Michelle Neujahr provides motivational keynotes, in-house training seminars and small business consulting services to organizations ready to take their business to the next level. She delivers high energy, dynamic presentations guaranteed to reinvigorate your organization and revive your people. With more than a decade of experience as a motivational speaker, Michelle has given over 1,000 presentations to audiences across the country. In addition Michelle has owned three businesses, worked in the corporate world as Director of Sales & Marketing, is an author and serves as an adjunct business professor.

Companies hire Michelle, time and again, to entertain, educate and motivate while creating a positive, energetic tone at any conference or event. Some of Michelle’s clients include: 3M, Wells Fargo, Medtronic, St. Paul Children’s Hospital, and Carlson Companies.

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Loss of zest, life purpose or perceived identity stresses the human spirit.

How you define who you are, and the meaning and purpose of life is core to the health of your spirit. You experience spiritual stress when these definitions are challenged or unclear. The human spirit asks, “Who am I”, “What is life about” and “What is my purpose”?

These questions peak at times of significant life change or loss as in the identity challenges of adolescence and mid-life or loss of a child, spouse, job or body part.

Attaching identity and purpose to variables outside your control makes you vulnerable to spiritual stress.

Here are four tips to de-stress your spirit.

Tip # 1 ~ Connect with Self. Look deep into your eyes in a mirror. Contemplate. Who is looking? Realize the same awareness inside of you today has been there from the beginning of your life. There is a steady, abiding Self that does not change with the changes in your body, emotions or thoughts. This invulnerable core is a foundation for inner strength and support.

Why it works ~ When you are not dependent on outer conditions to define yourself, you feel free. The outer world is constantly changing and undependable. Your inner being is solid, grounded in reality and invulnerable to attack by others. Viktor Frankl describes this beautifully in “Man’s Search for Meaning”.

Tip # 2 ~ Connect with the moment. Feel the water on your hands as you wash them. Notice the specific way you wash them, the slipperiness of the soap, the temperature of the water. Feel your feet on the ground, notice the sights, sounds and smells around you.

Practicing being present in the moment helps you connect with life in a deep and meaningful way. Set an intention at the beginning of your day to stop and be present frequently. You will find this practice reduces stress by increasing awareness and meaning in each moment.

Why it works ~ Connecting to the present moment centers, relaxes and enlivens your life experience. You are not ruminating about the past or worrying about the future, which are stressful. The insight, knowledge and experience of this moment is available to you. You have a sense of control within your self, which reduces stress.

Tip # 3 ~ Connect with your purpose. How do you know what is important to you? You feel it. Notice the small voice or sense of knowing inside when something is attracting you. Your body alerts you to what is dangerous or attractive long before your minds can explain why. Pay attention to those cues. This is your intuition, or sixth sense. Your deepest values and purpose are not in your head, but in your heart. What does your heart respond to; what touches your spirit? Purpose is the force that energizes. It inspires you to get up in the morning. What excites your passion for life?

Why it works ~ When your inner promptings guide you, you cannot make a mistake. These are signs that lead to your truest desires and lasting happiness. Joseph Campbell, the great mythologist says, “Follow your bliss”. When you follow your true path or calling, you are invigorated rather than stressed.

Tip # 4 ~ Connect with nature. You are part of a larger cosmos. You are not isolated as the boundaries of your body suggest. Whether you look at life from a religious, spiritual or scientific perspective, what you think and feel affects the environment and the environment affects you. Spending time in nature reconnects you to your natural rhythms. It is easy to lose your center when attending to other people, television, computer, shopping, and so on constantly captures your attention. Taking time every day to be quiet in a natural setting, reflecting, journaling, or just being present can bring you back to yourself. Take a moment to smell a flower, watch the river flow by, or appreciate a tree when you take a break or before going home at the end of the workday.

Why it works~ Earth vibrates at a certain frequency. Spending time in nature synchronizes our vibrations to the natural vibrations that support us. Closed up in hermetically sealed buildings with florescent lighting and re-circulating air all day can cause a loss of balance and connection with your self and your natural rhythms.

Spiritual stress results from the loss of connection to your true self, values, purpose and nature. Taking time every day to re-connect with these aspects of your life reduces stress and supports happiness, security and connection.

Aila Accad, RN, MSN ‘The De-Stress Expert’ is a Speaker, Author and Transformation Coach. Contact her for speaking, and transformational coaching at: http://www.ailaspeaks.com. Sign up for the complimentary De-Stress Tips Newsletter and “Ten Instant Stress Busters” e-book. Read more articles at http://www.ailaspeaks.com/articles.html

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