Stress...

3 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress

2007-08-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of major illness. In fact, heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression are just some of the harmful effects of stress. Research has shown that releasing stress and learning how to relax promotes a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life.

Here are 3 easy ways to reduce your stress fast.

1. Breathe Deeply

Take 3 slow deep breaths. Taking the breath from your diaphragm, through your nose, holding for about 2 seconds and then slowly exhaling through your mouth. Why slow deep breaths? Because when we are under stress, we tense up, constricting the oxygen to our body. Taking slow deep breaths brings oxygen throughout our body resulting in feeling centered and releasing stress. Giving your body much needed oxygen will release tension and stress fast.

2. Meditate

The purpose of meditation is to relax and to release stress. Meditation allows the body to relax and permits a means to release the "chatter" in your mind. It is important for you to know that there is no right or wrong way to meditate. Meditation is simply a form of concentration and focus; it is a process that quiets the mind. Since much of our negative stress is caused by our own thoughts, this is an especially useful method.

Here are steps for a popular, quick, and easy guided mediation:

1. Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes.

2. Take 3 deep breaths.

3. Visualize all the stress in your mind and body as a cloud of gray smoke. Allow this cloud to be released through the crown of your head. Imagine the gray cloud floating into the sky and disappearing. Feel the weight of the stress being releasing out of your body and into the cloud. Allow your shoulders to drop and continue until you have no more gray smoke or for about 10 minutes.

4. Imagine a healing white light that has surrounded your body. Feel the warmth of this light and allow it to infiltrate your body. Slowly open your eyes.

3. Try Hypnosis

This technique involves sitting comfortably with your eyes closed while listening to suggestions. Hypnosis is relaxation, focus, and suggestion. Using these three elements your mind and body will enter into a deeply relaxed state that gives you an overall sense of well being and tranquility. Hypnosis is one of the oldest and most natural modes of healing dating back to 1000 B.C. . In 1958 the American Medical Association approved the therapeutic use of hypnosis. This brought mainstream
recognition that hypnotherapy was a valid and legitimate form of healing. During this time hypnotherapy was respected and accepted.

Meditation & Guided Imagery are techniques that use the natural power of the mind in creating what you want in life. Einstein estimated that we only use 10% of our brains. In practicing Meditation and Guided Imagery, we have access to the other 90%. Since thoughts are one of the most powerful possessions we can have, it is important to keep the thoughts and images positive. Meditation and Guided Imagery works because the Physical Universe is energy, this energy is vibrating at different
speeds. Energy is magnetic causing similar thoughts to attract other similar thoughts. What we dwell on, we will attract. Thoughts and ideas are high vibrating forms of energy and are very powerful. Form then follows ideas. This is the reason that thoughts and ideas in Meditation and Guided Imagery particularly must be in a positive form.

Here are some steps to make Meditation and Hypnosis more effective.

1. Desire- You must have the desire to make a positive change in your life.

2. Belief- You must believe in the power of the mind.

3. Acceptance- You must accept the process of Meditation and Hypnotherapy including the results.

4. Set you goal- Decide on what you want and be committed to it.

5. Create a Clear Idea or Picture- Create the vision in your imagination and make it clear.

6. Focus on it often- Keep the images of your goal in your mind as often as possible.

7. Give it Positive Energy- Keep your frame of mind and thoughts positive.

8. Look For the Positive Changes- Look for the subtle ways Meditation and Hypnosis are changing your life, and believe in the magic of life!

Marla Sloane, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved © 2005

Marla Sloane, Ph.D. is a successful author and speaker. Her Positive Affirmation subscribers have reached world-wide proportions and her book: "The Masks We Wear and How to Live Without Them" is at the heart of her teleclasses; From Ordinary to Extraordinary?Unmask Your Potential; teaching individuals to remove limiting masks and labels. Marla has also produced Trilogy of Meditations for your Mind, Body and Spirit, which is distributing nationwide and in Europe. Dr. Marla Says?is a very
popular Internet advice column giving answers to her reader's questions.

Marla has an extensive background in psychology and clinical hypnotherapy. She has written numerous articles about releasing stress, how to find your authentic self, and the importance of living in your truth.

You can contact Marla at: Marla@marlasloane.com You can visit her web site at: http://www.marlasloane.com

Stress Busting Strategies

2007-08-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

Learn to have healthy relationships:

This subject could fill an entire book. In the limited space of this newsletter, let's look at the key components of this stress-reducing strategy.

1. Identify the sources of stress in your relationships. Write about them in a journal. Make a list of people who cause you stress and explore what the issues are.

2. Resolve the underlying issues. For each of the situations identified in step 1, assess what needs to happen to resolve it. Make a list and design a plan to improve the situation.

3. Learn skills to improve relationships. Relationship skills are learned. We are not born knowing how to get along well with others, and most of us learned only limited skills from our parents. Identify the skills you need to develop, and make a plan for yourself. You can learn these skills by reading books, taking classes, or working with a therapist.

4. Avoid toxic people and situations. Some people have a toxic effect on you. If you can, limit the amount of time you spend with them. Look for opportunities to decline their invitations. When these people are family members, remind yourself that you don't have to feel guilty about avoiding anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself. In work situations, look for ways to rearrange your schedule or your workspace to avoid interacting with such people.

5. Seek out positive people and situations. This step is the reverse of the previous step. Look for opportunities to spend more time with people and in situations that make you feel good. Think about people who make you feel good about yourself and look for ways to increase time with them.

6. Watch what you eat. Some substances amplify the stress response. These include:

? Caffeine stimulates the release of stress hormones. This increases heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen to the heart. Ongoing exposure to caffeine can harm the tissue of the heart.

? Refined sugar and processed flour are depleted of needed vitamins. In times of stress, certain vitamins help the body maintain the nervous and endocrine systems.

? Too much salt can lead to excessive fluid retention. This can lead to nervous tension and higher blood pressure. Stress often adds to the problem by causing increased blood pressure. ? Smoking not only causes disease and shortens life, it leads to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. ? Alcohol robs the body of nutrition that it might otherwise use for cell growth and repair. It also harms the liver and adds empty calories to the body. During times of high stress, eat
more complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole breads, cereals, and beans).

7. Get moving. The human body was designed to be physically active. However, in most jobs today, people are sitting down most of the time. They hardly move at all except when it is time for coffee break or lunch. When faced with stressors, we respond with our minds, not our bodies. It is no wonder that many of us have a difficult time responding to stressful events. Exercise is one of the simplest and most effective ways to respond to stress. Activity provides a natural release for the
body during its fight-or-flight state of arousal. After exercising, the body returns to its normal state of equilibrium, and one feels relaxed and refreshed.

8. Look for ways to let go of tension and anxiety. Meditation and progressive relaxation are two valuable ways to regenerate and refresh yourself. You can purchase meditation and relaxation audiotapes or record your own. This is especially important because your health and long life depend on minimizing stress and achieving a sense of balance and well-being.

Garrett Coan is a professional therapist,coach and psychotherapist. His two Northern New Jersey office locations are accessible to individuals who reside in Bergen County, Essex County, Passaic County, Rockland County, and Manhattan. Garrett also offers online and telephone coaching and counseling services for those who live at a distance. He can be accessed through http://www.creativecounselors.com or at 201-303-4303

The Top 10 Steps to DeStress

2007-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Do you feel tense and anxious at work? Do your co-workers and/or boss make you crazy? Is your personal life less than blissful? If so, you've got stress. If you're like most people you've sought refuge from this situation by trying a quick fix or two like calling a friend, walking the dog, or going away for the weekend in an attempt to escape it all. While these strategies may serve as temporary diversions, nothing in your life changes when you return to your routine.

Stress is internal, which explains why it can wreak havoc on your health. It feels awful...it's the sense that you're not in control. The easiest way to mitigate its effect is to take charge of the one and only thing you have the power to control...YOU, and let go of what you can't control. The beauty of this recipe is that by taking control of your life, external or outside things will change in response to your internal changes. Here are 10 steps to destress for your present and
future:

1. Heal yourself.

Dr. Bruce McEwen, who wrote The End of Stress As We Know It, suggests that eliminating stress comes right from your grandmother's journal. He says the most effective steps you can take are the simplest: exercise, a healthy diet, regular sleep, moderate to minimal alcohol intake, and no smoking. This, he notes, is the most sophisticated, up to the minute, cutting edge science available!

2. Get organized.

Physical clutter reminds us of things that need to be done and that's stressful. Remove your physical clutter and you'll eradicate your mental clutter, plus you'll feel energized. Please go to http://topten.org/public/AG/AG306.html for a simple organizing solution that will work on any space.

3. Set boundaries.

Boundaries act as a filter to keep you safe from the hurtful behavior of others while allowing in the love, support and nurturing actions we all need. Set your boundaries by: (a) determining what others cannot do to you or in your presence and (b) sharing this information respectfully with anyone who is stepping over one of your boundaries.

4. Take time for yourself.

Put together a list of all the things you love to do but haven't regularly made time to do. Put your list in priority order and enter the top five to seven items into your daily calendar. Your list may include things as simple as journaling, reading a great book, taking a bubble bath, yoga, etc. You'll be more successful getting to these activities when you give them a time and place on your calendar.

5. Be positive.

William James, the father of modern psychology said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind." In other words, what you say and what you tell yourself impact the present and create your future. Love yourself and use the power of positive words, pleasing thoughts and affirming beliefs to live the life you want to live.

6. Work in a career you love.

If you're like most people, you spend the majority of your waking hours at work. You'll know you're in the right profession when: you wake up anxious to go to work, you want to do your best daily, and you know your work is important.

7. Surround yourself with a supportive community.

You are who you spend time with. Hang out with people who love and accept you just the way you are, are interested in you (not what you can do for them), lift you up (not wear you down), solve problems quickly, don't gossip or complain, and know how to have fun. Anything is possible with the right support.

8. Learn to say, "No."

We've all been influenced by people in our life who tell us we should do this or we ought to do that. As a result, we may end up living a life that others have decided for us versus living the life we want. So, the next time you think of something you ought to do or someone else suggests you should do, take a breath and ask yourself if it's something you want to do. If not, just say, "no" or "no thank you." When you say no to things you don't care to do, you are saying yes to you
and this will free up your time and energy for the things you choose to do. Bottom line - you'll be happier.

9. Zap tolerations.

A toleration is something that irritates you and drains your energy because it needs to be done, fixed, removed, or changed. If you're like most people you may be tolerating 100 or more things! Put together a list of all the things that bug you, e.g. a dripping faucet, money concerns, your weight, shopping and running errands, not enough time, computer files out of control, your hair, a room that needs to be painted, etc. When your list is complete, group like items and see if one
solution will eliminate multiple tolerations. For example, if you have piles of clothing in each bedroom, dirty windows and dust bunnies on your floor, hiring a housekeeper will zap all three tolerations. Line up a housekeeper, today. Then, commit to spending a chunk of time each week to zap your other tolerations. If you have a toleration that you don't have the skill or know-how to fix, consider calling an expert or seek out a skilled professional to trade services with.

10. Get your needs met.

A "need" is not an option, it is something you must have to function fully. It is differentiated from a "want" in that a want is optional. Unmet needs can drive you to distraction and worse. Determine what needs you have that aren't being met, if any, and then take the appropriate action to get them fulfilled. Example: If you've taken a big hit and are going through a career transition, ask a good friend to call you two or three times a week to check in with you and give you support.
Other options include calling your own voice mail and leaving supportive messages or hiring a coach who specializes in career transitions. When you acknowledge and satisfy your needs, you will be free to focus on other areas of your life.

If you want to be happier and more successful, focus on the things you have the power to control.

Pam N. Woods is co-author of a bestselling book, Create the Business Breakthrough You Want: Secrets and Strategies from the World's Greatest Mentors; endorsed by Ken Blanchard and Dr. Stephen Covey. She is a Coach U graduate and President of Smart WorkLife Solutions, a coaching and consulting company devoted to co-creating customized solutions to fit clients business and personal organizing needs. Prior to founding her own firm she had a successful 20+ year career as an insurance
executive and Vice President of Human Resources. For more free how-to articles and advice, or to contact Woods, visit http://www.worklifecoach.com .

Stress & Pregnancy - Helpful Tips For Relief

2007-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

One of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby is to keep a healthy and positive physical, mental and spiritual state. There are many things that can impact your pregnancy and stress is one of the more common problems many pregnant women face. Usually minor stress is not always a bad thing to experience but prolonged stress can have a damaging effect to your pregnancy.

Here are tips that you can do to help relieve some of the stress you may be feeling:

Do not feel that you are imposing on others when you need help. People want to help you so you should not feel afraid to let them know you can use a hand. You do not have to manage everything alone during pregnancy and if people offer to help you out and relieve some of the burden you are facing, accept it as you would a gift. You receive something of value and the person giving it to you feels a sense of enjoyment from helping out a person that they love.

Take some time to pamper yourself as much as possible and give yourself some extra time for rest and relaxation during the week. You can go for a walk, take a long, soothing bath, spend time on your hobby or do whatever it is that you like to do that makes you feel happy. When you are happy, your baby is happy!

I feel the most important thing you can do to relieve any type of stress you are feeling is to exercise on a regular basis. Anything you choose to do is a benefit and you should feel better about things by the end of your workout. This will also help you at night since your mind will be able to relax enough for you to fall asleep. You can swim, practice yoga or participate in a low-impact aerobics class to name just a few things that you can do.

If you are the type of person that likes to be in control then keep in mind that there are many things during your pregnancy that will be out of your control. When you feel stressed out and you can recognize that it is because the situation is not in your control then take a moment to inhale a few large breaths or you can stop and count slowly to five or ten. Doing this will help your mind take a step back from the situation and you can approach it from a fresh perspective.

Maintain close ties and open lines of communication with your friends and family. Since this is an emotional time for you, do not hesitate to reach out to someone for support, comfort and guidance. The more you seek the support of the people around you, the more secure you will feel and this will help you manage your stress & pregnancy.

By: Ali Paine
How Prepared Are You to Deliver Your Baby? We have created a free, short quiz to help you evaluate how ready you are for your delivery. You will receive our e-book How to Stay Fit and Healthy During Your Pregnancy at no cost for participating. Visit www.fit-for-two.com/Quiz.html

Attitude And Stress, Effects On The Body

2007-08-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

Many consider attitude and mental stress as issues of the brain or mental health. Here, we'll cover the other side of attitude...the physical side. The reason some people get acute and chronic illness, sometimes even fatal illness may have as much to do with how they think as how they eat or exercise. This article is all about the many effects that attitude and stress can have on our bodies, and how to control those effects.

Attitude, Stress And Blood Chemicals: Fear and anger are probably the most devastating emotions that people can experience. Not only do these emotions immobilize us or motivate us to hurtful and dangerous behavior, but they pump into our blood streams harmful chemicals that contribute to many diseases, including stress disorder, hypertension and many more. The main chemical that's over-produced by negative emotions is adrenalin. This drug is produced by our bodies to give us the ability to defend ourselves or to run away from danger. This is how, in emergency situations, people can do seemingly miraculous things. Adrenalin heightens our hearing, vision, smell and taste, and gives us amazing short-term strength and stamina. The next day, when there is no danger, we feel sluggish, muscle aches, joint pain...an adrenalin hangover.

Under normal circumstances, the few times a year we would need this drug would be of no health concern. Unfortunately, our bodies can't distinguish between an imagined emergency and a real one. So, our attitude (loosely based on what we think about) produces multiple fear and anger "emergency" situations each day, pumping unhealthy amounts of the drug into our systems. These imagined emergencies can come from watching TV drama and news, working jobs with tight deadlines or high risk, risky recreational activities, too much domestic arguing, or just thinking about things in anger or worry. If you think thoughts of danger can't produce the same body chemicals as real danger, get on a roller-coaster ride and think about what's producing those feelings in you, since you're in no real danger. Many people become addicted to adrenalin and become compelled to increasingly risk life and limb to get that high. As a minimum, the adrenalin from fear, worry, anger and stress dramatically increases our susceptibility to minor illness and deadly disease. Great! Something more to worry about!

Mental Habits And Common Illness: When we fail to discipline our minds and fall into a bad attitude and poor mental habits, we tend to be far more susceptible to common cold and flu. That's because the chemicals in our blood from stress and anger, use up our nutrients and weaken our immune systems. I remember in my twenties, being counseled by a supervisor for being sick too often. I told her that office was an extremely negative, stressful place to be and that it made sense that people were sick there. In fact, that office, with 50 employees, had a higher incidence of illness than any other in an organization of over 15,000 employees. Once I got to move out of there into a more positive environment, I was rarely ill. Why? Because negative emotions weaken our resistance to common illnesses.

Some, Eastern medicine in particular, have gone so far as to say illness is "caused" by negative emotion. Though I wouldn't go quite that far, my experience suggests there is something to be said for the a cause and effect relationship between mental attitude and illness. In my early teen years, I was feeling sorry for myself because my parents were preoccupied and didn't seem to be giving me enough attention. I contracted pneumonia and was bedridden for a few weeks. I felt strongly, even then, that I had brought it on myself. A couple years later, not having learned from my previous pity party, I was feeling the same way for about a week prior to breaking my collar bone. I remember thinking specifically, "If I had an accident, then they would have to care about me." Though it was decades later before I learned there was a large body of evidence supporting the idea, those two experiences helped me to give careful thought to the thoughts I nursed in my mind.

Thoughts, Attitudes And Deadly Diseases: It isn't just minor diseases that have a relationship to our attitudes. Mental stress, for instance, has been so strongly linked to blood pressure, stroke and heart disease that mental exercises have been prescribed by doctors to reduce stress, giving birth to the science of bio-feedback and many other lesser-known techniques. Of course, if someone were to contract a fatal disease, it would be particularly cruel to suggest they, even accidentally, brought it on themselves. This article is really for those of us who have relatively good health, to provide a way to protect our immune systems and help prevent major disease. Since some (Norman Cousins, for example) have recovered from life-threatening illness using mental attitude practices, it isn't too much of a stretch to say that the negative emotions of stress and anger can significantly increase our risk of deadly disease.

I don't know whether it was overeating, drinking, smoking or the terrible negative, fearful, angry and violent attitude of my father that killed him at age 57. I do believe my brother's death from cancer at age 51, had everything to do with attitude. Prior to that, he was the epitome of health, practicing daily aerobic exercise and toning from his early teen years on. He never smoked, ate carefully, and was never overweight. His life revolved around his wife and two children. Three years before his death, his wife left him and took the children, then in their early teens. His life stopped! He was no longer motivated and just went through the motions at his work. He never moved out of their home or redecorated. The kids rooms were left exactly as they had left them, three years before. It seemed as if he died at age 48 and it took his body three years to catch up. This isn't to say his ex was mean...we're all human! This is about how important our attitudes are and how big a role they play in our physical well-being. In fact, the relationship between thought life and physical life is so strong, our thought life is the only place we can approach recovery from addiction, depression, anxiety, pedophilia, eating disorders, past abuse...the list goes on and on. At some point, it dawns on us just how important it is to control our attitudes.

Controlling Your Attitude: Though we can't directly change our attitudes, we can indirectly change them by spending time in more positive thoughts and actions. First, we begin replacing every negative, fearful, angry thought with positive, uplifting and productive ones. Second, we replace activities that increase stress and anger emotions with more positive and productive ones, including hobbies, volunteer work, church and club activities, etc. Other actions that can improve our attitudes are exercise programs, donating money to worthy causes, letting others go first, helping neighbors and strangers, tipping excessively, etc. Over a short amount of time, this improves our experience of life and replaces stress and anger with joy and satisfaction. Once the mental habits are formed, over time, we'll discover we're not sick as much, and when we do get a cold or flu, they aren't as severe as before. About 2,000 years ago, a guy named Saul Of Tarsus said, "Be gentle and not anxious about anything. Think about things that are true, praiseworthy, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable...and you will have peace." Let me add my belief to his...and you will have health.

About the Author

Glen Williams is Webmaster at E-Health-Fitness Nutrition Exercise And Illness Help and Founding CEO of E-Home Fellowship (EHF), Inc. He has counseled and helped people on life and health issues since 1987. You can comment on his articles at his Health And Fitness Forums.

Relieve Stress By Going To A Hairdresser

2007-08-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

I went to the hair dressers today and got it dyed blonde. I love to look at it in the candlelight. The candlelight creates beautiful glow in my hair. It made my life better too. It relieved a lot of stress in my life.

Another way that I love to relieve stress is by aromatherapy. The soothing oils and scents create a great atmosphere for relaxing. I love the variety of scents! Also, the relaxing sounds of the bubbling water from water fountains bring a lot of stress relief in my life.

I love to use meditation and yoga to relieve stress. The different positions that are available are great and help with a healthy life style.

I love using these products every day relieve every day stress. Candles can also create a great stress relief. The scents and variety are so excellent to have in my household. It is great for guests too!

One more way to relieve stress is to just lay back and relax. Grab and book and recline on your favorite chair or just sit by the fire and listen to the crackle of the burning wood. You can also relieve stress by doing yard work or cooking a delicious meal. You could also try and relax by drinking a glass of wine and watch some TV. Getting a full night of sleep will help you start your day refreshed and replenished. I find that doing all of these cut down my stress drastically and I hope it works for you too.

Feeling Stuck? Five Tips To Help You Get Unstuck And Back On Track!

2007-08-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Staying self-motivated is a challenge for many; requiring decisions and action to sustain momentum and when people feel stuck, they feel stressed, frustrated and angry (often at themselves!) because they are not where they want to be in their business or personal life. You might wonder how people can lose steam in moving forward on an idea they were initially enthusiastic and pumped about.

There are 5 key reasons people get stuck, they are:

1. Lack clarity about what they want. Inability to articulate and describe it.

Have you ever found it difficult to put into words what you really want? Have you seriously thought about what you really want? Do you have a sense of what you want, but lack the words to fully describe it? Trying to figure out the it ?

Tip: You might be stuck because you lack a strong desire for what you say you want. Put your attention on what you really want rather than what you think you should want. Create a picture of what you want your life to look like - write it as a story, paint a picture, create a vision board or collage to capture your heart. Reflect back over your life when you were the happiest for clues. What excites you and evokes your passion? What are your core values?

2. Negative inner thoughts.

Self-talk (the things we tell ourselves inside our heads) has a powerfull impact on our ability to assess situations realistically. So often when people get caught up in anticipating what may or may not happen, they lose perspective. Our minds can sift through facts and information that lead to practical choices of action, or scare, confuse and overwhelm us so that we come to a full stop. Fear and negative thinking are two HUGE reasons so many people get stuck or confused.

Tip: Begin to observe your self talk and identify which ones are supportive or unsupportive. Actively begin to challenge your thinking so that you can separate the stories you imagine and the reality (facts) of what is. Changing beliefs is a process that takes time and is more successful with professional help.

3. Disconnection from heart and spirit.

You lack trust in yourself, the experience, or God (whatever you call your spiritual connections). Do you ever get a gut feeling or strong sense inside about what decision is right for you? Do you follow your gut or override your instincts? If you have followed your heart in the past, how did things turn out?

Tip: Practice meditation regularly to quiet the mind and go within to reconnect with your spirit. Pay attention to your gut instinct; the sensations or inner knowing you sense at different times. If you ve followed your instincts in the past, write down what happened. They are usually great success stories to remember. If you re first developing your trust muscle , look for opportunities to listen and follow your gut. Be open and flexible to what happens next.

4. Too many options become overwhelming and confusing.

It s great to have a myriad of choices, isn t it? Having so many options can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, having many choices expands the possibilities. On the other, having too many options may not only cause confusion (What do I choose?); it also allows self-doubt and distrust to creep in.

Tip: Look back over your answer to #1 for clarity and focus. Ask yourself if the options move you toward what you desire or away.

5. Other people s opinions.

We can be enormously influenced by the opinions of others. Feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or having low self-esteem and low self-confidence makes people more susceptible to the influence of others. In that way, people give away their power. Inner conflict and fear can cause procrastination and self-sabotage.

Tip: Be selective about your circle of friends, colleagues, and networking community. If family influence is a negative, choose to share less and set boundaries on conversations. Surrounding yourself with people who lift your spirits and bring out your best will keep you moving forward.

One last tip:

Write up a list of actions you will take when you find yourself getting stuck. You might call it your Breaking Free Formula. View this list as a living document that continues to grow so that it becomes an empowering resource for you in any situation. Include people, things and activities that energize, nurture, and boost you body, mind, and spirit. Keep this list visible in your home and office.

By: Lorraine Cohen

Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of business owners, entrepreneurs, and executives from a wide range of industries to have greater career success and personal happiness in their life. She is also the host of a weekly internet-based show called Powerfull Living Radio. Visit: www.powerfull-living.biz to learn more about Lorraine s services, success products, and programs. Sign up for her monthly ezine, free fear ecourse, and blog. Contact her for speaking engagements and customized leadership programs for your company or organization - lorraine@powerfull-living.biz.

Job Related Stress - Laugh It Off

2007-08-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Job related stress can be a real killer - both of the mind and the body and that is why many men and women are turning to laughter in order to overcome the stress they are feeling at work.

As millions of adults across the globe look for ways to release some stress, the Internet has become a major source of stress relief. Searching for online jokes and humor has helped many people get through their day.

Recent studies have shown that an overwhelming majority of adults that search the Internet do it during working hours, perhaps looking for a diversion to get their mind off of their stress or looking for stress release techniques.

Entire websites have been devoted to stress, stress relief and job related humor. There are even websites that proclaim "I work for a pain in the a..." that let you nominate your boss as the biggest pain in the rear for the month or year and give you some funny advice on how to deal with your annoying boss.

Job related humor also fills countless emails as coworkers and friends try to help their colleagues get through the day with a laugh and a smile and some much needed venting.

Another group of websites that benefit from job related stress are the countless online job posting websites that let people dream of greener pastures. Many online searchers envision the telling their boss what they have been thinking, but never saying for the past few years as they quit and never look back.

The people who seem to deal with their stress the best are those who are able to laugh at themselves and others. Perhaps, the people who get the biggest laughs of all are those creative people that create the websites proclaiming they work for a real pain in the rear.

Whether the stress is real or imagined, there is no disputing the fact that job related stress is a real concern for people. Though people suffering the symptoms of stress should seek professional assistance, a little humor may go a long way in relieve that job related stress.

Relieving Stress with Exercise... and Losing Body Fat in the Process!

2007-08-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Feeling stressed out lately? Don't worry, there is a simple and incredibly effective solution -- one that will help you lose weight in more ways than you might think!

Relieving Stress with Exercise

Research has proven that relieving stress with exercise is one of the best ways to improve your overall health. Regular exercise provides an amazing array of anti-stress benefits to the human body -- including reduced muscle tension, improved cardiovascular functioning, increased blood oxygen levels, and reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels, just to name a few.

Relieving stress with exercise also, of course, burns calories and helps to reduce body fat. Since most other anti-stress 'remedies' (especially pharmaceutical drugs, alcohol, and overeating) cause you to gain weight it's obvious that exercise is the best option.

Control Cortisol, Lose Weight

But, besides burning calories, there's another reason relieving stress with exercise helps you to reduce body fat. Exercise produces chemicals that help to lower cortisol production. Cortisol is a "stress hormone" that has gotten a lot of press lately because many new diet products claim to block it.

While the effectiveness of these products has yet to be proven, there is little doubt that controlling cortisol levels is a very important factor in weight loss and long-term weight control -- not to mention optimal health and fitness. Relieving stress with exercise is an absolutely fool-proof way to lower cortisol in the body.

Elevated cortisol levels are fully or partially responsible for everything from sugar and carb cravings to overeating to low energy levels... and more. Experts also believe that high cortisol production increases the amount of "toxic fat" stored on your body -- this is the abdominal fat that may trigger cardiovascular disease and inflammation-related health problems.

Summary

Relieving stress with exercise is, without a doubt, the best way to deal with your physical and mental tension. Not only will regular exercise reduce stress levels, it will also help you control how much cortisol your body produces. This, in turn, will help you to avoid food cravings, reduce dangerous abdominal fat, and basically feel much better. So, next time you feel stressed out, get up, get out, and start relieving stress with exercise!

Are You Stressed Out?

2007-08-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

It s something we all talk about. How many times have you heard a friend or colleague say I m really stressed out today ? Of course, many of us use the word stress very loosely. Often we simply mean that we ve had a bad day, and now all we want to do is get a drink, sit down in front of the TV, and chill out.

But for more and more of us stress isn t just another word for hassle . It s something we face every day a constant thread in our lives that keeps us awake at night, puts us on edge all through the day, and fills our mind with tension and fear.

Do any of these phrases sound familiar?

I seem to be worrying all the time.

I just can t concentrate on anything and I can t get organised, either.

My memory is terrible these days.

I don t feel good about myself I ve lost my confidence.

It s crazy I ve got a hundred things to do, I can t start any of them, and I m bored!

Little things make me panic I find myself gasping for breath.

When I speak to people I find myself talking too fast.

All these things are symptoms of stress and sometimes there are physical symptoms, too.

I get headaches and I seem to blush for no reason.

I get attacks of dizziness in the middle of a working day.

These days my digestion seems to be shot I always seem to have heartburn or indigestion.

I find myself sweating when it isn t hot or shaking when it isn t cold.

I can t get to sleep at night my mind just keeps racing. And if I do get to sleep, I get nightmares.

My face and eyes seem to twitch when I m under pressure it s very uncomfortable.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, then it s possible that you re under greater stress than you think stress that could actually be damaging your health, both now and in the longer term.

So why is stress a problem?

In small amounts, it isn t. Many things cause short-term stress including a lot of things we enjoy, like games, challenging tasks at work, a difficult job at home, or a really engaging computer game. In most cases here the stress is very enjoyable, and the end result is a feeling of satisfaction a challenge overcome, a job well done, or a game well played.

Stress can even be good for us. For example, if we find it difficult to pay the bills, we might respond to that stress by asking for a raise or even finding a better job!

The problem comes when we re under stress for all or most of the time especially when this happens at work. And that s an ever more common scenario, because our everyday working lives have become increasingly stressful. In fact, if the trend continues, then by 2025 around half the adults in the UK will be suffering from high blood pressure. And that isn t just a theory. It s the conclusion of a carefully researched report produced by the London School of Economics and it s supported by findings from the Health and Safety Executive which confirm that:

Work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health.

Each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 30.9 working days lost.

A total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5.

June Davison of the British Heart Foundation has been quick to point out the necessary response. It is important to identify things that cause you stress and look at how you deal with stressful situations, she says.

Why?

Because if the stress continues, it won t just take a psychological toll damaged relationships, problems at work, and poorer quality of life. It will also take a physical toll that can lead to more serious conditions like heart disease.

So what is stress?

It seems absurd that something as intangible as stress can have such a dramatic effect on our health, on our lives, and on society as a whole. But it can, and it does so we need to understand it and learn how to deal with it.

First of all, then what is stress?

There s more than one way of defining it, so here are two of the most useful.

Stress is the result of our own perception that the demands we have to meet are greater than our ability to deal with them. As a result of that perception you may feel out of your depth or at the end of your tether.

Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them. That s the Health and Safety Executive s definition.

In other words, stress has a great deal to do with the way we look at our own lives. If we feel we can cope with the pressures and demands on our time, our abilities and our money then there s no problem. If we can t, we feel stressed.

So why does that produce physical symptoms?

For the answer, we have to look back into our own evolution our development, over millions of years, from more primitive creatures. Because the relics of those primitive creatures are still with us.

Millions of years ago the ancestors of human beings were small reptiles with very simple brains. And it s almost as though that simple brain is still with us, governing our instinctive responses to the world around us.

If you confront a primitive creature with something threatening, it has just two possible responses. It can stay, and fight or it can run away. Fight or flight. The trouble is that this creature can t tell the difference between a real threat and an imagined one. So even if the threat is simply something we have been thinking about the response is the same fight or flight.

And the results are very physical!

Your heart starts to beat faster, carrying oxygen and nutrients and clearing away waste products so your muscles will have the blood supply they need for intense physical effort.

As your heart beats faster, your blood pressure starts to rise.

Adrenaline and other hormones are released, helping to
give you the energy you will need, raising awareness, and sharpening your responses.

Your liver releases stored sugar for more energy.

Your pupils dilate to let in more light, so you can see the danger more clearly.

All your senses become sharper and more efficient.

Your muscles tense, ready for action.

Blood flow to the hands and feet is restricted, and they start to cool.

Your body grows hotter as your blood pressure increases, and you begin to sweat as it tries to cool itself.

And yet nothing physical has happened. You ve simply imagined, remembered, or anticipated something your subconscious regards as a threat!

You ve also started to programme yourself with this response. Which means that the next time you have the same thought, you ll respond in much the same way but faster, and more intensely.

You may even start to worry about the response which increases your stress levels still further. And the result can be a series of unpleasant physical symptoms. Palpitations. Muscle pain from excessive tension. Insomnia. Breathlessness. Numbness. Tingling. Dizziness. Sickness. Fainting. Headaches. Indigestion and diarrhoea. Fatigue. Chest pains. Blurred vision. Nausea. Shaking. And, quite possibly, many more.

The good news is that once you understand stress, and recognise it, you can learn to manage it. Better yet, it isn t even difficult!

Dealing with stress

Stress arises because of a particular set of behaviours that we learn and repeat. Fighting back involves learning and repeating a different set of behaviours that will reduce the stress and restore calm.

So where do you start?

Well, here are some useful first steps.

Learn to relax! Relaxation is the opposite of fight or flight and there are many ways to achieve it. You could try meditation, progressive muscular relaxation, and deep breathing. Some forms of exercise like yoga and tai chi can also help you to relax better.

Find out what triggers your stress. Keep a diary or a log and write down the things that make you tense up or start to worry, and the things that make you feel relaxed and happy.

Take a look at your lifestyle. Are you eating and drinking sensibly? Do you take enough exercise? Vigourous exercise is a great way to get rid of the tension that builds up when you re stressed!

Develop coping strategies. Think about the things you do now to keep stress at bay, and the things you could do better when you re faced with a challenge.

If you re not sure where to start, then contact us for free self-assessment questionnaire. It ll give you a quick insight into the areas where you may need to do more work. For your copy, send an email to contact@freefromstress.co.uk with self-assessment in the subject field. Or visit http://www.freefromstress.co.uk where you can find articles and tips on managing stress and achieving well-being.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Susan Kaer is founder and Director of Understanding People Ltd, a training consultancy specialising in Stress Management and Interpersonal skills. Susan is a Member of the International Stress Management Association. For more information visit www.understanding-people.co.uk.

What Is Stress Anyway?

2007-08-27T09:18:00.001-07:00

What Is Stress Anyway?

Stress is a response the body produces to protect and support us. How does your body use stress?

Stress is generally considered being synonymous with distress. Distress is defined as physical, mental or emotional strain or tension.

When this type of stress is constant, it becomes harmful. Cortisol is a steroid hormone released by our bodies in reaction to stress to help get us through challenging situations. Scientists have recently realized that the brain also uses cortisol to suppress the immune system and tone down inflammation within the body.

So, persistent distress depresses your immune system and shuts down your body s ability to heal itself. Common conditions associated with chronic stress are heart disease, cancer, depression, eating disorders the list is endless.

There is such a thing as good stress good stress has a positive effect. It keeps us motivated, increasing our productivity. And as mentioned earlier, it produces the hormone which helps us through challenging situations.

So, the question is How can you tell when the line is crossed between stress that is good for you and distress?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to that question. The reason is that, what is good stress for one may be distress for another.

A good example is by observing people on a steep rollercoaster ride. Some are hunched down in the back seats, eyes shut, jaws clenched and white knuckled with an iron grip on the retaining bar. They can't wait for the ride in the to end so they can get back on solid ground. But up front are the wide-eyed thrill seekers, yelling and enjoying every moment. And in between you may find a few who seem a little bored. So, was the roller coaster ride stressful?

How do you determine what s causing you distress?

STOP.

This is the 1st step in identifying what causes you stress. You actually need to spend the time getting to know yourself better and recognize any symptoms you may or may not have.

Do a system check.

Figure out what you are tolerating. Tolerations are things that bug you, drain your energy and could be eliminated. We typically tolerate more than 50 things on an ongoing basis. Sit down and write everything you are tolerating and find ways to cross them off.

Stress Release Trigger

We ve taken the first couple of steps in maintaining healthy stress. In addition to these action steps it s vital to create balance within your life. Balance is the key to health. It s what I strive to help my clients create.

Even when we implement all these steps, we are human. We occasionally are going to have stressful days. We all know those days nothing seems to be going right, we have a to-do list a mile long, everything takes twice as long as it should, we feel as though nothing is actually getting accomplished AND all of those physical symptoms we experience when we re stressed start to creep up headache, tight muscles, queasy stomach, heart palpitations.

What can you do when this happens? This is where the Stress Release Trigger comes in. You can train yourself to release stress in seconds. Here s how it works:

Find a ritual that is relaxing for you. For some of you it may be taking an aromatherapy bath, a foot massage with lotion in your favorite scent, deep breathing with your favorite aroma, exercise with your favorite music whatever it is make sure it involves different senses and is easy for you to do every time you are stressed. So, for those of you who are constantly on the go and need something quick and easy, a few deep breaths with your favorite aromatherapy may be just the thing for you OR if you love to take baths (as I do) and you spend more time at home, this may be an excellent 15-20 minute ritual you develop for yourself. During your ritual you want to focus on emptying your mind and focus on the senses that are stimulated by your ritual.

The key is training yourself to release stress with a trigger. It takes 21 days to make or break a habit. So, it is vital that you use your ritual EVERY time you are stressed for 21 days to train yourself in releasing stress immediately. Once you develop the trigger effectively, the moment you engage the symptoms associated with stress chaotic mind, headache, tight muscles etc., go away. Leaving you refreshed and re-focused and ready to proceed. For those few moments out your day, you actually get more accomplished than if you continue your day stressed out.

By: Suzy Strempke -

Suzy Strempke is owner of Growth In Action - Empowerment Coaching and Training. She is passionate about empowering women to build successful businesses and lives. She helps her clients get "In Action" around what they want and while busting through internal blocks that are holding them back. For more information please check Growth In Action's website at www.growthinaction.com

Quiz - Are You An Expert At Fighting Stress?

2007-08-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Stress is becoming pervasive in modern life. We are now finding that stress causes many diseases that can affect our life style. Stress damages our mental peace and physical fitness. Quiz yourself and find out if you are an expert at fighting stress.

Stress will always be there - To hope that stress can be avoided in modern life is difficult. All of us face stress in our life. The difference may be in quality of stress and our response to it. We can work on both of these and reduce stress substantially.

Quiz your stress level - please find out how much stress you face everyday. Is your stress level equal to what others are facing or more or less? You can do this by talking to few friends and co-workers. If you find that your work itself causes a high level of stress, you can always consider a job change. High stress over a period of years is not good. Please quiz yourself about this and find a way to reduce the stress you face.

Quiz your stress fighting ability - how you fight stress is very important. Do you get scared of the stress or face it squarely and fight it off. Write down all kinds of stresses you are facing and your responses to them. Find out if your response is of good quality? Develop methods to fight the stress and bring changes in your response to stress. Evaluate yourself over a period and make changes if needed.

Working Burnt Out Isnot The Only Option

2007-08-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Working Burnt Out Isnot The Only Option
Thousands of Americans are suffering from work burnout and job related stress, Burnout is a serious health condition that is affecting workers and is becoming an epidemic. But what is the cause of the this health condition, and why do workers develop job burnout and stress. There is a solution to save Americans from distress, so workers can regain control of their lives, happiness, and peace of mind.

For weeks David had been plagued by aching muscles, loss of appetite, restless sleep, and a complete sense of exhaustion. At first he tried to ignore these problems, but eventually he became so short-tempered and irritable that his wife insisted he get a checkup. Now, sitting in the doctor's office and wondering what the verdict would be, he didn't even notice when Theresa took the seat beside him. They had been good friends when she worked in the front office at the plant, but he hadn't seen her since she left three years ago to take a job as a customer service representative.

Her gentle poke in the ribs brought him around, and within minutes they were talking and gossiping as if she had never left. "You got out just in time," he told her. "Since the reorganization, nobody feels safe. It used to be that as long as you did your work, you had a job. That's not for sure anymore. They expect the same production rates even though two guys are now doing the work of three. We're so backed up I'm working twelve-hour shifts six days a week. I swear I hear those machines humming in my sleep. Guys are calling in sick just to get a break. Morale is so bad they're talking about bringing in some consultants to figure out a better way to get the job done."

"Well, I really miss you guys," she said. "I'm afraid I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. In my new job, the computer routes the calls and they never stop. I even have to schedule my bathroom breaks. All I hear the whole day are complaints from unhappy customers. I try to be helpful and sympathetic, but I can't promise anything without getting my boss's approval. Most of the time I'm caught between what the customers wants and company policy. I'm not sure who I'm supposed to keep happy. The other reps are so uptight and tense they don't even talk to one another. We all go to our own little cubicles and stay there until quitting time. To make matters worse, my mother's health is deteriorating. If only I could use some of my sick time to look after her. No wonder I'm in here with migraine headaches and high blood pressure. A lot of the reps are seeing the employee assistance counselor and taking stress management classes, which seems tohelp. But sooner or later, someone will have to make some changes in the way the place is run."

Thousands of Americans are suffering from work burnout. Burnout is an exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. Job burnout leaves you feeling powerless, hopeless, fatigued mentally and emotionally drained and frustrated. This can cause migraines, affect your immune system, cause digestive disorders, heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure and emotional distress. Burnout can also develop into Dysthymic Disorder

Burnout is defiantly not an excuse to get out of work, but it is a real serious health condition in America today and becoming worse. Many Americans are reaching burnout levels coping with the tremendous stress of their jobs. Massive growing layoffs cooperate down sizing, pay cuts and growing work hours, resulting in employees now handling the work load of two or more employees. High job demands and being unnerved by a supervisor or co-worker can put a great deal of stress as well as being belittling. This taking a toll on the employees confidence and self esteem. Making them feel inadequate. Emotional demands and job work load demands are also both contributors to burnout. If this continues stress and burnout is going to keep growing and Americans are going to become distressed. To many responsibilities from taking on to much work load is where distress starts. It is very much known that these levels of stress can cause hypertension, heart attacks and many other physical ailments as I stated above. Burnout and work related stress is the most common health problem attributed to employees working long hours and taking on high work loads.

Professionals in careers that are fatiguing, afflictive and dispiriting seem more reluctant to recognize the symptoms of burnout. The pressure of career ensures the joy and happiness of life remains out of arms length, giving a sense of happiness that can no longer be reached. Realizing your reaching burnout levels is difficult. Employees who are the most stressed and burnt out don t realize there is a problem.

American working class have the least amount of vacation time from there jobs then any other equally developed work society. Most people on vacation will check in with there job or come back to work early from vacation. A high percentage will bring their work home with them mentally as well as bringing home work projects to work on. This not only limits the employees time away from work but it also takes time away from families, resulting in the family members feeling ignored and isolated, not appreciated and they feel a sense of distress. Per a survey by Northern National Life, 40% of workers say there job is extremely or very stressful. A quarter of employees view there job as there number one stress factor in there life. Per Princeton Survey Research Association, three quarters of employees believe there work has more on the job stress now, then there was generations ago.

They re some early warning signs to watch for and recognize, becoming very irritable with family and co-workers. Work attendance starts falling; you no longer have a desire to be at work. You have no motivation or sense of achievements. You lose relationships with co-workers you disassociate yourself from work functions. You re beginning to feel physically sick, experiencing symptoms I stated previously. If you begin to experience any of these symptoms it is time to make some changes in your life, and or your job.

Relieving stress and burnout can be a long ongoing process. Some traditional methods to easing stress and burn out are making sure you get plenty of sleep, being well rested. Exercise is good for the mind not just the body. Exercise is a way for the body to release tension and pent up frustration, a good cardiovascular workout is great for the mind not just the body. A nice calming walk is a great way of exercise as well as relaxing and can be a sense of meditation, a nice walk in nature is a great way to bring peaceful thoughts to your mind. Yoga, Meditation and Tai Chi are also great mind and body stress reducing and relaxation exercises. Some companies have developed stress management programs for there employees.

But is it working? A lot of employees are beginning to telecommute. It s cost effective for the company, but for an employee who gains freedom from the office it can still be stressful, due to work load and time sensitive deadlines. Home based businesses are one of the fastest growing business sectors in America. With the right one it can be non-stressful, and a time freedom opportunity. This gives you back your life, family time, restoring happiness and your sense self worth. Substantial incomes can be generated with the newer home based business models. When a home based business option is chosen to provide the better quality of life one may dream of it is imperative to select a home business that will not become a home based stressful job.

By: Mari Taylor
Businesswoman, Friend, and Team player Mari Taylor assists Women to be success stories and inspiration to others. The fact that you are investigating the home-based business industry is a sign that you have dreams and trust in those dreams. Let me assist you: go to my website and register for the FR.EE newsletter and receive a copy of the FR.EE Building Business Report .Visit: Be a BraveHeart Woman

Painfully Shy How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life

2007-08-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Painfully Shy How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life
by Anxiety Expert

"In any social situation, I felt fear. I would be anxious before I even left the house, and it would escalate as I got closer to a college class, a party, or whatever. I would feel sick in my stomach-it almost felt like I had the flu. My heart would pound, my palms would get sweaty, and I would get this feeling of being removed from myself and from everybody else."

"When I would walk into a room full of people, I'd turn red and it would feel like everybody's eyes were on me. I was embarrassed to stand off in a corner by myself, but I couldn't think of anything to say to anybody. It was humiliating. I felt so clumsy, I couldn't wait to get out."

Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, is diagnosed when people become overwhelmingly anxious and excessively self-conscious in everyday social situations. People with social phobia have an intense, persistent, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of doing things that will embarrass them. They can worry for days or weeks before a dreaded situation. This fear may become so severe that it interferes with work, school, and other ordinary activities, and can make it hard to make and keep friends. While many people with social phobia realize that their fears about being with people are excessive or unreasonable, they are unable to overcome them. Even if they manage to confront their fears and be around others, they are usually very anxious beforehand, are intensely uncomfortable throughout the encounter, and worry about how they were judged for hours afterward.

Social phobia can be limited to one situation (such as talking to people, eating or drinking, or writing on a blackboard in front of others) or may be so broad (such as in generalized social phobia) that the person experiences anxiety around almost anyone other than the family.

Physical symptoms that often accompany social phobia include blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking. When these symptoms occur, people with PTSD feel as though all eyes are focused on them.

Social phobia affects about 15 million American adults. Women and men are equally likely to develop the disorder, which usually begins in childhood or early adolescence. There is some evidence that genetic factors are involved. Social phobia is often accompanied by other anxiety disorders or depression, and substance abuse may develop if people try to self-medicate their anxiety. Social phobia can be successfully treated with certain kinds of psychotherapy or medications.

If you think you have a social anxiety, the first person you should see is your family doctor. A physician can determine whether the symptoms that alarm you are due to a social anxiety, another medical condition, or both.

If a social anxiety is diagnosed, the next step is usually seeing a mental health professional. The practitioners who are most helpful with social anxietys are those who have training in cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or behavioral therapy, and who are open to using medication if it is needed.

You should feel comfortable talking with the mental health professional you choose. If you do not, you should seek help elsewhere. Once you find a mental health professional with whom you are comfortable, the two of you should work as a team and make a plan to treat your social anxiety together.

Remember that once you start on medication, it is important not to stop taking it abruptly. Certain drugs must be tapered off under the supervision of a doctor or bad reactions can occur. Make sure you talk to the doctor who prescribed your medication before you stop taking it. If you are having trouble with side effects, it's possible that they can be eliminated by adjusting how much medication you take and when you take it.

Most insurance plans, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), will cover treatment for social anxietys. Check with your insurance company and find out. If you don't have insurance, the Health and Human Services division of your county government may offer mental health care at a public mental health center that charges people according to how much they are able to pay. If you are on public assistance, you may be able to get care through your state Medicaid plan. Your midwest center for stress and anxiety will be able to help.

Ways to Make Treatment More Effective Many people with social anxietys benefit from joining a self-help or support group and sharing their problems and achievements with others. Internet chat rooms can also be useful in this regard, but any advice received over the Internet should be used with caution, as Internet acquaintances have usually never seen each other and false identities are common. Talking with a trusted friend or member of the clergy can also provide support, but it is not a substitute for care from a mental health professional.

Stress management techniques and meditation can help people with social anxietys calm themselves and may enhance the effects of therapy, which will enable you to painfully shy how to overcome social anxiety and reclaim your life. There is preliminary evidence that aerobic exercise may have a calming effect. Since caffeine, certain illicit drugs, and even some over-the-counter cold medications can aggravate the symptoms of social anxietys, they should be avoided. Check with your physician or pharmacist before taking any additional medications.

The family is very important in the recovery of a person with a social anxiety. Ideally, the family should be supportive but not help perpetuate their loved one's symptoms. Family members should not trivialize the disorder or demand improvement without treatment. Anxiety anxious calming can compassion fear free from mind mindfulness panic. If your family is doing either of these things, you may want to show them this booklet so they can become educated allies and help you succeed in therapy.

For more information about anxiety and most recent anxiety cures, may I suggest a good book on anxiety, which will help you understand it better and maybe even cure yours! Visit their website at For more information about anxiety and most recent anxiety cures, may I suggest a good book on anxiety, which will help you understand it better and maybe even cure yours! Just copy thi URL into your browser and visit their website at http://www.StudyTopic.com/Anxiety-Problem.html

Hope this information was useful and may I wish You All The Best For Your Anxiety-Free Future!

Anxiety Expert

PS. Remember that we always face fears in ours lives, and it is up to You to fight them!

About the Author
Anxiety Expert Remember that we always face fears in ours lives, and it is up to You to fight them!

When A Physician Makes An Error

2007-08-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

When A Physician Makes An Error
by Susan Dunn

Emotional intelligence makes you better able to handle stress and more resilient. If there's anything a physician needs, it's that.

Doctors makes mistakes. They react emotionally when they do.

In what purports to be the first study on this, the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety (http://www.jcrinc.com ) reported "The Emotional Impact of Medical Errors on Practicing Physicians in the United States and Canada" this month.

Of course the pressure in this life-and-death field is tremendous to never make an error. Medicine draws perfectionists and highly competent individuals who are hopefully well-trained, and if you are being cared for by a physician you would say -- I should hope so. I was married to a doctor and I know what they go through.

I can miss an appointment with a client. You can make a mistake and send the check to the wrong person. Nancy over there can cut someone's hair too short. Tom can mess up someone's bill. A cop can cuff the wrong guy and a college professor can teach the wrong theory. All these mistakes can be corrected. But for a doctor -- procedures, diagnostics, treatment -- make a mistake and someone dies. Actually it's usually called "an error."

The errors of omission are just as potentially fatal as the errors of commission. When I served on the board of an agency concerned with medical ethics, there was a case where a patient had been left in the basement of the hospital on the way for some test, and expired there.

Ultimate responsibility is understood in the field, but that doesn't make it any easier on the physician.

According to the study, 80% of physicians expressed a desire for help after making a mistake, but found there were many barriers.

"Counseling needs to be made available to patients and health care professionals so that everyone involved with errors receives the support they need," said the lead researcher.

Notable findings. After a mistake, physicians reported:

* increased anxiety about future errors (61 percent) * loss of confidence (44 percent) * sleeping difficulties (42 percent) * reduced job satisfaction (42 percent) * harm to their reputation (13 percent)

Only 18 percent of physicians surveyed had received education or training in disclosure of errors, and 86 percent expressed interest in such education or training.

While some physicians thought counseling after-the-fact would help, 35% did not think so. 25% were concerned about their malpractice insurance costs going up if they sought counseling, and also mentioned negative peer reactions, lack of time to seek services and other factors.

As reported in yahoo news, the study did not say whether any of the physicians had received, or would like to receive, emotional intelligence training. This is not counseling after the fact, it is preparation beforehand.

RESILIENCE

Making mistakes and recovering from them is about resilience, an emotional intelligence competency. It means being able to bounce back from adverse events, to recover and continue to move forward. As I say in my EQ and Resilience courses, the good news is you will get lots of practice. That is also the bad news. But you have to practice it right. In fact, why not be pro-active. Learn what others know.

Why not emotional intelligence training? I have coached physicians who were also burnt out from listening to other people's problems all day, trying to sort through the approximate language and high-level emotions, discern malingering, having to deny drugs, and having to deliver bad news.

Part of medicine is factual and a science. Part of medicine is emotional and an art and this has largely been ignored in medical training. The best physicians are those who know about both. There's an important study that reported that when physicians make mistakes, it's the ones who are perceived as arrogant who get sued.

Emotional intelligence is a pro-active way of dealing with stress. You know that stress is going to happen, and if you study resilience and emotional intelligence, you can prepare yourself. It's the emotionally intelligent thing to do, because bad things happen to good people, and good people also make mistakes.

When we took the turn toward positive psychology, scientists began to study what works instead of what doesn't (pathology). Much was learned about resilience by working backwards, by studying people who were resilient under the worst of circumstances, i.e., survivors. Some are so adept at this, there is even the term "post traumatic growth syndrome." Instead of studying the people who didn't, they studied the people who did, and were therefore able to break it down into learnable chunks. Most people call those chunks "the missing piece."

One pioneer in the field is Martin Seligman who set out to study why some people were optimistic while others were pessimistic when life is the same mixed bag for all of us. Whatever field you are in, and for life itself, why not learn what it is people do who are resilient, how they cope and bounce back, so if and when it strikes, you are more prepared? It's the emotionally intelligent thing to do.

About the Author

Susan Dunn, MA, http://www.susandunn.cc , mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc . Personal coaching on emotional intelligence, wellness, balance. Internet courses and ebooks-http://tinyurl.com/6ny55 . Coach training and certification program training worldwide - fast, affordable, highly rated, no-residency.

Checking Your Joy Meter

2007-08-27T08:11:00.001-07:00

Checking Your Joy Meter

"Life is good."

"Wouldn't you like to be the guy who branded that phrase and now makes millions?" I asked a friend.

My friend breathed deeply, sipped her tea, and added her usual potent insight "Yes, but I would rather be the one who truly lives it from the inside out, millions of times over."

She's right. It's one thing (and a good thing) to wear a positive affirmation on a t-shirt or to connect with an uplifting phrase on your daily cup of coffee to boost your joy factor. However, in lives jam-packed and bulging over with activity, commitments, and speed, joy is often forced to hover outside of ourselves, felt as a distant memory, if felt at all. Think about your day today. If you had a meter to measure your stress level and your joy level, which reading would be higher?

Experts agree that a basic ingredient for good mental health begins with the ability to enjoy life. Stress can prevent you from enjoying the harmony of the social, physical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of life. The American Institute of Stress reports that 110 million Americans take medication for stress-related causes each week. The wear and tear of stress can eventually compromise your overall wellness, including your mental health. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder, such as depression, eating disorders, and anxiety.

Take a look at yourself in this moment. Are you enjoying life? Do you bounce back from adversity? How is the balance between your social time and time spent alone? Work and play? Sleep and wakefulness? How satisfying are your relationships and sexuality? These are but a few questions to consider when evaluating overall mental health.

While serious mental health issues require the assistance of qualified doctors and therapists, you can reduce the stresses that contribute to mental health challenges with regular use of basic tools, such as biofeedback, meditation, and deep breathing.

Biofeedback has a positive effect on your emotional and physical well-being, particularly stress-related conditions. Historically, biofeedback involved working with a practitioner to guide the process and help you understand the results. These days, computer programs complete with biofeedback sensors are also available. The sensors provide feedback while monitoring your physiological and emotional responses to exercises driven by the software. You interactively learn to manage and monitor your responses, and you can immediately experience relaxation and reduce stress. You can also increase your energy.

Quieting your mind through meditation and deep breathing produces profound benefits. For centuries, spiritual masters and mystics carried the wisdom of how regular practice of meditation and deeper, slower breathing can make you physically and mentally healthy.

Give it a try. Sit quietly in a comfortable position. Notice your breath. Is it shallow? Slow? Short? Is it easier to inhale than to exhale or vice versa? The act of noticing your breath can help calm and center you in your body.

Different types of breathing exercises can raise your energy levels or deepen relaxation. To stimulate depressed energy levels, place your tongue against the back of your top front teeth. Then, as quickly as possible, inhale and exhale through your nose repeatedly for several seconds. Notice the warming in your body as your energy levels become more stimulated.

As you commit to consistent, daily practice, consider Thich Nhat Hanh's advice "Smile, breathe, and go slowly." Soon enough, you'll radiate the spirit of "Life is good" from the inside out, millions of times over.

About the Author

Melissa Levine of Wild Divine is an expert in meditation, biofeedback, wellness, alternative medicine and the mind body connection. Visit Wild Divine, http://www.wilddivine.com to read Melissa's blog posts and learn more about Healing Rhythms.

Various Types Of Anxiety Disorders

2007-08-27T08:10:00.001-07:00

Various Types Of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a feeling of unease. Anxiety is only considered to be a mental health problem when it is prolonged, severe and is interfering with everyday activities. Fortunately, most anxiety disorders are highly treatable with psychotherapy, drugs, or a combination of both. There are at least nine identified types of anxiety disorders, include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, specific phobia, separation anxiety, school avoidance, and agoraphobia. Anxiety disorders in children can range from a simple adjustment disorder to more difficult and debilitating disorders such as panic disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

It's normal to feel anxious when facing something difficult or dangerous, and mild anxiety can be a positive and useful experience. Excessive anxiety is often associated with other mental health problems, such as depression. Unfortunately, many people with anxiety disorders don't seek treatment because they do not believe they have a legitimate illness, or they fear the reaction of family and friends.

Sometimes anxiety can be associated with a physical illness, such as thyroid disorder. For this reason it's advisable to see your GP in order to rule out a physical cause. Symptoms occur with varying frequency and intensity but may include all of those listed above as well as trembling, chest pain, nausea, and fear. You may fear you are going crazy or dying. Some people may also have a sense of being detached from reality. Anxiety can be a long-term disorder where you feel worried most of the time about things that might go wrong. Cognitive behavioral therapy is often used, as is psychotherapy and stress management techniques. Drugs used to treat anxiety include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, beta-blockers, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Often, a combination of therapies works best.

What are the types of Anxiety disorders?

There are several major types of anxiety disorders:

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder feel anxious nearly all of the time, though they may not even know why.

2. Phobias: A phobia is an unrealistic or exaggerated fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that in reality presents little to no danger. Common phobias include fear of animals such as snakes and spiders, fear of flying, and fear of heights.
3. Social Phobia: Social anxiety disorder can be thought of as extreme shyness.

4. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): It is characterized by unwanted thoughts or behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control.

5. Separation Anxiety: Separation anxiety is a normal part of child development.

6. Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder: Panic disorder is characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks.

Symptoms of Anxiety:

The symptoms can include:

1. Abdominal discomfort.

2. Rapid heartbeat or palpitations.

3. Shortness of breath.

4. Frequent urination

5. Feeling worried or uneasy all the time

6. An inability to concentrate

7. Depersonalisation.

Treatment For Anxiety disorders:

The treatment will depend upon which type of anxiety you are experiencing and how severe it is. Cognitive-behavior therapy is very effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Tranquilisers, such as benzodiazepine tablets, may help to relieve some short-term stress-related anxieties. However, they shouldn't be taken for long periods because of the risk of addiction. For this reason they aren't usually prescribed. Antidepressants can treat certain anxiety disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia, OCD, and anxiety associated with depression.

By: Juliet Cohen

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Juliet Cohen writes articles for medical diseases. She also writes articles for depression treatment and health care.

Therapy for Mind and Body

2007-08-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Therapy for Mind and Body
by Ruel Hinaloc

RESEARCH shows that a prolonged laugh is relaxing and healthy for mind and body. It "can not only relieve stress, but may also increase the chances of surviving a serious illness," says Your Better Health magazine. It is like "internal jogging." Tests reveal that sustained laughter can reduce pain as well as be a good workout for the heart. Circulation improves, the diaphragm is exercised, and the oxygen level in the blood is raised. Chest, neck, face, and scalp muscles also get a workout, along with the eye muscles that expel tears.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reported on a study that "suggests that a humor therapy program can increase the quality of life for patients with chronic problems and that laughter has an immediate symptom-relieving effect for these patients." The results of this psychological approach to rehabilitation prompted the British Columbia Cancer Agency to add a "humor room" to their library.

Laughing our way through life, however, will not ensure good health. Rather, balance is needed. The Bible says that there is a time to laugh and a time to be quiet. Thoughtless laughter may grate on the ears of others and is compared to the sound of crackling thorns being burned under a pot because it is useless and offers no edification. -- Ecclesiastes 3:4, 7; 7:6.

Laughter can also be a response to physical touch, such as tickling, or even to moderate pain such as pressure on the ulnar nerve ("funny bone"). Laughter is sometimes seemingly contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others. Laughter Therapy: A client's laughter triggers are identified such as people in their lives that make them laugh, things from childhood, situations, movies, jokes, comedians, basically anything that makes them laugh.

Laughter exercises almost always lead to real laughter, especially when practiced in a group. Laughter is a positive and powerful emotion that has all the ingredients required for individuals to change themselves and to change the world in a peaceful and positive way. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to the study at the University of Maryland Medical Center (cited above).

Laughter can be a great workout for your diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, thebody's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being. Laughter is one of the easiest ways to free yourself from the mind's constant thought process and find inner peace.

About the Author
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Control Stress or It Will Control Your Business

2007-08-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Control Stress or It Will Control Your Business

When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually refer to ulcers or heart conditions, but stress has a much broader impact. It is known that stress is linked to cancer, lung ailments, cirrhosis of the liver, immunity to common illnesses, back problems, and many other medical problems.

It is estimated that stress is the underlying factor in 75 - 90% of all physician visits.

We see the effects of stress in workplace absenteeism, accidents, health care costs, workers comp, quality problems, productivity, litigation, grievances, violence, customer service complaints, resistance to change, personnel turnover, and profits.

Workplace stress is costing your business thousands of dollars per year. Is stress a line item on your budget? Knowing how much you are spending on stress is a good place to start, but you must take responsibility for stress control and its impact on the bottom line.

To receive a free article about the signs and symptoms of workplace stress, send a blank email to highstresswarningsigns@couragebuilders.com. It's automatic.

If stress is such a problem, you might be asking questions such as:

++How much is stress costing our company each year?

++How can we find out the costs?

++How can we control stress to put this money back on the bottom line?

Controlling stress is beneficial on the bottom line and for employees who work hard to make the company successful.

Lower Back Pain

2007-08-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Lower Back Pain
by Sensei Adam Rostocki

Lower back pain is an epidemic condition affecting millions of patients worldwide. The medical industry is meeting this growing plague head on, but making very little progress when it comes to providing lasting relief for the majority of patients. Medical science turns its attention to developing mostly symptomatic treatment modalities when patients really need a cure for their pain. Objective study of the history of back pain, the typical diagnoses, the standard treatments and the statistical results paints a crystal clear picture of why most patients never truly recover from their debilitating symptoms.

Many health conditions can be traced back hundreds or even thousands of years in history. Back pain is rarely mentioned in historical medical texts and almost never spoken of as a serious or chronic concern. It is surprising to know that modern man suffers from back pain in numbers too vast to calculate. Back pain complaints are the second most common reason for a patient to seek out medical advice from their doctor. Back pain is the number one cause for a worker to miss a day of work. Chronic back pain might not be a historical medical disorder, but its time has come and it is spreading like a contagious disease. Modern back pain conditions are known by patients and doctors alike to be treatment resistant and enduring problems which defy even the most aggressive treatment.

Lower back pain is the most common severe and life altering spinal condition. Patients who suffer from lumbar pain, regardless of diagnosed causation, have a difficult time functioning in almost any aspect of life. Low back pain interferes with work, prevents the pursuit of pleasure, limits physical activity, creates severe psycho-emotional stress and can actually cause patients to live a life of total disability. This is certainly a hard sentence to bear, especially when the diagnosed cause of pain is rarely the real reason for symptoms!

Lower back pain is a term which encompasses a plethora of spinal conditions medically theorized to be symptomatic in most patients. Herniated lumbar discs, spinal stenosis, neurological impingement, sciatica, muscle imbalance, sacroiliac joint dysfunction and piriformis syndrome are some of the most common diagnoses made upon patients complaining of lower back pain. Although the diversity of these diagnoses is rich indeed, the subsequent therapy options are strikingly similar and not coincidently, generally ineffective.

It is common knowledge in the medical professions that most diagnosed spinal abnormalities are rarely symptomatic and exist in a great number of people who experience no pain whatsoever. Why then are these same spinal conditions blamed for pain in patients who are symptomatic, even when the anatomical clinical impression of the condition does not match the symptoms experienced? The answer to this question is simple and somewhat sinister. Even doctors sometimes require a scapegoat. After all, informing one patient that you can not discover the actual cause of their pain is barely acceptable, but telling millions of miserable souls this news would certainly banish all faith in the medical community. Therefore, the burden of blame is placed on these coincidental and innocent spinal conditions which are not normally the cause of any serious or chronic pain.

Treatment for lower back pain is often a mixed bag of traditional, alternative and complementary therapies. The traditional medical approach focuses on a progressively more drastic and invasive series of treatments which usually starts with physical therapy and drugs, advances to epidural injections and more drugs and ends with surgery and even more drugs, as a last ditch effort to cure the unresolved pain. Alternative and complementary therapies are likely to include massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, Reiki, Alexander Technique, electrotherapy, spinal decompression, dietary alteration and postural correction. Outside of spinal decompression and surgery, the rest of these treatments are symptomatic in nature, meaning they attack the pain, but do nothing to cure the underlying causative condition. Why are these treatments the accepted methods for treating back pain? Once again, the answer is painfully obvious.

Lower back pain is a conundrum to most doctors. They do not know why it is so virulent. They need to do something to help patients so they continue to use processes that offer some relief, some of the time. The best part is that most doctors do not even know why many of these treatments sometimes actually work! Back pain specialists realize that ischemia of the muscle and nerve tissues is the most common cause for all varieties of painful backs. Many accepted treatment modalities increase cellular oxygenation, providing short term symptomatic relief from the pain. This is the reason why some treatments provide symptomatic amelioration even when the reasons for that relief defy logic. This is also the reason why most treatments have little or no effect and even surgical correction often worsens the condition rather than curing it.

Lower back pain will only respond to appropriate treatment. Therapies directed at an incorrectly identified cause will not cure the pain. Blaming innocent and completely normal spinal conditions for long term symptoms is nonsensical and leads to the abysmal treatment results we see when studying the experiences of most patients with chronic pain. Only by accepting the logical explanation for low back pain will a patient find lasting relief. Ischemia is an insidious process which works behind the scenes, leaving little or no evidence of its presence. The most common cause of ischemic back pain is the psychosomatic interaction between the body and the subconscious mind. We have all heard the expression which states that we carry our troubles on our backs. Well in this case, the great philosophers of old were being quiet literal. Now the idea of why modern medicine has been powerless to stop low back pain from ruining lives makes much more sense. After all, the medical industry basically denies the psychosomatic process when it comes to the cause of back pain. This is especially hypocritical, since the psychosomatic process is the accepted cause of other, less profitable conditions throughout the healthcare spectrum...

Is it all about money? Is it all about pride? Does the medical industry simply want to propagate accepted myths instead of mark progress against a known destroyer of lives? When it comes to lower back pain, I will leave it up to you to decide...

About the Author

Sensei Adam Rostocki is the author of "Cure Back Pain Forever" (ISBN 1-59971-997-5) as well as the interactive website, http://www.cure-back-pain.org Detailed information on lumbar spinal conditions can be found at the Lower Back Pain Information Hub.

Anxiety- Best Way to Cure Yourselves

2007-08-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Anxiety- Best Way to Cure Yourselves

by Britton

"Get over it" or "Smarten up" is that what we tell, or at least think, when one of our friends or a family member has let a situation or event linger? Do we ever consider that they may not be able to just get over it or smarten up; they may be dealing with a real illness and need real help, not criticism.

Anxiety Disorder is a real illness, and is the most common mental health problem in the United States. According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 25 million Americans suffer from these disorders. Children as well as adults are afflicted. There are several types of anxiety disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Phobias. Anxiety creates stress for all of us, at some time, to varying degrees, but it becomes a disorder when it can no longer be seen as rational, or it is adversely affecting someone's life. Individuals suffer extreme worry, anxiety, panic, or an overwhelming fear of losing control as well as physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders hinder people from living their daily life, let alone enjoying it to the fullest.

If you, or anyone you know, suffer from the following symptoms of anxiety disorder , it is advisable to encourage and/or seek out medical attention. Here is a list of the more common symptoms of the above anxiety disorders: PTSD - Overwhelming feeling of panic or fear - Flashback/reliving of traumatic event - Nightmares - Insomnia Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Uncontrollable worrisome thoughts about everyday things, without just cause, often exaggerated, lasting for six months. Although, treatment may be warranted earlier - Irritability - Trouble falling or staying asleep Panic Disorder - Overwhelming feeling of panic - Avoidance of people or places - Fear of losing control OCD - Obsessive thoughts, such as germ contamination - Repetitive actions, such as washing hands or checking if windows are locked - Repeating phrases, numbers etc...

Phobias - Fear that triggers intense anxiety Many physical symptoms add to the difficulty of anxiety disorders. The following anxiety disorder symptoms spread across much of the disorders. Many people feel nauseous, or their heart races so fast that they feel like they cannot breathe. They often have headaches, feel dizzy, sweat or have chills. Shaking or trembling as well as heavy tension and achy muscles are part of the regular regimen. As well, for someone with an anxiety disorder, chronic sleep problems plague him or her. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Sleep is an essential requirement for good health, both mental and physical. Not getting enough sleep can result in poor work or school performance, impaired judgment and decreased attentiveness, which could result in injury. In addition, some medications given to treat anxiety can cause insomnia, thus the cycle continues.

Often treatment is avoided due to the stigma attached to mental illness. People try to deal with matters themselves. They hear, "Where's your willpower?" or "All you need is a kick in the butt."

There are many effective anxiety disorder treatments available. The National Institute of Mental Health states some of the antidepressant medications that have been effective in treatment. Psychotherapy is also recommended in the form of Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive-behavioral Therapy. It is a good idea to discuss treatment options with your doctor.

On a last note, we, as fellow human beings, need to support all people. Lift the stigma of mental illness and help others and ourselves. We need to take the time to put ourselves in someone else's shoes before we judge. We also need to understand that mental illness can happen to anyone, at anytime.

About the Author

iampanicked.com is a site that offers comprehensive details on various topics dealing with stress and depression, including anxiety cure and many more. This article has been written by Donna Lamour. She is a freelance writer with special interest in the area of mental illness.

Truly Unsettling Proven Facts About Stress and Anxiety

2007-08-27T08:03:00.001-07:00

Truly Unsettling Proven Facts About Stress and Anxiety

Stress is a contributing factor in the following diseases, illnesses, addictions, and syndromes:

Nicotine addiction.
Bulimia.
Drug abuse.
Alcohol addiction.
Spouse abuse.
Heart disease.
Obesity.
High blood pressure.
Suicide.

Strokes.
Depression.
Chronic Fatigue.
Homicide.

Did you know that approximately 25% of prescriptions written in the U.S. every year are for anti-depressants, tranquilizers, and anti-anxiety medications? Did you know that more people visit their doctor for anxiety than for a cold? Did you know that about 50% of all medical admissions are at least partially stress related? Had enough? Need to hear more?

Did you know that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "neurotic reaction to stress" is the fourth most disabling workplace injury? Did you know that forty percent of employee turnover has been attributed to stress? Did you know that those with high anxiety levels can have between 2 and 7 times higher risk for heart disease?

Are you ready to take stress and anxiety seriously?

Stress and anxiety are more than just annoyances they are killers. The sad part of the story is that all of this pain and misery is unnecessary. There are very effective techniques for stress and anxiety management and reduction that can be used to alleviate and prevent these symptoms. No one need suffer the debilitating effects of stress and anxiety syndrome.

Taking stress and anxiety seriously can save your life. You can avoid becoming a statistic by learning how to manage stress and anxiety before it s too late. If you are smart, you won t wait.

3 Little-known Facts You Need To Know About Antidepressants

2007-08-27T08:01:00.002-07:00

It is widely believed that antidepressant drugs are the best treatment for stress, depression and anxiety. After consulting with their health professional, many sufferers will be put on a course of antidepressants, but how effective are these drugs? Not very, in fact they cannot provide a permanent cure and here are the reasons why.

A good way for antidepressants to help sufferers is to "kick start" the process towards full recovery. By raising levels of serotonin, the "happy chemical" within the brain, the sufferer receives a boost and it is crucial that the root cause of stress, depression and anxiety is also treated at this time. The root cause of all if these is harmful, flawed modes of thinking and in addressing the cause, a lasting cure will be found. This is the main reason why no drug has proven to be more effective than any other and why antidepressants are ineffective for two thirds of sufferers.

Antidepressant drugs are used to treat stress, depression and anxiety because of an alleged "chemical imbalance" within the brains of sufferers. What this means is that there is a lack of a chemical responsible for regulating our moods called Serotonin. If there is a lack of serotonin in the brain, is this then the root cause of anxiety, depression and stress? Unfortunately, there is no evidence at all to support this theory. Indeed, low levels of serotonin are a symptom of stress, depression and anxiety. The issue here is that treating one of the many symptoms of these problems will only mask the cause and will therefore be unable to provide a complete cure.

When it comes to treating anxiety and depression, the common belief held by sufferers and health professionals is that antidepressant drugs such as Effexor, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa for example - are the most effective treatment. The problem with using drugs to treat anxiety and depression is that they only treat one of the symptoms - reduced levels of serotonin, a "happy chemical" in the brain. As soon as a person stops taking the drug, the root cause will surface and another episode of suffering results. Drugs may help you feel better in the short term, but they cannot offer you a cure.

You're now aware as to why antidepressants shouldn't form the main treatment for stress, anxiety and depression. There are far more effective treatements, especially cognitive and behavioral therapies, that can provide you with a lasting cure because they treat the root cause. Please ensure that these are also part of your treatment.

Please Note: If you are taking a course of antidepressant medication, please do not stop taking your medication until you have consulted with your health professional. They will be able to advise you on how best to withdraw from the medication in a fully controlled, safe way.

By: Chris J. Green
There s much more information to help you www.conqueringstress.com/how_to_relieve_stress.html relieve anxiety and depression, without taking antidepressants over on the Conquering Stress website.

Control Stress or It Will Control Your Business

2007-08-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually refer to ulcers or heart conditions, but stress has a much broader impact. It is known that stress is linked to cancer, lung ailments, cirrhosis of the liver, immunity to common illnesses, back problems, and many other medical problems.

It is estimated that stress is the underlying factor in 75 - 90% of all physician visits.

We see the effects of stress in workplace absenteeism, accidents, health care costs, workers comp, quality problems, productivity, litigation, grievances, violence, customer service complaints, resistance to change, personnel turnover, and profits.

Workplace stress is costing your business thousands of dollars per year. Is stress a line item on your budget? Knowing how much you are spending on stress is a good place to start, but you must take responsibility for stress control and its impact on the bottom line.

To receive a free article about the signs and symptoms of workplace stress, send a blank email to highstresswarningsigns@couragebuilders.com. It's automatic.

If stress is such a problem, you might be asking questions such as:

++How much is stress costing our company each year?

++How can we find out the costs?

++How can we control stress to put this money back on the bottom line?

Controlling stress is beneficial on the bottom line and for employees who work hard to make the company successful.

Anxiety- Best Way to Cure Yourselves

2007-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

"Get over it" or "Smarten up" is that what we tell, or at least think, when one of our friends or a family member has let a situation or event linger? Do we ever consider that they may not be able to just get over it or smarten up; they may be dealing with a real illness and need real help, not criticism.

Anxiety Disorder is a real illness, and is the most common mental health problem in the United States. According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 25 million Americans suffer from these disorders. Children as well as adults are afflicted. There are several types of anxiety disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Phobias. Anxiety creates stress for all of us, at some time, to varying degrees, but it becomes a disorder when it can no longer be seen as rational, or it is adversely affecting someone's life. Individuals suffer extreme worry, anxiety, panic, or an overwhelming fear of losing control as well as physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders hinder people from living their daily life, let alone enjoying it to the fullest.

If you, or anyone you know, suffer from the following symptoms of anxiety disorder , it is advisable to encourage and/or seek out medical attention. Here is a list of the more common symptoms of the above anxiety disorders: PTSD - Overwhelming feeling of panic or fear - Flashback/reliving of traumatic event - Nightmares - Insomnia Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Uncontrollable worrisome thoughts about everyday things, without just cause, often exaggerated, lasting for six months. Although, treatment may be warranted earlier - Irritability - Trouble falling or staying asleep Panic Disorder - Overwhelming feeling of panic - Avoidance of people or places - Fear of losing control OCD - Obsessive thoughts, such as germ contamination - Repetitive actions, such as washing hands or checking if windows are locked - Repeating phrases, numbers etc...

Phobias - Fear that triggers intense anxiety Many physical symptoms add to the difficulty of anxiety disorders. The following anxiety disorder symptoms spread across much of the disorders. Many people feel nauseous, or their heart races so fast that they feel like they cannot breathe. They often have headaches, feel dizzy, sweat or have chills. Shaking or trembling as well as heavy tension and achy muscles are part of the regular regimen. As well, for someone with an anxiety disorder, chronic sleep problems plague him or her. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Sleep is an essential requirement for good health, both mental and physical. Not getting enough sleep can result in poor work or school performance, impaired judgment and decreased attentiveness, which could result in injury. In addition, some medications given to treat anxiety can cause insomnia, thus the cycle continues.

Often treatment is avoided due to the stigma attached to mental illness. People try to deal with matters themselves. They hear, "Where's your willpower?" or "All you need is a kick in the butt."

There are many effective anxiety disorder treatments available. The National Institute of Mental Health states some of the antidepressant medications that have been effective in treatment. Psychotherapy is also recommended in the form of Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive-behavioral Therapy. It is a good idea to discuss treatment options with your doctor.

On a last note, we, as fellow human beings, need to support all people. Lift the stigma of mental illness and help others and ourselves. We need to take the time to put ourselves in someone else's shoes before we judge. We also need to understand that mental illness can happen to anyone, at anytime.

About the Author:

iampanicked.com is a site that offers comprehensive details on various topics dealing with stress and depression, including anxiety cure and many more. This article has been written by Donna Lamour. She is a freelance writer with special interest in the area of mental illness.

How To Treat Panic Attacks

2007-08-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Before I get into the treatment of panic attacks, we'll go over some of the basics as to what causes panic attacks to occur. Excessive anxiety is on of the main reasons why panic attacks occur, in fact, all a panic attack is a sudden spike of fear/anxiety that comes unexpectedly and without any obvious reason. If you are reading this article, however, you probably are well acquainted with panic attacks, and probably know more than you want to about them.

There is no need to worry if you suffer from anxiety, or panic attacks. Nearly 1/3 of American adults have at least one panic attack, but don't develop repeated attacks. Surprisingly, with all the talk about OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), bipolar disorder, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), etc, panic attacks actually surpass those in terms of emotional disorders.

If you think you suffer from panic attacks, but are unsure, listed below are the most common symptoms of panic attacks:

- difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
- very fast-paced heartbeat
- excessive nervousness, shakiness, or stress
- paralytic terror every once in a while
- choking or chest pains
- dizziness, nausea, or feeling light-headed
- sudden chills and/or hot flashes
- excessive anxiety or fear
- pins and needles on your fingers and toes

If you suffer from a significant amount of those symptoms, there's a good chance that you suffer from panic attacks. There are many ways to find information on how to treat anxiety attacks, unfortunately, there is no one set way to teach so I won't be able to go over all of them in this article. You can contact local agencies to get you the help and/or the prescriptions you need to get over this problem. Don't fret, however, it is a curable disorder and shouldn't be left alone.

Do an internet search on some of the following agencies: American Counseling Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Freedom From Fear, NAMI, National Anxiety Foundation... the list goes on. After finding websites to some of those different organizations, you can either call or usually write an Email and they will get back to you with some questions on your panic attack level and tell you the best possible way to treat your panic attacks.

Panic attacks can alter our moods, our perception, and ruin some of the many moments in life that we would otherwise find breathtaking. Nobody should have to deal with panic attacks when there is help available and there is plenty of help available when it comes to panic attacks and anxiety attacks.

For a fast, proven treatment for Panic Attacks and Anxiety, try Panic Away I have found it to be the best product for treating these disorders: Panic Away Website

Panic Attack Symptoms

2007-08-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

Panic Attack Symptoms

by Marcus Rolland
A panic attack is a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort that is accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms.

Symptoms may include:

palpitations sweating trembling or shaking shortness of breath or smothering feelings of choking chest pain or discomfort nausea or abdominal distress dizziness or light-headedness pins and needles diarrhea dry mouth headache derealization or depersonalization and chills or hot flushes Panic Attack Symptoms There are two types of panic attack:

1) Spontaneous (Uncued) Panic Attacks These are not associated with a situational trigger and appears to come 'out of the blue'. These panic attacks can occur during periods of relaxation or when sleeping.

2) Situational (Cued) Panic Attacks Occur either in anticipation of a situation or in a situation where an attack has previously been experienced. Usually the symptoms become apparent as one enters the situation.

I will outline some of the typical fears people have resulting from the panic attack symptoms. The most common fears created by the panic symptoms are:

Losing Control Will I Pass Out in Public? Am I Having A Heart Attack? Feeling Out of Touch or a Sense of Unreality

"Am I going crazy?"

It is understandable for anyone to fear they may be going crazy when they suffer from the panic attack symptoms. There is so little real public awareness of mental disease, so people often jump to extreme conclusions. These conclusions are usually based on misinformation and an overactive imagination.

The most commonly known mental health issue is schizophrenia -- even the word itself strikes terror within the average person. Schizophrenia is a major disorder characterized by such severe symptoms as disjointed thoughts and speech, babbling, having delusions or strange beliefs (for example, sufferers often claim they are receiving messages from an inner voice), and hallucinations. Furthermore, schizophrenia appears to be largely a genetic disorder and run strongly in families.

Schizophrenia generally begins very gradually, and not suddenly (such as during a panic attack). Additionally, because it runs in families, only a certain proportion of people can become schizophrenic, and in other people, no amount of stress will cause the disorder. A third important point is that people who become schizophrenic will usually show some mild symptoms for most of their lives (such as unusual thoughts, flowery speech, etc.). Thus, if this has not been noticed in you yet, then chances are you will not become schizophrenic. This is especially true if you are over 25, since schizophrenia generally first appears in the late teens to early 20's.

More panic attack symptoms,

Losing Control

During a panic attack, because of the symptoms the people are feeling, they are prone to believe they are going to "lose control". This loss of control can be bodily, i.e., that all your vital organs will completely lose the run of themselves and descend into chaos, or that the individual will mentally lose a grip on reality. Often, it is those who hate being socially embarrassed suffer from this fear the most.

Losing control could range from steering your car into an innocent passerby, or picking up a knife and killing the nearest and dearest person to you (not that we all don't think of this from time to time!).

Put your mind at rest! As scary as those thoughts may be, you are not going to commit any of these acts. Relax. The reason you are experiencing them is because your body feels out of control with the panic attack symptoms. Your mind feels that if your body is out of control, it is next on the list.

You are not going to lose it. In fact, I am sure that with all the panic attacks you may have experienced in public places, nobody even noticed you looked uncomfortable. We are, by nature, social animals and dread to be seen in some kind of an embarrassing situation. Jumping up from your chair in a business meeting and screaming for an ambulance may go through your mind, but it is unlikely to happen. In the end, even if we do embarrass ourselves socially, does it really matter? We have to learn to be kind to ourselves. So what if we were to cause a scene and great embarrassment? Life is too short to keep up with appearances all the time. In fact, the more honest you are with your fears, the less pressure you are subjecting yourself under, and the more your panic attack symptoms will dissipate.

Panic Attack Symptoms Passing Out in Public

Panic attack symptoms often include light-headiness, which induces fears of passing out or fainting in public. The core fear of passing out in public is that we suddenly become so vulnerable, especially if we are alone. Who will look after us as we lie strewn across the sidewalk? We also dread the thought of passing out for fear that we may never wake but fall into a coma. Passing out is caused by a lack of blood to the brain. When we faint, the body falls to the ground and allows blood to be easily supplied to the brain -- which is, again, another of the clever safety mechanisms of the body. Quite simply, fainting during a panic attack is highly uncommon due to the amount of blood that is being circulated. Your heart is usually beating fast and there is little worry that the brain would be short of fresh supply. The symptoms of dizziness often felt during a panic attack is caused by increased respiration, and while it may be confusing for the individual, it is harmless and does not lead to fainting.

Heart Attacks

This fear really is a minefield and almost anyone who has suffered from panic attack symptoms at some point will fear for the health of their heart. Let us look at the facts of heart disease and see how this differs from panic attacks. .

The major symptoms of heart disease are breathlessness and chest pain, as well as occasional palpitations and fainting. Such symptoms are generally related to the amount of physical effort exerted. That is, the harder you exercise, the worse the symptoms, and the less you exercise, the better.

The symptoms will usually go away quickly if the individual rests. This is very different to panic attack symptoms. Certainly, panic symptoms can occur during exercise, but they are different to the symptoms of a heart attack as they occur frequently at rest. Of most importance, heart disease will almost always produce major electrical changes in the heart, which are picked up very obviously by an EKG. In panic attacks, the only change that shows up on the EKG is a slight increase in heartbeat rate.

Sometimes, individuals go through a similar worry about their heart as they do with their breathing. People convince themselves that if they worry enough about their heart, or concentrate too much upon its actions, that it may somehow get confused and forget how to beat correctly. It is quite common for people who suffer from panic attacks to regularly check in on their heart at intervals, to make sure it is still beating away.

It is true that, mentally, we can all affect the pattern of our heartbeats. When you concentrate hard you may notice an irregular beat or two. This is nothing to get upset about. Remember that our bodies have an incredible internal intelligence and simply telling your heart out of panic that it might stop does not mean that it takes any heed of our fears. Learn to become more comfortable with your heart, let it do its job. Listen to it when relaxed and also when exercising. The more comfortable you are with the diversity and range of your heartbeats, the more confidence you will have in it when it is exerting itself.

If you are worried about heart problems, treat yourself to an EKG, and put your mind to rest. If you have had an EKG and the doctor has cleared you, you can safely assume you do not have heart problems. Also, if your symptoms occur at any time and not solely upon exertion, this is additional evidence against a heart disorder.

Unreality/Disconnectedness

Of all the panic attack symptoms, this is perhaps the least mentioned one in the literature (induced by excessive anxiety). It is the sensation of unreality. Many people become distressed by this sensation and feel they may be losing their mind.

People who experience panic attack symptoms report feeling disconnected from their world, or having a sensation of unreality. The sensation is described as if the world has become nothing more than a projection of a film. This sensation is quite distressing as it often leads to the individual believing that some permanent damage has been done to their brain, causing these sensations. A typical manifestation of this is when the individual may be having a conversation with someone and suddenly feels alarmingly isolated and removed from the situation. Once the sensation arises it can make such an impact that it takes days to leave the eerie feeling behind and stop thinking about it.

I mention this because the condition is not often spoken about, and to reassure those of you who may have experienced this sensation, that it is only a side-effect of excessive anxiety and will pass as soon as the body learns to relax. Once the body returns to normal and has the opportunity to dispel some excess chemicals produced by the adrenal glands, then this unusual sensation will dissipate. Give it time, and these feelings will subside as you move from a life of anxiety to a more tranquil one.

About the Author
Learn More About Panic Away Here

Wholesale Aromatherapy: Blend Of Natural Elements To Curb Stress

2007-08-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Wholesale Aromatherapy: Blend Of Natural Elements To Curb Stress
There are hundreds of elements in the nature that are able to spruce up your mind and body. Aromatherapy uses these natural ingredients to mend your bodily and mental stress. Aromatherapy is able to create an aura free of mental and physical disorders with the help of natural elements. Aromatherapy uses essential oils which are in fact, extracted from plants and herb sources. A perfect blend of essential oils, therefore, makes a perfect blend of life and work-force in you.

And, to make this perfect blend, now you don t have to strive a lot and find the particular oils that get well with another. There is wholesale aromatherapy now, where finding a perfect blend of aromatherapy essential oils is easier and cheaper. Wholesale makes anything cheap enough.

In the present day marathon working life, maintaining your physique is one of the toughest tasks. We go to gym and do some other things alike. And, these have got their particular side-effects. But, applying simple aromatherapy with a perfect blend of essential oils makes you feel far better without any side effects. Using wholesale aromatherapy is simple and cheap, yet natural.

You can use the wholesale aromatherapy oils in aromatherapy massage. This massage is a gentle mix of human touch and natural products. Massage with wholesale aromatherapy oil relaxes your blood veins. Also, while the massage is on, you can feel the fragrance of essential oil. The inhalation of it leaves you feeling the charm of being relaxed.

There is again, aromatherapy skin care to juice up your skin better than anything else. Wholesale aromatherapy oil is particularly beneficial as a moisturizer and toner for the skin.

Aromatherapy is in fact a perfect healing process. It alleviates stress and gives your mind and body a feeling that keeps you afresh to face anything ahead. Aromatherapy, in fact serves dual purpose for your mind and body. It works as a stress reliever and works to heal a number of mental and bodily disorders. It abets blood circulation; it helps to heal any kind of muscle injury and helps to get you off the hook of any stress.

The importance and effect of aromatherapy in today s world is immense. But, all these depend a lot on a perfect blend of aromatherapy oil. So, to find a better blend or a quality product, go for a dealer who is certified in selling wholesale aromatherapy products. Try a perfect blend and you will feel the benefits of aromatherapy yourself.

By: miabilkins

Mia Bilkins is working with the New Directions AU. He has also been involved in research on plants and oils for a long time. To find Wholesale Aromatherapy, botanical skin care products, floral water, raw materials, recipes products you need to visit www.newdirections.com.au

Stress Management: It's All in How We Handle It

2007-08-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

"A diamond is simply a lump of coal that handled stress very well."

This is the quote with which I begin many of my stress mastery seminars.

If you are alive, you are experiencing some level of stress. It's a sign we are alive. In fact, the only people with no stress at all are in the cemetery.

As human beings, we are hard wired both psychologically and physically, to have a very basic reaction to stress. It's called the fight or flight response.

We tend to respond to stress by either fighting or fleeing from it. Since fighting is not a very adaptable or legal response in our society, we tend to flee instead.

We take flight and flee into anxiety, depression, hypertension, addiction and other unhealthy behaviors intended to run away from our stress.

Family physician Dr. Karl Hempel says that a significant number of his patients each week are dealing with a stress related or stress induced illness.

So it is clearly a matter of how we respond to and attempt to manager our stress that make the difference.

A quick tip

Dr. Hempel's favorite prescription for stress is exercise. The most simple, readily available and easiest way to beat stress is to exercise.

It can be as simple, and powerful, as that.

Software Testing & Its Functionality

2007-08-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

Software testing is the technical process used to recognize the correctness, completeness,security, and quality of developed computer software. Software testing is executed to display quality-related information about a tested product. Software testing is a vital part of software quality assurance.

Some of the common quality attributes of a product a tester looks for are capability, reliability, efficiency, portability, maintainability, compatibility and usability. A good test not only bring out errors, it also displays interesting informations new to a project community. Software testing play a crucial strategic role for transporting the quality of the product higher in the hierarchy in the software development process. It also underlines the customer's requirements all the way through the product cycle.

Some of the vital software testing procedures involved in testing a product are functional testing, negative testing, customer scenario testing, stress testing, performance testing, scalability testing, international testing, and more. The sole purpose of software testing is to assure that customers receive maximum product quality.

Some of the common types of testing a test engineer consider while testing a product are Black box testing,White box testing ,incremental integration testing,functional testing,

system testing,end-to-end testing,sanity testing or smoke testing,regression testing, acceptance testing,acceptance testing,performance testing,usability test,uninstall testing, recovery testing, failover testing, security testing, exploratory testing, ad-hoc testing, mutation testing and more.

Though all projects are profited from testing, some projects generally don't need independent test staff. The requirement of test stuffs depend upon the size and context of the project, the risks, the development methodology, the developer's skill and experience and more. A short term, low risk project handled by experienced programmers employing unit testing or test-first development do not need test engineers. Considering the different goals in software testing, different roles are established for software testers. They are test lead/manager, tester, test designer, test automater/automation developer and test administrator.

Get Out Of The Trap...now!

2007-08-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! That aphorism should be inculcated in the minds of every credit card holder who collectively amassed about $800 billion in debt . Some financial analysts have tagged it appropriately as a debt trap . Are you one of those victims?

Finding ways to pay these bills can be worrisome. When you have a long list of unpaid credit card bills, this can put a lot of pressure to yourself. We think of ways of how to pay the bills or we ignore them and give more priority on our other expenses. Then comes another sets of bills, and another... and these bills have piled up in front of you. You again think of other means to pay the generating interest of your credit card that now has become overdue. To pay the bills, you apply for a new loan from another credit card company --- until you find yourself trapped in the debt cycle. Needless to say, being in financial trouble can be stressful. So how do you manage it?

It is perfectly normal to experience stress. Being under emotional distress is a normal human reaction. it just simply happens to most of us. But there are people who seem to handle stress quite gracefully and some can't get rid of it. A study of stress was done to a group of executives and it showed that top executives have shown lower stress signs while low and middle level executives show many stress symptoms such as high blood pressure, gastritis and tension. According to the research, probably the main reason is that the top executives have learned how to handle the pressure without letting eat them up. But, you don't have to be an executive to manage stress, it can be learned by even ordinary people like us, most especially big time or multiple credit card holders.

When we use our credit cards, we tend to be carefree and not realize how the interest rise up if we can not pay it on a timely manner. When the overdue bills come raking in, and we do not have money to pay for it, then the danger alarm begins to activate in our brain. Stress is like the alarm that was turned on during a dreadful situation. To beat the stress, we somehow must learn how to manage stress.

So, how do you learn stress management? There are two things that must be learned according to experts; learn to do various relaxation techniques and learn not to put the danger alarm on in your life.

Relaxation methods such as deep breathing, visualization or muscular relaxation. There are numerous books available related to relaxation techniques. The net is also an easy access to get information on these methods. Try these methods and see which works better for you. These techniques can easily be learned and gets better results.

However, learning not to put the danger alarm on in your credit card life can be a heavy task. If you can stop from unnecessary window shopping, then you might as well be going on the first steps of turning off that alarm. Change your lifestyle, buy things that are important and as much as possible do not buy something that you can't pay full come billing time. If you are tempted to buy something that is too expensive that will maximize your credit limit, learn to say no or alarm signals might turn on in due time.

Bottom line is be a responsible consumer. If you feel the urge to use those tempting credit cards and is beyond your limits, scram!, or you might be burned alive in the kitchen.

By: cathy

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Understanding Sheet Metal Fabrication And How It Works

2007-08-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

Sheet metal fabrication is the manipulation of metal to create any type of component that will be used in an end product. It can be used in almost any manufacturing field including medical, computer, electronics, or appliances.

Any product that contains metal components will go through some form of sheet metal fabrication.

In sheet metal fabrication, several processes are used to reach an end product. These include cutting, forming, and finishing.

Aluminum, stainless steel, and others forms of metal are utilized to create a component for a larger piece, something that can be used to create an end product, or the end product itself.

The Cutting Process

Sheet metal cutting involves a number of ways to cut a piece of metal into smaller pieces. These small pieces of metal can then be molded or formed into a final piece. One form of cutting is called shearing, which is used to cut larger pieces into smaller ones using the process of shear stress on a cutting machine.

Another process is called Electrical Discharge Machining, or EDM, in which conductive materials are melted with an electrode spark from a thin, charged electrode that is surrounded by iodized water.

In abrasive cutting, grinders or saws are used to cut through sheet metal.

Sometimes water jets are used. These generate no heat while cutting, but instead use high pressure water from 20,000 to 60,000 psi. There is also laser cutting where lasers are used for complex, or precise, cutting.

The Forming Process

Once the sheet metal has been cut, it will be formed into its required shape to create a component before finishing. There are several forming techniques. Rolling is used to shape flat pieces of metal over and over by the use of roll stands. In bending and forming, the sheet metal is manipulated basically by hand to form a desired shape.

Stamping involves tools and dies that are used to stamp designs into the metal. The designs might also be 3-D designs. A method called punching is used to punch holes in the metal. Welding is used to join pieces of sheet metal together by forming a bond between the metals. To add latches or handles to the sheet metal, hardware and fastener creation methods are used.

The Finishing Process

After cutting the sheet metal and then forming it into the shapes needed, it must go through a finishing process. In finishing, the sheet metal is sharpened to eliminate or polish rough spots and edges using an abrasive.

After the finishing process, the sheet metal goes on to fulfill its next purpose. It is either shipped out as an end product, or if it is a smaller piece, it might be used on a larger component or product.

Saving Money on Sheet Metal Fabrication

There are companies today that specialize in the sheet metal fabrication business. Their customers are usually companies that sell or use an end product that is made of sheet metal, or a part of it is made of metal.

Instead of opening a factory to create their own metal products, a company might hire a sheet metal fabrication specialist to do the work for them.

This gives the company more time to focus on marketing and promotion and can also save money.

By: Melissa Rivers-Courtesy Manufacturing Company
Courtesy Manufacturing Company is a precision metal component manufacturing facility that specializes in precision metal stamping, fabrication, and sheet metal assembly.

How Fit Are You Really? - Tests And Measures To Find Out

2007-08-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

When was the last time your took a complete fitness test? By middle age, most of us have had at least one fitness test as part of a medical check for a job or life insurance policy. Many of us take the easy way out of judging our fitness by our energy levels. We gauge our energy levels by how tired or energetic we feel. We can also get a good idea of our cardio-vascular fitness by climbing a few flights of stairs, or going for a run. But gauging our fitness in others areas is sometimes not as easy.

Restricted joint movement can be from previous injuries or the onset of age-related degenerative changes. Or maybe, it is just because you have lost your flexibility fitness.

* Lack of energy may result from poor sleep or a metabolic disorder, and have no relation to our true fitness.

* Unless you undertake a complete fitness test you really just don't know.

A typical testing program includes:

* Cardiac Fitness - Step Test

* Flexibility - Trunk and Hip Flexion Tests

* Agility - Zigzag Test

* Balance - Standing Balance Test

* Upper Body Strength - Push Up and Bench Press Tests

* Lower Body Strength - Wall Squat Test

* Core Strength - Crunch Test

* Explosive Power - Burst Test

A comprehensive fitness test is usually carried out by a Fitness and/or Medical Professional using gym equipments and special measuring equipment. However, there are a number of tests you can carry out at home that give you sufficient accuracy to use effectively in any fitness program.

The range of measures includes:

* Body Frame
* Weight to Height
* Body Mass Index [Body Fat]
* Heart Rate
* Blood Pressure

The real benefit of completing these measures and tests every six months or so, is that it gives you feedback as to what areas of your fitness program you need to change. Most of us have limited time available for staying in shape, so you want to ensure that your efforts will reap the best rewards.

In addition, continuing to play sports in later years requires a more comprehensive training approach. In early years when our joints move freely, muscles are well formed and tendons flexible, we are not so likely to injure ourselves from normal movements.

As we age, our muscles tend to reduce in size and strength, tendons shorten and joints move less freely. These all put additional strain on the body to achieve the same movements, so injury is more likely.

If you don't feel confident undertaking your own measurements and tests, get a professional to do one for you.

Most Doctors will measure weight, heart rate and blood pressure. But few do a complete physical assessment, unless you specifically ask for one, and in most cases, this means being referred to a diagnostic physician.

The local gym is a good place to get a Fitness Assessment. The instructors are all trained to complete the tests and in many cases, have a better understanding of the interrelated movements of the body than many Doctors, who concentrate more on pathology.

Some fitness tests are best done by professionals as they take you closer to the limits of exertion. This is the case for the Cardio-Stress Test. This test is a more aggressive form of the 3 minute Step Test, but instead of a simple step, it uses an exercise machine such as a treadmill or exercise bike, and an ECG machine. It is a progressive and maximum exercise test; starting from a walking pace and gradually increasing pace. Electrical impulses from the heart tissue are recorded by surface electrodes places on the chest wall. A stress test is useful for detecting early changes in the heart function indicating potential heart disease.

Before you undertake any new fitness program it is recommended to seek medical clearance. It is also important to make sure you have warmed up sufficiently. Sometimes the warm up can be integrated into the test program, such as using the 3-minute step test as a warm up to lower body flexibility tests. Overstraining cold or still muscles to get a better test score is counter-productive, and it is of more value to you to have a true result, rather than an over-stressed, possibly damaging one.

By: Nicola Carr
Nicola is fitness coach for Antiaging-Wellness.com and GolfSwingClub.com. Get detailed fitness measures and tests and tips on maximizing your energy during workouts.

Stress Relievers Come In Different Forms

2007-08-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Stress Relievers Come In Different Forms
The search for stress relievers has become an integral part of modern life. Stress occurs when actual experiences fall below expectations. For example, you expect some respect and dignity but find your boss shouting at you, making you look undignified.

In the primitive hunter-gatherer communities, people didn't expect much beyond food, shelter and companionship. And it was comparatively easy to get these in their wild environs.

In modern life, however, expectations are high and it is inevitable that most of these expectations won't be fulfilled. The result is wide prevalence of stress. Because stress is an unpleasant experience, its victims look for stress relievers.

And stress relievers come in many different forms.

Are You Stressed?

If you are constantly rushing about or worrying about things, it is likely that you are a victim of stress. Other symptoms of stress include a great need for stimulants like food, alcohol, sex, accomplishments and so on.

Stress could also manifest itself in bodily tensions - tightening of the muscles of the neck, shoulders, back, stomach, etc. It could even lead to pain.

There is a general inability to relax and enjoy the beautiful things of life.

How Can You Get Relief From Stress?

There is no single thing or practice that could act as a complete stress reliever. In fact, if you focus on a single practice, you might probably be worsening the situation.

Instead, combine a number of practices - physical and mental.

First of all, learn to accept the occasional stresses of everyday life. Don't try to escape them. A little stress can improve your performance.

Instead of constantly telling yourself to relax, or to avoid unpleasant emotions, learn to take these daily stresses in your stride. Handle them appropriately.

That said, find time to relax and enjoy the things around you. Become part of some group and enjoy the company. Go on an occasional vacation and recharge yourself. Walk among the trees, go boating on a quiet river, or do whatever is pleasing and calming to you.

There are also some regular practices that you can follow to become more relaxed.

The slow movements, deep breathing in and out and the relaxed poses involved in Yoga have benefited many to find relief from stress.

Meditation involves focusing your mind, in a relaxed manner, on a single point - such as your breathing. It can take your mind off tension-causing distractions and help improve your concentration and performance.

Aerobic dancing to soothing music might be the remedy that proves effective for other people. Different practices have different impact on different people.

If you are pressed for time, as when you are in office, you can try to get some relief using such aids as squeezing stress balls or playing with stress toys. For example, you can take out some frustration on a stress toy, or, when you have done for the day, squeeze a stress ball to improve blood circulation to your hands and rejuvenate them.

Conclusion

Stress is part of modern living. The wide prevalence of stress has led to the popularity of stress relievers. Stress relievers come in different forms. In fact, experts recommend that you combine a number of practices to get stress relief, such as learning to enjoy the beautiful things of life, going on an occasional vacation and following some regular relaxation routine like Yoga. When pressed for time, aids like stress balls can come to your aid.

By: Daniel Frenchy
About Author:
Daniel Frenchy, Director of Stress Balls UK - Europe's leading supplier of custom stress balls..

Above Ground Resin Ponds Are Very Serene

2007-08-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Above Ground Resin Ponds Are Very Serene
by mark neal

Making an oasis out of your backyard is not as difficult as it may sound. It will take several days of work, but only several hours of hard labor. First you must design what it is that you want in your backyard. Then you must place everything. Doing all of this on paper first is much easier than planting and digging and then having to remove it to another location.

Using an eraser to move your plants and shrubs is much easier on your back. Of course, you will start with plants, flowers, bushes and trees. Then you must decide on lighting and walkways. The next element to place in your design is the large outdoor structures you might want. If you have your heart set on a pond with fish, then an above ground resin pond is your best answer. These kits are easy to find and easy to install.

Installation

Once you have spent a week on planting your shrubs and digging paths, then it is time to decide on how you want your above ground resin pond to look. Do you want it round, kidney shaped or oblong? There are all types of kits that you can choose from for above ground resin ponds. If you choose to make your above ground resin pond yourself, you will first need to start with the resin shell. Then you will need a liner and underlayment, chemicals, filter, pump and lighting.

Koi is probably the best fish to put into your above ground resin pond because they are pretty, hearty and are very soothing to watch. Using spitters, decoys and fountains will also give your pond a calming look. Above ground resin ponds give backyards a sense of serenity. Putting potted tropical plants and grasses around it will give it a very natural look. Learning to grow lilly pods is another hobby and can be quite lovely when used in above ground resin ponds.

Finding and buying this equipment for your pond is quite simple. All large neighborhood hardware stores carry the essential equipment and there are hundreds of stores on the internet which sell all of the products for above ground resin ponds. These ponds are becoming more popular as people are trying to relieve the stress in their lives. Having an above ground resin pond in your backyard can help make it the oasis you have been looking for. It becomes a retreat away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Above ground resin ponds are worth their investment.

About the Author

Mark Neal is an expert on ponds,

he is a webmaster on http://www.gardenponds.com.cn

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom- Your Most Frequently Asked Questions Answered

2007-08-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Anxiety disorders cost the United States of America $46.6 billion every year. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America, even more common than depression. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is just one of these anxiety disorders. Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms affect approximately 4 million people in America alone on a regular basis. Interestingly enough, it also affects twice as many women as men.

In the past, generalized anxiety disorder treatment has been limited to medication and expensive ongoing psychological visits. This article will discuss the most common generalized anxiety disorder symptoms as outlined by the DM-IV, the effect a generalized anxiety disorder symptom has on its sufferers and relief available for generalized anxiety disorder symptom sufferers.

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the more common anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders cover a vast number of anxieties such as pathological anxiety, fear, phobia and nervous conditions. These disorders may come on without warning out of the blue or over many number of years and have an overwhelming impact on the lives of people who suffer from anxiety symptoms. One thing is clear and that is to be able to correctly diagnose a Generalized Anxiety Disorder and its symptoms (GAD) the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom must be present more days than not for at least six months time. A Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptom can be difficult to diagnose at times because it is not as dramatic as some other anxiety disorder symptoms seen with other anxiety disorders.

Here is a guide to the diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms according to the DM-IV:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 1
- Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehension), occurring more days than not for a period of at least 6 months, about numerous events or activities;

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 2
- The person with GAD finds it hard to control the worry;

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 3
- The anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following six symptoms, with at least some symptoms are present for more than 6 months in most days than not (at least one is required for children):

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 4
- restlessness or feeling tense or on the edge

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 5
- easily fatigued

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 6
- difficulty concentrating or mind going blank

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 7
- irritability

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 8
- muscle tension and muscle aches

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 9
- difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 10
- difficulty swallowing

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 11
- trembling, sweating

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 12
- nausea, light-headedness

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom 13
- feeling out of breath

These generalized anxiety disorder symptoms cause significant impairment and distress to the social, occupational or other important areas of the lives of sufferers. Fortunately, through research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and the industry effective treatments are now available to treat generalized anxiety disorder symptoms in the comfort and privacy of your own home - and not all of these involve medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Beyond the Stress of success - Access Your Thriving Zone

2007-08-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of Stress-management, then you should take a look at the following information. This enlightening article presents some of the latest news on the subject of Stress-management.

Beyond the Stress of success - Access Your Thriving Zone

Genuine enthusiasm... physical feeling of spurt... sense of satisfaction and fun. Welcome to your thriving zone!

How do you advance quick access? Simple... take 3 easy steps. Pause to Refresh Suppose Thriving Thoughts Re - energize in Thriving Environments

Rest to Refresh... Given the relentless demands of nonstop 24/7 lifestyles, it is easy to forget we are human beings, not human doings. Yet performance experts agree. Constant doing without real downtime impairs our ability to perform at our best. And this also keeps us from being in our thriving zone.

Need proven and manageable ways to count habitual pause - to - energize intervals in your work day? Try these:

* Pause every hour and a half to consciously recover from the physical, mental and emotional pressures of work.

* Get up from your desk for a few minutes. Take contradictory deep breaths. Stretch. Take a short walk around the office or inside the building.

* Leave the building to activity some fresh air. While outside, gaze up at the sky, stipend attention to a tree or a place. Staring off into the distance without any particular focus actually relaxes the brain and the body.

Research indicates that winners instinctively and consciously take stock intervals of time, no matter how short, to de - stress and refocus when they are engaged in intense competition or pressure - cooker assignments. So if you cannot control the demands of your work, control the moments you take to intentionally rest and restore your energy.

Think Thriving Thoughts... Negative thinking is unproductive. It burns up considerable bandwidth, slows forwared momentum, and drains energy in the process. So why not focus on positive outcomes with optimistic realism?
Successful people spent time thinking thriving thoughts. You can too!

* Envision what your success on a big incredibly challenging project will look like when key milestones are reached.

Stress Relief tips
With how busy we keep ourselves on a day to day basis, it's no curiosity
that so many of us suffer from stress. Stress is something that is almost
impossible to avoid, whereas of the way that we are wired.

* Spend diversiform moments feeling the sweet satisfaction of your success.

* Practice for 5 minutes each morning thinking thriving thoughts. This shift in
thinking can change your behavior and entire day for the better.

Notice how much better you perceive. The more you practice having and acting on thriving thoughts, the more you will find yourself " in the zone " and enjoying it.

Re - energize in Thriving Environments... The right environments support you in being your best self. So it is important to know what environments of people, places, and activities are right for you. Make a sanguineness to perpetuate your energy in thriving environments. And then keep that promise to yourself.

* Spend time in natural environments where you fondle calm, relaxed and grounded. Schedule time to be where the energy is actively thriving. Walking in a pine forest, standing near a cataract, or watching ocean waves as you stodgy your feet lazily through the fawn clears your mind, refreshes your body, and lifts your spirit.

* Jewel time to be with friends, family members, co - workers and colleagues who energize you.

* Engage in fruity fun activities that de - stress you and give you energy.

What happens to us in thriving environments is we reconnect with our homely rhythms and experience the ease of being in a thriving zone.

So just let yourself practice, practice, practice. Pause to Revive... Think Thriving Thoughts... and Re - boost in Thriving Environments. Accordingly you'll find yourself slipping without effort into your thriving zone.

Sylvia Warren, MBA - Consciousness Discipline in business, leadership & life - inspires thriving in business owners, executives, and leaders.

Simply the Best coaching - thriving amidst change www.simplythebestcoaching.com

* International counsel and seminar governor, intuitive / wise tomato, and world traveler

* Her private coaching and interactive presentations have accurate and inspired participants worldwide.

* She has influenced executives, leaders and top performers at Cisco Systems, Merrill Garrote, The Federal Reserve Bank, FDIC, small-business Administration, women Presidents' organization, San Francisco, business Expo, Rio Caliente Spa & Health Resort, and nationally successful entrepreneurs and business owners.

* client practice " elementary self acceptance " in an powerful environment that supports thundering wrangling of their head, heart and consume - - their Total Astute. This seamless and soulful way of bringing out the best in clients is where Sylvia thrives.
That is why baby doll calls what she does Simply the Best coaching.

* Former corporate warrior, graduate business open eyes orator, and business consultant

Stress & Burnout: The Adrenal Factor

2007-08-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about Stress-management. When you start sharing the fascinating Stress-management facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

Stress & Burnout: The Adrenal Factor

I was a psychotherapist for years before I got tortuous in the holistic movements.... before I became a shaman. I had a potent importance in psychosomatic problems. The popular approach at that time, which is still common, was that many body problems, pains, etc., were all in the head. That there was no actual medical basis for many human problems. I and accepted that as a fact, and saw many clients.... trying to bring about their mental / emotional issues so they would no longer have these false

medical complaints, or painful symptoms. [ Many were helped to live better lives with the therapy.... but that is not the point of this article. ]

To make a very long story much shorter, let me just say that a range of personal experiences followed by years of personal research led me to become an expert in bonkers - physiology. Where psycho - somatics assumed that ' it is all in your neb ', psycho - physiology assumes that there is something actually going on in the body causing the symptoms. Therefrom
my research / experience took me one step further. I began to realize that many problems were actually comming from the environment, effecting both the mind and the body!

Stress management: Declare Your Freedom From...
1 ) Excessive worryNo, I'm not saying " don't worry, be happy. " Well - used
worry can alert us to areas in our lives that need attention and change.

This issue is very conglomerate.... I could write books about it...... but these tidbits will stay focused on some common [ adrenal ] issues.................... So if you are suffering with a whole range of symptoms... I can distinctly state that [ it's not all in your head ].

* First of all, we are not a closed system.... yes there is a skin around us but we are really an energy system, and energy around us does get inside us. * Some of this environmental energy helps us, and some hurts us.... the environment is a mixed bag, a melting pot of many things. * The adrenal glands..... try to handle all stress...... it doesn't matter if that stress is caused by our own internal process or environmental factors. * Among other things, the adrenals work on the [
fight or jog approach ]. That means when they are dealing with a stressor, they will try to get you to sign the cause of it by fighting with you inside or fighting with something in the environment. Let's say that your fighting with your boss at work... not knowing quite why.... the adrenals know why..... they are causing the fight so you will address with your boss the real issues causing the stress. If that doesn't
resolve things.. the adrenals kick in the [ flight ] approach... telling you to [get away from here before you get too damaged]. The adrenals are trying to confirm you [ that is their job ] by getting you to quit and find another job. * However, undifferentiated most body processes, the adrenal breathing and work in that part of you called the [ unconscious ]. That means that you don't always know what they are trying to gain. However, there is always a real issue causing damage to you when they become active.... this is the basis for psycho - physiology! The worry and wreck is real.... not in your head!!! * Once these glands are reacting to something, they don't stop untiil the issue gets resolved. Since you often don't realize what the issue is, oftentimes things don't get resolved. So the glands get weaker [ from over use ], over time they become exhausted and can even stop functioning in total failure [ DEATH ]. * Other body gland will often try to take over the adrenal's job..... they too can become exhausted. The term [ burn out ] is referring to this actual exhaustion of these glands..... it's not all in your head. * You can outline, or develop many stress related conditions...... or be open to many environmental toxins or infections when the mind - body is weakened by inflame out..... the immune system is burnt. *
You have a few choices in how to handle this situation...... most often people use [ coping tools ]. Some of these tools cause fresh damage..... drugs, parching etc. Some help... like taking high doses of [ B Vitamins ].

However, I always suggest that you actually resolve the cause of the stress, rather then just cope with it.

Jerry is a former psychotherapist and is currently a professional shaman. He publishes an online magazine and newsletter dealing with shamanism and holism as they apply to life and business. You can reach
the magazine at this address: http://www.jeremiahhuck.workzsites.com

Stress Causing People to " Super Size "

2007-08-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

The only way to keep up with the latest about Stress-management is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Stress-management, it won't take long for you to become an influential authority.

Stress Causing People to " Super Size "

It is currently reported that two out of three adults is either overweight or obese, and the numbers continue to climb. As a result, statistics demonstrate that a momentous portion of our population is being diagnosed with chronic conditions, such as diabetics and heart disease.

Leveled more shocking is that we are experiencing these conditions at earlier ages than previously reported. It is not unusual today, to hear about a young person in their 20's diagnosed with mature onset
diabetics, normally developed during middle - establish.

On May 7, 2004, a controversial and award - winning movie aimed at exploring the obesity epidemic hit theatres. In " Super Size Me ", a bunk - in - cheek look at the merited, financial and physical costs of our hunger for fast foodstuff, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock explores the horrors of school lunch programs, declining health consciousness and physical education classes, food addictions and the extreme measures people take to evade dominion. As a centerpiece of the film, Spurlock puts
his own body on the calling, living on nothing but McDonald's for 30 days following three rules:

1 ) Eat only what is available over the counter 2 ) No supersizing unless offered 3 ) Consume every item on the menu at least once

In the end, Spurlock has a weight gain of 24 pounds and experiences harrowing visits to the doctor. The issues that are explored in " Super Size Me " beg the matter, what has changed in our environment to cause this obesity problem to reach epidemic proportions? Furthermore, what is causing people to overeat as we do?

A groundbreaking study, reported in 2003 by the university of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that between 1977 and 1996, portion sizes for key food groups grew markedly in the United States, not only at fast - fast food restaurants but also in homes and at conventional restaurants. In peculiar, portion sizes for salty and sugary foods, essentially, " comfort foods " experienced the most dramatic constituent size increases. For example, the USDA's recommended serving size for a
cookie is half an ounce, while the average cookie sold in restaurants was found to be 700 % larger.

The by - products of our affluent American shooting match, envied by many around the world, have a definite dark particle, our obesity rate, for starters. In a culture where more is better and disposable income is abundant, when it comes to eating we have developed a " more food, more conveniently and more often " attitude.

Stress: A Pre - Cursor to Obesity

Certainly, no one forces us to eat more than our body needs, so what is driving this " hunger " for more? Over the last two decades, almost proportionally to the agitative increase of food done for and chronic disease diagnoses, the amount of stress in our society and on each of us individually has increased significantly. Stress is the term medical researcher Hans Selye, M. D., PhD, gave to the experience our bodies go through when we have to adjust or adapt to the various changes our
bodies experience during the itinerary of the day. While many of us think of stress in relationship to emotional states, many other factors can exert an equally detrimental effect on our bodies as well. When we do not get enough sleep or rest, work or exercise too much, nutritional status, have an illness, have allergies, injuries or trauma, undergo dental or surgical procedures, have emotional upsets, or deal with any aspect of reproductive function such a pregnancy, menopause, etc., our
masses must chemically and neurologically adapt in order to survive. Part of this adaptation process relies heavily on the nutrition that is available for the kidney's adrenal glands to produce the adaptive hormones. It is repeatedly this aspect of stress that can bob to overeating, and what's more, overeating the types of foods that cause unhealthy weight gain.

How it enterprise

Thanks to the work of M. I. T. Professor Judith Wurtman, Ph. D. and others we now understand the sound role that a neurotransmitter or " chemical messenger " called Serotonin plays in producing our cravings for complex carbohydrates and sugars, two of the largest contributors to unhealthy weight gain. Serotonin along with other neurotransmitters, are produced by our bodies as " feel good " hormones. Under stress, we do not have enough of these hormones and we become motivated to "
self - sooth " by behaviors that lead to the increase of Serotonin. Overeating of carbohydrate and fatty - rich foods or " comfort foods " such as cookies, ice cream, etc. significantly increases these hormones. Many addictions such as smoking, alcohol, and drugs are besides attempts to self - sooth and increase Serotonin, but no other addictive or treacherous behavior is as socially superb and as feeble available as over eating. We can do it anywhere, anytime, alone or with
occupation. It is no wonder we have such a love affair with eating.

In postscript, our bodies need for certain nutrients, specifically protein, Vitamins A, C, and E, unsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and minerals, skyrocket when we are " adapting " under stress. Regularly, if we do not stop the stress cycle or do not appropriately supplement these nutrients, we can turn to overeating to satisfy the body's demands for the fuel it needs to keep dealing with the stress we are experiencing.

For a period of time, foods that comfort, sooth or appendage can make us feel calmer until our level of Serotonin drops again or until we become more exhausted and need to feed ourselves, yet again. Then, we start the circumgyration all over and consume more carbohydrate and fatty rich foods until we feel better. This is the course of self - medication or self - soothing practiced in homes, aid, restaurants, automobiles and yes, plane bathrooms across America. The long - word effect of
such behaviors, apart from obesity and escalating chronic diseases, is that our nervous systems are being hyper - stimulated. Anxiety, weariness, depression, overeating and insomnia are just a few of the symptoms we experience when our nervous systems are working on overload.

As a result, it is no surprise that within the last year, low - carbohydrate diets have proven effective for so many people. Approximately 20 % of Americans or 20 million people are currently on a low - carb diet. For many of us, our stress level is a extreme factor in the over consumption of carbohydrates, therefore reducing or eating normal amounts of carbohydrates is spawning bridle loss. The real nut, however, is how long can we reduce are carbohydrate loading without reducing our stress levels and the behaviors that create sky-scraping stress in the first home?

Causes of Stress

Prior to the early 1970's, the majority of family units were structured as a one wage earner household where the male worked and the female stayed at home, taking care of the house and family. Driven largely by social and socio - economic factors, all of that has changed. Now, the impelling majority of families include both parents working and we find ourselves on a treadmill of more work, more responsibilities, more demands and non - stop scheduling that has many of us in a recount of
physical and, at times, emotional exhaustion.

What The Most Dangerous Job In The World Taught Me About Coping With
Stress
I just got through reading some troubling data in the New York Times this
morning. 62 % of employees now say that work - related stress leaves them
overwhelmed and overtired

Added to the mix is our competitive culture, which much leads to isolation or a " them against us " thinking. Isolation of this score causes additional " hidden " stress. A Hindu Vendata truth is that " the whole world is one family ". It is said that there is only one disease, the disease of nonconformity; separating oneself from the feel that as members of the human family, we are one living symmetry. The drama created by a " one - up " or " one - down " dynamic, that we good buy in competitive societies, can lead to the exhaustion and the psychosocial behavioral issues which can contribute to overeating.

Understanding Weariness and its' Effect on Obesity

The tipping point at which our bodies can no longer compensate or adapt from the stress it is under, is based in big part on the start of nutritional competency and the state of rectitude of our nervous system. When our central nervous system, which governs every cell in our body and makes life imaginable, is not working efficiently, we have a reduction in bodily function and the ability to adapt to the world we live in. Chronic Fatigue Syndromes, CFS, are rampant in our culture today and growing at an alarming rate because of the over stimulation and increased demands placed on our nervous systems. Add to this inadequate nutrition and a decreased proficiency of our bodies to digest and absorb properly because of the stress, and we see the foundation of the epidemic of chronic diseases being currently reported.

What is so appalling for us, as Americans, is that while we live in one of the most affluent societies ever to exist on earth and have one of the most technologically different medical systems we are raked at approximately twenty - sixth in the world health Olympics. This is not the failure of our medical system, but in fact, the failure to vital in our bodies mindfully and respectfully, taking time for rest, apt nutrition, reflection, intimacy with self and others and effectual the common good of society. It is this imbalance that leads us to chronic stress, which leads to physical and, if you will, spiritual exhaustion that is producing the levels of chronic diseases and the rampant obesity we see today.

Self - Esteem and Health

We have an discriminative understanding of how we need to choose to live to be healthy.

Yet, adages about health i. e., " early to be, early to appear, makes a man healthy wealthy and prudent ", are often ignored in place of our instant gratification or immediate comfort.
Physical labor has drawn a back seat to " mind work ", and today we work harder than violently before to have the beans to stand together a membership to a gym or spa so we can do the physical exercise we need to be healthy and attractive. However, rarely do we without reservation have the time to go to the gym we pay membership fees to. Statistically, the average gym membership is used for the first 4 - 6 weeks after signing up and then shower off dramatically.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Stress-management. But don't be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

Shot facilities count on this situation when planning their recruitment and enrollment numbers. Likewise, diet plans and weight-loss centers know that 90 % or more of their customers will continue to have body charge issues, in spite of their best efforts to re - dispense to a different way of eating. Why?

The Oprah Syndrome

One of the most powerful, successful people in the world, Oprah Winfrey is a brilliant example of the " super size " syndrome in our culture. With every possible support, care and expert available to her, Oprah has continued to struggle with representative weight gain and loss for many elderliness. In 2001, a chart manifest in a popular magazine, documents her weight gain and loss over the previous 20 years. Even during the height of her popularity and competent success, her body upper hand rose to dangerously altitudinous levels. The reasons most of us give for not taking care of ourselves include; not having enough time to shop for or cook the right foods; not being sure what's best for our body type; not enough kitty for domestic help so we can exercise, meditate or relax; stress over gold and achieving success. Oprah is an individual who has more than enough money and success to eliminate all those concerns, yet in spite of that she still does not consistently preserve a proper body weight.

Driven by personal anecdote and ambition, Oprah offers a perfect example of the potential outcome of Serotonin driven self - soothing, which invites us to ask and answer questions about self - esteem and self care. When we understand the relationship between our unaware mind, our self - esteem and the serotonin connection, it becomes quite clear that what is at the core of our " super sizing " is not solved by the " diet of the era " or the next " how to " bestseller. Somewhat, an query of our personal worldview, our specification specify, our treatment and impinge for essentiality and for others, what we value, what we believe in, how much we consume and how much we accumulate. When these aspects of self are aligned with choices that lead to moderation rather than ambition, that end balance moderately than extremes, that debunk the thinking that " more is better ", we then select the foods we innately know are healthy, equivalent when we charge choose from the
fast food menu.

In a culture comprised of 5 % of the world population, using 75 % of the world's resources, we have turn up to accept excess as a way of life and a standard to subscribe to. In the 1980's, Robin Leach's television show, " life Styles of the Rich and Famous ", tainted our appetites for a standard of over consumption that has brought us to stage we are today - obese and chronically diseased.

Take a Tip from the Gurus

Eastern philosophies offer us an opportunity to re - think our accession to the way we live. Quite opposite from our " in your face " attitude of self - frippery, Eastern wisdom invites us to ponder, " how much do I really need; to do; to have; to eat; to own; to control; to be content with my life; and what is the role of gratitude in my life? " Shouldn't having a calm, well functioning nervous system, the source of all life in the body, be a main objective for all of us instead of trying to trick the body into contact what we want with the latest diet craze or vitamin pills available?

Change the Question

It may be time to change the questions we not only ask ourselves, but the questions we are asked as consumers. Maybe, if when making his fast food purchases, Morgan Spurlock was asked the question " super size or down size, sir? " the choices he might have made could have resulted in significant weight-loss rather than weight gain, but then Spurlock would not have a movie to make, or the millions that will be realized from it.

Georgianna Donadio D. C., M. Sc., Ph. D., has conducted a private practice in Whole Person Health Care since 1976. Blonde is the Founder and Director of The Untrained England School of Whole Health Education, the pioneer of Whole Health Instruction and a provider of sympathetic and healthcare polished education since 1977. For more information, visit www.wholehealtheducation.org or picture 1 - 888 - 354 - HEAL ( 4325 ).
by Georgianna Donadio D. C., M. Sc., Ph. D.

Overcome the top 10 Causes of Workplace Stress

2007-08-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

The only way to keep up with the latest about Stress-management is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Stress-management, it won't take long for you to become an influential authority.

Overcome the top 10 Causes of Workplace Stress

Workplace stress is on the rise and it's costing corporate America a longing. Some estimate that 80 % of health care costs are stress related, and these expenses go right to the bottom pursuit.

According to CNN - Money. com, Americans spent more than $17 billion for anti - depressants and anti - anxiety drugs in 2002, up 10 % from the year before and nearly 30 % over a two year period.

The Induce for management Excellence reports that American industry spends more than $26 billion each year for medical bills and disability payments with another $10 billion for executive's lost workdays, hospitalization, and early death.

In addition to these staggering figures, stress takes its toll through the added costs of quality control, legal challenges, lost opportunities, poor performance, bad attitudes, and training.

We cannot do much about the skyrocketing costs of medical care and prescription drugs, but we can take immediate action to control the top ten causes of stress as identified by The Global business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health.

The countdown is:

10. " Workload " - Employees bill that they are generally stressed when they have too little or too much to do. Managers need to divide responsibilities and help employees prioritize work that must be done. Make convinced you identify with the impact before shifting responsibilities. Take into account the cost of stress before you increase
anyone's workload or hire more people.

9. " Random interruptions " - Telephones, pagers, walk - in visits, and spontaneous demands from supervisors all contribute to increased stress. time management, delegation of responsibilities, and clarification of expectations can reduce these stressors. 8. " Pervasive uncertainty " - Stress levels increase rapidly when people are confronted by new
requirements and procedures. Keeping people sophisticated controls stress and increases productivity. Put details in a memo so they can review the facts following your explanations.

Cancel Stress and Be Blessed!
Matthew 11: 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. In this verse, Jesus Christ invites those that have
struggles and those who are buried with issues and dilemmas.

7. " Skepticism and unfairness " - These situations keep everyone on edge, create bad attitudes, and lower productivity. It is important to keep an open line of communication to avoid misunderstanding and know what people are thinking about your decisions. Managers must consistently build store and give equal treatment - just do the right thing.

6. " Unclear policies and no singularity of direction " - Lack of focus causes uncertainty and undermines idea in management. You need more than a well - written policy manual. Tension of policies and clear communications are important.

To make sure everyone gets the message, you can repeat your explanation in a variety of ways - repetition and feedback are important. Reinforce policies through memos, articles, bulletin cheer postings, personal meetings, and small group discussions.

5. " career and job ambiguity " - If people are uncertain about their jobs and careers, there is a feeling of helplessness and of being out of control. In addition to the trusted job descriptions and register personnel reviews, people need to understand a deep reach of issues that move the company.

News of mergers, consolidations, plant closings, and restructuring contribute to a feeling of helplessness. management exigency keep people sophisticated about situations that will stir their jobs, or the account
mill will add to an already stressful situation.

4. " No feedback - good or bad " - People want to know whether they are bunch expectations. Consistent, written and uttered, personalized feedback is required. Some people need more attention than others, but everyone's performance is major if leaders frequently opine individual efforts.

3. " No appreciation " - Failure to show friendship generates stress that endangers productivity throughout the company. There are many ways to demonstrate amour, but the most effective is a direct comment about how much the portion means to you and the company.

2. " Lack of communications " - Poor communication leads to decreased performance and increased stress. management memos and announcements work well for distributing information, but two - way tete-a-tete improves communication and solicits ideas and suggestions while reducing stress and complaints.

1. " Lack of control " - Workplace stress is at its greatest when employees have no say regarding things that affect them. You can decrease perceiving to all the other stressors and give a record of being in control by involving employees in operating and administrative decisions and acting on their input. Frontline employees know what they are talking about. Listening to what they have to say reduces stress and increases productivity.

Effective managers tolerate that stress control is a leadership responsibility and give it just as much attention as any other management function. For those who want to explore stress control further, a free 3 - session e - course is available by email request at stresscontrol@sendfree. com

Grasping the concepts and reducing stress one step at a time can have an amazing impact on your bottom biz - - and on the lives of those who do the heavy work.

Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 original leader. Author of " Fine Under Coals. " ( McGraw - Hill ) collie@couragebuilders.com

3 Kinds of Workplace Stress

2007-08-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

In today's world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.

3 Kinds of Workplace Stress

Gang across America will tell you that stress levels are increasing. The demand for anti -depressants is up. Doctor's visits are increasing. Stress - related ailments are shooting up like a rocket.There are many stressors behind all these problems, but the gurus generally catalog the tress itself into three categories.Understanding the major types is the first step to controlling stress and improving productivity.

1. Acute Stress. This kind of stress is caused by raw events. It is significant but temporary. Small doses can upshot in positive reactions: the adrenalin rush and feelings of elation can motivate achievement. Too much, too often results in headaches, backaches, upset stomach, and other tension - related responses.

2. Episodic Acute Stress. This type stress is caused by frequent exposure to stressors. These people are generally over committed, privation the time and ability to carry off everything, and they often find themselves at odds with coworkers. This is much more serious than the fundamental kind. Irritability turns to anger, occasional tension headaches become average migraines, heart palpitations lead to chest pain, and high anxiety becomes a way of life.

Need To Stop Worrying?
I once worked with a cupcake whose zest, joy and enthusiasm lit up the room
[and it was a big office! ]I remarked that it was enjoyable that gal was
always such uplifting company. " Oh, I wasn't always like this ", she replied.

3. The query gathering is chronic stress. This is related to the others but carries none of the excite or adrenalin rush plant with extreme stress.

The long - interval nature of chronic stress is such that people actually become accustomed to the stressors and accept them as a way of life; they see no escape from poverty, job mismatches, abusive situations, or physical hardships.

What bleeding heart of stress do you observe in your workplace? Are some of your people plagued with tension headaches and back aches? Are some of them even more stressed, displaying anger and migraines? Or, do you have some people who are so far over the edge that they have basically liable up hope as characterized by chronic stress?

How much is all of this costing your company? Good leaders recognize the effects of stress and understand that it costs a lot in medical benefits, insurance costs, absenteeism, workers comp, accidents, quality, productivity, and profits.

Gem out more about the effects of workplace stress and specific ways to overcome this withdraw on

American business. Grant email to 3sessionstress@sendfree.com

You'll receive a 3 - session e - Workshop about some of the top 10 causes of workplace stress. You can control stress in your workplace and turn all that energy into productive activity. Your workplace can be both pleasant and profitable.

Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Task top 50 innovative leader. Imagine of " Winning Under Fire. " ( McGraw - Hill ) collie@couragebuilders.com

13 Stress Reducers Profit Boosters

2007-08-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.
13 Stress Reducers & Profit Boosters

The United Nations declares workplace stress to be a worldwide epidemic. In the United States alone, forty - six percent of workers report that their job is very stressful. This adds up to a million stress related workplace absences each day.

Individual stress control techniques are important. meditation, calm music, biofeedback, and other techniques work well to help people cope with the stress of our modern workplace.

The incarnate solution, however, is to recognize that stress control is a leadership responsibility. Leaders and managers can do more to control stress than all of the respective stress relief techniques combined. Leaders who implement stress control strategies see the results in bankrupt absenteeism, medical costs, health care insurance expenses, workers comp payments, accidents, complaints, and so on.

Stress Reduction tips for Parents
The best way to reduce your stress is to really know what it IS, that is
making you stressed! So sit down for a minute and think about last epoch.
You can look at a calendar to remind yourself of events, or appointments.

The following 13 stress control strategies minimize costs such as these and productivity soars. The workplace is improved. Employees and their families are happier. business owners make more money.

management can control stress by:

+ + Eliminating illogical expectations

+ + Positioning people in jobs that use their

skills and abilities

+ + Altering pay for the akin of responsibility

assigned to individuals

+ + Correcting misunderstood and arbitrary promotion policies

+ + Including employee in making decisions that sway their jobs

+ + Avoiding mungo overtime, level if there is additional compensation

+ + Distributing unpleasant tasks somewhat

+ + Enforcing policies equally throughout the organization, from top to bottom

+ + Implementing problem - solving strategies and acceptable mediation of conflicts

+ + Using family stress control strategies to minimize the impact of family separation caused by wayfaring or lanky office hours

+ + Demonstrating concern for employee welfare

+ + Eliminating or minimizing intolerable conditions such as temperature, hazards, noise, light, and odors

It is difficult to remove some of these stressors when the competition is attacking your company or when you are faced with unfavorable economic conditions, but this challenge is just as important as anything else facing those who wear the cape of leadership. Making all of these changes can seem overwhelming. However, you can make an impact by selecting a single strategy and making a scheme to improve it.

Just as corporate leaders are responsible for maximizing performance and increasing trap profits, they are also responsible for controlling stressors that disturb the bottom line.

To learn more about stress reducing strategies, send for f * ree auto responder about the top ten causes of workplace stress - - toptenstressors@couragebuilders.com

Dale Collie - professional expounder, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative counsellor. Author of " Winning Subservient Fire. " ( McGraw - Hummock ) collie@couragebuilders.com

10 Ways to Benchmark Workplace Stress

2007-08-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

The best course of action to take sometimes isn't clear until you've listed and considered your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.

10 Ways to Benchmark Workplace Stress

With almost 50 % of workers complaining that their jobs are very stressful, it is no surprise that more than two - thirds of all medical problems are stress related.

Each day, workplace stress is credited with more than a million absences and at least 40 % of all personnel turnover. Studies show stress is a primary cause of accidents, quality control problems, medical claims, and missed productivity.

Some people descant the exact percentage of stress related costs in each catagory, but few can object to the raw earful or the results you see as you take action to control stress and improve productivity throughout your company.

Here are some practical ways to benchmark current stress levels and monitor coming conditions.

1. Absenteeism - Require strict reporting of absences for any motive. It isn't unusual for people to shade the truth to get a day off. Some research indicates that 54 % of illnesses phoned in are actually for reasons other than medical. Compare your numbers with the same period last year. Chart how absences coincide with business cycles.

2. Presenteeism - Keep track of those who show up sick and risk spreading their indisposition. Maybe they've used up their " sick days " as of stress and can't afford to stay home when they really should. If people canary work when they are well or if they feel too stressed to she work when they are sick, stress control strategies are essential.

3. Tardiness - Develop daily reports and memoir summaries. Are some departments worse than others? Are people arriving late because they abhorrence workplace stress?

4. Medical claims - Seek generic information from your health insurance company on the number and expense of medical claims. Categorize information by spirit of ailment and observe how the frequency of visits compares to extensive corporate activities or stressful times of year. You might good buy that stressful periods coincide with or precede
increased medical claims.

Stress Mangement and Mastery: How to Defeat Sunday Night Syndrome
Label the following scene: It's Sunday evening, the excursion is fluctuating
down and you're beginning to credit about the work week ahead. What are
your feelings? Do you pride yourself aflame and challenged, looking
forward to another week of struggle something you love? The most fortunate
among us get to feel that way on a regular square one.

5. Complaints and grievances - Keep records by department. Those with a greater numbers of complaints are stale electric for some stress - control strategies. Each hindrance can cost you untold hours or more productivity.

6. accident reports - Analyze reports from the perspective of stress involvement. Research how stress might have been the root cause of accidents. It has been said stress related accidents cost nearly twice as much as other mishaps.

7. Errors in judgment or misstatements - Develop a log of individual errors in judgment and misstatements - clear stress indicators. If employees are prone to making misstatements, they are accustomed to errors in judgment. Monitor decision - making intelligence and evaluate the cost of these mistakes.

8. personal relationships - Note changes in the way people relate to each other and the actions that cause some people to become more argumentative. You can use this information to control stress for the entire organization or for persons who are more sensitive to stressful situations.

9. customer service problems - review problems from a stress perspective. Reducing stress can minor the number of errors in order taking, preparation, shipping, and invoicing and improve customer relations.

10. Quality problems - Admit a mood of stress - related activities occurring before and during the name of concern in your quality reports. Watch for trends among certain employees or departments. Look for causes of stress and what can be done to control the stress reactions.

Corporate leaders and managers sometimes erronously manage stressed people by using increased demands and closer supervision. Instead, you should use stress - reducing techniques to manage the stressors. Benchmarking will help you prioritize and allocate assets to stress control.

Good managers understand the gravity of positive stress in maximizing rightness and productivity. And they know how to control the negative stress for the benefit of those involved and the bottom specialty.

Front consultants and trainers can help you evaluate banal stress levels and train everyone involved. Remember, stress control is a leadership responsibility.

Get my article about the top ten workplace stressors by sending blank email to auto - responder 10stressors@couragebuilders.com

Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative leader. Author of " Winning Under Fire. " ( McGraw - Hill ) collie@couragebuilders.com

Control Stress with High Morale

2007-08-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

The best course of action to take sometimes isn't clear until you've listed and considered your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.

Control Stress with High Morale

When Army leaders evade to control battlefield stress, they evade as many soldiers to combat stress as they do to enemy bullets. Parallel when they are well trained, these soldiers are more coming up to collapse in the face of great stress.

Units with high morale and vigor de corps, however, lose only 10 % as many troops to stress. The training and preparation are important, but the high sense of teamwork makes all the difference.

This same sense of teamwork and appropriate is important in the corporate environment. Where teamwork, morale, and esprit are good, the companies find improved productivity and increased profits. Employees are willing to sacrifice personal receipts for the gain of the company.

Some of the bonding is so great that employees autonym themselves the same way as the elite soldiers, wearing, wearing visible ID tags, logos, and apparel wherever they go.

Stage morale and esprit are weak, employees refuse to wear these identifying notation - - and productivity suffers as unmotivated employees recompense more attention to personal attainment than to the team effort.

If absenteeism, early departures, accidents and other problems make you think employees need a morale booster shot, you can try some of the following successful techniques.

1. Develop logo mugs, caps, shirts, or sweaters for everyone. You can do this annually to keep the items fresh, but you'll defeat your purpose if you buy cheap stuff.

2. Recognize team familiarity with graduation certificates, plaques, mugs, and other items to brand teams and compliment individuals.

3. Povide logo items to especial task stress or problem solving team members upon completion of the project.

4. Sponsor special team nights out, in recognition of achievement or as an annual affair to encourage team bonding and relationships. People don't really have time for this type bonding on the job. Be forcible to give corporate gifts at these events.

How To Stress Less and Smile More - The Six Fundamental Steps To Improved
Health
More than two - thirds of visits to doctors' surgeries are for
stress - related illnesses. Stress has been linked to headaches, backaches,
insomnia, anger, cramps, elevated blood pressure, chronic fatigue
syndrome, fibromyalgia and lowered resistance to infection.

5. Establish athletic teams to compete with other departments. You pay the space expenses and can-opener costs. Many corporate problems can be solved by getting team members to compete together.

6. Present special training for team members to increase job performance and team relationships.

7. Ride key team members for high - adventure training where physical receptivity encourages bonding. Make perfect everyone gets to participate in some way, equable if they are in substratum of those taking part in the more adventurous outing.

8. Sponsor annual company picnics where teams compete in athletic events or participate in unique ways to provide nourishment, tear for others in the organization.

9. Generate familiar competition so departments compete for best overall reinforcement or fewest superiority complaints. Be careful not to have internal teams competing for cash awards, e. g. swindle sheet bonuses, or you'll create a lot of denial stress and distrust that is hard to cultivate.

10. leadership participation is important in each of these morale building team efforts. Leaders need to be a part of the competition and the accident. They and need to personally award the logo items and compliment those teams that dispatch.

investment in team tributes or recognition items is retaliated many times over through decreased stress, improved productivity, and decreased absenteeism. These efforts are even more important in hard times, so budget for morale building and esprit in good times and bad.

Get my free article on three kinds of workplace stress by sending blank email to 3kindsofstress@couragebuilders.com

Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative leader. Author of " Winning Beneath Fire. " ( McGraw - Hill ) collie@couragebuilders.com

Stress Control: Tough leadership vs. Easy Does It

2007-08-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

Stress Control: Tough leadership vs. Easy Does It

Tough leaders are usually seen as ogres. Their exacting demands and high expectations add to stress levels. And their gripping gripping behavior can have a negative effect on contact if they don't understand how to control stress to get positive results without serious refusal reactions.

The same kind of leadership ultimatum can be found in the Army. management at all levels are faced with the decision of " tough leadership " or " easy does it " in preparing troops for combat and on the battlefield.

Good military leaders work hard to balance the encouragment of positive stress with the debilitating negative stress they confront. The best leaders know how to use positive stress to get the most out of their guard. And they know how to grain things down to when negative stress threatens productivity.

The Army is fanatic about training officers and sergeants to take care of the troops. And these well - trained leaders are fanatic about carrying out their responsibilities. The soldiers in their command don't always realize why these leaders are so focused on having everything 100 % ready - - personnel, equipment, and training.

Reclaim Your life - Extraordinary Self - Care Day
When was the last time you took a day just for yourself? If you're a
small-business owner or anyone other for that matter, you answer is
probably never. I first learned the principal; of Extraordinary Self - care
Day at a foundry given by my friend Terri Levine the author of Work
Yourself happy.

Even the most personable leaders are sometimes accused of managing " by the drop out " or of being too concerned with their own personal recognition and promotion. But those who make these allegations, piece the point. Just the antithesis is true.

As in the corporate arena, these " fanatic " leaders are primarily attentive in the welfare of their people. They want to complete the unit's errand with minimum personnel loss. Strict discipline, intensive and complete training, and numerous inspections are essential for combat readiness. Corporate leaders face the same type challenges as they strive for efficient and effective productivity.

Failing to enforce regulations, conduct detailed inspections, or practice combat readiness is tantamount to dereliction of duty. The extra effort that goes into intensive training programs creates additional stress in the unit, but less persistent commanders actually endanger their troops and their errand when they fail to schedule training that teaches troops how to deal with the hazards they will face.

Keep this in mind the next time you are tempted to relax a corporate policy. " Easy does it " might be what your employees want to hear, but you endowment also be derelict in your responsibilities if you give them what they want.

A little " tough leadership " can give your people and your company the edge needed to compete on today's corporate battlefield.

To get a free news and learn more about controlling the top 10 workplace stressors, send a blank email to 10stressors@couragebuilders.com

Dale Collie - ace speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative leader. fashion of " Winning Under Fire. " ( McGraw - Hill ) collie@couragebuilders.com

Coping With Stress

2007-07-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

When something happens in our lives, we automatically assess the situation mentally and try to determine if it is threatening to us. If we feel that we don't have the skills or resources necessary to deal with the situation then we feel stress. We don't feel stress when we think that we have more than enough resources to cope. Not everyone sees a situation in the same way; therefore, no two people react to stress in the same way. I have identified 5 steps for managing stress.

1. Identify the external and interior factors that create stress for you

External factors can include certain people, places, the time of the year, month or day. Interior factors can include when you are tired, hungry, not feeling well, bored or simply out of energy. Events that we perceive as joyful such as bringing home a new baby, moving to the house of our dreams, landing that job you've always wanted or when your children leave home often leave us feeling stressed simply because we don't feel prepared to deal with them.

2. How do you know you are stressed?

Identify the symptoms or indicators. Does your heart beat faster? Does your stomach feel knotted up? Are your muscles tense? Do you have a sense of dread? Do you spend a lot of time complaining to anyone who will listen? Find yourself getting angry easily? I often feel scattered, unfocused, like I'm being pulled in a thousand directions at once. These feelings are associated with the fight-or-flight response causing a release of adrenaline. This is the response that has helped the human
race survive up to this point by readying our body to deal with threatening situations.

3. You own it! You are ultimately responsible for your own reaction to the stress at hand.

What goes on in our mind falls within our ownership and control. Even in the most difficult of external circumstances you can create your own thoughts, make any meaning or respond in any way you wish. No one can make you feel stress, if you decide to react otherwise.

If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

What is behind your reaction to the stress at hand? Do you feel helpless, out of control or victimized? Realize that you cannot control anybody else's behavior but you can definitely control your own attitude and therefore your reaction to their behavior.

We create our own reality by what information we allow to come to our attention and how we choose to interpret it. There are billions of pieces of information fighting for our attention at all times. Based on what filters we have in place, we are only aware of a small portion of it. We interpret the information that we choose to be aware of based on a variety of factors including our beliefs. If we choose to pay attention to different pieces of information, or if we choose to interpret
them differently, then we change our attitude or reaction.

4. Cheer up! There are a variety of strategies available to help you cope with stress.

a) Reframing The meaning we attach to a situation or event depends on the frame we put around it. How many of you have a bad script in your head and it's looping over and over? Do any of you have a picture or a situation that you just can't forget about? Let's try some reframing.

· I want you to take a second and think about an incident that has upset you recently. Don't make it a 10 on the Richter scale. Make it lower than a 6. Run this incident through your head frame by frame like a movie. Close your eyes if it helps you. Try and see it, hear the audio track, are there any smells attached to it? Be there in that moment.

· Now run the movie again except that this time it is in black and white.

· Run your black and white movie again only now add an absurd sound track to it. Choose a sound track that just doesn't fit with the situation or make the person in it have a Daffy Duck voice.

· Now run it one last time but change the viewpoint. When you see it in your mind, see it far, far away or be looking down at it so that it appears to be very small from a bird's eye point of view.

· Now think of the situation again. Does anyone feel a difference in its intensity? Less? We simply want to change the meaning of the event that is sent to the brain.

b) What is in your head comes true in your life Nothing has any power over us except the power we give it in our own thoughts. Feeling stressed can be a direct result of what you are saying to yourself. The quality of your life is determined by what you communicate to yourself. If you are anticipating a certain type of reaction when you see a particular person, go to a particular place or when it is a specific time of day etc. then that is exactly how you will feel.

· What you think is how you feel. · How you feel is what you say. · What you say is what you do.

Choose carefully what you say to yourself.

c) Change your physiology Have you ever watched people when they are experiencing stress? We all have a particular way we hold our bodies when we are experiencing that flight or fight signal. Change your physiology and you will change how you are feeling. Take on the body language that you use when you are confident and in control and that is how you will feel. Put a smile on your face, even if it feels artificial and take deep even breaths.

d) Refocus on your intention or purpose I often feel stressed when I try and do a dozen things at once and need to stop and refocus. What is my intention here? What am I trying to accomplish? Often simply refocusing on the here and now and accomplishing one thing at a time will calm me down.

5. Your mind and body are part of one system

Take care of yourself. We react differently to stress, based on how we feel physically. All too often we simply don't put ourselves first. The end result is that we end up with no physical or emotional resources left and take it out on everyone around us. In the long run we can also end up with serious illness. In order to cope with stress effectively we have to eat well, exercise regularly and get enough sleep.

We all know what we have to do to care for our physical needs but we also need to take care of our spiritual and mental health as well. Take a course, learn something brand new, write everyday, meditate or find times in the day to be totally silent. Spend time each day doing those things that you are passionate about. Remember to breath, both literally and figuratively!

Lesley Cordero is President of Cordero Consulting offering personal growth solutions in the form of workshops, keynote presentations, and Internet information resources. Subscribe to her free ezine "Deep Linking" at http://www.LesleyCordero.com and begin to connect with what is really important in your life. Are you ready to 'see things differently?'®

Stress Management Made Simple And Easy...Just Follow Cliff Kuhn M.D.s

2007-07-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Stress management is a hot topic; stress-related illness and suffering is at an all-time high in America and increasing every year. Cliff Kuhn, M.D.'s work with the powerful natural medicine of humor has uncovered the primary culprit behind your unhealthy stress symptoms, as well as the solution to simple, healthy stress management.

Astronomer-mathematician Ptolemy (85-165) devised a theory of planetary motions that placed the earth at the center of the universe. The sun, moon, and planets revolved around the earth in the Ptolemaic universe. This notion was accepted for approximately 1,500 years. More on this in a moment...

Shelly was in such need of stress management that she was unhappy much of the time. Shortly after she became my patient, I was able to help Shelly see that, just like Ptolemy's theory, she was casting herself as the center of the universe, thereby causing unmanageable stress levels in her life. We began a regimen from my Fun Factor prescription that afforded Shelly proper stress management, reintroduced joy and happiness, and brought her life back into balance.

Shelly's problem was common; I see more and more people each day who suffer from unhealthy levels of stress. Whether it is sleeplessness, weight gain, mood changes, hair loss, worry, agitation, or any other of the myriad symptoms commonly associated with stress, stress-related illness and suffering is at an all-time high in America and increasing every year. Luckily for you, my work with the powerful natural medicine of humor has uncovered the primary culprit behind your unhealthy stress
symptoms, as well as the solution to simple, healthy stress management.

My medical practice, involving decades of work with chronically and fatally ill patients, has clearly identified the cause of our painful stress symptoms - seriousness. Seriousness means taking yourself too seriously; seriousness means over-reaching - taking responsibility for things beyond your power, such as the outcomes and results of all your hard work. Consequently, you're positioning yourself incorrectly as the "center of the universe." Seriousness causes so much pressure that
effective stress management, which I will teach you in this article, becomes impossible.

The antidote for your seriousness, and your foundation for healthy stress management, is the natural medicine of humor. Humor's incredible power is harnessed to maximum impact through my unique Fun Factor prescription. Based upon my Fun Commandments, which were forged in unison with some incredible patients of mine, my Fun Factor prescription is capable of producing such profound positive change to your health and personal success that you will soon have people whispering, "Is she always
this happy?"

In this article, I will explain how my Fun Factor prescription can be directly applied to your stress. You will be amazed at how much lighter and happier you feel, with each passing day, as you put the following Fun Commandments to work in your life. You are about to discover that the natural medicine of humor produces flawless stress management, putting an end to your painful stress symptoms.

The Fun Factor Stress Management Formula

Step One: Laugh with Yourself

My first stress management Fun Commandment is: Laugh with Yourself. This Commandment is not about humiliation or self-denigration, it is the ultimate in self-respect because it teaches you to appreciate your "perfect imperfection" and to find gentle amusement in your foibles. And, when it comes to stress, there is plenty of amusement to be found which will greatly aid your stress management.

Here's the first amusing thing about your stress: you can't live without it, yet too much is bad for your health. Like many of the essential things in life: we need a certain amount of stress to survive, yet too much can kill us. For example, we die if we are without water for more than a few days; but submerge us in water and we die a lot sooner.

It is said that we can die from boredom. I don't think there is any scientific evidence for that theory, but one thing is certain - stress relieves boredom. Ending boredom, indeed, could be considered a form of stress relief. An amusing paradox, no doubt!

Without stress, also, we might not eat. Hunger is a form of stress our body needs occasionally to remind us we need food. Stress causes the adrenal glands to work. Athletes would not perform at their best without stress-induced adrenaline. Every activity causes a certain amount of stress. So does inactivity. In fact, to be completely stress-free we would have to be dead - not a highly recommended stress management technique!

The idea that stress is a killer is exaggerated, which is also humorous. Too much stress can be a killer, and it is against too much stress in our lives that we need to guard. Fortunately we are equipped with the finest possible stress management mechanism: the natural medicine of humor and the ability to laugh with ourselves. Far better and safer than Valium, it is our built-in stress management system.

As you learn to laugh with yourself you will become like an athlete - who can have fun running the mile or the marathon and still turn in peak performance. In fact, since too much seriousness can tighten muscles through negative tension, laughing with yourself may even enhance performance. This Fun Commandment works wonderfully on many levels.

Step Two: Choose To Motivate Yourself With Fun, Not Fear

Step two in my Fun Factor stress management formula is one of my newest Fun Commandments. Motivating yourself with fun rather than fear is a crucial step that allows your commitment to laugh with yourself to fully impact your healthy stress management.

This brings us to the only true choice you have in life. Will you be inspired by fear or by fun? One choice is all we have for our health, wellness, and fitness - fear or fun. It all boils down to that. It is your responsibility to choose one or the other.

The question is, which is the responsible choice? Which of the two is a powerful medicine, which will give you health and motivate you greater success, sustaining you over time? The natural medicine of humor gives us the answer.

There is no doubt that both fear and fun are potent stimulants to behavior over the short run. So the question becomes one of sustainability. Will fear or fun best help us sustain our excellence over time? Which of the two is a powerful alternative medicine that you can learn to use for your greatest health, wellness, and fitness? (That's a trick question, by the way)

Let's Encounter A Man-Eating Bear!

The fear of being eaten alive motivates us to run as fast and as far as we can when chased by a bear. There is little to no fun in that experience. It is purely fearful, but the energy it provides maximizes the possibilities of sustaining life for that moment. For the moment, in such a life-threatening situation, fear seems to be an efficient and productive choice. Though full of stress, it relieves us of the immediate threat!

But let's take it a step further. Having survived my wilderness encounter with the bear, I return to my home in an urban environment. The next morning, as I start out for work, I run desperately for the car, quickly jumping inside and locking the doors.

When I arrive at my workplace, I race into the building. Before I get down to work I suspend my bagged lunch high above my desk, roping it to the light standards. I insist upon all doors being locked and secured. When asked why, I answer, "I'm merely doing what got me through my wilderness experience over the weekend. I don't want to be eaten by a bear."

You'd think I was over-reacting just a wee bit, and you'd be right. You could say that my stress relieves my anxiety, but my anxiety is based on a lie conjured and sustained by my fear! Not exactly the greatest of stress management techniques.

The Three Biggest Dangers Of Our "Run-From-a-Bear" Stress Management Techniques

1. We live our lives as though every day was an emergency; as though a bear is chasing us all the time. This is unfortunate for three reasons:

2. We now know that such a constant state of "wariness" or agitation breaks down our coping mechanisms over time. It is impossible to sustain the fear-based behavior without breaking down or burning out.

3. Of all the stress management techniques, this is the absolute worst to choose because it only increases our stress! It reduces the effectiveness of humor's natural medicine to zilch.

A more pernicious error occurs. We begin to think that the avoidance of whatever we fear is the same as having fun. Joy becomes synonymous with the avoidance of fear. The Absence Of One Thing Does Not Indicate The Presence Of Its Opposite

If this sounds ridiculous to you let me put it in more familiar terms that have become acceptable where your health is concerned. With rare exception we have agreed in our society that health is synonymous with absence of symptoms. Do you really believe your health is merely the absence of your symptoms? My Fun Factor prescription teaches you that, not only is the absence of symptoms not synonymous with health, but also that you never have to fall for that lie again.

You never have to settle for second-rate health! You can use your powerful natural medicine of humor to stave off seriousness' debilitating effects.

Therefore the issue becomes balance. Fun balances fear. The ultimate question is not, "Are you without fear?", but "Is your fun in balance with your fear?" If you're not 100% certain of a "yes" response to the later question, then you need to STOP - RIGHT NOW - and take the last step in my Fun Factor stress management formula to ensure that your life is as healthful as it could be.

Step Three: Tell the Truth

The final step in your Fun Factor stress management formula is the Fun Commandment, Tell the Truth. This Commandment refers more to self-integrity than it does "cash register" honesty. Getting in the habit of telling yourself the truth will cement humor's powerfully positive effect over your stress. Your stress management becomes second nature when you are honest with yourself each day, because you can then immediately, easily, and simply apply steps one and two to your life.

Telling yourself the truth, for our purposes, focuses on knowing when your stress levels are rising. As we noted in step two, everyday activities normally produce a baseline level of stress and this stress is usually alleviated by your daily routines (for example, when you experience the stress of hunger, you eat). Step three in my Fun Factor stress management formula teaches you to recognize the signs of unhealthy stress and take corrective action immediately.

Here are some simple stress management techniques to apply when your self-honesty reveals rising stress levels:

1. Start your day off by singing in the shower at the top of your voice. Make up your own song that incorporates the idea that you are embarking upon a glorious day in which great things are going top happen to you. Can't sing? Good! Can't rhyme? Who cares? The words are for you alone. This is not a contest. Be as off-key as you need to be...unless you are Placido Domingo.

The important thing is to be loud (your inner ear has to hear it), upbeat and convincing. The subconscious believes what it is told. Start your day by telling it that it will be a great day and you will be more than halfway to producing exactly that result. Think of your singing not as singing but as a stress relief game played before stress has a chance to rear its ugly head.

2. Travel to work alone, along the same boring route every day? Make up a game to play as you look out the window of your car, bus or train. For example, how many dogs will you see on the way to work?

Try to guess before you set out and see how close you are when you arrive. Reward yourself every time you guess correctly to within a certain number. Drivers: limit yourself to dogs (or green elephants) you see through the windshield only. This game does not work well in subways; there are no green elephants in subways.

3. Have a routine job? One that you find boring? Does it produce stress symptoms, such as drumming your fingers or tapping your toes? Perhaps you need to introduce fun into your workday.

For example, if your job is to make identical widgets each day, how could you do something different to give variety to what otherwise could become a monotonous task? Could you, for example, place each new widget relative to the others so that together they make a pattern, or spell the name of your sweetheart? How many do you make an hour? Could you make one more than that the next hour, safely and with the same excellent quality? Make a stress-relieving game out of your work and it will
feel less like work and more like fun.

4. Smile. You feel stressed? Smile. It is a simple activity, so simple that even infants can do it. Just for kicks, count how many times you smile in an hour. None, you say? Then this stress relief game is even easier for you, and more important than it is for those who smile all the time. (No wonder they don't feel the same degree of stress that you do!)

Your smile doesn't need to be a broad grin that suggests to those around you that they need to call the men in white coats. But it should be more than a mental smirk; your facial muscles should be aware that they are smiling.

It is possible simply to paste a smile on your face without any reason other than you want to smile. After a while, your subconscious will take over, lighten your mood, and the smiles will come easily and naturally.

It's best, if possible, to think of something that can give you a genuine smile, a reason you can talk about if called upon to do so. Each of us, no matter how depressed, has something in life to celebrate.

5. Recognize that stress is a choice. We can accept it and put up with it, and the damage it can cause our bodies. We can avoid it, but that could be a difficult choice; especially if it means quitting the only job we know in a tough job market. That choice might easily create worse stresses. Or we can deal with it and defeat it.

That is not as difficult as it might sound if you make up your mind to use my Fun Factor prescription in everything you do. That doesn't necessarily mean, laughing, joking and playing the village idiot - though all those activities can relieve stress too. You can have fun without ever cracking a single joke.

A game of tickle with the children or grandchildren can be fun and bring energetic screams of delight from them and you. Touch football or, for the less energetic, lawn darts or horseshoes can be fun. For others, it's a walk, socializing with friends, admiring the beauty around us or following a hobby - especially if it is an engrossing one.

Attitude Is Everything

The key is to recognize stress symptoms when they occur, recognize what's causing them, and use my Fun Factor formula for healthy stress management. Since fun is the best natural stress reliever known, it makes good sense to incorporate my Fun Factor stress management formula into your daily life.

But don't get obsessive about it. Don't be stressed by removing stress. Be content with removing some of your stress, and with taking the edge off it so that you function as a healthier, happier and more productive humor being. After all, perfectionism produces stress.

Shelly, by the way, has learned to take herself much more lightly now and she does not suffer nearly as many stress symptoms. The paradox she loves is that taking herself less seriously actually permits her to take her responsibilities more seriously than ever before! The natural medicine of humorr, supercharged by my Fun Factor prescription, has allowed Shelly to easily and simply manage her stress and enjoy a life others have started to envy.

Just as Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus disproved Ptolemy's earth-centered universe in the 16th century, so the natural medicine of humor disproves that you must suffer from being the center of your universe. Remove yourself from the pressure and stress of a life where everything revolves around you...start using my Fun Factor stress management formula, and the rest of my Fun Commandments, today!

Clifford Kuhn, M.D., America's Laugh Doctor, teaches people and organizations to be more healthy and successful through the use of fun and humor. A psychiatrist, and the former associate chairperson of the University of Louisville's renowned Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Kuhn now dispenses his prescription for turbo-charging your health, success, and vitality from http://www.natural-humor-medicine.com/EZA4 On his website you will find tons of fun, free ways for you to maximize your
sense of humor, and enjoy a life others will envy.

Stressed? Go on a Quick Getaway

2007-07-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Did you know that taking a short trip, such as over President's Day weekend, or anytime, can have the same stress-reducing effects as a longer one? According to a Stanford University psychiatrist, David Spiegel, our minds shift into a more relaxed state during the first few days of a trip. When we have been away from home for long trips we tend to slightly increase our stress, or dread, coming back to home or work.

To get the most out of your quick getaway, here are a few planning tips:

1. Stay close to home. If you live in Los Angeles, don't go to New York or Miami as you'll spend the entire time in travel. Instead, consider the beaches in Santa Barbara, or the quaintness of Solvang, or a quick jaunt to Las Vegas for some fun.

2. Seasonal stays. Although the beach in Santa Barbara may sound inviting, it may be off season and too cold and drippy for catching up on the sun's rays. Instead, take walks along the shore (bundled up of course) and return to your hotel or stop in a restaurant for steaming mugs of coffee or hot chocolate; browse antique shops or bookstores and eat fresh seafood in the local's favorite restaurants. Just remember if you are planning the spontaneous trip to check the season and weather first
and plan accordingly.

3. Pamper yourself. Splurge on a top-of-the-line hotel. A weekend getaway is no time for the economy line unless your budget just dosen't allow it. Explore the city, go to the spa and indulge in a relaxing massage or other treatment, sleep in, eat breakfast in bed, you get the drift.

After a quick getaway you will come home refreshed and with a new perspective. If you have a spouse, partner or a good friend you like to travel with, planning your next quick getaway can be fun and exciting! Take turns picking the next location or adventure. Make sure, however, that if you are travelling with someone that you both enjoy the same types of activities.

It is best, too, to plan a getaway that has a variety of activities. For example, don't plan a weekend where you do nothing but lay in bed and read a book or watch television unless that is truly what you, and those you are travelling with, enjoy. Some of the best getaways are filled with a variety of activities, including doing things you might not have ever done before as well as those things that you are comfortable and familiar with.

To keep the getaway fresh in your mind, bring back a souvenior, a picture, postcard, or some other little reminder that you can look at and remember how much fun you had and how relaxed you felt.

Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.

Michele Webb owns her own website and is a member of a number of organizations for women Netpreneurs and business owners. She has over 20 years experience in health care, clinical trials, management, project management and software development. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada USA with her two dogs.

You are invited to visit her website at: http://www.ebooksnstuff.com. Or, you can email the author at: mailto:support@ebooksnstuff.com

10 Symptoms of Workplace Stress

2007-07-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that stress and related disorders are the most frequent cause of employee disability (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). As far back as 1992, a United Nations report called job stress a "world wide epidemic.

Control of workplace stress is a leadership responsibility. Good leaders who recognize the symptoms of stress can control situations to create more desirable workplaces and to improve both productivity and the bottom line.

Corporate leaders who have served in the military recognize employee stress when they observe symptoms such as:

1 Anxiety

2 Indecisiveness

3 Irritability

4 Complaining

5 Forgetfulness

6 Loss of self confidence

7 Argumentativeness

8 Insomnia

9 Rapid emotional shifts

10 Physical exhaustion

Symptoms such as these cost companies billions of dollars each year in health care costs, absenteeism, accidents, quality control, personnel turnover, and various interpersonal relationship problems.

Some managers mistakenly try to control stressful problems by increasing demands and supervising details. Increased urgency and focus on details typically generates even more stress. The problems shift from slight distractions, such as back pain, headaches, and inattention, to more drastic reactions such as absenteeism and medical problems, both good indicators that stress levels need attention.

Just as in the Army, most business leaders must be taught to manage stress and to observe for negative stress reactions. All managers need to understand the importance of positive stress in maximizing accuracy and productivity. And they need to know how to control the negative stress for the benefit of those involved and the bottom line.

If you don't have qualified staff in your company, outside consultants and trainers can help you evaluate current stress levels and train everyone involved. Remember, stress control is a leadership responsibility.

Dale Collie (MailTo:collie@couragebuilders.com) speaker, author, and former US Army Ranger, CEO,and professor at West Point. Selected by "Fast Company" as one of America's Fast 50 innovative leaders. Author of "Frontline Leadership: From War Room to Boardroom," and "Winning Under Fire: Turn Stress into Success the US Army Way." (McGraw-Hill) http://www.couragebuilders.com

Seven Simple Steps to a Stress-Free Start

2007-07-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Most of us lead busy lives, trying to successfully juggle the responsibilities of home and work and personal interests into one cohesive happy life. There is nothing that could better start your busy day than having a smooth stress-free morning. You know the ones where no one raises their voice; no one has to search the bottom of a laundry basket for a matching sock; no one is in a frenzy to get out the door on time.

The thing about these stress-free mornings is they require preparation, they don't just happen; a bit of thought, a bit of planning and a bit of work the night before has the power to create a perfect launch for you and your family into your daily activities.

Here are seven simple steps that can be incorporated into your nightly routine that will help you start your morning right:

1. Empty the dishwasher so it is ready to receive the dirty breakfast dishes.

2. Set the coffee maker. Even if you don't have one with a timer, you can put in a clean filter coffee and fill with water, ready for just a quick flick of a button. Place travel mugs conveniently next to the coffee maker.

3. Have your family members pick out their clothes for the next morning. Don't forget underwear, socks, and shoes as well as any extra item that you may need.

4. Pack you bag lunches the night before. I have started doing this as I clean up the supper dishes. Put leftovers into small containers that can be heated up in a microwave. Make up sandwich fillings, pack as much as you can in the lunch bags, set aside fruit, snacks, yogurt, cheese, and drinks in reusable plastic containers or bags in lunch portions ready to be slipped into lunch bag

5. Plan breakfast. Set the table with cereal bowls and breakfast choices. You can easily mix up a batch of waffle or muffin batter and store in the refrigerator to be cooked or baked the next morning. A big batch will store for two or three days.

6. Gather personal items by the door. School bags, purses, briefcases, cell phones and keys can be housed next to the exit. Any notices that need to be signed, or money that needs to be gathered, do the night before; library books, movie rentals can be placed by the door, ready to be dropped off.

7. Check your calendar. There should be no morning surprises. Check the calendar for families after work or school activities, appointments, deadlines. Be clear about drop off and pick up arrangements with other family members.

Pamela Hatheway is a freelance writer, teacher and workshop facilator, ministering to the specific needs of women who juggle homes, families and careers. She lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada with her husband David and their two daughters Anna and Olivia.

Are YOU Controlling Stress So Stress Does Not Control YOU?

2007-07-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Have you recently moved or started a new job? Do you feel you have too much to do and not enough time to do them? Do you worry about your financial situation? Do you worry about your future? Do you feel your efforts at work or at home go unappreciated?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you are experiencing stress but you're not alone.

Two surveys indicate that worker anxiety is rapidly rising. According to one survey by The Gallup Organization dated October 2002, the vast majority of the employees attribute their stress to the job itself; and the data from a second survey that an employee assistance program provider CompSyche researched shows:

? 48% of employees report high levels of stress.

? 38% report constant but manageable, stress levels.

? 14% report low levels of stress.

Is it safe to say that if you are breathing, you are experiencing stress? YES, because stress is a powerful force in the form of positive and negative influences and is necessary for life. Without it, we often feel empty. We all need to feel excitement, experience enrichment even frustration and thrive under a certain level of stress.

Stress is mentally and emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition when occurring in response to adverse external influences and can create positive and negative feelings. Stress is the "wear & tear" our bodies experience and can attribute to debilitating consequences to our mental and physical health.

In summary, stress is how you react to pressures and is inevitable as long as pressures exist. Keep the pressure and get rid of the stress.

So how do you know you're stressed out? Here are some common signs for burn out. See how many of them you are experiencing.

? You are missing deadlines and unable to make decisions.

? You are not as productive even though you feel like you are working twice as hard.

? You are feeling blue or in a depressed mood for several days without specific reason. You are lacking self esteem, and feeling unable to live up to expectations. You are feeling unappreciated.

? You have weakened relationships at work. You are constantly opposing management decisions and isolating yourself away from your team.

? You have increased level of absenteeism because of poor health. You are experiencing pain in your neck, shoulders and lower back. You are suffering from constant headaches. You can't concentrate and you are tired even after a good night sleep.

To create a stressless lifestyle, you have first to learn to eliminate stress and second manage the stress that you have left.

Apply these tips and practice these techniques to eliminate stress:

? Condition your mind and body to eliminate stress and positively affect the way you perceive the world.

o Get Enough Sleep

o Eat a balanced & nutritious diet

o Exercise

? Avoid adverse external influences that trigger responses that then cause stress

o Don't procrastinate

o Be organized

o Delegate

o Learn to say NO!

o Resolve Disputes

o Like what you do

o Be efficient

o Prepare for next day

o Triage your to do list

o Count to three

o Create a kind commute

o Expectation for yourself

o Talk to someone

o Take a vacation

o Do nice things for someone (unexpected)

And as the final attempt to overcome stress, manage what's left of your stress by focusing on these methods:

o Identify stress factors in your life.

o Avoid alcohol, caffeine and artificial stimulants.

o Muscular relaxation

o Visualize

o Laugh

Vera Haitayan, Principal Consultant of The Leadership Laboratory, a California-based employee development and process improvement consulting firm and is the senior editor of The Stepping Stone Newsletter featuring leadership and process improvement best practices. http://www.1leadershiplab.com mailto: vera@1leadershiplab.com

Stress And How To Avoid It

2007-07-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that stress isn't good - that it can get on top of us and effect our wellbeing. What most people don't realise is that stress can effect much more than just our mood or mental state. Stress has been shown to have a detrimental effect on many parts of our body and indeed peoples health in general.

Most people are so used to stress and tension in their lives that they do little or nothing about it until it begins to have major negative effects on them. Everyone suffers from stress - but it is important to sit up and take notice when that stress begins to effect you.

Stress has a negative effect on your mental processes, it can make you moody, anxious and unable to calmly cope with life. However stress effects all of your body. Stress can cause many afflictions such as high heart rate and blood pressure difficulties. These are two key indicators of stress being a problem so if you suffer from them then it is time to try to reduce the stress in your life. By acting early you can dramatically reduce your stress level and your health should return to
normal.

If you're wondering about whether or not you should reduce stress in your daily life, the answer is probably yes. Even if you do not feel overly stressed out all that often, stress reduction will still improve your life. Since being too stressed can have major long term effects on your health, this is one case where you're probably better safe than sorry.

Reducing your stress is not difficult, a little time spent planning how to change your life can make a huge difference. A small effort will go a long way to making you feel better about yourself and others.

The first thing that you should do is to sit down and make a list of all the things that are causing you to be stressed out. It doesn't matter whether or not you think something should be stressful - write down anything that genuinely is stressful to you. Then, go through the list again and see which things you can eliminate from your life.

Obviously you wont be able to elminate everything on your list from your life, there are some things like work that are simply necessary. But there will be lots of things on your list that you genuinely can address. Doing this, even with only a few of the things on your list, can make all the difference in your stress level.

Relaxation is something that you should add to your schedule on a regular basis. There are few things that reduce your overall stress level like a good time spent relaxing. Therefore, you should set aside a period everyday to relax - and make sure that it's actually scheduled, after all, you're doing it for your health.

Exercise is another excellent way to combat stress, it will make you feel better and more confident. It is particularly good because it will make you fitter also, so your health will benefit doubly.

If you start working on stress reduction, you should start seeing improvements in your health right away. Also, even if you are not noticing that your health is improving right away, you should still feel confident that it is - the more relaxed you are, the better you should feel. Start working on stress reduction today, and have a healthier life tomorrow!

Peter Sachford is the webmaster of FP Health which is a popular and extensive resource for health information. For more information, go to: http://www.fphealth.com

7 Healthy Ways To Release Holiday Stress

2007-07-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Many people go through the motions during Christmas. If not the whole holiday season just parts. I see them slumped in line, not a smile to be found, their body stiff, just counting the number of people ahead of them, and time. Gift giving or even receiving is right, wrong, good, bad, or considered a waste. The control of it all, tightens the body, encompasses the soul, and buries the magic. Where is the release or where do we begin? It starts mindfully with a choice, movement in the body,
and a change of spirit. Resolve to release the stress of it all,

the need for control, the right, or the wrong. Stand tall, smile, talk to your neighbor, give them the acknowledgment just like you want and deserve whether it's one minute or more.

1. Lower back release. Stand facing a wall. Palms flat against the wall, arms stretched, body angled straight, bend one knee, and place it closer to the wall. Bend gentle towards the wall. Close your eyes and see the tension in your back. Envision it as a light. Mindfully move that light down your legs out into the floor. If the light prefers, let it travel through the arms into the wall. It doesn't matter, just that it goes. What is so nice about this release is there is usually a wall
available anywhere you go or you can use this release in the shower at home.

2. Breathing exercises cleanse. Lay down, a bed or couch work well, talk through a speech, or just talk aloud. At the same time breathe deeply, watch your stomach rise and fall, the same way a baby's does when lying on their back asleep. This will help you find your authentic voice; it will probably sound different than ever before. Listen to that voice, remember it well, use it often and what the change in people who are listening.

3. Cheek, not facial, squeezing and release can be done sitting in your office chair or while you are driving. Squeeze, release, squeeze, release. Alternatively, play each cheek to the beat of a song. Squeeze first the right, then the left, and then the right again. "Buttock dancing" is a great release for the back and shoulders. It's okay to laugh through this because it then fades into number 4 below.

4. Laughter. Rent some funny movies or create your own laughter. Try this: sit, feet firmly on the ground, bend forward with elbows on your knees. Take a deep breath and let out a big laugh. A hearty one, the kind from the stomach, the kind you try to hide. Repeat until you feel that the body releases the stress. It usually doesn't take but two or three times. If you are a speaker, do this before entering the room.

5. Do something wild. Streak across your room; sway naked in the moonlight, or dance to wild music with your spouse. Let the hair down, let go of control. When was the last time you were not in control, the time you left all inhabitations go, you went with your own personal flow? If you are a writer, write wildly as if no censorship, no rules. Use wild, daring words, don't ask what they mean or spell like they sound. Release the wildness everyday, it keeps the diseases at bay, it's
better than an apple a day. If a runner, fling your arms wildly around, as if going wild. Because actually, you am. Make ugly faces. Stand up in front of your computer screen, dance and sway to imaginary music if none is around. Howl at the moon and even share it with friends. Bring some drums and strum.

6. Sounds. Let out a "yippee" or a big "yes" loud or soft, in a car by yourself, or in your cubby hole at your desk when you have completed something or did something well. Let out a "You go, Girl" cry with a powerful arm thrust. Open your mouth wide and verbally say the vowels, "aa, ee, ii, oo, uu." (This is my favorite release before and after a speech, it loosens the throat.) Yawn with sounds and stretch with the yawn. Burp with oops and pride instead of apology and shame. It's
only a body movement nothing more. When someone else does it, respond well, with jest rather than a disapproving glare.

7. All choked up. Our throat harbors our unspoken dreams and uncried tears caused from stress, of trying to be in control. Use a pillow to muffle, or find a field where no one can hear, yell and shout, but don't shriek, from the depth of your belly. This sends any blocked energy from the throat away. Your voice, even your body, may feel drained as the toxins held inside get released, especially if you keep it up for 10 or 15 minutes (your goal). Try this a day before a speech to lower
your pitch and relax your throat. You will see a new sense of commanding power with a new authentic voice in your writing or in your speaking.

These are seven various ways to let go of stress in your body, open up your writing, improve your presentation quality, or return your self-confidence and personal power. It's easy to forget we need to let go, become wild into order to take back our own control. Control of our health and not take it for granted. You can also use any one of these in the shower. Singing in the shower is a healthy release of stress, in tune or not. Health is the one thing in life money can't buy.

Catherine Franz, a eight-year Certified Professional Coach, Graduate of Coach University, Mastery University, editor of three ezines, columnist, author of thousands of articles website: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

Stress In The Workplace

2007-07-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions' (A.C.T.U.) 1997 survey, fifty per cent of workers had suffered some form of stress at work in a 12-month period. The statistics in care professions were even higher, with the Department of Education and Training in Western Australia reporting in its 2002 Attitudes To Teaching Survey that seventy per cent of teachers identified workplace stress as a cause for concern in their teaching positions.

Stress in the workplace is becoming a major concern for employers, managers and government agencies, owing to the Occupational Health and Safety legislations requiring employers to practice 'duty of care' by providing employees with safe working environments which also cover the psychological wellbeing of their staff.

One of the costs, for employers, of work place stress is absenteeism, with the A.C.T.U. reporting that owing to stress, nearly fifty per cent of employees surveyed had taken time off work. Other negative effects were reductions in productivity, reduced profits, accidents, high rates of sickness, increased workers' compensation claims and high staff turnover, requiring recruiting and training of replacement staff.

While a certain amount of stress is needed to motivate individuals into action, prolonged stress can have a huge impact on overall health. More than two-thirds of visits to doctors' surgeries are for stress-related illnesses. Stress has been linked to headaches, backaches, insomnia, anger, cramps, elevated blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and lowered resistance to infection. For women, stress is a key factor in hormonal imbalances resulting in menstrual
irregularities, PMS, fibroids, endometriosis and fertility problems. Stress can also be a factor in the development of almost all disease states including cancer and heart disease.

Each profession has its own unique factors that may cause stress; below are some causes of stress that cross many professions:

· Increased workload · Organizational changes · Lack of recognition · High demands · Lack of support · Personal and family issues · Poor work organization · Lack of training · Long or difficult hours · Inadequate staff numbers and resources · Poor management communication · Lack of control or input

So what can be done to effectively manage workplace stress?

Organizations can:

· Educate their employees to recognise the signs of stress.

· Where possible, give their employees the chance to be involved in decisions and actions that affect their jobs.

· Improve employer-employee communications.

· Provide employees with opportunities to socialise together.

· Be understanding of employees' personal and family responsibilities.

· Ensure employee workloads suit their capabilities and resources (provide more training and resources if not).

· Provide support (internally or externally) for employees who have complex stress issues.

Employees can reduce their overall stress by:

· Regularly exercising, as this releases 'happy hormones'.

· Eating a healthy diet, as stress depletes vital nutrients.

· Getting adequate rest.

· Using tea and lunch breaks to read, listen to a relaxation CD or have a five-minute power-nap.

· If appropriate, playing relaxing music at work and burning aromatherapy oils.

· Being more organized. Get up earlier to have more time.

· Delegating responsibility where possible. Say no!

· Taking time out to laugh by telling someone a joke. Start a laughter group: by standing in a circle and all forcing a big laugh, it will soon become real!

· Avoiding caffeine and sugar. Although this may provide an instant lift it later depletes the body of energy and nutrients.

· Taking time to do things that bring enjoyment and pleasure.

· Making the work environment pleasurable. Have relaxing sounds in the form of music or a water fountain. Have enjoyable smells by burning candles or aromatherapy oils. Hang beautiful pictures or posters on the walls; have photos or flowers on the desk.

· Taking care of their overall health and wellbeing by practising good self-care.

· Keep a journal that monitors dates and times of stress to detect re-occurring patterns and to help you discover changes you may need to make.

Sometimes trying to implement change (even for the better) can itself cause stress and prevent a person remaining motivated. In this case it's important to get support for your stress from a counsellor, doctor, naturopath, friend, peer or life coach who specializes in stress issues.

The benefits of a systematic and joint approach to reducing work stress are:

· Increased productivity · Decrease in absenteeism · Improved morale · Decrease in workers' compensation claims · Reduction in workplace accidents

The most important benefit in reducing workplace stress is that it will promote a pleasant work environment for all.

Lisa Branigan specialises in coaching women who are stressed, tired and overwhelmed with their busy lives. For further information: Phone: +61 8 9757 3750 or 0439 828 594 Website: http://www.quantumcoaching.com.au Email: lisa@quantumcoaching.com.au

How To Stress Less and Smile More-The Six Fundamental Steps To Improved Health

2007-07-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

More than two-thirds of visits to doctors' surgeries are for stress-related illnesses. Stress has been linked to headaches, backaches, insomnia, anger, cramps, elevated blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and lowered resistance to infection.

For women, stress is a key factor in hormonal imbalances resulting in menstrual irregularities, PMS, fibroids, endometriosis and fertility problems. Stress can also be a factor in the development of almost all disease states, including cancer and heart disease; the leading cause of death in Australian women.

In most cases stress is a result of letting life get out of balance. This happens when we put all our energy into only one or two areas of our life (usually work) and ignore the rest. We take on too much, over-promise, don't delegate and push our own wants and needs into the background by always looking after others needs first. We overload ourselves to the point where we are forced to stop attending to what is important to us, such as time for our interests and time to spend with our
families.

If stress is a major issue for you there are steps you can take to restore balance to your life - so you can stress less and smile more.

Step One: Develop extreme self-care

Most people suffering stress have become good at practising extreme self-neglect! They don't eat well, rarely exercise or take time out and probably can't remember the last time they had a holiday.

If you are one of these people you need to take your self-care to new heights, above and beyond your normal limit. When you take care of your own needs first you are building a reserve of energy and resources that will enable you to sustain extreme self-care with enough left over to care for others.

Creating 10 delightful daily habits that give you enjoyment is a great place to start. Here are some suggestions.

? Stretch for 2 minutes. ? Laugh for 5 minutes ? Floss your teeth ? Read to a child ? Hug a loved one ? Go for a 10-minute walk in the park ? Listen to your favourite song ? Write in a journal ? Eat 3 fruit and 5 veg ? Read a chapter of your favourite book ? Drink 2 litres of water ? Go to bed early

The key to gaining accumulated benefits from your daily habits and practising extreme self-care is to do them each day. Start with one habit and commit to practising it for seven days, then add another, practising both for another seven days. Continue adding your habits until you are practising all 10 items on your list daily.

Step Two: Eliminate tolerations

Tolerations are situations and conditions you put up with that drain you physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. They include crossed boundaries, unfinished business or projects, others' bad behaviour, frustrations, unwanted commitments, clutter, messy surroundings, broken items, being over weight, weeds in the garden and debt.

List five tolerations that drive you nuts about your job, life, and health and home and then devise a plan to get rid of the first 'intolerable' toleration on your list this week. Notice how this makes you feel, how it lifts a weight off your shoulders. Now think about how much better you will feel when you get rid of the other four tolerations on your list! When you've completed the elimination of the first five tolerations you've listed, start a new one and keep working until you
have zero tolerations in your life.

Step Three: Having your needs met!

Unmet needs cause us to become upset, angry, stressed and depressed. The key to satisfying our personal needs is to identify them. Identify needs that feel authentic, not ones that may look good to others or are superficial. Be aware that what you consider to be a need (such as to be loved) may be covering a real need (self-esteem). Ideas of personal needs are:

? Calmness ? Freedom ? Being listened to ? Independence ? Feeling valued ? Stability ? Respect ? A life purpose ? Satisfying work ? Honesty ? Loyalty ? Being busy ? Security ? Being loved ? Balance ? Responsibility ? A career ? Children

It may be necessary for you to tell others what your needs are and learn to ask for support.

Step Four: Smile often and laugh more!

Scientists have found that laughter stimulates the release of beneficial brain neurotransmitters and hormones, which can reduce stress, improve our immune system and give us a general sense of wellbeing. Some doctors are using laughter therapy to replace anti-depressants and to reduce the use of painkillers. According to researchers faking laughter will also produce the same health and wellbeing results as real laughter.

Do you need to improve your ability to laugh more? Bronwen Williams from Laughter Works Australia recommends that upon waking we should to sit upright in bed or in a chair and smile vigorously and ridiculously. This muscular action induces the release of endorphins and within minutes we actually feel happy!

Bronwen writes that: "Positive self-talk can be very empowering, so let's begin our days with loud statements such as I love laughing! People love hearing me laugh! Laughing makes me happy and healthy! I have a beautiful smile! Lets express not suppress, lets laugh and live longer!"

Step Five: Set Goals

Without goals we have no direction in life. We are lost! When we are lost we become stressed and overwhelmed. Goals help us navigate our lives with greater ease and reaching goals fulfils us, making us happier.

One way to find out what your real goals are is to write a list of 100 things you'd like to accomplish before you die and then start working on your list today!

When you set a goal it tells your subconscious mind what is important to you and to be on the lookout for things, people, opportunities or situations that will enable you to move towards your goal. Establishing goals is a tool we can use to have what we want and need in our personal and professional lives.

Step Six: Create a supportive environment Our surroundings can be supportive and give us energy or drag us down and leave us stressed and tired. An inspiring, enjoyable environment filled with positive things and people energises us and we feel happier. We all need good support structures to help our lives flow with less effort and to remain balanced.

Five important life support structures are:

? People: family, friends, life coach, accountant, doctor, housekeeper ? Places: your office, desk, car, home ? Things: your phone, computer, home decor ? Processes: filing system, record keeping, time management program ? Inner Environment: your outlook on life, self-esteem level, thought processes

Examine these five categories and look at who or what you use to support you in each area. Are you truly being supported? What do you need to change to feel more supported in all areas of your life?

Start making the easiest changes first. Just as it can take time to end up stressed, overwhelmed and out of balance, it also takes time to make positive changes in your life. Sometimes trying to implement change (even for the better) can itself cause stress and prevent a person remaining motivated.

Making changes in your life can be stressful, even if the changes are aimed at reducing stress. For this reason it is important to work on each of the steps one at a time, mastering each before moving on to the next. If you discover you can't make the changes on your own, get support from a counsellor, doctor, naturopath, friend, peer or life coach who specialises in stress issues.

Above all, keep in mind the benefits you will enjoy when you've mastered the steps to stress less and smile more!

Lisa Branigan specialises in coaching women who are stressed, tired and overwhelmed with their busy lives. For further information: Phone: +61 8 9757 3750 or 0439 828 594 Website: http://www.quantumcoaching.com.au Email: lisa@quantumcoaching.com.au

Stress Management Shouldnt Create More Stress. 10 Ways To Reduce Unreasonable Stress and Boost Perf

2007-07-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

We all know that stress levels in the workplace are reaching unreasonable levels. And most sensible human beings will agree that we have to take action to fix this problem.

However, some government agencies and, I must say, some consultants are all for creating yet another paper and theoretical exercise that will have little benefit to the employees or the business. Managers don't need lectures on how too much stress diminishes people's creativity and productivity, increases absenteeism, extended sick leave and can result in tribunal payouts of tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Managers want assistance not lectures.

Do whatever you can to escape the form filling that supposed ensure you meet certain "stress management standards". Avoid like the plague what are now being called "stress risk assessments". These will require the resources of a full time employee and lead to even more stress!

Rather concentrate on straightforward and easily applied measures to reduce stress and at the same time show employees and regulatory authorities and legal courts that your organisation does stake stress seriously.

Here are just ten you could start with.

1. Ensure your Employee Handbook and Induction has plenty of wording in it that shows that management knows about the adverse effects of too much stress. Explain what people must do if they feel under stress. Go over the top to show that management wants and welcomes discussion reporting of excess stress. Who ever is giving the induction must state this orally too.

2. Have a clear, written and concise procedure that people can follow if they find stress getting out of hand. What can people do if they feel under stress? Who should they speak to? What do they do if it's their boss who is the cause of stress? What help can the business offer? Make sure employees know they also have a responsibility to look after their physical and mental health.

3. Give people clear job descriptions so they know what is required of them and revisit the description every six months to update them. You can do this in the annual or (better) twice-yearly appraisal Involve people in writing and re-negotiating job descriptions. Specifically ask about what can be done to reduce stress and record the answer.

4. Keep referring to stress in newsletters, speeches and meetings. Put stress reduction on the agenda of management meetings and have a set section in the newsletter. Senior managers should include a mention of stress in at least one speech per year.

5. Offer people-management/leadership workshops to managers and supervisors. Many of them don't know how to get the best from their people. Unnecessary tension is caused by ignorance of how to speak to and treat people effectively in the modern workplace. Often supervisors don't know they're a source of stress - nobody tells them. Keep it simple: one day is enough and avoid "models and theories of leadership"!

6. Offer stress management workshops and literature. Even if there are no current stress problems offer the workshops anyway. Even insist people go. Keep it simple - a half-day is enough and avoid all theory! Give people a book or CD on stress management as part of the induction.

7. Offer a time management workshop. It's amazing how people can take better control when they know it's okay to say "no", to scrap a meeting, to scrap a report, to cut short appointments and to find better, quicker less burdensome ways of doing things. Most people get bogged down because they don't think in terms of time management and even when they do, some are too afraid to approach the boss. They will think you'll think, they're lazy or uncooperative.

8. Monitor stress levels. No, you don't need an 80-question stress climate survey or bureaucratic stress management standards. Just twice a year issue a half-page with one question: "For you personally give three things the organisation could do to reduce unreasonable stress". Make this an anonymous exercise and publish the results with actions taken.

9. Take time to listen and act. If a stress issue is raised, be seen to be taking it seriously. Make time to listen, document the issues and then take action. Whilst keeping confidences publicise what action has been taken.

10. Unfortunately, sooner or later you'll have to prove to some authority that you are doing things to combat unreasonable stress. Therefore keep a running and up-to-date record - just a simple book - of all the things your organisation is doing to reduce stress in the workplace. Record everything. For example, if you run a Recruitment Interviewing Course, record how you amended the content to include an hour or so on testing to see if candidates can cope with the stress of a particular
job.

Debate about what stress is, the relative responsibilities of employers and employees and what systems to use will go on and on. You might as well just get on and do what commonsense and good leadership dictates.

Dr Bill Robb is managing director of Aberdeen-based Profit Improvers Ltd and helps organisations and people improve their performance. He specialises in fixing difficult inter-company and inter-department relationships. http://www.mytimemanagementsecrets.com

Stress Management Techniques

2007-07-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

Self-Care Strategies:

Substantial breakfast daily Regular sleeping habits (minimum of 7 hours) No smoking Moderate use of alcohol, caffeine and other drugs Minimal intake of sugar & highly processed foods Maintenance of proper weight Regular exercise program Drink much more water than you usually do.

Relaxation Techniques:

Jog in place or do jumping jacks-count to 300 Roll head and torso from side to side Tense your muscles individually, then relax them Pull seat of chair for 5-count: repeat with legs xtended Take a deep breath to count of 4, exhale to 4, and repeat 4 times Massage your forehead or temples; repeat the word "calm" Try to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. Walk off your worry. Meditate for 20 minutes Listen to music and close your eyes Take a power nap. Train yourself to sleep for 12
minutes.

Time Management:

Decide what your time is worth. Hire some tasks done. Learn to delegate. You don't have to do or supervise everything. Set priorities. Invest your time in the thing that will give you the highest return on your investment. Plan your day according to energy levels. Manage the paper tiger. Try to handle paper only once.

New Ideas for Success: Always have a plan B in mind. People with options are happier. Set realistic life goals and work toward them daily. Let go of uncomfortable situations and toxic relationships. Practice setting boundaries in an Assertitive but respectful manner. Assume responsibility for your own choices.

Remember the 4 things that matter most:

Please forgive me, I forgive you, Thank you and I love you.

Give top priority to your primary relationships.

Stressors in life- Stressors in life- Stressors in life- Stressors in life- Stressors in life- Stressors in life

Trying to control things you can't control----Not living one day at a time-----Lack of goals

Not clear on your values----Unrealistic expectations of yourself and others----Negative attitude and outlook----Procrastination----Trying to keep secrets----Listening to gossip----Taking on more than you can physically or emotionally handle----Lack of balance in all areas of your life----Unhealthy habits----Changes, either good or bad ones----Lack of faith in the future----negative self-talk.

This article may be copied and used for teaching purposes as long as the full signature line is included. Judy H. Wright, 406-549-9813-www.ArtichokePress.com

Judy H. Wright is a parent educator and family coach located in Missoula, Montana. She is an author, international speaker and teacher. For a full listing of books, workshops and tele-classes available please see http://www.ArtichokePress.com

Entertaining Without Stress

2007-07-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. If you are stressed, agitated and flitting about, your guests will be uncomfortable and won't be able to relax. Here is an easy test of how well you are doing. How many times do your guests ask if there is anything they can do to help? It is reasonable that guests may ask when they first arrive but if you hear the question over and over again, you are doing something wrong.

The Dinner Party: Do you become a shrinking violet at the mere thought of hosting a dinner party? Here are some quick and easy tips on how to host a successful party and not be too wiped out to enjoy the effort. Plan it out on paper. Use the basic Who? What? Where? When? How? Don't over compensate. Your guests will not be impressed by 10 appetizers, 3 entrees and a dessert cart for a sit down dinner party. If you are doing a buffet that is a different situation. Balance Colors. Bad move:
all of the food in a neutral color. This not only indicates that your food choices are boring but are also lacking in nutrition. Good move: Lots of color! Use the foods of the season. For example: Do not plan a menu using strawberries in the middle of winter as it may be difficult to find any that are top quality. Do use apples, pumpkin, and squash in your fall dinner menus. Dress to impress?the food that is. Plan a menu that looks elegant, but doesn't consume three days to prepare. It
is all in the presentation. The simplest dish can look exquisite. Have everything staged and ready to go in advance. Your guests will be uncomfortable if you are flitting in and out of the kitchen. Practice, practice, practice. Use your family for regular practice runs. Always set the table with matching cutlery and dishes and put food in serving dishes. This way you know what you have and are not floundering to figure out how to present your meals to guests.

Here is a quick plan for a holiday/winter dinner party: Make a list of 6 of your closest friends and invite them over for an evening dinner. If you are in a panic just thinking about dinner for 8, you need to register for our Entertaining Workshop but for an immediate fix, read our tips below:

Prepare a simple menu that does not require a lot of ingredients and a lot of stove watching (bird watching is easy in comparison).

For red meat: * Salad with vinaigrette dressing, cranberries and nut of choice (pecans, walnuts, almonds) * A lamb or beef roast with red potatoes, baby carrots, onions and seasonings * A red wine with dinner. We are partial to Breaux Vineyards Lafayette if you want a local Virginia wine. * Cheese and grapes for dessert * Port or Dessert Wine with dessert For chicken: * Salad with vinaigrette dressing, cranberries and nut of choice (pecans, walnuts, almonds) * Champagne Chicken
(contact us if you want the recipe) * Saffron Rice * Steamed Asparagus or Broccoli * A white wine with dinner. We are partial to Breaux Vineyards Vidal Blanc if you want a local Virginia wine. * Cheese and grapes for dessert * Sherry or Dessert Wine with dessert Notice we did not offer a heavy dessert or a lot of food choices. During the holidays we all tend to overeat and a simple but elegant meal is a welcome change.

Larger Parties:

If you feel that you have the small dinner party under control and are ready to branch out to large group entertaining, here are the basic steps to making a gathering a success: Decide what type of party you are going to have. Cocktail hour, dinner buffet or hors d'oeuvres. This will drive your menu as well as your cost and party supplies. Determine the area in your house where you want to have the party. * How many people can stand or sit comfortably in this area? This isn't a crowded
bar/night club. Having to say "excuse me" and bumping into people loses its charm very quickly. * Check your room arrangement. Is it an open floor plan if you intend for people to stand? Move the furniture out of the way. Bruised shins from coffee tables are no fun. Is it conducive to conversation if you are using your seating areas? Rearrange furniture into conversation areas. * Are there places for people to set drinks? Nervous nelly coaster girl/guy is not attractive. If you
want your guests to use coasters, have them strategically placed throughout the area ahead of time. * Ventilation: Keep the temperature a little lower than normal in an area that is going to be full of people. It will heat up fast when everyone gets in the room. If you are using candles for ambiance, remember that they add heat to a room. The "Bar": If you are having a cocktail hour, then a fully stocked bar is more essential than if you are having a dinner buffet. Keep these facts
in mind. * Bars are very expensive to stock because there are essentials you must have to satisfy the drink needs of your guests. * A bartender is essential if you have a full bar. It doesn't have to be a professionally hired bartender but it needs to be someone who knows his/her way around a bar and the drink menu. * If you are having a dinner buffet where the focus is food rather than drink, then make choose signature drinks. Have one or two specialty drinks for your guests that
you can make in advance, serve in pitchers or decanters and have on a min self-serve bar. Again there are essentials you must have like an ice bucket but you do not need a fully stocked bar and a bartender in these situations. * The placement of the bar is key. It needs to be in an open, accessible area. The Menu. We could write a whole article on your menu so here are a few key reminders. * Have a theme. That doesn't mean you have to don a sombrero for Mexican or throw plates for
Greek food but you need to have some commonality for your menu or you will end up with a hodge podge of random items and probably too many of them to boot. Your theme does not have to be an international food either. It could be "winter foods" or "seafood" for example. * Keep dietary and religious restrictions of your guests in mind. * If having a cocktail hour, keep the menu to a few appetizers no more. * If having a dinner buffet, keep the menu balanced. Appetizers should not
overpower main course or dessert.

An Alternative to a Dinner Party - A Wine Party

Do you have to be a sommelier to know something about wine? Well, if you want to tout yourself as an expert, perhaps but if you just want to enjoy a good glass of wine, go with your gut - or rather your mouth - and enjoy what tastes good to you. Once we survive the holidays, not many people want to throw another lavish bash in the winter months. So, why not host a wine tasting party? Now before you hit the panic button, get uptight and claim to know nothing about wine, stop! We aren't
proposing you sit around discussing bouquet and barrel fermenting. We want you to have a little fun.

You can buy wine tasting party kits from various sources on the internet and local shops. Don't want a kit? Here's what you need: * Guests - think about whom you know that likes and drinks wine and keep the numbers small * A few bottles of wine that you think you might like - both red and white. Depending on the size of the crowd plan on 2 bottles of each type. Or for an added twist, ask your guests to each bring 2 bottles of their favorite wine. If you do this you will need them to
email or phone you with the wine information ahead of time. * Printed wine tasting cards that list the wines you purchased with some information from the bottle * Pencils in case guests want to make notes about their favorites * Wine glasses. We recommend 2 per person. One for tasting and one for later * Plain saltine or oyster crackers for guests to cleanse their palates * Still (plain) water for rinsing * Some good music, good conversationalists and a sense of fun!

At the end of the event, serve some crackers/bread, cheese and fruit or some other small/light appetizers and offer each guest a glass of his/her favorite wine. Wine charms are a fun thing to introduce at this point. Each person can pick her/her own and attach to the glass. Put on some music and enjoy the company. However, above all things, drink and serve responsibly!

Crank up the wine party one notch

Even though the farmer's market is closed and the weather has turned quite chilly, the fall and winter have a lot to offer our palate. As we have told you before, leverage what you have and embrace the winter weather. Serve your guests wine, cheese and winter fruits.

One of our favorites is eiswein (pronounced ice vine). Eiswein or Ice Wine as it is called in this country is a wine that is made with the late harvest fruit by pressing it while still frozen...thus the name. Now here is the catch. Eiswein is not something you can pick up at your local supermarket and it doesn't come in bargain basement $5/bottle prices. Here are a few of our picks and where you can get them.

Eiswein is usually sold in 1/2 bottles due to the high sugar content of the wine and the cost...less is more!

Locally: Total Beverage Check with your particular store because they don't all carry the same items. Most of them have the Hubert Ganz Riesling Eiswein (1/2 bottle $40) and the Selaks Wines Ice Wine Kumeu (1/2 bottle $14). Some of them also have the Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine (1/2 bottle $70...and a favorite of ours)

On the Internet:www.champagnewines.com and www.internationalwine.com

And who says an eiswein has to be made with grapes. La Face Cachee de la Pomme in Canada makes a scrumptious apple ice wine (cidre de glace). For more information, visit appleicewine.com. In case you don't feel like making the trek to Canada in the winter, check their website for US locations.

Now that you feel like you speak several other languages, what cheese do you serve with these delectable wines? We recommend Roquefort. You need something with a little punch to it to counterbalance the wine. However, we do not profess to be wine or cheese experts so buy a bottle of eiswein and some of your favorite cheeses and have your own private tasting party before you serve to your guests. The wines could also be paired with some not-so-sweet desserts.

So the quick recap to plan your party: * Eiswein (not as many bottles as for regular wine) * Seltzer or Club Soda for non-drinking guests * Cheeses - 4 or 5 types * Fruits - apples and grapes * Non-sugary desserts (cheesecake is good) - 2 or 3 items We hope that all of these pointers will convince you that you too can entertain without a lot of stress. Entertaining is meant to bring a group of friends together for relaxation and fun and it should do just that.

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company's creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE Go 4
U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net

Eldercare/Caregiving Stress--Managing Holidays

2007-07-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Caring for a chronically ill loved one can be one of life's greatest challenges, but during holidays, when even more responsibilities are added to an already stressful schedule, caregivers can often feel guilty and frustrated for not being able to accomplish all the tasks they once did. Additionally, fond memories of past holidays, when a loved one was still healthy, can create a downward spiral with feelings of loss and sadness.

More than fifty million people, one in every five Americans, help loved ones who can no longer help themselves. But when caring for another, a caregiver often neglects their own well-being, oftentimes not even seeing themself as a caregiver, but simply as a loving family member.

STEPS CAREGIVERS CAN TAKE TO REDUCE STRESS AND ENJOY HOLIDAYS

* Take Care of You: You can't be an effective caregiver if you are so stressed that you get sick too. As hard as it is to find the time and motivation, realize that it's imperative that you nurture yourself.

-Eat healthy: set limits on high fat and processed foods, caffeine and too many sugar-laden treats that can increase fatigue.

-Exercise often: take a walk, stretch, lift weights, do isometrics.

-Get proper sleep: take naps when necessary.

-Meditate: practice deep breathing and visualize happy times.

-Attend a support group regularly: solutions will present themselves.

-Get respite care for your loved one: the break will help you.

-Do things you enjoy: read, music, hobbies, crafts, movies, etc.

-Use a hand sanitizer: viral and bacterial infections can be reduced.

-Treat depression: find a therapist, ask your doctor to consider prescribing an anti-depressant.

-Get yearly physicals and appropriate tests: cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, mammogram, prostate, colonoscopy, etc.

* Organize & Pace Yourself: Be careful not to take on more than you can manage. Make lists of things that must be done, and secondary lists of things you would like to accomplish if possible. Be sure to set strict limits with yourself and others of what you can and cannot do.

* Ask For Help: Don't wait for friends and family to ask what they can do to help. Instead, make a list and ask everyone to pick the tasks they feel comfortable with. In addition to the long list of caregiving chores, add: cleaning the house/garage/pantry, taking the car in for service/tire rotation, gardening, shopping, and include holiday tasks such as:

-Sending cards

-Writing a holiday letter

-Decorating

-Buying/sending gifts

-Grocery shopping

-Baking

-Cooking meals for the freezer

-Organizing social events

-Taking down decorations

-Sending thank-you notes

* Accept Invitations: Even if you don't feel like going out at the moment, having activities to look forward to will help you feel less isolated and deprived of a normal life. If your loved one cannot attend with you, arrange for their care with family, friends, or through an agency. Be aware that having fun, laughing, and focusing on subjects other than caregiving and ill health, will help to keep you in emotional balance.

* Use Adult Day Care: Enrolling elderly loved ones in Adult Day Care is often the very best thing for them, as well as for you. They'll be busy enjoying activities like singing, crafts, cooking, gardening, bingo, etc., with professionals who know how to motivate and manage them. They'll come home tired and probably sleep through the night. When you get several hours respite during the day and sleep better at night--your caregiving batteries will recharge.

* Seek Professional Help: Numerous resources are available to help caregivers. Consider hiring a Geriatric Care Manager, who can personally guide you through the complicated maze of eldercare. Also, many faith-based organizations offer support to family caregivers.

-Area Agency on Aging or Department of Aging

-Family Caregiver Support Program (800) 422-3263

-Eldercare Locator (800) 677-1116

-Alzheimer's Association (800) 272-3900

-National Family Caregivers Association (800) 896-3650

-National Adult Day Services Association (212) 494-0755

* Shift Perspective: Resolve to stay in the present, savor the good moments, and guard against focusing on the decline of your loved one. Imagine yourself in their position, needing a caregiver to do things for you all of the time. Now ask yourself what you'd want for your loved ones who'd be taking care of you? Would you want them to be continually sad, depressed, burdened, isolated, and not living up to their potential or following their dreams--because of you? Of course not.

Realize that your happiness is what your loved one wants most for you (even if it doesn't seem like it), and that you do them honor by living a balanced and fulfilled life, which includes enjoying holidays.

###

Jacqueline Marcell is a national speaker on eldercare and the author of, "Elder Rage", a Book-of-the-Month Club selection being considered for a feature film. Over fifty endorsements include: Hugh Downs, Regis Philbin and Dr. Dean Edell. Jacqueline also hosts a radio program heard worldwide on: http://www.wsradio.com/copingwithcaregiving . For more information: http://www.ElderRage.com

Permission is granted to publish all/part of this article free of charge as long as: the author's byline is included, the links are live, and the author is notified: J.Marcell@cox.net or 949-975-1012.

Technology and Stress- How to Prevent Technology From Taking Over Your Life

2007-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

1. 5-minute rule. How many times do we say, "This will only take 5 minutes" and it ends up taking 20 minutes, making you late for an appointment or client! Anytime you think that something will take you 5 minutes, add on 10-15 minutes

2. Remember, the news will always be there. You don't need to print out every article you find over the internet! There will ALWAYS be information out there, so try not to worry that if you throw out this article, all is lost. You can always conduct research at a later date. Avoid paper/clutter build up.

3. Find one planner that works for you. Don't buy an electronic planner just because you think you should have one or because everyone else has one! If your thinking flows easily typing in a keyboard, you're more likely to look for something through a word search than trying to remember where it is, and you don't need a visual overview of a month or week to picture it, then you may prefer an Electronic planner.

If your thinking flows easiest when writing things down, you often remember where on a page you wrote something, and you enjoy writing things on paper, then you probably would work best with a Paper planner. Once you decide what type of planner is best for you, keep it with you at all times and write down your tasks, appointments, and to-do lists. A seemingly obvious tip but not obvious to everyone!

Rebekah Slatkin is a professional organizer dedicated to getting people organized through hands-on decluttering sessions, teleconferencing, coaching, and her website http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com Visit http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com and subscribe to Organewz, her ezine dedicated to organized living and get organizing tips and downloads- free.

7 Tips to Help You De-stress & Handle Your Problems

2007-07-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

Life would be so wonderful if it weren't for other people. Let's face it, people will upset you. They will say things that will hurt your feeling.

And no matter how well you plan, problems and challenges will pop up. You will be stressed out. But it's your responsibility to do something to feel better.

Here are 7 tips that can help you right away:

1) Don't just sit there. Move! According to many psychologists, motion creates emotion. You might notice that when you are idle, it's easier to become depressed. Your heart rate slows down, less oxygen travels to your brain, and you are slumped somewhere in a chair blocking air from reaching your lungs.

I challenge you right now, regardless of how you are feeling, to get up and walk around at a fast tempo. Maybe you might want to go to an empty room and jump up and down a little bit. It may sound silly but the results speak for themselves. Try it now for a few minutes. It works like magic.

2) Smell the roses. How do you smell the roses? How about investing some money to go on that one trip you've been dreaming about? Visit a country with lots of exotic places to jolt your imagination and spur your creativity. You need to detach from your daily activities and venture a little bit.

3) Get some company. If you're like me, you have many acquaintances, but you only have a few true friends. This isn't because I'm introverted. It is because I'm very selective about who I let enter my territory. I have worked too hard to build my house-my dream-and I won't let anyone destroy it for me in the blink of an eye.

When you're feeling down, call your true friends and share what it is that you're going through. Ask for their advice or input. While their advice or suggestions may be helpful, often you'll find that simply verbalizing your problems will help you feel better.

4) Help others cope with their problems. It is very therapeutic when you engross yourself in helping others. You will be surprised how many people's problems are worse than those you may be facing. You can offer others assistance in countless ways. Don't curl up in your bed and let depression and stress take hold of you.

Get out and help somebody. There are many charitable organizations that can use your help right now. My dear cousin Barbara reads to the blind. Call the National Federation of the Blind so that they can tell you how to get involved.

5) Laugh a little. By now you've heard that laughter is a good internal medicine. It relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases a chemical that rids the body of pains.

Every day, researchers discover new benefits of laughter. Let me ask you this question: "Can you use a good dose of belly-shaking laughter every now and then?" Of course you can. What you are waiting for? Go a comedy club or rent some funny movies.

6) Visit third world countries. Nothing is more humbling than to visit a poor country and see first hand what other human beings go through just to survive. Most people who have taken such trips come back with a deep and profound sense of gratitude and appreciation.

They realize how much they've taken for granted without ever realizing it. I encourage you to travel whenever you can afford to do so. You're not too busy. Do it for you. Your life will never be the same.

7) Wear your knees uut. If there were one sustainable remedy I could offer you when the going gets tough, it would be prayer. Many people, depending on their faith, might call it meditation. It doesn't matter to me what you call it, as long as you have a place to run to.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Religions are crossroads converging upon the point." Well, I don't often discuss religion, and I don't know what works for you; but Christianity is the way I know. However, I am sensitive enough to respect your faith. My whole point is that when everything else fails, prayer works!

This article is an excerpt from Rene Godefroy's best-seller No Condition is Permanent. Rene is a motivational speaker that boosts morale and rekindles the spirit in the workplace. For more info about the book, visit Motivational Speaker

10 Ways to Monitor Corporate Stress Levels

2007-07-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what exactly is up with Stress-Management? This informative report can give you an insight into everything you've ever wanted to know about Stress-Management.

10 Ways to Monitor Corporate Stress Levels

Good military leaders work hard to balance the

positive and negative stress. Positive stress

encourages high performance. Dissension stress

degrades individual and unit potentiality. The best

leaders know how to use positive stress to get the most out of their personnel. And they know how ton tone things down to when negative stress threatens productivity The Army is fanatic about training officers and sergeants to take care of the troops. And these well - trained leaders are zealous about carrying out their responsibilities. The soldiers in their talent don't always realize why these leaders areso focused on having everything ready - - personnel, equipment, and training 100 percent ready. Planed the most personable leaders are sometimes accused of managing " by the book " or of being too concerned with their own personal recognition and

promotion. But those who make these allegations,

miss the point. Just the opposite is true.

These " fanatic " leaders are primarily interested

in the welfare of their troops. They yen to

complete the unit commission with minimum personnel

loss. Strict discipline, intensive and complete

training, and legion inspections are prerequisite

for combat readiness.

Failing to enforce regulations, conduct prodigious

inspections, or practice combat readiness is

tantamount to dereliction of duty. The extra

effort that goes into intensive training programs

creates additional stress in the unit, but less

persistent commanders all told endanger their

troops and their mission when they fail to

schedule training that teaches troops how to deal

with stress.

- - - Detecting Stress - - -

Some corporate jobs are just as stressful as

military assignments. And some ongoing business

situations are as stressful as armed combat. You

can gem the stressed employees by monitoring the

frequency of the conditions such as:

1. Anxiety

2 Indecisiveness

3. Cat fit

4. Complaining

5. Forgetfulness

6. Loss of self confidence

7. Argumentativeness

8. Insomnia

9. Rapid emotional shifts

10. Physical exhaustion

- - - How to objectively measure stress - - -

Privacy laws prevent accumulation of inherent

medical histories. But there are ways to get a

handle on what's going on in your company.

Here are some practical ways to moderator mark current

levels and monitor future stress related

conditions.

1. Absences - require strict reporting. Watch for changes or trends; The more absenteeism, the greater the chance that stress is a factor.

2. Tardiness - Develop a daily report and weekly summaries. Are some departments worse than others? Are people arriving late because they creeps the upcoming stress?

3. Medical claims - Seek generic information from your health insurance company on the number and expense of medical claims. Docket information by standing of disease and observe how the frequency of visits compares to major corporate activities or stressful times of year. You might find that stressful periods coincide with or precede an increase in medical claims.

4. Professional help - Experts can analyze the ways stress might be at the outset of physical ailments. They can help you enjoin the cause - and - effect relationships that escape the attention of those who aren't as well trained in stress control. In the fast-paced world that we live in today, it seems as though it's hard to find enough time to do everything that needs to be done. Days at work are long, but too often don't seem to be long enough? we bring
home what we can't finish and end up creating highly stressful situations for those around us. 5. Complaints or grievances - Keep records by department. Those with a greater numbers of complaints are probably ready for some stress - control strategies.

6. Accident reports - Analyze occurrence reports from the perspective of stress involvement. Analyze how stress might have been the root cause of accidents.

7. Errors in judgment or misstatements. Develop a log of individual errors in knowledge and misstatements. If certain employees are prone to making misstatements, they are apt to errors in judgment. Monitor their adjudication making to evaluate the cost of stress for your company.

8. Personal relationships - Note changes in the way people relate to each other and the types of movement that cause some people to become more argumentative. You can use this information to control stress for the replete organization or for specific individuals who are more sensitive to stressful situations.

9. Customer assistance problems - Review customer service problems from a stress perspective. Determine whether some kind of stress reduction could improve relations with customers or reduce the symbol of errors involved with order taking, preparation, shipping, or invoicing.

10. Quality problems - Count in your quality reports a description of stress - related activities occurring before and during the period in question. Watch for trends among especial employees or departments. Try to find the causes of stress and what can be done to control the stress reactions Corporate leaders and managers sometimes try to manage the stressed people by using bounteous demands and closer supervision. Instead, you should use stress - reducing techniques to manage the
stressors. While the defiance remedies of dictatorial managers know-how get short - term improvement from stressed employees, such relief is usually only temporary. The numerous ought and focus on details typically generates even more stress, and the problems shift from slight distractions, such as back pain, headaches, and inattention, to more drastic reactions such as absenteeism and medical problems, both good indicators that stress levels need attention. Just as in the Army, most
leaders must be taught to manage stress and to observe for negative stress reactions. All managers need to interpret the importance of positive stress in maximizing accuracy and productivity. And they need to know how to control the negative stress for the benefit of those involved and the bottom line. If you don't have qualified mace in your company, outside consultants and trainers can help you evaluate homely stress levels and train everyone involved. Remember, stress control is a
leadership encumbrance. To learn more about controlling the top workplace stressors, request a free 3 - session light course by

sending a blank email to 3sessionstress@sendfree.com

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a
Fast Burden top 50 innovative leader. Concoct of " Winning Under Fire. "
( McGraw - Hummock ) collie@couragebuilders.com