7 Healthy Ways To Release Holiday Stress

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.

By Catherine Franz

Entertaining Without Stress

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.

By Indra A Books

Stress Management Shouldnt Create More Stress. 10 Ways To Reduce Unreasonable Stress and Boost Perf

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.

By Dr William Robb

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.

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!

By Lisa Branigan

Stress Management Techniques

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

By Judy H. Wright

Stress In The Workplace

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.

By Lisa Branigan

Stress And How To Avoid It

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!

By Peter Sachford

Stress Busting Strategies

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.

By Garrett Coan

Are YOU Controlling Stress So Stress Does Not Control YOU?

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

By Vera Haitayan

Seven Simple Steps to a Stress-Free Start

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.

By Pamela Hatheway

10 Symptoms of Workplace Stress

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.

Get my article about controlling the top ten workplace stressors by sending blank email MailTo:10stressors@couragebuilders.com

Copyright 2005

You may edit this article for length or content to fit your space and audience requirements and publish electronically or in print free of charge. Include my full byline and add a hyperlink for web postings. When you publish, please send a courtesy link or email to collie@couragebuilders.com

Dale CollieBy

Stressed? Go on a Quick Getaway

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.

By Michele Webb

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

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.

By Just as Polish

3 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress

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.

By Marla

Army Ranger Reveals How to Control Corporate Stress

"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one." Hans Selye - the "father of stress" and founder of the Canadian Institute of Stress.

Every worker in America has heard of individual stress management techniques -- relaxation, meditation, and visualization -- good tools for getting through stressful periods. But if they're so great, why do we still have all this stress?

We're going to need something more than mood music, aroma therapy, and comfortable lighting to get beyond the stress of today's workplace. We're going to need management's attention because stress control is a leadership responsibility.

The US Army has plenty of experience with stress control as front line leaders strive to keep GIs on the job. Traditionally, the US Army has lost as many soldiers to stress as to enemy gunfire - a ratio of 1:1. The most elite units trim this loss to a ratio of 1:10 - one stress loss for every 10 wounded soldiers.

Regardless of the ratio, every front line soldier is critical to winning the battle. Commanders know that controlling stress under fire is as critical as food, fuel, and ammunition. The same holds true for corporate America. You can't get high productivity with high absenteeism.

Combat leaders watch for stress symptoms and take action. They are taught to "Know your troops, and be alert for any sudden, persistent or progressive change in their behavior that threatens the functioning and safety of your unit." (FM 6-22.5, "Combat Stress")

Specifically, front line leaders are taught to help overstressed soldiers in six ways:

Army Step 1. Reassurance

Corporate Solution: Some people need contact with the boss to assure them that things will turn out ok. Spend time to find out worker's concerns. Ask for their observations on recent events. Find out what they think about upcoming changes. Ask for their advice -- they'll admire you for demonstrating your trust. Simple remarks showing your confidence in workers can make a big difference.

Army Step 2. Rest and sleep

Corporate Solution: Its worth your while to offer some additional time off if stress is interfering with performance. Consider giving additional breaks to relieve mental and physical fatigue. Improved productivity will more than pay for the unstructured breaks that over-stressed workers will take on their own.

Find out what's needed to help employees get more rest at home. Bring in experts to teach the importance of rest and relaxation. Take a look at that overtime schedule; the extra work might be taking its toll in absenteeism, illness, accidents, and attitudes.

Army Step 3. Food and fluids

Corporate Solutions: You can influence how people eat by getting experts to teach the importance of proper nutrition. Make sure nutritious snacks are available alongside the junk food in vending machines. Provide healthy snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon when energy levels begin to fade. The investment will pay off in better performance. Reward good health.

Army Step 4. Hygiene - bathing, clean uniforms

Corporate Solution: A scheduled break to get cleaned up before lunch or after a hard day of dirty work can pay off in a big way. Make sure everyone has the right protective clothing for the job. Extreme temperature and dampness create stress that can be easily relieved by proper apparel and hygiene breaks. And, as surprising as it might seem, some employees do not have running water at home.

Not all of them have hot water. Not all of them have washing machines. Make these things available at your workplace or find alternatives. One-time arrangements can go a long way in helping stressed workers get their emotions under control and get their productivity up where it belongs.

Army Step 5. Discussion - A chance to talk about what happened, to tell war stories

Corporate Solution: Everyone benefits from a chance to tell about what went on. Some people are more sensitive than others. There is often great value in routine meetings to kick off the shift or explain the day's activities. Scheduling time before or after meetings to talk about what happened can relieve stress for those in the spot light. Team discussions after sales calls can help stressed workers understand the results and focus on what needs to be done.

In times of high stress, some people need to talk about what happened to others around them - family members, community tragedies. Managers can handle the day-to-day conversations and experts are available to address major stressors. Help workers tell their "war stories."

Army Step 6. Restoring identity and confidence with useful work

Corporate Solution: As soon as possible, over stressed workers need to return to their positions of responsibility. They need to see that (a) they can perform well (b) that management recognizes their efforts (c) and that life goes on. Emphasize small accomplishments. Find reasons to reward each person for their achievements.

GIs usually return to their jobs after a short rest, a hot shower, a chat with their supervisor, and a warm meal. Your people can do the same. Most of the time, they can continue in their jobs if you pay attention to their basic needs.

Watch for high stress period in your business cycle and schedule time to work on these six steps. You'll improve productivity and the workplace environment by taking care of your people. Your investment of time and money will be rewarded in better performance and lower costs.

Work with your human resources experts to assist those who are beyond your ability. Let the professionals take care of the severe cases while you take care of your other employees and get the work done.

Can you identify employees who are suffering from stress? Do you know what to do about it? Evaluate employee problems with an eye toward stress control. Send a blank email to toptenstressors@couragebuilders.com for a f`r`e`e article about the top ten causes of workplace stress.



By Dale Collie

Coping With Stress

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!

By Lesley Cordero

9 Warning Signs of Stress

Stress is the nastiest 4 letter word you ever met. Don't stress, I know it is six letters but it packs the wallop of the meanest 4 letter word you ever heard.

Stress can affect your health and keep you from being all you can be to borrow a phrase recently made popular by the U.S. Army.

Psychologists, scientists and those who study this particular beast say its origins may be physical, financial, environmental, social or emotional. I say that covers everything in which we as humans engage so to bypass a long discourse, let's just say stress is all around us and manifests itself through one or more of the aforementioned categories.

Given this is true, there must exist commonalities that are recognizable so, if we choose, we can deal with it regardless of its particular origin. Of course, the medical types may disagree and say its source must be known before treatment.

I don't know about you, but just sitting in a waiting room stresses me out. Therefore, I'd rather have general recognition parameters so I can at least sound intelligent should I have to transmit my self diagnosis to my doctor.

This way, we both have something we possibly recognize and may be can come to the same conclusion about it. Then, we can discuss treatment.

If you think this way, the following 9 warning signs will be what the doctor ordered, pun intended.

1. Anger at parents, siblings, friends. Comes on suddenly with no apparent real cause.

2. You feel overwhelmed at what use to be routine and want to withdraw to get away from it all.

3. Anxiety and/or constant worry are your new companions.

4. Depression and a lack of pleasure not only in what you used to enjoy but in everything.

5. Exhaustion accompanied by sleeplessness where you were at least half way energetic and enjoyed a tumble with the pillow.

6. If you have chronic conditions, they seem to be worsening yet your activity level hasn't changed.

7. You are irritable at the drop of a hat. Anyone, anytime can trigger your irritation.

8. You no longer have the ability to concentrate. Your are disorganized and devil may care about it.

9. You let your appearance and/or your environment (home, work area, etc.) go to the dogs.

I know these are mostly general in nature, but think about it for a moment. Most of us non stressed homo sapiens don't get angry or irritated at the least little thing, we get an almost good night's sleep with regularity, our tasks/job doesn't overwhelm us and we love what we love and we continue to do them.

I present this list because as a former caregiver, I noticed it happening to care receivers and some caregivers. If 4 or more of these conditions apply, it is time to have a talk with someone. It is time to stop and smell the coffee/roses/catnip or whatever you like to smell.

It is your life and your health. As long as you have the power to control them, why wouldn't you?

By Tom Koziol

Stress Managment: How to Beat the Get By Syndrome

I'm sure you have heard of IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, a painful and difficult-to-treat digestive disease.

Well, there is another disease that is also painful and difficult to treat. I call it GBS - Get By Syndrome.

GBS is characterized by the tendency to sell yourself and others short, to believe that minimal effort is "good enough." Just doing "good enough" is a habit that is easy to acquire and difficult to break.

The problem is that "good enough" never is.

In business, if you do less than is expected, customers will talk about you in negative ways. If you just do what is expected - good enough - no one is likely to say anything about you at all. If you do more that what is expected, people will rave about you.

We can develop GBS in our homes and relationships as well. Many people get up in the morning, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch TV, go to bed, get up the next day, and just as it says on the shampoo bottle, rinse and repeat the same thing as the day before.

At the end of the day spent living by the Get By Syndrome, you don't settle easy, because the day has not been good enough. At the end of a life lived by GBS, you'll have lots of regrets.

The solution is to raise the bar of expectations of yourself in your own life.

Doing just a little bit more than the next guy in business, finding some creative ways to say I love you at home, can change your days and your life. And the good news is that it really is not a difficult habit to develop.

Just one more repetition when you are working out, one more minute spent playing with your kids, one more phone call to take care of a customer - that's all it takes to make a significant difference.

Here's my challenge to you to beat Get By Syndrome: For one week, do just a little bit extra at home and at work. Pay attention to two things: how you feel differently and the response of those around you

Stress Relief - A Backyard Hot Tub Is Your Answer

We all know what it's like coming home from a busy day and needing some fast relaxation and stress relief. Many people choose to reach for that quick drink; but why not soak your stresses away? One of the best ways you can sit outside and enjoy the backyard is to install a hot tub and let the water bring relief from stresses and strains of the day. Ancient civilizations realized the healing power of natural hot and cold springs. The Romans built baths because they believed in the value of hot springs. Hippocrates prescribed bathing and drinking spring water for its therapeutic effects in the 4th century B.C. Water healing or hydrotherapy has been used effectively in Europe for thousands of years. There are numerous water healing facilities available. Hydrotherapy is one of the oldest, inexpensive and safest methods for treating many common problems and bringing stress relief.

Thanks to the Jacuzzi brothers; a huge hot tub and spa industry with many manufacturers has grown for our benefit. These brothers also realized the benefits of moving warm water early on and developed a pump that would become the jets in a regular tub. We have them to thank. The hot tubs of today are extremely high tech and know just where to place the jets for optimum relief. The new tubs can be customized to include televisions, lights, music and more. You can even install a remote control that will turn on the tub and get the water warm from anywhere with a cell phone; now that's convenience. You might consider the style of hot tub that offers seating in a vertical position. You don't always want to be in a lounging position. Spas and hot tubs are good for whole body treatments and the water should come to shoulder level for maximum stress relief. A hot tub is soothing to the nerves and helpful for bladder and urinary problems, mild colds and low fevers. A dip in the hot tub should last at least 20 minutes. Hot tubs magically circulate warm water & air through a system of high pressure jets to provide therapeutic muscle stimulation and relax anyone in the tub. These jets are clustered to massage specific groups of muscles at the same time. They can be directed to stream in a moving pattern and air can be injected for a tingling, bubbling sensation. You can concentrate these jets in a particular body part just as a massage therapist could do as well. Do you feel the knots in your neck? Position the jets to pulsate on those knots and you will feel better.

Water has such great therapeutic properties it's no wonder that more people are buying spas and hot tubs for their master baths or backyards. You can find tubs that are just for the two of you if you are empty nesters, or look for one that is big enough for the whole family and the neighborhood. Never underestimate the benefits from the warm water when it comes to relieving stress. Don't let the stresses of the world ruin the end of your day. Get in your spa or hot tubs and just enjoy.

By Beverly Marshall