Stress Management Blog..#Don't Be Stress #

Whatever your personal circumstances, with the continuous onslaught of negative news recently, many of us, including many of my life coaching clients, are having trouble hushing our minds and relaxing. The truth is, though, our bodies, minds, work, and lives eventually suffer from keeping ourselves in a condition of extended stress. The secret is to grab hold of yourself when feeling stressed, choose to do something to relieve the stress, and commit to an action that will improve the way you’re feeling. And, while there are a multitude of things we can do and people we can turn to help us manage and reduce stress, these are 5 easy 15-minute stress-busters we can integrate into our lives now that can be amazingly successful for reducing stress.

1. Meditation: Most of us have heard about the benefits of meditation, but don’t integrate it into our lives for a number of reasons. One of the greatest things about meditation, though, is that it’s easy to integrate it into almost any part of your day no matter where you are. Implementing a fairly brief, simple practice can provide tremendous results in eliminating stress and producing a relaxed mind and body. If you’re not sure where to start, there’s a lot of information on the web, but it’s also as simple as stopping for 15 dedicated minutes. One simple way to start is by placing yourself in a quiet place where nothing or no one will disrupt you. Set an alarm for yourself so you’re not worried about time and sit tall and comfortably in a chair with uncrossed legs and arms or sit on the floor in a comfortable position. Then close your eyes, and begin to breath deeply through your nose. Focus your mind solely on your breathing. And, breathe deeply and evenly. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the sense of your breath. It’s that easy.

2. Music: If you stop and think about how much music you listen to on a daily and weekly basis, what would your answer be? Because of our fast-paced, multi-tasking lifestyles and the diminished presence and accessibility of pure music (by “pure” I mean delivered completely through your ears and not synched to images) in our culture at the moment, it wouldn’t be uncommon for you to answer that you’re not listening too much pure music…especially without interruption. Like meditation, though, the research around the positive effects of music on the human body and mind is remarkable, specifically around the dissipating stress and promoting physical wellness. Here are a few suggestions for incorporating music regularly into your life: Listen to your iPod or a CD during your commute rather than listening to or reading the news (if you “need to know the news,” spend the last 15 minutes of your commute listening to a favorite CD or collection of songs); Listen to music you love during your lunch hour-by yourself; Start your morning at home with music you love-you can use this time to share the encounter of music with your children or your partner; ask your friends what internet radio stations and online music subscription services exist that you might want to assist you with your work and home life (you might be excited and inspired about all the wonderful new music that you didn’t even know was out there!) ; and/or, replace the habit of switching on the TV every night with listening to a favorite album or music on the radio.

3. Outdoor Breaks: Don’t let a day go by without going outside because regular workdays like this begin to diminish us. Schedule a daily 15-minute outdoor walk break in the afternoon, and really make it “a break” (no work!). Make it something you commit to and something you’re serious about by scheduling it into your calendar (this goes for any other stress-busting exercise you decide to incorporate into your afternoon). Not only is breathing fresh air rejuvenating, physically moving rather than sitting and changing our surroundings is energizing.

4. Laughter: If you’re having trouble getting rid of stress and tension and you feel that some light-hearted laughter is really what you’re desire, take a laughter break. If you’re at home, the sky’s the limit for belly-splitting material on the internet that will get you rolling (Youtube show postings, The Onion, The Comedy Central, iTunes podcasts by comedians, etc.), and if you’re at work, start collecting work-appropriate humorous books, papers, or magazines that you can have ready. You’ll be able to reach for a favorite piece whenever you’re in need of a laughter break.

5. Express and Connect: Whether it’s calling someone who is upbeat and positive in your life for a 15-minute talk or journaling your feelings for 15 minutes to unite with your feelings, expressing yourself can help unshackle you from your stress. Before you dial that number, ask yourself if you can expect that the person you’re calling is likely to be an uplifting presence and resist the urge to call someone to simply kvetch. More often than not, that adds to the stress you’re already feeling.