Quantum Consciousness

Technorati Tags: breath, Higher Consciousness, Improve Breathing, Natural State Of Being, relaxation, Stress Management

written by admin \\ tags: breath, Higher Consciousness, Improve Breathing, Natural State Of Being, relaxation, Stress Management

Technorati Tags: anxiety, depression, Kinesiology

written by admin \\ tags: anxiety, depression, Kinesiology

Technorati Tags: sleep apnea, sleep cd, sleep meditation, sounds of healing

written by admin \\ tags: sleep apnea, sleep cd, sleep meditation, sounds of healing

As a Life Coach, and after coaching many clients, I have found
that to effectively manage time, we need to first realise that
time itself cannot be managed! We all get seven days a week and
168 hours within those seven days. This cannot be increased or
changed in any way. However, what we can change, improve and
manage is ourselves. In essence then, true time management now
becomes management of ourselves - “self management!”

So being aware of this, we now know that it’s not the amount of
time we have that’s important; it’s how effectively we use that
time that makes the difference. Successful people have exactly
the same amount of time in the day as each of us. The only
difference is they use their time differently - more effectively.

You might say “I don’t have the time to commit to learning some
time management skills”. I get this all the time during life
coaching sessions, but the fact is if this were true, do you
really think you have the time not to?

Time management principles and techniques are usually quite
simple to learn. They do not require deep thinking, a high I.Q
or lots of preparation. In fact if you were to put the search
term “Time Management Resources” into a search engine you will
get dozens of websites offering help, advice, tips and
suggestions on how to manage and prioritise your time.

To sum time management up I would say you need to ask yourself
two questions:

1. Do I physically have enough time to do the tasks that are
required of me? We only have so much time. Sometimes it’s not
always physically possible to fit everything in. If this is the
case then you need to prioritise and drop some of the low
priority task/activities to claim some time back.

2. Do I fully optimise and use my time effectively? If the
answer is NO then you might want to learn and implement some
time management principles and techniques.

Below is a list of some time management (self management)
techniques and tips that work for to me. You may find a couple
of them helpful yourself. They are in no particular order.

• Figure out when (what time of the day?) you work most
efficiently.

• Establish your priorities for what you want to get done.
Identify the tasks and activities that are the highest priority
and eliminate those of low priority.

• Allow more time than you think you will need. This makes your
schedule flexible and allows for the unexpected.

• Get into the habit of using your odd five minutes here and
there more productively. Don’t just dismiss it as only five
minutes - they add up throughout the week!

• Accomplish one or two important tasks rather than lots
unimportant ones.

• Keep a calendar/diary. Mark all your important dates/tasks.

• Keep a list of “Things to Do” and mark them off as completed.

• Every day make a list of what you have to do tomorrow.

• When possible do the unpleasant tasks first.

• Tidiness makes your life easier and reduces stress.

• Allow time to relax, recharge and do nothing.

• Leave time in your schedule for un-planned activities. • Know
your strengths, skills and weakness.

• Ask yourself, “What am I doing that someone else could do for
me?” Delegate!

• Don’t be scared to ask for help

• Bin things straight away to reduce the clutter (junk mail,
newspapers and spam email etc).

• Divide large overwhelming tasks into smaller chunks, and
attack them one at a time.

• Complete at least one task each day that you don’t like to do,
but know you should.

• Realise that all your email checking, surfing the internet and
other procrastinations add up to hours of lost time each week
(sometime even each day!)

• Watch less T.V. If you watch T.V for three hours a day from
the age of five years old, by the time you are fifty five the
amount of T.V you will have watched will be the equivalent to
watching non-stop 24 hours a day for six years and three months.
If you cut this down by just one hour a day, so then only watch
two hours of T.V, you will have gained back over two years worth
of time.

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Everyone has heard of road rage incidents wherein usually calm and responsible people “snap” and commit an aggressive or violent act. Turns out, that “losing one’s temper” can occur in many different life situations and cause serious emotional or physical harm to others. It is a pattern in which tension builds until an explosion brings relief, followed later by regret, embarrassment, or guilt. Called “Intermittent Explosive Disorder”(IED),it is defined by attacks of impulsive rage that seem out of proportion to the immediate provocation and has serious consequences such as verbal abuse, threats, property damage, assaults, and injury.

HOW COMMON IS IT?
As reported in the September, 2006 edition of “Harvard Mental Health Letter,” recent research on IED is showing that this condition is more common and more destructive than anyone had supposed. One study showed that people with more severe cases (at least three rage attacks in one year) averaged 56 life-time attacks resulting in an average of $1600 worth of property damage and 23 incidents in which someone required medical attention.

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE THESE EPISODES?
According to research, the percentages suffering from this disorder are about the same for men and women, blacks and whites. Only age made a difference. Younger people were more likely than older people to show these uncontrolled rage episodes. As you might suspect, persons who suffer from IED are more at risk for other emotional problems because of the increased stress in their lives.

WHAT CAUSES THE ATTACKS?
Behavior patterns such as rage attacks are complex. Scientists do not yet have the answers as to what triggers rage episodes but it may have to do with brain chemistry problems as well as the outlook that people have about life and attitudes about how to handle life frustrations and stress.

WHAT TREATMENTS HELP?
According to the Harvard Letter, “Anger management through a combination of cognitive restructuring, coping skills training and relaxation training look promising.” This means that to control rage, people need to learn how to think differently about life events, and to learn specific skills to deal with common anger “triggers.” One of the recommended skills is that of learning to deal with stress through relaxation training.

Other skills that anger management clients have found to be extremely useful include:

• developing empathy toward others (seeing the world as they see it)
• taking charge of how you respond to stress, rather than just reacting instinctively
• changing self-talk to create different emotions in response to anger triggers
• learning to communicate assertively rather than with anger
• letting go of resentments, grievances and grudges
• retreating to think things over and calming down before blowing up in rage

HOW CAN YOU FIND A PROGRAM THAT TEACHES THESE SKILLS?
Anger management programs are becoming more common across the country. The following resources provide directories of qualified providers, some of which teach the specific skills listed above:

• National Anger Management Association(NAMA)

• American Association of Anger Management Providers

• Century Anger Management which specifically trains providers in the listed anger control skills

In addition, there are a variety of home-study and online programs appearing on the internet. The quality of these programs vary a great deal, so it is prudent and wise to pick one that is authored by credible mental health professionals and is approved or certified by state agencies (although unfortunately most states do not approve or disapprove anger management programs) or other professional bodies.

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With the hectic life that most people lead in today’s world, reducing stress has become a vital skill. With work stress, school stress, family stress, teen stress, parent stress, and a whole host of other kinds of stress continually knocking on the door, it has become vital to manage stress in order to keep up with everything needs to be done. Though reducing stress is difficult, it can be done with a little effort and a little dedication to improving yourself.

The first thing to do when reducing stress is to get enough sleep at night. Yes, there is always something that needs to be done and there are projects that need to be taken care of and there is always something that should get done before you go to bed and there is still one more television show to watch, but that is exactly the problem. By spending too much of the evening worrying about everything that needs doing and trying too hard to get it all done right now, you are not helping yourself. Rather, you are increasing your stress to an alarming level. If you need to get things done, then do yourself a favor and just get them out of the way before you sit down in front of the television. When they are done, then you can relax and not worry about everything that needs to get done after the show is over.

The next things you need to do are to eat right and exercise. No, it doesn’t seem like taking care of physical needs with help with a mental issue such as reducing stress, but there is a connection. After all, the brain is part of the body and when the body is working right, the brain will be more effective. By putting the right nutrients into your body, you will be feeding the brain as well as the muscles and you will be able to think clearly and concentrate more effectively. As well, when you are getting all your fruits and vegetables and whole grains, you will have more energy and be less susceptible to fatigue. After all, fatigue clouds the mind and a cloudy mind is a mind that tends to wander. And, when you mind wanders, you will not be getting things done. Thus, projects and tasks will pile up, giving you even more to be stressed about.

Additionally, exercising routinely will help you keep stress at bay. When you exercise routinely, you are more aware when you are awake and you sleep better at night, both of which are very good for reducing stress. This is because exercise helps you release hormones into your body that make you feel better, both mentally and physically. And this effect is not limited to the time when you are exercising. In fact, these hormones stay in your body even after you are done exercising, so that you will feel better all day. If you can, try to work out in the morning to get that hormonal burst before you begin your day. Or, if you cannot work out in the morning, at least exercise in the early evening so that you will at least have a body that will be ready for a good night’s sleep and ready for the following day.

Another great technique for reducing stress is through proper time management. Let’s face it, most people spend most of their day spinning their wheels as they move from one project or task to another, making them incapable of focusing on what they are doing. However, with a time management system in place, your day can be mapped out in the morning so that you are able to complete tasks one at a time. Then, with each little success, you will be able to feel the relief of knowing that there is one less thing to worry about.

Finally, you can help lower your stress levels by taking regular vacations. The best advice is to take one week off every year so that you can recharge your batteries and face the world again. By getting away and traveling, you can feel the relief of simply leaving it all behind. Getting out of the house, the city, or even the country is an excellent way of reducing stress and, when you get back, you will come back refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to get back to the tasks of daily life.

By reducing stress, you can feel better, work better, be more sociable, and improve your health. Stress is very hard on the body and the mind, so managing it should be a priority. Thus, with a little effort, a little time, and the dedication to do the right things for yourself, you can keep your mind clear and keep yourself moving forward. Then, once you have mastered the art of reducing stress, you will also have the pleasure of not having to worry about stress.

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While all stress must be managed, it is a mistake to think of all stress as bad. Some stress can be very good. Look at the following brief definitions.

* Stress is your body’s response to any demands made on it.

* Situations or events that cause stress are called “stressors”.

* A bad or detrimental stressor is called “distress”. “Di” means “two” in Greek. Think of double trouble. Distress is a disabling or crippling stress.

* A good or beneficial stressor is called “eustress”. “Eu” means “good” in Greek. Think of joy and laughter. Eustress is a pleasant or a healing stress.

Examples of Good Stress - Eustress

Good stress may, like all stress, seem too much to handle emotionally or physically - but good stress does not drain you of power. Its very nature energizes you, helping you handle more than you thought possible.

1. Life-saving stress. You may have experienced, or heard of, an accident in which someone was pinned under a heavy vehicle. The physical demand of lifting that vehicle might seem impossible, but the good stress of that impossibility provided the rush of adrenalin needed for someone to lift the incredible weight.

2. Stage Stress. The actor who waits for the curtain to rise often experiences eustress, or good stress. The good stress helps him or her to focus and remember opening lines, despite the feeling that the demand is too great.

3. Earning power stress. You lost your job, and try as you might, you seem unable to get another. The emotional demands of trying to make ends meet is causing stress, but it turns out to be good stress because it pushes you beyond what you thought you could do. It pressures you to keep trying until you land a job.

4. Job Interview Stress. The oral interview for that new job is much more than you feel ready to tackle. The emotional demand seems too great, but good stress kicks in, supplying you with clear thinking and ability to express your thoughts in ways that will be of positive help to your interview.

5. New job stress. You want to make a good impression on that new job. Landing the job is a positive in your life, but the demands of learning the job seem more than you feel you can handle. Good stress presses you to apply yourself, focus, and succeed.

6. Winning Score Stress. The athlete in a close competition looks at the score board. The score is tied, with less than a minute remaining. He or she needs a competitive edge if the winning score is to be made. Good stress supplies that competitive edge. The athlete concentrates, the mind clears, and the score is made.

7. Final Examination Stress. You are going to take an important examination. You feel stress, certain you are unable to do as well as you want. That good stress will drive you to prepare, and to think clearly and quickly during the exam.

8. Wedding Day Stress. Few people think their wedding day calls for stress management. That’s because a wedding is viewed as a happy, positive step. At the same time, your wedding may raise doubts as to your ability to meet the demands of a new life. That beneficial stress will send adrenalin racing through your body, giving you that “competitive edge” that makes you fight off your doubts.

Those are but a handful of examples of eustress - beneficial stress.

You cannot avoid stress, nor should you want to. You especially do not want to avoid good stress.

Stress Management - Good Stress

Managed properly, beneficial stress energizes you and clarifies your thinking. It helps you focus, providing the edge you need to attain goals that would otherwise be unattainable. Learn the techniques needed to manage eustress, and you will find it an enjoyable experience.

Stressors are neither good nor bad in and of themselves. They become good or bad based on how your body reacts to the stressors. Your body reacts according to how you train it, or tell it to react.

5 Steps for managing eustress.

* Identify the stressor. When the first twinges of stress hit, identify the situation or event that is causing it. What is it that makes you feel you are emotionally or physically unable to handle the stressor? Name it.

* Describe the stressor. Pull it into the open and look closely at it. Is it something your body really cannot be expected to handle emotionally or physically? How big is it? How long will it last?

* Differentiate the stressor. Is it bad or good stress? Is it distress or eustress? Does it seem detrimental or beneficial? Give it the benefit of the doubt.

* Laugh at the stressor. Your conscious decision to laugh at the stressor can strengthen your body to handle it. It can help you convert potential distress to eustress. Modern scientists are learning the truth of an ancient proverb: humor is healing. So consciously smile and laugh to turn the stressor into eustress.

* Relax with the Stressor. Consciously allow yourself to relax, aware that eustress is helping you do this.

Eustress provides your body with chemicals that stimulate your brain to relax the neck and back muscles. As your neck and back relax, your brain also relaxes. It begins to refocus. It begins to think more clearly and quickly.

Eustress provides physical health to your whole body. It reduces your blood pressure, and strengthens both the immune system and digestive system.

Follow these five steps whenever you feel physically or emotionally unable to handle a situation. Turn distress to eustress, and you will soon be more proactive in dealing with the stressor.

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There are any number stress management techniques and for coping with stress in general and dealing with both the physical and emotional causes for stress. There are techniques for both short-term symptoms of stress and even long-term or chronic symptoms of stress are possible.

There are also a certain amount of self employed techniques that are actually or can be counter productive in the quest for a cure. The following are some of the more typical errors.

In an attempt to alleviate the tension and worry that accompany stress, some individuals can head down the wrong path will unwittingly engage in self-destructive behavior.

The type of stress that can lead to being short-tempered and cause the individual behave angrily toward a friend or family member can many times be heightened by excessive alcohol drinking or even coffee drinking that results in a high intake of caffeine. Many times these dots aren’t connected and the cycle continues causing more stress symptoms more often.

Lack of sleep or chronic lack of sleep (insomnia) is one of the most common causes of stress. Again, the theme here is the cycle of stress itself. When something is troubling you, and you are physically uncomfortable, it’s difficult to relax enough to sleep. And when you don’t get enough sleep and become fatigued your patience grows shorter and you ability to reason becomes inhibited and thus the stress continues. During this type of a stress cycle, when you do manage to fall asleep, it’s often interrupted during the night, or not the type of deep sleep that is genuinely restful.

A heightened focus on problem solving is natural and generally a sign of good mental health. But completely obsessing, even in the face of serious issues, is counter-productive. Try to step outside the problem as if you are consoling someone or a friend who is faced with the problem. You would be concerned, of course and this will give you a different perspective of the situation. We’re often much better at maintaining objectivity when the problem belongs to someone else.

Some people try to cope with stress by doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. One of the techniques used to combat stress is the ability to focus on something else that takes your mind away from a stressful situation. However, burying oneself into projects at work or school as way of shifting focus away from problems at home may at best provide a change of focus, but ultimately is not a productive way to deal with the stress at home in this situation. Avoidance can only be partially successful, and only temporarily at that.

Some problems do go away on their own and ignoring (or more accurately not over-reacting to them) can be a viable strategy. But a reality check is the key here… the circumstances combined with the internal evaluations that lead to chronic stress do not disappear simply because we’re not thinking about them.

A temporary break to gain perspective and get the emotions under control is healthy. Hiding one’s head in the sand is not.

Fundamentally, all these incorrect and unhelpful methods have a common root. Reality doesn’t go away when some aspects of it are inconvenient or unpleasant.

Life is filled with obstacles placed in your way. The existence of those hurdles and the need to overcome them - when combined with doubts about our ability to do so - leads to stress. Learning to correctly evaluate and deal with life’s obstacles leads to gaining confidence in one’s ability to do so and with each hurdle overcome one’s self confidence grows stronger… and stress stays on vacation.

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Experts say that there are many different types of headache that have different causes. The most common triggers for headaches are usually lifestyle-related that include a person’s poor diet, periodic muscle tensions, and lack of regular physical activity or exercise.

Other serious causes may include development of brain tumors and other neurologically-related disorders. But, among these factors that trigger the problem, one factor is considered as the hardest to manage- varying stress levels.

STRESSING OUT ON STRESS

Stress is nothing but a part and fact of nature. It is one of those factors that affect individuals caused by the ever-changing forces in the environment. Through the years, experts have found out that stress is one of the most common factors that trigger headaches that can either be physical or emotional.

One of the common forms of headaches caused by emotional stress is migraine headache. People who suffer from migraine usually experience stress cause by anxiety, worrying too much, shock, depression, over excitement, and overall mental fatigue.

Aside from drastic mood changes, repressed emotions can also lead to stress headache. Experts agree that stress also plays a big role in developing tension-type headache that are directly related to specific instances of increased worry and concern and can lead to more complications such as sleep disturbances.

In order to know if you are experiencing headache due to stress, check if you have shallow breathing, elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and increased levels of adrenaline. Stress headache can also be characterized by tightening of the tensioned muscles in the upper back, shoulders, neck, and head, lowered tolerance to pain, and ineffective painkillers.

Stress headache is indeed considered as the most common type of headache because two out of three people in the world have at least experience one tension headache in their lifetime. Since stress headaches are caused by too much stress a person goes through, the best way to combat it is to avoid a lifestyle filled out with stress.

Other treatment may include taking in medications such as over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin or paracetamol, indulging into relaxing activities such as a massage, diet changes and alterations eating habits, and taking in alternative therapies like acupuncture or chiropractic.

Other short-term treatments include indulgence to microcurrent (TENS) and magnetic therapy, heat treatment like hot baths, facial ice packs, soothing massage especially to the scalp, neck and shoulder areas, getting involved to stress-relieving activities like meditation or hypnosis, regular physical routine and winding up.

Long-term treatments may also include getting involved to aerobic exercises like cycling, swimming or walking, regular relaxation techniques, consultation with a registered psychologist to improve stress management, and taking in antidepressant medications. Aside from taking in prescription medication, you can also undergo stress management under licensed doctors, neurologists, chemists, and other professionals.

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http://stress-help-guide.com
No pillows were harmed during the production of this motion picture.
Learn how to deal with stress.

Duration : 32 sec

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