de-clutter

Time to get moving!

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When it comes to doing away with stress in your life, you really have to get moving – and I mean that in every sense of the word.

Get moving physically

Exercise is a great stress buster! Physical movement releases endorphins in your brain that can help you feel more calm and relaxed. You don’t have to go to the gym for a workout, either. Just going for a walk can have a calming effect. If you’re in a bad neighborhood, try walking somewhere safe like a mall – although best to leave your credit card behind or it could be stressful in another way later on. If you’re at work, try taking the stairs instead of the elevator after a stressful meeting. It can work wonders.

Get moving mentally

Don’t procrastinate – it’s not called the “thief of time” for nothing! If you put things off, you’ll just be more stressed later. The sooner you start that difficult task, have that awkward conversation, or anything else you don’t want to do, the sooner you’ll get it done and put it behind you. The nice warm feeling you’ll get inside is much better than having your guts in a knot through stress anyway.

Wow, we’ve covered quite a lot in our articles, let’s just recap.

We talked about how you can develop systems and routines for handling regular tasks. We discussed why it’s important to create a work/life balance. I told you what SMART goals are, and why you should create them. We covered the 4 A’s” of stress management, and I told you about mindfulness – a neat trick to stay calm that works every time.

But you know what?

Within the confines of this short e-course, I’ve only been able to scratch the surface of this fascinating subject. There’s a whole bunch of stuff I just haven’t had the time to tell you about –  I cover in detail  in my Course Chaos to Calm. It’s still available.

Grab your copy right now:

To your success!

Reprogram your mind to stay calm

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A lot of people say that stress is all in the mind. That’s true to a certain extent. Outside forces can put all of us in stressful situations from time to time, but have you ever noticed how some people can manage those situations better than others?

Some of the most successful people in the world reprogram their minds through meditation to help them think more clearly, stay calm and deal with stress better. Just the mention of the word “meditation” puts people off, though. They think it’s too difficult, time consuming or means having to sit in an awkward position on the floor and chant a mantra. Others are fearful of it and think it’s all to do with cults or religion.

Let me put your fears to bed.

The type of meditation I’m going to talk about today does not require you follow any faith (or none), nor does it require you to take up an uncomfortable posture. You don’t have to devote a specific time to it either; in fact, you can fit it in whenever you have a spare moment.

The meditation I’m talking about is called Mindfulness.

Do this for me right now: Put down your phone or look away from your computer. Close your eyes and listen. I mean REALLY listen. What can you hear? If you’re indoors you might hear the hum from a heater or air-conditioner, perhaps the radio or TV on in another room. If you’re outdoors you might hear birdsong, traffic in the distance or maybe an airplane overhead. Now concentrate on your breathing. Listen to each breath. Try and clear your mind for as long as possible, but when the thoughts come, let them drift by like clouds in the sky. Don’t pay too much attention to them. Just relax for a moment, then slowly bring yourself back to reality. When you open your eyes, you’ll feel much more calm and relaxed. That’s mindfulness.

 

PS. There’s no stress in getting a copy of my chaos to calm Course. See for yourself here: 

Here’s how to manage stress effectively

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Life today is pretty stressful. You don’t need me to tell you that. Many of the most serious health complaints people face today – like high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, anxiety and depression – are oftentimes stress related.

An effective way of dealing with stress is to practice the “4 A’s” of stress management.

These stand for:

  • Avoid
  • Alter
  • Adapt
  • Accept

 

Let’s go through these one at a time.

Avoid unnecessary stress. Sometimes this is simple, sometimes not, but you can often avoid unnecessary stress just by learning to say “no” in certain situations, or avoiding people who stress you out. While it’s not healthy to avoid a stressful situation that needs addressing, you may be surprised by the number of stressful things that you can eliminate from your life.

Alter the situation. When you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. This may involve changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life. This might mean having to compromise when doing something and accepting that you’re not going to get exactly what you want from the situation, or being more assertive and communicating your concerns to (or about) others in an open and respectful way.

Adapt to the stressor. If you can’t change or eliminate the source of stress, then change yourself. By changing your expectations and attitude, you can better adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control. If a person is stressing you out, try to avoid them as much as possible.

Accept the things you can’t change. Finally, you just have to accept that many things in life are simply beyond our control. Serious illness, bad weather, a recession or pandemic etc. are things we have to learn to live with – and that’s just the way life is. If your own poor choices have placed you in a stressful situation that you can’t get out of, learn from your mistakes and move on.


PS. There’s still time to grab a copy of my chaos to calm Course. Here’s the link:

 

 

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