stress free

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: 

Time to get SMART

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A good way to bring calmness out of chaos is to set goals. I’m sure you’ve heard this a thousand times before, but it’s true. After all, if you don’t know what you want, how will you know when you’ve got it?

When you set goals, you should make sure they are SMART goals. This term was first proposed by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review.

The acronym stands for…

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-Bound

Let’s go through these one at a time.

Specific: You should have a good idea of what the goal is. Know what you want to achieve.

Measurable: Have a way of tracking your progress. This can give you an incentive to stay on track as well as a way to stay motivated.

Achievable: Can you accomplish this goal? Is it realistic? If the answer is “no”, don’t waste your time. Move on to something else instead.

Relevant: Does your goal fit in to the bigger picture? Is it in line with other objectives or will it be a distraction? Your goal should be in alignment with other objectives.

Time-bound: Providing a deadline for completing a goal sets it in focus and helps to avoid procrastination. Make sure the deadline is realistic, however.

You can set SMART goals for a specific project, for a business in general, or for your life and what you want to make of it – either in the long or short term.

When deciding on how to achieve your goals, it’s a good idea to start with the result you want, and then work backwards to now. That way, you can define each step you need to take, and will know what is necessary to get the desired outcome before you even start to work towards it.

 

PS. Your copy of my Course to going from chaos to calm is waiting for you here: 

 

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