Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Managing Stress

Now that you know how stressed out you are…

how do you manage your stress levels?

Here are some stress management techniques that will help!

  • Remove yourself from the stressful situation – even if you can only take a 5 minute break, you will feel better about the situation when you return.
  • Change the way you see things – most of the things we worry about don’t really happen. Our perceptions, whether accurate or not, cause stress.
  • Do something for someone else – getting outside of our heads and helping others lowers our stress level by taking the focus off of our problems.
  • Learn to say NO – sometimes we stress ourselves out with other people’s problems or causes. Don’t take on any new project just because you feel like you have to.
  • Breathe Deeply – Your breath is the connection between your mind and your body. If you can focus on breathing deeply, it will help slow down the racing thoughts and help you relax.
  • Hold your breath when you’re angry – it takes oxygen to fuel anger. Hold your breath for 10 seconds before you respond when you feel angry.
  • Exercise – Do something you enjoy, like walking, swimming, bicycling, or jogging. Make sure you check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
  • Don’t self-medicate – don’t use smoking, drinking, drugs or even overeating to cope with stress.
  • Eat Healthy – Good nutrition and healthy eating habits can help you through stressful times. Eating well increases your physical, mental and emotional stamina. It also helps build your immune system which keeps you healthy!
  • Get Enough Sleep - Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep. If we don’t get enough sleep, everything from our immune system to our ability to learn and remember information will be negatively affected.
  • Laugh -Laughter releases "feel good" endorphins.


Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

1 comment:

Marti said...

I like the first one! Thanks for the tips.