Stress Management Solutions

This Week's Topic: Stress Management Solutions Dear Friend,   Rule 1. Don't sweat the small stuff. Rule 2. It's all small stuff. Rule 3. If you can't fight or flee, then flow.   This week we are going to connect the six mental and emotional responses to stress we discussed last week to some tips for stress management. A how-to if you will of applying your responses to stress management techniques. If you tend to Over-generalize - you see a specific event as a never ending pattern of defeat, then try: Positive Thinking - choose your thoughts, focus on the positive, and surround yourself with people who can help you contextualize this "defeat" or "circumstance" Talking with people who really listen to and understand you For example a client of mine was given two options: move the store to a different location or move to a different space in the current building. She came to me to help her make a decision and put the options into perspective. Additionally through our work together she arrived that this was "a blessing in disguise." Oh yeah and she saved one month's rent, too! If you tend to Hyper-focus - you pick a specific detail and focus on it exclusively, then try: Enlarging Your Focus - see the forest rather than the trees! Meditating - clear your mind Deep Breathing - clear your body Exercising/Yoga - clear your body Laughing - clear your mind and body If you tend to Emotionally Reason - you assume that your negative feelings reflect the ways things really are, then try: Sleeping - allows us to have a more clear and more realistic perspective Laughing - there is humor in thinking that every situation is exactly as you currently see it If you tend to Self-Blame - hold yourself responsible for something that isn't entirely in your control, then try: Mindfulness - consider how much control and power you had over the situation. Positive Affirmations - create an affirmation of what you are doing right. For example, a client of my was bearing a lot of burden for how much her clients investment accounts had fallen. By reframing and reassessing the situation she was able to realize that in reality she didn't have much control over how much the portfolios had fallen and her clients accounts had fallen less than the average clients account. Sometimes we can bear the weight of the world on our shoulders, but unfortunately we don't control the world. If you tend to be Helpless - you fail to see your choices, then try: Exercising/Yoga - create a shift in your activities and do something new. New activities give us new perspective. Mindfulness - become conscious of your unconscious - remember we all have all the answers we just need to tap into them. Use this technique to connect with your unconscious. Talking with someone who will really listen to you and who understands you. They may be able to help you see your options. If you tend to be a Perfectionist - you expect too much from yourself and others, then try: Recognizing your limits and accepting them - we all have limits and expecting perfection isn't reasonable or fair to yourself or those around you. Positive Thinking Positive Affirmations Make It Happen Use these techniques to help you when you are feeling stressed out. Remember there are no "right ways" to manage your stress. Try a variety of exercises and see what works best for you. Allow yourself the grace to play a little ... bring the child-like wonderment out to play and that will be a strong first step in managing your stress and your responses to stress. Review this list of tips and see which work for you!   Tips for Stress Management 1.    Exercising 2.    Deep Breathing - the act of breathing deeply into your lungs by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly 3.    Meditating 4.    Positive Thinking - the practice of embracing the affirmative in our thoughts, our feelings, our reactions and our speech. 5.    Yoga - is a physical and mental practice of examining and moving the mind and body. 6.    Sleeping 7.    Laughing 8.    Talking with people who really listen to and understand you 9.    Recognizing your limits and accepting them 10.   Mindfulness - is a mental state characterized by calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings and consciousness 11.   Positive Affirmations - create an affirmation to switch your thoughts from I am stuck to I am right where I need to be right now. 12.   Enlarging your focus - see the forest from the trees. Blessings to you, Margaret.        P.S. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretPundmann.com where they can sign up.  Margaret Pundmann is a life and business coach, speaker, and author The Emerging Woman.