Managing your stress is a little like managing your weight.
In the beginning you're enthusiastic and with much gusto and determination, you start dropping those pounds.
Weeks (or perhaps only days) go by, and your enthusiasm has begun to wane.
You're gaining back any weight that you may have lost.
Your attempts at stress-reduction can easily fall victim to the same fate.
Staying motivated and finding the time to practice your stress-management skills simply is not that simple.
The Right Tools For Managing Your Stress You may also find that even though you now have the right tools, you rarely use them.
This common situation is much like belonging to a gym and never going (I am guilty of this big time).
On most days especially your busier ones, time flies by.
You don't even consider doing anything that even slightly resembles stress management.
Going Deeper Into Stress Management Effective stress management means more than having the right stress-reducing tools and techniques.
Stress management means knowing how to balance the pressures and demands in your life with positive satisfactions, personal pleasures, and a lifestyle that insulates you from the negative impact of stress.
Making it a Habit One of the keys to successful stress management is turning your stress-reducing skills into habits.
By integrating some bits of behavior into our daily life, we reduce our dependence on motivation and pure grit.
Think of a habit like brushing your teeth.
Rarely do you ask yourself, "Do I feel like brushing my teeth?" No, you simply do it.
And if you don't, then you definitely should.
You repeat this behavior day in and day out, with little effort or resistance on your part.
This is what you need to do with your stress-management behaviors.
Managing Your Stress In Any Situation Sometimes, the situation you are in makes you a prisoner of the moment.
You cannot escape.
You have to be where you are, and to make things worse, you don't have much to do while you're there.
You may be waiting in line at the grocery store or a movie theater.
Why not capitalize on these situations and turn them into opportunities for managing your stress in your life? Sneak in a little relaxed breathing, or meditation, coping self-talk, or any of the other relievers you've mastered.
Take a look at the following table for some suggestions of relaxation techniques to use, that will help you towards managing your stress during the day.
Place - Relaxation Method Sitting in a boring meeting - Diaphragm breathing In transit, on a bus, train, taxi - Guided imagery Flying in an airplane - meditation In an elevator or on an escalator - rapid relaxation Sitting in the dentist's chair - muscle relaxation A bathroom break - deep breathing Lying in bed, as you fall asleep - personal imagery This table is a guide, and doesn't necessarily mean you must follow it.
It simply is giving you the tools and suggestions that will help you be more conscious of methods to help your mind and body.
Managing your stress is a MUST in today's day and age, so take this advice here and begin your journey towards peace and calm.