10 Tips to Minimize Stress

Try some of these tips to reduce stress

Many of us find it a challenge to balance family, work and home....as well as trying to keep a social life with friends. The busy-ness of the contemporary, urban lifestyle means that many of us feel stress on a regular basis. We could spend a lot of time and dollars analyzing our life and situations to eliminate stress. However, it may be far more useful to learn the skills of dealing with every day stress to keep the stress levels within a healthy level.

Lower your expectations and you will suffer less disappointment. Try seeing everything as already perfect and accept things as they are, then you can strive less and relax more.

Learn to say NO. Next time someone asks you to do something, before the word ‘yes’ slips out, pause, say you can’t give an answer just yet – you’ll get back to them. This technique gives you time to think. Now you can choose to say NO, calmly, politely and kindly.

Do one thing at a time. SLOW DOWN! If you are racing, so is your heart! Write yourself a list, prioritize your tasks and work through your list methodically. You need to enjoy what you are doing, not just the results of your efforts.

Stop trying to fall asleep. So many people go to bed desperate to fall asleep as quickly as possible, and then suffer the frustration of wakefulness. Quit struggling – you need to relax before you can sleep! Be thankful that you are warm, safe and cozy, be glad that your body is resting. Breathe deeply, slowly, gently and listen to your heart beating peacefully.

Laugh more! Get serious an about humor. Laughter is seriously healing. The special chemicals released when we laugh are nature’s finest form of natural medicine. When you’ve suffered a stressful day, make sure you ‘suffer’ some serious humor in the evening. Watch a comedy show or film, one you know will produce copious laughter, to counter the stress you’ve endured.

Treat yourself to a catnap and don’t feel guilty. When your body is pleading for rest, “40 winks” works wonders but only if you don’t feel guilty about this.

Get out in the fresh air! Drab office, the whir of computer hard drives the drone of your boss’s demands. Get outside during your lunch break, find a patch of green, some flowers, even wander around a garden center! Lose yourself in nature and feel your tensions dissipate, for a while at least.

Live in the now. The past is gone, you can’t change it. The future is mysterious and seductive, but only with you in your dreams. What you need is with you NOW so make the most of it. Be creative and give everything you’ve got to NOW.

Visualisation techniques. You may also like to try using your powers of visualisation in the 'theatre of your mind' to quickly reduce stress. The photograph above is a soothing scenario to help get you started, but be created, invent your stress-buster.

Calming cat nap. Imagine you are a black cat, stretched out and basing in the sun, lying on a lush green lawn listening to birdsong. Feel the warmth of the sun penetrate your totally relaxed body.

- Source: Adapted From Herbalife Today Magazine