Stress Reduction Techniques

There are three general types of stress reduction techniques.

When you practice healthy lifestyle habits like drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly, you're less likely to get stressed.

If you do get stressed about something that feels out of your control like being stuck in traffic or yelled at by your boss, and if you're willing to shift your perspective, you can stop the stress response before it affects your health.

You can also reduce your stress by changing a situation that is stressful like a dissatisfying job.

Healthy Lifestyle Practices

Healthy lifestyle practices diminish the stress on our bodies, hearts, and minds caused by poor lifestyle habits.

When we practice a healthy lifestyle... it's a lot harder for things to stress us out.

We have more inner resources and ability to be flexible with life's ups and downs.

I have an interesting observation... I recently helped serve dinner at a homeless shelter. I was surprised to notice that only about 10% of the people wanted vegetables.

Do you think there might be a correlation between not eating vegetables and homelessness?

Even though, ultimately, establishing healthy lifestyle practices is one of the stress reduction techniques, in the short term, changing habits can be stressful.

Because change is often stressful and challenging, I've devoted a whole page on how to change habits.

Shifting Your Perception

Most people I come in contact with, don't even realize that they could shift their perception of the situation they find themselves in and decrease their stress.

The challenge with stressful situations is that most of us get caught up in them... and actually believe our perspective is the right - and possibly - the only one.

In fact, if we change how we perceive the situation, then it's easy to shift and feel relaxed and at ease again.

Metaphorically speaking...

If the stressful situation were a river...

At the level of an ant, the river would seem impossible to cross.

From the perspective of a human... a bridge 10 yards away would be easy to see, get to, and cross.

From the height of an eagle soaring... you would just fly over it - the river would be a non-issue.

So... how do you shift from being in it - at the level of an ant overwhelmed by the river - to having the situation be a non-issue?

Click this link to read about a six-step self help approach of 6 steps o shifting your perception and examples of how to use these steps.

Changing your Circumstances

When does it make sense to use this stress reduction technique?

You have to decide for yourself.

However, here are some situations that I think it might make sense to change your circumstances...

• Usually, it's better for anyone who's in an abusive relationship to get out of it rather than stay in it.
• If you have to care for someone you love around the clock...including children... It makes sense to get outside help so you can have some time off.
• If you hate going to work over 50% of the time for several months in a row, I think you'd be better off getting a new job.

But...

Don't recreate the same situation again - just with new people or in a new location.

Here's what I do to make sure I don't recreate the same situation again.

I ask myself...

• What are the Essence qualities I think I'll be able to experience by leaving this situation? Then I explore how I can experience them in my present circumstances.
• What can I learn from this situation - for example, forgiveness, compassion, how to say no, assertiveness? And then I do my best to learn it before I change the situation.
• How does this situation remind me of my childhood? I use the situation as a doorway into the unresolved feelings of my childhood and take the opportunity to process and heal from those experiences.

Other tools that can help include...

1. Explore your Purpose. If you're not doing work that is in alignment with your Purpose or moving you towards alignment with it... Your work - or lack of work - is probably causing stress.

2. Learn to say, "No." It's okay to say no! If you get asked to do something at work, at home, with a volunteer organization, or by a friend... and you're not sure if you want to do it... TAKE SOME TIME to think about it.

   Tell the person, I'll think about it and let you know by tomorrow - or next week - what ever works for you.

   Practice body awareness... imagine doing it and see if you feel a sense of opening or closing. If you feel opening - there's a good chance doing it is Right for you. If you feel closed - it's probably not.

3. Identify what you Really want and use the Law of Attraction to move towards it.


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