|
Home / Personal Development / Stress Management
How to Eliminate Stress Instantly, Effortlessly In 10 Seconds!
By:Christiane Holbrook
No matter where you find yourself on your career journey, you know by now that overwhelm is a natural by-product of success.
Whether you are employed, you are in transition to your own business, you just started off on your entrepreneurial journey, you have been in it for a while and you have an established business, you deal with stress every day (sometimes every minute)
Yes, sometimes, especially at the beginning of your business journey, stress is good. It drives you to work long hours, you get things done, you push forward. Then, after a while, the long hours, the endless emails and phone calls get to you. You find that the passion is leaving you, find yourself wondering why you got started in the first place. You lost your work/life balance.
You know that stress got to you if you frequently wake up tired or with a headache. Eventually this pain and fatigue drains your energy that you need for your business or job and your life. Unfortunately, you can’t spend a day in company with others without hearing somebody complain about just these symptoms. Yes, I have been there and so have my clients. As matter of fact, there has not been a time in history where the level of stress has been greater than it is now, in our automated, fast-changing world of internet, emails, cell phones, instant messaging, and black berries.
Yet, living with too much stress for too long, results in behaviors that are opposite to the ones you need to exceed at what you desire most. Stress creates adrenaline, it allows for spontaneous, reflexive responses it enables you to react to stimuli. An effective business leader does the opposite. He/she acts based on careful thinking and analysis and calm decision-making. Pro-active behavior rather than reactive behavior.
My clients come to me for two reasons:
a) they want to grow a thriving business while they want to create a rich life and
b) they find that they work harder and longer hours for less return.
You might identify with that. Have you started feeling overwhelmed, tired, stressed, short-tempered and maybe even burned out? Are you coming home feeling worn out, short tempered and irritated? Your productivity is down. You know that you can’t create a rich life, nor be successful over long term if you let overwhelm and long-term stress run your life.
Any career success, independent of your ultimate goal is not worth the ills that prolonged stress can bring on. My clients tell me that they can’t sleep at night because they have so much to do, their stomachs hurt because they have to choose between picking up their kids from school and working that extra hour. Especially my women entrepreneur clients tell me how tired they are at night because they work two shifts, one at work, the second one as a mom and home manager.
Yet, what I also hear sometimes is a kind of pride of staying “so” busy, of juggling it all precariously high in the air. That to me, is great for a few short days because you have to meet a deadline or you are getting ready for some out-of town travel but over long term, this “heroic” and “stoic” pursuit of too many things at the same time, is certainly detrimental to your health and to your business.
When we confuse busyness with productivity, which is exactly what happens when we squeeze too much into one day, we actually lower our productivity, do it less well and have a lot less fun in the process. The most amazing part of learning how to manage stress in an easy-to-implement way is that you find yourself in your optimal learning and performance zone much more often than before.
Every time you practice any of the eight strategies I am teaching in my stress-busting audio course, you’ll find that your blood is returning to your brain as each technique is signaling to the body that the fearful, stress-inducing situation is over and the calm has returned. Research shows that we have a specific zone in which we work most productivily. Whatever time we spend outside of that zone because of stress and overwhelm or because we are multi-tasking or we are being distracted, is time spent in mediocrity.
In my book, ”The Art Of Succeeding By Design” and its accompanying audio guide to enjoying your success stress-free, you will find that having a plan to succeed AND having proven stress-managing tools are the keys to accelerating your business and career while allowing you to slow down to life!
The technique I am teaching you today through this article (and the many other techniques I teach in my audio course) are the result of years of personal research of stress studies, my graduate studies in occupational therapy at USC, years of professional experience helping chronically ill patients reduce their fear and stress to facilitate healing and recovery and of course, my years of coaching entrepreneurs living very similar lives to yours.
.
Ok, onto strategy number One then: In my book, the first chapter talked about creating a vision for your life and business that is compelling to you. That you should align that vision with your values and passion, that this will help you jump out of bed every morning and take on the world. That this vision will help you overcome any obstacle that might be thrown onto your business path. That this vision will help you stay focused and on track. Whether you are employed or have started on your entrepreneurial path, I hope you have created a very exciting vision for yourself.
With that excitement comes though another challenge and that is: How do you keep your excitement in check and don’t let it turn into a run-away train of late nights and weekends in front of the computer? I know that the excitement for my work, for helping business owners, for making a difference, for the privilege of using my creativity is the most exciting project I have ever undertaken but after a while, it also caused me to get a tight stomach or had my heart beat a bit faster. Have you noticed how your body reacts to your excitement? This energy is good but it needs to be channeled and used only when you ask for it.
Here is then a great and very powerful way to channel that energy. It can help you be more productive and reduce the wear and tear that this sense of excitement can have on your body. It simply has to do with breathing. Yes, you might be laughing (that would be good) but keep paying attention. When we feel stressed, our breathing becomes shallower. We start breathing faster and less deeply and ultimately only use 20% of the oxygen in our lungs.
The result is two-fold:
1) you only circulate a very limited amount of oxygen in your body
2) your body goes into defense mode because of shallower breathing signals danger.
So, what is there to do? Simple, stop your work for just a few seconds and start breathing deeply by inhaling slowly with a rise of your belly. Put your hand on your belly and feel it rise up and lower down. Breathe deeply, fully and slowly for about 10 seconds. That signals to the body that “the coast is clear”, the danger has passed and you can then reenter your high-productivity zone, that zone where you can think clearly and act rationally.
Easy, yes? Ok, let’s practice it right now: With your hands on your belly, breath in, take a deep long breath; watch your hands as they rise up with you breathe in. Then watch your hands as they lower with your out-breath. Let the air out of your belly without losing your relaxation. Take another deep breath, and let it out, and one more, IN and OUT.
Now, how do you feel? Like the air cleared, like sanity returned, like a fresh breath of spring air entered your room? It’s good, it’s it? So, remember, every time you start feeling overwhelmed with your to-do list, when you feel angry, when you are starting to worry about your business or career success, you have to deal with kids who don’t want to cooperate, in traffic while late to a meeting, any time, you feel like it, take a few deep, calm, slow breaths and feel peace reenter your life!
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: Work/Life Balance, Career Success, Business Success, Entrepreneurship, Stress Management, Productivity, Overwhelm
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Christiane Holbrook is the creator of the highly effective “High Impact Business” Coaching System, teaching entrepreneurs how grow thriving businesses while create rich lives. Get free material/tips (value $250+) at www.LegacyInAction.com
|
|
| Top Stress Management Articles |
- 1). The Causes Of Stress By : blueboy
This article looks into the causes of stress and gives free tips to help you control and reduce your worries.
I have, as I am sure many people do, stressed for most of my life for many different reasons.
Even though I still worry about many things, I have now learned how to handle many of these situations and will write about how I go about doing this, in this article.
|
- 2). How to Keep Stress Out of the Car By : Ken Snowie
We’ve all experienced it: it’s morning rush hour, you have five minutes to get to work, and you are stuck in traffic because of a major accident on the highway. The stress of being late for work makes your blood boil or it’s the evening rush hour, and you’re late to pick your child up from day care. You narrowly avoid an accident because of a careless driver.
|
- 3). Stop Stress Now: Ten Proven Techniques By : Art Turner
There's no such thing as a stress-free life. We face challenges every day, and our bodies are designed to react automatically, equipping us to achieve more than we thought possible. But we were also designed to deal with stressful events quickly and then recuperate during a period of rest before facing the next threat. Many of the things that cause us stress today are not easily handled by fighting or fleeing.
|
|
|
- 5). Coping With Stress in The Workplace By : Ken Snowie
Stress at most jobs is unavoidable. It could be caused by a boss who is very demanding, or a coworker who doesn’t pull his or her weight. Or maybe you have a typically stressful position, such as medicine or law. While some stress on the job can drive you to succeed and be healthy, too much can be very bad. It can cause many health problems and be detrimental.
|
|
|
- 7). Combat Stress - 7 Practical Methods By : Rene Graeber
A stress-free lifestyle could very well do wonders in eliminating depression.
Here are 7 practical methods to combat stress:
1. Express Amusement And Be Happy.
Laugh hard and loud. If you don’t have a sense of humor, find someone else who has. Laughter releases endorphins (happy chemicals) from the body, and it helps boost your immune system.
2.
|
|
|
- 9). Keeping a Safe Distance from Management Stress By : Hector Milla
You finally got your well-deserved promotion. After working years and years on proving your worth, having been recognized for your efforts and getting that sizeable increase is making all the hard work well worth it.
But then again you didn't count on all the pressure the new job comes with. You suddenly notice that you're always tired, irritable and hardly gets any sleep, in other words you're all stressed out.
|
|
|
| New Stress Management Articles |
- 1). Overcoming Panic Attacks By : Mark Webb
Panic attacks are usually progressive in nature if they are not treated properly. Many people who suffer from panic attacks go for months and years before getting the correct diagnosis.
|
|
|
- 3). Journaling To Reduce Stress By : Jason Johns
When you get stressed, journaling, i.e. writing things down, is an excellent method of releasing the stress and making sure you can deal with it better in the future.
|
|
|
|
|
- 6). How Email Is One Of The Greatest Causes Of Stress By : Terence Young
When email first hit the scene many experts were touting the end of snail mail. After all they said email can be sent for free, it was instant and you were able to potentially receive a reply to your communication faster than it would take you to drop of your snail mail at your local post office. Decades on email has certainly far from replaced the use of snail mail.
|
- 7). Quiz - Are You An Expert At Fighting Stress? By : CD Mohatta
Stress is becoming pervasive in modern life. We are now finding that stress causes many diseases that can affect our life style. Stress damages our mental peace and physical fitness. Quiz yourself and find out if you are an expert at fighting stress.
Stress will always be there - To hope that stress can be avoided in modern life is difficult. All of us face stress in our life.
|
- 8). Quiz Your Anger By : CD Mohatta
Anger is one of the most common emotions. Most of us get angry . some of us get angry at the smallest provocation, while for some others it takes more. Some of us keep our anger with us and seethe with that while others may release it immediately.
Anger over what was done wrong with us is the most damaging emotion. It tires us very fast. Any betrayal can give rise to anger that can go out of control.
|
- 9). Stress Management, The New Health Trend. By : Trenton Martkes
What is it about stress and stress management that everybody has their panties up in a bunch about now-a-days? I mean do we really think that our society today is more stressed out than back in the days when people were dying right and left, eaten by large animals, starving, being shot with arrows, etc.? I mean you've got to be kidding me right? Well yes and no.
|
- 10). How To Cope With And Reduce Stress By : blueboy
I have always struggled to live a stress-free life. I worry about almost every aspect of life and living this way has caused me a lot of problems including various bouts of ill health from time to time. I needed to find a way of coping with and reducing the amount of stress in my life and in this article I write about how I have managed to achieve this.
|
|
|
