October 28, 2007

Ways to Help Eliminate Stress - Part 7

The basic theme of this article is get out and get moving, get whatever is creating your stress in perspective and not let it take over your whole being. This is not the same as running away from it and/or ignoring it, it is just so you don't sit and just sort of stew in what is going on. Also, when you go out and get a change of scenery, so to speak, you are less likely to get depressed and/or moody, just get off the couch which will be good for you mind, body and stress.

Have you noticed when you are stressed your self esteem sort of takes down hill spiral, your hair is not perfect, your clothes fit funny, you drop your keys, or you can not find your keys, traffic is annoying and so on and so forth. Then you do something special for yourself and bingo, you feel better, let that something be eating a good healthy meal, go shopping for healthy, interesting food and fix a super healthy meal that makes you feel special after you eat it, not, like what did I eat that for.

Volunteering can do the same thing for your stress level, there is always someone who is better off than you and much worse off than you, and when you go out and volunteer, you get to see both sides and know that your life is right on. It will give you confidence and an over all feeling of self worth and self esteem. It is all about attitude, it has been said "life is 10% what happens and 90% how we react", and if we are busy contributing to life we will be somewhere closer to the 90% end of the scale. There is all kinds of volunteering, figure out what and where your interests lay and then check out the different facilities that are involved in your interests and go volunteer. Usually most facilities will accept part time and many even drop in participation. Another good idea may to be to find a facility that is involved in the area you always find your self stressed out in, that way you can learn how to see and possibly overcome some of your stress in the situation, if nothing else you can identify when a stress "attack" is coming on.

Watch how you talk to yourself and to others, do you use the words should, must and ought to; do have the feeling you are always last; feeling like you always expect the worst; compulsive about not being late; compulsive of always being late; these are things you can watch for in your behavior and if you are working with others and watching your own behavior, you may get the clue of some of your stress signals. The other people you are working with, interacting with, will be your mirror.

Sometimes the volunteer work can even be done from you home, like making calls to shut-ins and the chronically ill to cheer them up and to just give them a call so they know that someone is thinking of them and cares, this many times helps you more than the person you are calling. Since stress involves a focus on ones self, focusing on the needs of others literally helps shift our thinking and that perpetuates pleasure and happiness.

Volunteer work and helping others can also involve donating money and that works the same way where doing good helps us to feel good and feeling good also makes us more likely to do good.

Then there is the all famous one that anyone can do, and that is give away a smile to just anyone for any reason, and if you do not feel like smiling smile anyway, act as if you are happy and stressfree and you will be, going thru the motions can wake up the emotions.

Thought for the day: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo Buscaglia-

My life is a work in progress; my current passion is health and wellness in the arena of organic food, holistic health, natural wellness and sharing information with the physically challenged. I reside in my own personal wellness center retreat and sanctuary in California and this affords me to bring to you my wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self in my writings Darlene Siddons http://www.spiritedboutique.com

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