Handling Workplace Stress

So many people take workplace problems and make them into workplace melodramas. Fears pile up, and stress becomes an everyday scene.

Since you are their leader, others look to you for guidance and can take on your emotional state. Therefore, your stress can contribute to a stressful atmosphere. On the other hand, if you relax, everyone who works with you will also begin to feel more relaxed.

So... if your workplace resembles a soap opera, here are some tips for changing your workplace melodrama.

Become a Movie Director

If you think about watching a movie, many times there is a humor worked into a scary situation so that people will laugh for a moment and relieve their tension. Movie directors want to take you on the roller coaster of experiencing extremes of many emotions. They know that humor immediately lowers stress.

The truth is that you actually are a movie director - directing the movies in your mind - all the time. You can direct scary movies... or funny ones.

Here's how to find the funny side of your situation by changing the movie in your mind.

Look for the Humor

There are many ways to look at problems. One way is to look for humor in the situation... Just stop for a few minutes and look for the funny side using these techniques.

Laugh at Yourself

Learn to laugh at yourself - after all, you are only human, and we all do things that we can either beat up ourselves about... or we can laugh about.

Exaggerate your situation.

If there is one difficult person in your stressful situation, imagine hundreds of difficult people doing the same thing. You can also imagine difficult people as babies, or you can picture them as cartoon characters... or even animals.

Change Your Location

In the movie in your mind, change the place where you feel stressed. If it is your office, imagine it's a room in a castle and that everyone is wearing clothes from the 1400's.

It's About Time

Many people stress themselves about time. You rarely hear someone say, "Well, it's 10AM and I have all my work done for the day. All I have to do is sit here and do nothing for the rest of the day."

On the contrary, most people never have enough time to get their work done. So, exaggerate your situation. If your deadline for a project is next week, imagine that it is due in two minutes and that you haven't begun getting ready and everyone is standing around waiting for it.

Draw a Cartoon

Draw a cartoon of your funny situation. Keep that cartoon where you will see it - to remind you to look at the funny side of workplace life.

Perform Skits

If your stress is something that is shared with your department, ask employees to make up funny skits about it, and have a special lunch or a meeting where you perform the skits.

The bottom line is that stress is caused by your mind creating a fearful image of a situation. When your mind creates a funny image, your stress is lowered. From now on, every time you are feeling stressed, take a minute to look at the funny side.

By Harriet Meyerson, a Speaker, Author and Coach

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12 Stress Reducers For You

If you are familiar with the concept of “Inside Out Thinking,” then you already know that I don’t conceptualize stress as something that exists outside of you. It is actually something you create inside. Stress is a behavior you create to help you get something you want. The only way to reduce stress is to empower yourself to take control of what you can control—namely your actions and your thoughts. You may not believe you can control what you think but with patience, persistence and practice it is not only possible but critical to maintaining a positive state of mental health.

Because the holidays are often a stressful time of the year for many, I wanted to give you a dozen ideas for things you can do or think differently to help reduce your stress level.

1. Rational Thinking — often irrational thoughts contribute to your stress levels. What are irrational thoughts? Things like “everyone must like me for me to be worthwhile.” Or, “I have to complete everything on my ‘To Do’ list everyday in order to be a success.” Or, “I can’t let anyone in my house unless it is spotless.” Irrational thoughts are not true—that’s why they are called irrational. However, you can actually convince yourself these beliefs are true, and when you believe them your stress level can soar. For example, if I actually think the only way for me to be worthwhile is if every person I meet likes me, can you imagine the stress I will create for myself trying to get everyone to like me? Check your thinking and make sure your thoughts are rational. You may need to ask someone you trust to help you with this because if you actually believe the irrational thoughts, then you will have a difficult time recognizing they are irrational.

2. Inside Out Thinking — Instead of spending your time focused on things over which you have no control, look at the situation and choose the best response available to you. The only things you really have control over is what you do and what you think. You really can’t change others. Make sure you take a proactive approach to life’s situations by looking at what you can do or think differently to improve the situation. This also means no longer pointing the finger outside of you for the source of your problem or unhappiness. If you are in pain over something, then it is your responsibility to fix it the best you can.

3. Time Management — find a time management system that works for you and implement it. You have the same amount of time in a day as everyone else, yet some people are far more productive than others. They have discovered a way to maximize their moments to get the most out of each of them. There are many time management experts out there who have different systems. However, I think time management is similar to dieting. There is not a one size fits all approach. You need to find a system that works for you and follow it.

4. Fun Activities — make a list of things you love to do: pleasurable activities. When was the last time you engaged in them? Taking care of yourself and making sure you schedule some “me” time is essential to keeping stress at bay. Even though you may think you have no time for pleasure, taking that time will increase your productivity when you do get down to business.

5. Relaxation — do you meditate, visualize your “happy place,” get massage or do some deep muscle relaxation? This is a sure way to reduce stress. When you get good at meditation and relaxation, it is something you can do in a very short period of time almost anywhere. It’s a great skill to develop and it will substantially help you manage the stress in your life.

6. Exercise — there has been a lot of research that shows a regular exercise program can be helpful in managing the negative, physical symptoms of stress. This does not have to be any strenuous exercise. It could be as simple as going for a walk but physical activity provides a release of the stored energy of stress.

7. Healthy Living — there are some known links to substances that stress our bodies. If you reduce or eliminate these things from your lifestyle, you will reduce physical stress. Some things to look at are drugs, alcohol, nicotine, sugar and caffeine. If you use any of these substances on a moderate or higher level, you can be creating stress for yourself.

8. Sense of Humor — when you can find the humor in stressful situations, you can laugh your way through life. Laughing releases the body’s natural endorphins and will ward off potential stress before it even begins. It is most helpful when you can laugh at yourself and find humor in everyday situations.

9. Support System — having a healthy support system will help. You need to decrease the toxic people in your life and increase the nourishing ones. We all have those who will suck the life out of us if we let them and then there are others who will support us in our time of need. Look at reducing the former and expanding the latter.

10. Assertiveness — develop the ability to take care of your needs without interfering with others getting their needs met. Be able to say “no” when it will best support you. You can stress yourself out when you always put other people’s needs and desires ahead of your own.

11. Experience the Arts — there is something about the arts that will sooth many. It could be music, art, dance, or nature’s art but setting aside time to appreciate life’s beauty can act as an immunization against stress.

12. Spirituality — develop a personal sense of your spirituality.This does not necessarily have to be religion. It can be a calm, a peace, a sense of the order of life. When things get stressful, you can rely on your spirituality to help you through. You may develop beliefs about everything happening for a reason, the Higher Power will take care of things or there are always positive experiences with the negative. Spirituality can help you make sense of things that otherwise wouldn’t make sense.

Stress is not inevitable. You definitely do NOT have to be a victim of it. Know that you are choosing it. Know that you are getting something from it and then make a conscious decision about whether or not you want to continue on your same path or do something different.

About the Author: Kim Olver is a life, relationship and executive coach. Her mission is to help people get along better with the important people in their lives. She teaches people how to live from the inside out by empowering them to focus on the things they can change. http://www.coachingforexcellence.biz/stressmgmtclass.html

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Lower Your Stress with Just Three Deep Breaths!

Got stress? Have you multi-tasked your way right out of the joy of being fully present and fully alive? Is it possible to get off of this merry-go-round of complexity and busy-ness, and by so doing, come away more successful, healthy, and energized?

The answer is a hearty Yes! But first let’s face the dilemma. Traffic jams, technological change, information overload, time-crunch, relationship struggles, and other stressors can jeopardize our vitality, our creativity, our productivity, and our joy while costing individuals and businesses a fortune.

According to a 2001 report from the American Institute of Stress, U.S. businesses pay 300 billion dollars a year in job-related stress costs.

Unmanaged stress can influence the onset of heart attacks and strokes, gastro-intestinal problems, diabetes, insomnia, headaches, and depression, to name a few. Studies show that 75% to 90% of all visits to primary care practitioners are now known to be stress-related.

What is Stress?

When I am doing one of my Three Deep Breaths “Stress-buster” workshops, I often ask participants to tell me how many of the following scenarios cause them stress: having a significant fight with their spouse or boss, taking a vacation on a south pacific beach, being late for a critical meeting, and having finally moved into their dream home.

Most of them will say that only two of those, the fight and being late, cause stress.

But science will state emphatically that all four could cause stress, because stress occurs when any significant change – positive or negative – happens to the mind, body or environment in which we live.

If we are alive, we will have stress.

Whether it’s dis-stressful on our mind, body, or spirit or actually beneficial has a great deal to do with how we respond.

Stress is one of the best opportunities to become wiser, stronger, and more flexible. Every elite athlete knows that he or she must put stress on the body and mind, training regularly to grow strong and more adaptable.

Managing Stress Is A Balancing Act

The autonomic nervous system is responsible for all those systems that happen involuntarily within us: our heart rate, our breathing, our perspiration, the dilation of our pupils, our digestive system, etc.

There are two complementary systems in the autonomic nervous system — the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic can be called the “Red Alert System,” or the “Fight or Flight” System. The parasympathetic, which does the opposite, is the “Green System,” or the “Rest and Digest” system. When one is turning on, the other is turning off.

When a zebra is chased by a lion, the red alert system is turned on, with everything in the system delegated to the chase: explosive muscles, increased heart rate, pain-killing chemicals, hyper alertness — all to elude the lion and avoid death.

(Read Stanford researcher/author Robert Sapolsky’s Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers for all the details. It’s one of the few scientific books on stress that reads like a great historical novel.)

But when you are sitting in rush-hour traffic already ten minutes late for a critical appointment, your mind also delivers the thoughts, “I’ve got to get going, or I’m finished!” And guess what? Your autonomic nervous system has not evolved enough to make a distinction between death by a lion and death by your imaginary thoughts.

So, your Red Alert lever is also switched on, pumping hundreds of chemicals and hormones into your system so that you can fight or flee. But it’s inappropriate to leap out of the car and bite the fender of the lady in the SUV in front of you or sprint down the freeway screaming (although I’m sure these behaviors have been tried by some!). So, you just sit there with the heartbeat rising, and the perspiration flowing.

Let’s say you eventually make it to the critical appointment and the client himself is late. Ah, now you can relax and let the “Rest and Digest” part of the autonomic nervous system clean up the mess in your body, right? But the phone rings and another client informs you that they are going with your competitor. Red Alert! Then a memo arrives hinting at a company-wide layoff. Red Alert! You finally get to go home at the end of the day to relax but you find bills in the mailbox, your kid’s flunking algebra, and your spouse has a headache. Red Alert, Red Alert, Red Alert!!

Are you getting the picture here? You are on Red Alert 24/7.

There is an imbalance between the Red Alert/Green Alert systems in the autonomic nervous system. The stress response/recovery ratio is off kilter and causing suffering to the body, mind and spirit.

What To Do?

In the past 30 years, there have been well over 2000 peer-review studies of mind/body medicine, as well as writings by leading researchers in the field, such as Herbert Benson, Greg Jacobs and Ellen Langer of Harvard; Robert Sapolsky of Stanford; Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin; and Paul J Rosch of New York Medical College to name a few.

They show us that mind/body techniques, which focus on proper breathing, deep relaxation, and mindfully choosing our perspectives, can actually bring balance to our autonomic nervous system.

They teach us that mind/body exercises can be far more valuable than any symptom-treating pill for modern-day stress.

Since the autonomic nervous system is involuntary, how can we interact with it directly and effect its workings?

Most people have not been trained to lower their pulse rate or blood pressure or change their body temperature at will. And yet everybody can immediately impact their involuntary nervous system through breath work.

Breathing is the one direct interface between our voluntary and involuntary systems. It is the one activity that can happen without our conscious effort and yet we can also choose to control it consciously, right now.

You can use a simple practice, the Three Deep Breaths, to balance yourself anywhere, any time. Right in the moment, even in the heat of anger or upset, the first breath can calm and soothe your body, the second breath can restore the tranquility of your mind, and the third breath can reunite you with the spirit.

The Three Deep Breaths Practice

The Centering Breath

• Exhale completely to relax the body and empty the lungs of air. It will support you to place your hands on your abdomen, to be aware that the breathing includes the belly or center of the body.
• Inhale, noticing that, after a complete exhalation, how deeply and naturally, the inhalation follows.
• As you continue to inhale and exhale, whether you are sitting or standing, let your body become more symmetrical and aligned, feet flat on the ground, and upper body erect, as if someone is suspending you from a string through the top of your head.
• Visualize gravity flowing through you, the weight settling underneath of your feet, leaving you weightless, yet grounded.
• Simply focus on the breath and notice its involuntary nature, how it happens effortlessly without your conscious energy or intellect. Inhale naturally through your nose. Exhalation can happen through nose or mouth. Notice how the inhalation expands the belly out and the exhalation recedes it in toward the spine.
• Give this breathing your full attention. No need to do anything – just watch the breath. You will notice that your breath will tend to get slower, deeper, quieter, and more regular.
• Allow your attention to become present in the moment. You will have a sense of “witnessing the internal and external sensations and thoughts without getting plugged into them. Your choices and thoughts will become more purposeful and creative.

The Possibility Breath

As you continue with the Centering Breath, simply access (breathe in) the “best me I can be.” Another way to think of it is to breathe in “my highest purpose.” This may change from situation to situation.

On the way to work it could be, “I’m a real team player, giving my job 100% focus and energy.”

Or, when you’re entering your home at the end of the day,“I am a loving, joyful, nurturing parent” or “I am a compassionate and considerate spouse.”

The important point is to breathe the possibility in with deep diaphragmatic breaths, imagining it penetrating every cell in your being.

The Discovery Breath

Breathe in the question, “Are my next words or actions going to come from an intent to defend or from an intent to learn?” Is this going to be a fight to be right or a wondrous adventure of discovery? Breathe in the Mystery, the magic of life, and let go of judgments.

Research shows that the keys to managing stress are to be able to control your response to life events, to treat stressors as challenges, and to have a sense of commitment to something larger than your ego (i.e. family, service, life philosophy, faith, etc.)

The Three Deep Breaths do exactly that. The Centering Breath gives you control over your response. The Possibility Breath gives you a higher purpose than your ego. And, the Discovery Breath turns a stressful situation into a learning opportunity.

When To Do The Three Deep Breaths

Anytime you remember, you can do this simple powerful practice! It can be done anywhere:

• When you fasten your seat belt
• Sitting in rush hour traffic
• Waiting in line
• Waiting for an appointment
• Before a meeting
• Before entering your home
• When the phone rings
• When you boot up your computer

The Three Deep Breaths opportunities are endless! But it is the doing of it, in the practice, that counts! And the good news is that it doesn’t take time, it takes “intention.” In addition, the practice is simple, joyful, and energizing.

With this practice you are balancing the autonomic nervous system. And, simply by deep diaphragmatic breathing, you will give yourself up to seven times more oxygen than shallow chest breathing, providing great vitality to the entire system. And since your brain uses at least 20% of the oxygen you breathe, increased clarity and focus and creativity will be yours. Why wait? Do it now!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thomas Crum is a seminar leader, peak performance coach and best-selling author of Magic of Conflict and Journey to Center.

His new book, Three Deep Breaths (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc) teaches us how to get off the madness of the information-overloaded, technology-exploded, and relationship-eroded world and emerge with our true authentic self, prosperous and revitalized. This is precisely the journey that Angus, the harried Everyman, embarks on in Thomas Crum’s parable, Three Deep Breaths. The modern, stressful life of Angus opens up to a field of limitless potential.

With forward written by mega best-selling author, Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul series), Three Deep Breaths, is an easily digestible parable that provides the reader with the means to transform work and life. It is a precious gift for those looking to turn the rat race into a wondrous adventure.

For more information on Tom, his programs and products, visit his website, www.thomascrum.com, or call 585-924-7302.

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7 Leading Causes Of Stress

In 1967, Thomas H. Holmes and Richard H. Rahe, from the University of Washington, did a study on the connection between significant life events and illness. As part of that study, they compiled a chart of the major causes of stress. That chart, which contained 43 causes of stress in 1967, was updated to 55 causes in 2006. Apparently, society is finding more causes to feel stressed.

If you knew the leading causes of stress in your life, would you take action to eradicate them? Can you eradicate stress – or is it an inoperable condition that will be with you all of your life, possibly causing your eventual death?

Which Is Your Leading Cause of Stress?

1. Finances

Most studies agree that finances are a leading cause of stress. In an online poll conducted in 2005 by LifeCare, Inc., 23 percent of respondents named finances as the leading cause of stress in their lives. Financial stress has led the list in many modern polls.

Some who name finances as the leading cause of stress cite major purchases they have to make, such as a home or car. Others are stressed by a loss of income, or mounting credit card debt. For some, financial stress will eventuate in bankruptcy. While college students stress over paying for an education, Baby Boomers and older senior citizens find that retirement income can be a major cause of stress.

2. Work

Closely tied to finances as a cause of stress is work. Our jobs or careers seem to cause constant stress. In the LifeCare poll, 21 percent of those responding listed this as the leading cause of stress in life.

How is the workplace a cause of stress? We worry about getting and keeping adequate employment. We worry about new types of work or new responsibilities. We struggle to climb a career ladder, overwhelmed by the demands. Work conditions may change, or we may have interpersonal trouble at work. Students, especially teenagers and college age students, cite school work as a cause of stress. Sometimes, work stress is brought on by others. Sometimes, we bring it on ourselves.

3. Family

Family, wonderful though each member may be, is also a leading cause of stress. Arguments erupt with a spouse or other family member. Parents divorce. Children marry. The ebb and flow of family life is filled with stress. A child moves out – an aging parent moves in.

Family health is also a leading cause of stress. A sick family member, a serious injury, pregnancy, miscarriage, or abortion all cause stress. Family changes of other kinds bring stress, too. Adoption, relocation, and job changes for just one family member can cause stress for all.

4. Personal Concerns

Personal concerns that are only indirectly created by others are another top cause of stress. Lack of control tops the list of personal concerns. Every human has a deep-seated desire for control over his or her own life. When control is weak or missing in a given area, we experience stress. To many people, a lack of control over their own time is a leading cause of stress. We want to determine when we do tasks around the home, or at work. Holding a job, participating in the children’s carpool to school, driving family to soccer practices, shopping, and scout meetings while trying to keep the household running can create major stress. You would like to control your time, rather than let others’ demands control it, but that is not always possible.

We may be involved in legal proceedings that cause stress. We may be wrestling with a bad habit. We may be going through changes. Personal change of any kind can be a cause of stress.

5. Personal Health and Safety

Most people find that personal health is a leading cause of stress. For some, the stress is linked to obesity, and a desire to lose weight. For others, the stress is a personal bas habit that affects health and must be changed. For example, smoking, abuse of alcohol or other drugs. Illness or injury, whether less or more serious, can be a leading cause of stress for many people. Incontinence can be an ongoing concern. Personal health is more or less stressful according to the degree of seriousness and our personal outlook on health.

Personal safety is also a leading cause of stress. Women, more than men, tend to stress about their own and others’ safety. Adults tend to stress more than young people, who may act invincible. Crime is a factor, as is.

6. Personal Relationships

Whether it is a friendship, dating, separation, marriage, divorce, or re-marriage, a relationship can be a leading cause of stress for many. We all want love, and that is potentially available in relationships, but getting from A to B can be very stressful. Some resort to online relationships that are easier to handle. Others withdraw and become recluses. Either way, the demands on time, finances, and emotions can cause ongoing stress.

7. Death

Probably the most wrenching cause of stress is the death of a loved one or close friend. Even the death of a pet can be stressful. Children are always a source of stress for parents, but when a child dies, the stress is overwhelming. The same is true when a lifetime spouse passes on.

Win or Lose

Causes of stress change as we age. The stressed child who threw tantrums becomes a young student, stressed by the school bully. The young student becomes a teenager, stressed by acne, hormones, and dating. The teenager becomes a young adult trying to handle the stresses of leaving home, adjusting to college life, and managing finances. Life progresses to first jobs, marriage, children, and so on. Even if you move to a secluded cabin in the woods, stress will follow you.

Gaining knowledge of the leading causes of stress is important. Using that knowledge to win over unhealthy stress is vital.

Reduce Stress Now

About the Author: ©2007, Anna Hart. Anna brings to her writing her professional training and expertise as an educator. When she writes at http://www.stressmanagementblog.com about a leading cause of stress, she does so from well-conducted research. Anna invites you to read more on her blog about the causes of family stress.

How To Help A Child With Stress

If you think that you can ever frame a perfect set of rules to control children, you are mistaken. Give them maximum freedom for that is the real way to control them. Various tricks have to be employed at the appropriate time to bring children under control. A kid with lots of anger is a problem. It indeed reflects lots of stress and frustration in the child.

To help child manage his stress, it is necessary first to locate the source of its negative emotions. The question of management arises when you know what exactly is to be managed.

It is wrong to suppress the feelings of child, positive or negative, with force. Every age has some special activities related to it. Let the child enjoy his age. Childhood arrives, but once in a lifetime. In your life time and his life time!

Now, the question arise how to help child manage the stress? You can manage the anger and frustration of child gradually. Find out the stressors and act accordingly. The child must be taught what needs to be watched and monitored to debar stress. Reward the good deeds and punish the bad ones.

But then, punishing the children is not an easy task. Therefore, you find the parents especially the mothers on the look out and she is ever ready to accept revised suggestions from the experienced elders, educators and community leaders. Children will be children. What matters is how do you handle them during those moments of outbursts. Notwithstanding all the latitude that you show, the child needs to know that you mean discipline and that you will implement it with lots of strictness.

There is a special method to handle them. By experience, you know what are the routine problems of your child. With force being ruled out, diplomacy and tact should be your tools to achieve the objective. Listen to them patiently, let them empty their complaint basket first. And give them the appropriate suggestions to solve these problems.

Let the child know when you will love them and when they are likely to be punished.

Parenting teens is no ordinary challenge. Many a times you become frustrated and you yourself need stress management tips. This is the crucial time, when children spend most of the time in your company and their ideal and idol are you. You need to set a perfect example regarding any matter, so that they can emulate you!

About the Author: Ashish Jain, writes about a number of different topics. For more information on stress management visit http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/ and also visit the article page: http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/blogs/children-and-stress.htm

6 Steps To Stress Avoidance

I certainly agree with the author that a little stress can help us to function better while too much of it will do harm to us; both physically and mentally. Prevention is always better than cure. Wishing everyone great health.

Anything taken too much is bad for the health, and the long term effects of stress are well documented, which is why it is such an important area. As with everything in life prevention is always better than cure so I have provided 6 steps to help you avoid becoming stressful.

A little stress is actually good, as it could serve to help you function at your best. However, stress that seems a little too much could take a physical, as well as mental, toll to your body. Stress should be managed in order for depression or anxiety to be prevented.

I recommend you see a stress counselor if you think you may be suffering from stress but there are a few preventative things you can do for yourself:

Write it out, schedule it out.

Overwhelm is a result of having too much in your head to deal with so write it down, get it out of your head and down on paper.

You will find a things-to-do-list much easier to manage than having errands all crumpled up in your head. Writing down the tasks, and putting a specific schedule and time to do them, helps anyone manage activities one chunk at a time. Crossing out an activity that has already been accomplished is very rewarding and could actually help you feel more relaxed when doing the other tasks at hand.

One at a time works.

Focus and put all your attention specifically on one task at one time. It does not help to feel panicky about the other undone or to-do tasks. Thinking about them only adds unnecessary stress and could even hamper in doing the task you are attempting to accomplish at present. Just focus in on your one task, whether that task is spending time with the kids, or writing the next chapter of your book. Block time in your schedule for your most important tasks to ensure you experience balance.

Relax and take it slow.

At least, try not to expend too much energy on activities that are currently not priorities. This is in order for your energy to be not easily expended on the tasks that are not that important, at least for now.

Also spend time relaxing in between your work, just 2 minutes with your eyes closed standing out in the fresh air is enough to bring back mental alertness and to help you feel calmer. I recommend 10 minutes away from your desk every few hours. Taking this time for yourself will mean that you come back stronger and more focused. The longer you spend working without a break the more your effectiveness diminishes.

Delegate, delegate, delegate.

You really don’t have to do everything all at once and you definitely don’t have to do everything on your own. Get into the habit of asking for help, or paying for help. When there is a feeling of being overwhelmed that is cropping up, hire someone to mow the lawn or get a sitter for your children. The feeling of being pressed to finish something on time will somehow be eliminated if tasks are delegated. It takes a load off unnecessary worry and anxiety. Moreover, it is easier checking up on how things are, than worrying yourself sick doing everything on your own, all at once. Remember that delegating does not mean leaving someone to get on with it and forgetting about it, because if that person makes an error you end up feeling even more stressful. Make sure you check up on progress and let them know that they should ask you if they are unsure about anything.

Give yourself a reward.

You deserve it. Acknowledging your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, is an effort that is necessary before getting on to the next tasks and activities. It reduces stress and could even make you happier in doing the next task. Also, it is really easy to spend your time in the future, thinking about how wonderful life will be when you finally complete your task or goal. However, usually when we get there, there are no celebrations because we are on to the next “thing to do.” By giving yourself a reward (something that doesn’t cost anything is the best reward!) you acknowledge where you are at, that you have completed another step. And when you get to your final destination success tastes sweet!

Give yourself a break.

You need it to be more productive. A ten to fifteen minute break during your work is necessary. Go visit a café nearby, take a quick brisk walk, or do anything to put your mind off work, at least for a while. This is necessary to refresh and recharge. Believe it or not, you can also stay in your work and sit with your eyes closed as you visualize a peaceful landscape or a relaxing scene. This frees the stress from your muscles and your mind.

I recommend everyone take a full hour away from their desk, many people find this difficult to do but it is really essential if you want to avoid stress. Invite a work colleague to go with you or spend the time in quiet contemplation. If you need to set outlook to signal when you need to take an hour, or set your cell phone alarm to go off, then no matter what you are doing stop, get up, and walk away. I promise you that you will return with more energy and creativity than you left with!

I hope you enjoyed reading these six steps and that you will choose to take one and use today, taking action is the prime step towards stress avoidance, or if you are already feeling the effects of stress.

While a little of everything is good for us, too much of anything isn’t and it is always better to learn how to relax and avoid stress than it is to have to learn how to deal with overcoming it. Doing so makes you healthier, happier, and a lot more productive.

About the Author: Diane Corriette runs the Personal Growth Podcast Directory. Listen to inspirational and motivational podcasts. If you create podcasts in the self-improvement area why not submit them to http://www.personalgrowthpodcastdirectory.com