LESS STRESS, a plan for a more peaceful life

Its been said, fail to plan or plan to fail. The truth is stress is a part of everyone’s life. Whether you have a mental health challenge or not. According to the Mayo Clinic undealt with stress over extended periods of time can cause:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Digestive problems

• Headaches

• Muscle tension and pain

• Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke

• Sleep problems

• Weight gain

• Memory and concentration impairment

There may not be quick fixes to the issues that cause stress in life, but having a plan to deal with stress will lead you toward a healthy and successful life.

When you read over the plan, you'll notice that you can come up with a bunch of ideas for each point. PLEASE don't think you should try them all.

This plan is supposed to help you reduce stress, not give you more. Try out some ideas, then stick to one or two for each point.

Remember you are doing this plan to manage your life and remain happy and prepared for success, not to cram in activities to impress someone else.

1: Tackle the Problem

A lot of people cope by ignoring problems. This doesn't make them go away; usually they just get worse.

People who cope by trying to fix problems tend to be emotionally healthier.

• Break the work into small pieces. Then do one small piece at a time, rather than look at the whole huge mess. As you finish each piece, the work becomes less overwhelming.

• Make lists of what you need to do. This will help you sleep because your head won't spin with worry about whether you can do everything. At the end of the day, you'll have less to worry about as you check off the things you have finished.

2: Avoid Stress When Possible

Sometimes we know exactly when we are headed for trouble. Avoiding trouble from a distance is easier than dealing with it up close. You know the people who might be a bad influence on you, the places where you're likely to get in trouble, and the things that upset you. Choose not to be around those people, places, and things that mess you up.

3: Let Some Things Go

It's important to try to fix problems, but sometimes there is nothing you can do to change a problem. For example, you can't change the weather, so don't waste your energy worrying about it. You can't change the fact that teachers give tests, so just study instead of complaining about how unfair they are. You can't change the fact that your parents need to know where you go, so prove that you're responsible and deserve more freedoms. People who waste their energy worrying about things they can't change don't have enough energy left over to fix the things they can. Also learn when not to take things personally.

4: Take Care of Your Body

• Exercise is the most important part of a plan to manage stress. You may think you don't have time to exercise when you are most stressed, but that is exactly when you need it the most.

• Active Relaxation. You can flip the switch from being stressed to relaxed if you know how to fool your body. Because your body can only use the relaxed or emergency nervous system at any one time, you can turn on the relaxed system.

  • Breathe deeply and slowly. Try the 4–8 breathing technique. Lie on your back and place your hands on your belly with your fingers loose. Deep breaths first fill the belly, then the chest, then the mouth; the breath expands the belly and your hands pull gently apart. Take a full breath while counting to 4. Then hold that breath for about twice as long, or an 8 count. Slowly let it out to the count of 8, or even longer if you can. This will relax your body after a few breaths, but just as importantly, it requires your full concentration. Your mind is too focused on breathing to focus on worries. Do this 10 times and you will feel much more relaxed. Yoga, martial arts, and meditation also teach great breathing skills. When you get good at this, you can even do this in a chair during a test and nobody will know.

5: Eat Well

Everyone knows good nutrition makes you healthier. Only some people realize that it also keeps you alert through the day and your mood steady. People who eat mostly junk food have highs and lows in their energy level, which harms their ability to reduce stress. Instead of eating greasy or sugary foods, eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—they keep you focused for a longer time.

6: Sleep Well

Tips for good sleep:

• Go to sleep about the same time every night.

• Exercise 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.

• A hot shower 1 hour before bedtime also helps your body relax to fall asleep.

• Use your bed only to sleep. Don't solve your problems in bed. When you think about all the things that bother you, you have trouble falling asleep and wake up in the middle of the night to worry more. Instead, have another spot to think, like a worry chair. Go to bed to sleep.

• Don't do homework, watch television, read, or use the phone while in bed.

7: Release Emotional Tension

Sometimes feelings become so overwhelming that we cram them all away in an imaginary box and think we'll deal with them later. But later, there's so much stuff in the box that there is too much to deal with. This can make your head feel as if it is spinning. Sometimes you get angry or frustrated without even knowing why. You just know there is too much stuff going on in your head. It's good to pick just one problem to work on and forget the rest for the moment. When we decide to deal with only one problem at a time, it's much less scary to open the box.

Here are some ideas to release your thoughts or worries one at a time.

• Creativity. People who have a way to express themselves don't need to hold it inside. Creative outlets like art, music, poetry, singing, and dance are powerful ways to let your feelings out.

• Talking. Everyone deserves a person to talk to and some friends to trust.

• Journaling. Write it out!

• Prayer. Many people find prayer or meditation helpful.

• Laughing or crying. Give yourself permission to feel your emotions fully.

8: Make the World a Better Place

People who work to make the world better have a sense of purpose, feel good about themselves, and handle their own problems better. It's important to understand that you really can make a difference in other people's lives.