Tag Archive for stress

Identify What Is Causing Your Stress

March 11, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

banner to help deal with stress

Identify What Is Causing Your Stress

All the stress-reduction techniques in the world are of little value if you don’t find the cause of your stress. You could exercise until you pass out.

But if you still can’t make your mortgage payment, the problem still doesn’t go away. When you find the cause, you can take steps to help yourself reduce the stress.

Example of stress

Taking the example of not paying your mortgage, you want to find a quick solution. But, you don’t want to use a shady looking online loan service, for instance.

They charge very high rates with interest calculated on a daily basis.

Taking advantage of one of these services will increase your stress. And you’ll be stuck with a higher payment.

Work Problem?

Your stress may have something to do with a coworker. Let’s say they’re lagging behind in their work, and it’s bringing your whole team down.

One solution is to help the lagging member with his or her work. But, try to show them ways to get work done faster, so it doesn’t happen again in the future.

It could be that your procrastination on something important is a stressor. You need to reverse that right away.

The situation is likely to get worse. For instance, you’re letting a slow leak in your home keep building.

This is going to make it tougher to handle when it becomes a large leak. If you’re not capable of fixing the leak yourself, hire a professional.

In the above cases you would have dealt with the actual cause of the stress points. You could try meditating or getting involved in extreme sports.

Those will help reduce your stress to some degree. But, they wouldn’t do much to remedy the situation.

Dig Deeper

Find what’s causing the stress. Take actions based on that.

Now, stress reduction techniques not related to the cause can still help. They can help you relax, which can get you to think about solutions to the problem.

The techniques can also help to lower your blood pressure and heart rate. When you’re calmer, you’ll find solutions much quicker.

In most cases, you’ll be able to determine what is stressing you out. There are situations where you become anxious, and you are not sure why.

Do what you can to make that a temporary condition. Should it become more long-term, consider getting help before it gets out of control.

JohnK 3-11-2024
chiforyourself.com

Stick figure hears about stressOverheard: “Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one”

– Hans Selye

 

 

disclaimer for stress

 

Your Stress Doesn’t Have to Own You

April 29, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

What do you do when the constant stress of staying tethered to your house all day feels unbearable? Try some suggestions from this GenuLines list to help you “chunk-down” the job of de-stressing.  

microphone counters stress

 

 

 

 

Your Stress Doesn’t Have to Own You

calm man resting in chairStress is unavoidable in life, but we don’t have to feel stressed around the clock. We can often prevent stressful incidents and decrease our negative reactions to them.
 
 
 
As a result, many times all we have to do to reduce our stress is to acknowledge that it’s there. Also, there are steps we can take to do an effective job of stress management.
 
banner to counter stress

Managing time

Time management skills can allow you more time with your family and friends. Furthermore, they can help with performance and productivity.
 
This will help reduce stress.
 
To improve your time management:
 
· Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself. 
 
· Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time. 
 
· Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Re-direct your time to activities that are important and meaningful to you. 
 
· Manage your commitments by not over- or under committing. Don’t commit to what isn’t important to you. 
 
· Deal with procrastination by using a day planner. Break large projects into smaller ones.
 
And set short-term deadlines. 
 
· Examine your beliefs to reduce conflict between what you believe and what your life is like. 
 
Build healthy stress coping strategies
It’s important that you identify your coping strategies. One way to do this is by recording stressful events, your reaction, and how you cope in a journal.
 
With this information, you can turn unhealthy coping strategies into healthy ones. Those that help you focus on the positive and what you can change or control in your life.
 

Lifestyle

Some behaviors and lifestyle choices affect your stress level. These may not be direct causes of stress.
 
But they can interfere with the ways your body seeks relief from stress. Try to:
 
· Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations.
 
· Have a sense of purpose in life. 
 
· Make sure you get enough sleep since your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping. 
 
· Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.
 
· Get moderate exercise throughout the week. 
 
· Limit your consumption of alcohol. 
 
· Don’t smoke. 
 
Social support
Social support is a major factor in how we experience stress. This is the positive support you get from family, friends, and the community.
 
It affirms to you that you’re cared for, loved, esteemed, and valued. And research shows social support can support better mental and physical health.
 
Ways of thinking
When something triggers negative thoughts, you may experience a range of problems. These include fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, rage, and guilt.
 
Add to those a sense of worthlessness or powerlessness.
 
Emotions like these trigger the body’s stress, much like an actual threat does. Dealing with your negative thoughts and how you see things can help reduce stress.
 
· Thought-stopping helps you stop a negative thought to help do away with stress. 
 
· Disproving irrational thoughts is good practice. You’ll avoid exaggerating the negative thought and anticipating the worst. And you won’t give it an incorrect interpretation.
 
· Problem solving helps you identify all aspects of a stressful event and find ways to deal with it. 
 
· Maybe it’s time to change your communication style. You want to make sure others won’t feel put down, hostile, or intimidated.
 
This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.  

And Finally…

Anybody can get stressed. You don’t have to have a high powered job or any job at all.
 
Let’s face it unemployment is stressful in itself.
 
Whether you’re a mail carrier, the CEO, or a parent, stress is going to affect you from time to time.
 
Above all, how you deal with it is what counts.
 
JohnK 4-29-2020
 
Stick figure hears about stressOverheard: “Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.”
                                                         ~Hans Selye
 
 
 
 
disclaimer for stress
 

Don’t Let Anxiety Weigh You Down

February 5, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Anxiety is kind of like money. It’s a good servant but a terrible master. 

GenuLines is here to help you take charge when anxious moments crop up.

(you can listen to the article by clicking on the “radio” or scroll down to read)

Radio tuned to anxiety

____________________

 

banner to help anxiety

Don’t Let Anxiety Weigh You Down

Your quality of life takes a bit of a hit when anxiety is the order of your day. It puts your body on high alert.
 
You feel like you’re in danger, and that spikes your heart rate and gives you more stress and sweaty palms. Now, anxiety isn’t all bad.
 
It can motivate you, say, for a test or an interview. But in the workaday world, it’s pretty much useless.
 
picture of anxietyIf you think about them you could get anxious about things that are out of your control. The result is a terrible feeling that can cause you to lose sleep.
 
That loss of sleep often turns into a bad day. Too many of those and you start to see the effects on your body.
 
 

Upping the stakes

During times of unusual stress, our body releases a hormone called Cortisol. This, in turn, has been linked to weight gain.
 
When you’re stressed out you might reach for comfort foods. Things like chocolate or salty snacks. 
 
Those will cause you to pack on the pounds.
 
Now, combine that with the added stress and lack of sleep and you risk heart disease. It takes some time for the physical debilitation to manifest itself.
 
But the mental effects of anxiety are immediate. A severe case can make each day a grind.
 
You constantly seem stressed out and fearful.
 
As anxiety starts to spiral out of control, you may come up with coping mechanisms. For instance, you might start avoiding people and stressful situations.
 
You find yourself only able to grocery shop during off-hours. Or you won’t feel like leaving the house at all.
 
Your high anxiety can morph into depression.
 
It gets hard to find the energy to get out of bed in the morning and face life. Operating on high alert and pumped full of adrenalin is exhausting.
 
Staying in bed seems like a much better alternative.
 
If you find your anxiety is weighing your life down get professional help. Anxiety can be debilitating.
 
But there’s help to be had and plenty of tools that can help you get back to where you want to be.
 
JohnK 2-5-2020
 
stick figure talking about anxietyOverheard: “My anxiety doesn’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.”
                                                ~Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself
 
 
 
 
 
 
Article Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash
 
 
disclaimer about anxiety

Failed To Reach A Goal? Move On And Learn From It!

December 20, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

 

So your goal(s) for 2018 failed. You’re looking for a better 2019.
 
But you’re not really sure how you’ll do it. Maybe it’s how you’re looking at it. 
 
Today GenuLines looks at failure and offers some ideas on how to re-frame it. 
 
 
 
Subscribe to GenuLines- get CHI FOR YOURSELF guest information and more!
 
 ____________________
 

Failed To Reach A Goal? Move On And Learn From It!

We tend to think of missing our goals as something shameful, undesirable. Failing to realize our intentions can cause negative feelings.
 
No matter how big or small the goal.
 
failed at samurai
 
The way to overcome those feelings is by changing the way you understand failure. It’s part of the success process and it teaches valuable lessons if we know how to learn from it.
 
Ways to redefine failure and learn from it
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learning from your mistakes is about more than just thinking about what went wrong.
 
The first step towards using failure as a tool for success is to stop seeing mistakes as shameful.
 
Think about it – a mistake is not only a natural part of embarking on a new project; it is also part of the human experience. Accept it as a necessary step towards achieving your goals.
 
In her article “Strategies for Learning from Failure”, Amy C. Edmondson classifies mistakes:
 
Preventable
These are the mistakes we often think of as bad. They result from a lack of focus or attention to the procedures needed to achieve the goal.
 
Complexity-related
 
These mistakes happen when the goal is the product of various factors. They include:
 
  •       your own motivation
  •       previous skills
  •       your environment
  •       support network
  •       your resources
 
If any of these fail, you might be unable to reach the goal.
 
Intelligent mistakes
According to Adam Mendler, having the freedom to make mistakes increases creativity. And it boosts work performance.
 
Mendler looks at the pressures to avoid mistakes and the shame that comes with them. Minus those, he found that employees contribute more often.
 
And they’re able to express more original ideas.
 
For example, many inventors stumbled upon some of the great inventions. Think Post-It notes or penicillin.
 
There is a beginning step toward learning from the setback, whatever its source. Remove any negative feelings about it and re-frame it as a source of new knowledge.
 
What’s next?
Rethink your approach to your goal
 
Now that you’re looking at the mistake without judgment, think of how you got into the situation.
 
Guy Winch* suggests you analyze your motivation levels, focus, and mindset.
 
Did you feel less motivated to achieve your goal at some point? Did something else distract you from it?
 
If your dedication and focus decreased at any time, make note of it and try to find the cause. Identify the internal and external causes that affected your resolve.
 
This helps you prepare for them in the future.
 
At times you can discuss the failure with someone you trust. This might help you see the issues from a different perspective.
 
Rely on your support network to pinpoint what went wrong and how you could’ve prevented it.
 
Plan ahead
Identifying what caused the mistake is not enough to prevent it in the future. You need to take steps to prevent that mistake from happening again.
 
Say your goal was to write a novel in six months. You’ve identified a few reasons why you couldn’t achieve it.
 
They include lack of time, insufficient planning, or lack of motivation.
 
But what can you do to prevent those issues from getting in the way of your goal in the future? In our example, you could scale down the scope of the novel.
 
Spend more time planning the story. Or set a specific time to write undisturbed.
 
Bottom line?
Failure is not permanent.
 
“Accept” failure. Analyze its causes. And look at how you can by-pass those causes.
 
Now you’re on your way to achieving your goals.
 
JohnK 12-20-2018
chiforyourself.com home
 
 
 
 
man with failed plansOverheard:  “The errors of great men are venerable because they are more fruitful than the truths of little men.”
                     ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
 
 
 
 
 
 
* “The 4 Keys to Learning From Failure”- Guy Winch
 
* “What Sales Executives Can Learn From Failure”- Adam Mendler
 
 
 
 
 
 disclaimer for parsley
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Prioritizing: A Key Stress Management Skill

December 11, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments
We’re into a stressful time of the year, and prioritizing tasks may not be top of mind for you right now. But it’s worth thinking about, especially if the stress is really starting to build.
 
Since wellness is a high priority around here, GenuLines offers a tip “yule” be glad you used!
 
 
Subscribe to GenuLines- get CHI FOR YOURSELF guest information and more!

 

ARTICLE:

 
prioritizing list
 
The skill of prioritizing can be a key tool in your ability to manage stress. It allows you to look at a set of tasks and determine which are the most important.
 
You’ll put your focus on completing those first at the expense of those lower on the list. 
 
It isn’t about working smarter, it’s about dedicating your time to the correct tasks. 
 
 
 
 
When you have a list of things to do you think that you won’t have the energy (or the time) to get through them all. So, a lot of it will get left undone and you’ll be left feeling guilty about what you couldn’t get to. 
 
But when you take the time to prioritize them you ditch the guilt. You’re more efficient.
 
It seems as though there’s an 80/20 rule in every aspect of life and prioritizing is no different. In this case, the rule states that 80% of your activities contribute under 20% of your value of work. 
 
Focus on completing 20% of your tasks (the most important ones of course). This way you’ll achieve more.
 
This should make your working life run a bit more smoothly and allow you to spend more quality time with your family (or yourself!). 
 
The Trick To Prioritization 
 
Well, there actually isn’t a trick. It’s all about choosing what you should be doing and what you shouldn’t be doing.
 
High priority tasks should be taken care of first. No doubt you’ll have more energy to do them at the start of your day anyway.
 
To achieve this, though, you need to be able to see what tasks or projects are of greatest importance. These jobs will help you achieve long-term goals, or have a consequence for not completing. 
 
You might be thinking that everything on your list is important – they’re all urgent. But in the big picture many of the activities you consider urgent are not.
 
Good prioritizing lets you finish the most urgent/important tasks early in the day. Then you can shift your focus to the non-priority tasks.
 
These are more than likely the jobs you find most rewarding. It’s human nature to put off tasks that aren’t enjoyable and instead indulge your enjoyable tasks.
 
You can put tasks in order of importance to keep yourself on track or categorize them. The choice is yours and you should choose whichever method would serve you best.
 
You can have a list of A tasks, B tasks, and C tasks. Of course, anything in the A category should be completed first and then you can move onto the B’s and then the Cs. 
 
While you make your list question yourself about tasks you can delegate or remove. 
 
Wrenches In The Mix 
 
What about unplanned activities? They can throw a wrench into the works. These types of tasks crop up all the time and often throw your day out of whack.
 
You have to rely on your instinct in these situations. When you’re better at prioritizing, you’ll be more confident making judgment calls.
 
But consider your goals and determine how best to fit in unplanned activities.
 
How effectively you handle these situations will depend on how clear you are on your goals. 
 
JohnK 12-11-2018
 
 
 
 
stickman prioritizingOverheard: “Action expresses priorities.”
                           ~Mahatma Gandhi
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Good Thanksgiving “Chi” from GenuLines to You!

November 22, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

 

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am incredibly thankful that you are a part of the Chi For Yourself and GenuLines communities!

Rather than sending you wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving, I’m sending you all the best energies– in other words: good “chi.’

Use this time to rest and recharge with your family and friends. And keep in mind that what you think about is what you bring about!

Be well

 

JohnK 11-22-2018

chiforyourself.com home

 

graphic for thanksgiving

 

 

 

man on thanksgivingOverheard:  “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” 
                             ~Meister Eckhart

 

 

 

 

Subscribe to GenuLines- get CHI FOR YOURSELF guest information and more!

 

 

 

 

 

Depression and “Feeling Better” With Cindy Stulberg

November 20, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

Our latest Chi For Yourself topic was depression. But it centered on a different kind of treatment. 

Woman talks depressionCindy Stulberg is the author of Feeling Better: Beat Depression and Improve Your Relationships with Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

Her message is that depression can be treated by getting a better handle on your relationships. 

 

Here are some of the talking points from the show:

 

  • Interpersonal Psychotherapy or IPT
  • Four depression problem areas 
  • Social media’s effect on isolation
  • 13 signs you might be depressed
  • Step 1 you can take right away

 

If you missed the show, you can hear it by clicking on this logo:

 

radio logo for depression show

 

Be well!

 

 

JohnK 11-20-2018

chiforyourself.com home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depression And a Different Way of Dealing With It

November 14, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

For years, the first line of defense for depression has been pharmaceuticals.

 

Woman talks depressionBut on our next edition of Chi For Yourself, we’ll look at relationships as a path to healing.

Our guest will be Cindy Goodman Stulberg, co-author with Ronald Frey of Feeling Better: Beat Depression and Improve Your Relationships with Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

 

 

Be here for the interview on Thursday, November 15th at 1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern time at chiforyourself.com

 

JohnK 11-14-2018

chiforyourself.com home page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do You Have A Financial Safety Net? (And How To Build One)

October 16, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments
Movement in the financial markets lately can make you seasick! If you manage your own finances as I do the market ups and downs will make you wonder if you should make changes or stand pat. 
 
The GenuLines post below offers some ideas on getting your financial house in order. Read it and “reap”
 
 
financial remedy
 
 
 

Do You Have A Financial Safety Net? (And How To Build One)

 
Do you have a financial safety net? It’s something worth thinking about and setting up.
If not, now is the time to get started.
 
You can begin by putting away three to six months of living expenses.
 
Keep this money in an interest-bearing account. Know what your family needs to live on in the event your income stops.
 
Then start saving as much money as you can until you have built up this safety net.
You can shave your spending, too.
Do More With Less
Do a little less eating out. Think twice about buying the newest TV and tech gadgets.
 
To make the process go faster add any bonuses, tax refunds, etc.
 
But don’t stop there. Make it your goal to add to your cushion as often as possible.
 
Then come back and revise your numbers from time to time.
 
Your living expenses may go up or down over time. You can quickly adjust the amount you need in readily accessible cash.
Protection
Life and disability insurance are two more important parts of your financial strategy. Do you have a plan in place to continue to cover your living expenses (or those of your family) if you can no longer work?
 
Call your insurance agent and go over your current coverage. Make sure the insurance you’re paying for will pay out what you need and if not, make adjustments.
 
Now you have two legs of your plan firmly in place. Next, think about investing any additional savings in higher interest-bearing accounts.
 
Do your best to forget about accessing any of this money in the near term. Think about how handy it will be to have it when you’re dealing with an emergency.
 
Or, when you’re ready to retire.
 
And, don’t let your money sit in a bank or, worse yet, in a drawer in your house. There are lots of investment vehicles that will get you a much better return than a savings account.
 
Talk to your financial adviser. You’ll come up with a plan that’s right for you, your family, and whatever the future may hold. 
 
JohnK 10-16-2018
 
 
 
 
 
man talks financialOverheard: No wealth can ever make a bad man at peace with himself” 
                                  ~Plato
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer for financial

6 Life Hacks For Better Aging

October 9, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments
As we age, we look for things we can do to prevent wrinkles, diseases, and cognitive function. The good news is that there are hundreds of things that you can do to help you age An aging couplein the best way possible.
 
GenuLines looks at six life hacks you can apply to your life today to help you age better.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Subscribe to GenuLines- get CHI FOR YOURSELF guest information and more!
 
 
 
 
 
1 – Stay Active:
It’s no secret that as you age your metabolism slows down. Getting at least thirty minutes of activity a day increases your metabolism. But can also help to increase bone density, putting you at a lower risk of bone injuries as you age.
 
2 – Invest In Large Sunglasses:
The skin around your eyes is the most delicate and thin skin you own. It’s also the place where wrinkles tend to appear first.
 
By wearing over-sized sunglasses you’re preventing sun damage from occurring around your eyes. And you’re also squinting less.
 
You’ll have fewer eye wrinkles as well as fewer forehead wrinkles.
 
3 – Make Time For Your Friends:
Often your schedule can be so hectic that you neglect to make time for a social life. But having a social life can help you age better in many ways.
 
Most important is lowering your stress level. Studies have shown that stress damages your skin cells, causing premature lines.
 
Stress can also lower your immune system, making it more likely you’ll become ill. As a bonus, making time for your friends also means that you’re more active both physically and mentally.
 
4 – Take Fish Oil:
 
Fish oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids. An Ohio State University study found Omega 3’s are good for joints, eyesight, and hair growth.
 
They make skin supple. And they improve your heart and immune functions.
 
If fish oil isn’t for you, you can also increase your intake of seeds, nuts, sardines, or salmon.
 
5 – Keep Your Diet Colorful:
There are foods that speed up the aging process. What you may not know is that there are also some foods that can do the opposite.
 
The list includes kale, broccoli, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, and plums. All are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can promote healthy aging.
 
(***Some of these nutrients include alpha lipoic acid, carotenoids- including vitamin A, ß-carotene, lycopene, astaxanthin, and retinol- CoQ10, glutathione, polyphenols, and vitamins C, D, and E) 
 
6 – Change Your Opinion Of Old:
This one’s my personal favorite. There is no formal definition of what old means.
 
The word can have many different meanings depending on the context.
 
Don’t degrade yourself by talking about your “senior moments” or the things you can no longer do. Having a positive attitude and a good mental outlook is half the battle.
 
When you tell yourself that you’re old and can’t do things, it becomes the truth. Instead, focus on all the things you can do.
 
And though it’s a cliche’, age IS only a number.
 
In today’s busy society we tend to forget to take care of ourselves. We ignore our own needs because we’re so busy taking care of everyone else.
 
Make yourself a priority. For now, begin implementing at least one of the above suggestions.
 
Practice and stick to these six. Make them part of your normal routine.
 
Take care of yourself now so you can ensure that you’ll age in a positive way.
 
 
 
JohnK 10-9-2018
chiforyourself.com home
 
 
 
 
man talks agingOverheard: “I suppose real old age begins when one looks backward rather than forward.”
 
                    ~ Mary Sarton
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer for food
 
 
 
 
 
* Photo by Matthew Bennett on Unsplash
 
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