Exercise to Maintain a Positive Mindset and Relieve Stress

I have found that on the days that I don't work out, I am 10 times more stressed and get tired and worn out faster, I also find that on those days I am more likely to feel sad or depressed about my life. Exercising every day is a great way to keep the positive feelings and thoughts going strong. It keeps your mind and body upbeat and positive. 

Negative Thoughts

Those negative thoughts can really creep in, and Exercise gives you endorphins which makes you feel happy and awake. Many of our negative thoughts have something to do with self-esteem as well. Pushing yourself to workout every day can make you feel good about yourself in more ways than one. Not only did you accomplish something that is good for you, but you did something to help you have a healthy body and mind. 

Make it happen

I have a really hard time getting up in the morning, especially to go work out, but after I get to the gym or start working out I start to feel more awake and energized and start to feel glad that I got up in time to workout. Afterwords, I feel happier and more energetic and ready to start my day. Active individuals who spend less time watching television and more time staying busy in more active ways are far more likely to be successful and happy in their lives due to a positive attitude and higher self-esteem.

You've Got Options

There are so many options for leading a more active life-style that it is hard to come up with a an excuse. There are several affordable gyms out there that cost a small monthly fee which often will give you class options, gym equipment and sometimes sporting leagues and rock climbing walls. If you fall in love with something particular like Yoga or Kick Boxing, there are smaller gyms or studios that offer classes for just those things, or if you need to go the cheap route, you could always buy a few work out DVDs and workout from home. I will warn you though, I have several DVDs and I almost never touch them. There is something about being at home that makes it hard for me to want to workout. I have to get out of the house. However, if you set up a room in your house as your gym with maybe an empty space with some yoga mats, a TV, and some yoga DVDs it would give you your own active space so that you can separate your relaxing time with your workout time.

Make it Your Own

It all comes down to personal preferences and what will work for you! If you can't make yourself get out of bed in the morning, maybe make an after work workout routine, or an after dinner workout routine. Maybe you take a class with your spouse or significant other a few times a week. Regardless, I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep pushing yourself to make the choice to be active. Maybe you are mentally exhausted from a long day of work, maybe you didn't sleep well the night before, none of it matters, they are all excuses, for a positive and stress free life it is absolutely a necessity to stay as active as possible. 

How to Stay Positive in a Negative World

3 Steps To Help You Stay Positive

In a world full of negativity it is hard to find the positivity. We rarely hear happy news in the papers and on the television. We only hear about who killed who and a bomb went off here, and of natural disasters. The world surrounds us with negativity, so how to we move past it, how to we find the sunshine after the storm?

Step #1: Always be looking for the "silver lining". 


Sometimes it is very hard to find, but it is always there. There have been situations in my life where I had a lot of trouble finding the silver lining. For example, one day I found out that I had lost my job. I wasn't just let go, I was fired and the person that fired me was very cruel about it.


I was barely able to hold it together. I grabbed all of my things and left and finally broke down into tears when I got to the car. I called up my Mom and told her that I thought my life was over and didn't know what I was going to do. She said "It wasn't a great job and you know that you can find a better one, you can now claim this job as experience on your resume and you will be able to find something better." At that time, I couldn't even think past that moment. After hearing what my Mom said, I realized that there really was something positive coming from this experience. Even if an experience is awful and hard to deal with and overwhelming, you will learn from it and take away everything that you can from it. Find joy in everything you do. There is always a silver lining somewhere, you just have to be strong enough to go looking for it.

Step #2: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff 

People have a tendency to let small stuff bother them. For example, maybe you get upset when a Barista doesn't make your coffee beverage correctly, or maybe someone accidentally bumps you in the hall, or maybe you get upset every time someone talks in an elevator. All of these things are tiny. Way worse things can happen to you. Don't sweat it, just let it bounce right off of you. You have to remind yourself that things could always be worse and your coffee not being made the way you like it one day out of the week is not the end of the world. Take a deep breath and just let it go. The more of the small stuff you can let go, the easier time you will have thinking positively and keeping yourself calm in high pressure situations. 

Step #3: Appreciate What You Have

We often take what we have for granted. Maybe your life isn't exactly how you imagined it would be. Maybe you thought you'd be living on your own private Island living in a castle by now. Well, that is probably not the case and that's okay. Look at what you do have. What things are good in your life right now. Focus on those things and be thankful that you have them. I have a great life and people around me who care deeply for me. I often get so caught up in the day-day stresses of life that I forget how blessed I am to have friends and family who care about me, a roof over my head, food to eat at every meal, and the time to work towards my goals. Make a list, right now! What things in your life are good? Post the list in a place that you will see it every day, add things to it, and constantly remind yourself that you have good things in your life.

Organize Your Life

I know it may sound silly or obvious, but organizing life at work and at home will help to alleviate a lot of your stress. Take a look at your room, your car, your kitchen, and your desk at work. Are they truly organized?? Is everything in an easy to access place. Does item that is used often or is important have a designated place?? If your answer to any of these questions is "no", then it is time to get organized. 

Choose one room to organize per weekend until the job is finished. Talk to family members about the best ways to make each room efficient and to keep each room clean and organized.  Have them help in the organizing process. I can't tell you how many times I have been running late to work and have misplaced my keys or suddenly realized that I did not have anything to bring to lunch. These are all things that can be avoided. I can find a place where I always will keep my keys, and I can keep an organizer that will tell me when I have eaten my last lunch meal. Why should you organize every aspect of your life, you ask? The answer is simple. You will decrease the amount of stress you have in your life, by making sure that you avoid situations like running out of food, losing your cell phone, falling late on bill payments, and forgetting to make something for your company potluck. 

Even when you think you will remember, always write it down and always put it in the same place. The age of smart phones is upon us, and they are great for keeping track of things for you. Every smart phone has an organizer in it or one can easily be downloaded on to your phone. If you own a smart phone, utilize it! If you do not own a smart phone and have no intention of getting one, then I strongly urge you to purchase an organizer or a planner. This way you can give yourself a daily "to do" list to keep your life and living areas organized as well as make sure that you do not forget important events or that you used your last bit of coffee beans. It might take some time to get there, but once your life is organized, no matter how stressful your home and work life is, you will be feeling much less stressed.

Relaxation Techniques – Positive Thinking and Breathing Exercises to Use When Under Stress

The everyday stresses of modern living can take total relaxation

away from you. But there is absolutely NO reason for you to continue living life full of stress and anxiety. By applying the art of relaxation, you can easily enjoy life once again and find success especially during high-pressure situations.

The secret to total relaxation is a controlled and balanced state of mind and body. If you spend the entire time worrying about what bad or worse could happen, then you can never learn to relax. Sometimes though, some situations could get you there where it seems virtually impossible to relax. Good thing, you can learn and practice some techniques that will help you relax both your mind and body almost in an instant.

Relaxation – As Simple as Deep Breathing

When you are under stress, you body starts to evoke shallow, fast,

irregular, and tense breathing. In contrast, when you are calm, your breathing is free and relaxed. According to Michael Lee, founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Bristol, Vermont, and author of “Turn Stress into Bliss”, you can instantly transform your tension into relaxation by just changing the way you breathe.

Gentle, deep breathing exercises can help you relax because it makes your body feel the way you feel when you are relaxed. Thus, if you find yourself in stressful situations, the best way to deal with your “nerves” is to control your breathing. First, try to be aware of your breathing. To calm your mind and body, start breathing deeply but gently at the same time. This will help lower or regularize your heart rate and blood pressure.

Breathe slowly and naturally when taking air in and imagine you are breathing in peace into your mind and body. When you breathe out, imagine you are exhaling all your fears and worries. You can also learn to breathe through your diaphragm to be able to breathe much deeper and calmer. Relaxation through breathing techniques can be this simple – no need to complicate it.

Positive Thinking, Visualization, and Positive Self-Talk

You can also reduce your stress by staying relaxed through positive

thinking. First method is through visualization. Picture yourself relaxed in a peaceful “dreamscape”. Take away your mind from the stressful situation by thinking of your favorite vacation spot or imagining a perfect scene such as a fantasy island or paradise. You can also focus your mind on a simple pleasant thought like being in your most comfortable sleepwear, drinking warm cocoa or just lying in bed with no worries.

The main idea is to remove all of your negative thoughts and replace it with pleasant or calming ones. Keep your daydream as detailed and as realistic as possible. Take special note of the sounds, sights, and even the touch and feel of your imaginings.

The second positive thinking technique to relax and ease stress is through positive self-talk. This means using only positive words when thinking and even while talking. Use encouraging words such as, 'I can', 'I will be able to', 'I can make it possible, 'I can do it', etc. Allow only thoughts and feelings of confidence, success, strength, and happiness into your consciousness.

Ignore all doubts and negative thoughts and substitute them with positive constructive ones. When you are out to do a difficult task, prepare by visualizing a successful outcome clearly and vividly in your mind. Concentrate and keep the faith while visualizing and you be pleased by the results.

Positive thinking and breathing exercises are easy to learn and incorporate into your life most especially during highly stressful situations. You can do them whenever and wherever particularly when you need it most. The best part is that you are not required to use any special tools or equipment to apply them. To relaxation, success, and happiness!

Meditation and Deep Breathing Techniques for Stress Relief

I’ve noticed that these days a lot of people try to find “outlets” to release their stress or tension. On the other hand, if you really think about it, drinking with friends, partying, spending lots of time on the internet are actually more stressful than relieving, plus, they could also cost you money. A rather more practical and effective way to release stress, depression, and anxiety is through deep breathing and meditation.

Come to think of it, Stress really is just the overall feeling of strain or over-fatigue in one’s mind and body. The best way to ease it – is to relax! Actually a lot of people turn to sleep as a way to rest or relax but the problem is – when you are already too stressed, even your sleep becomes troubled. Fortunately, there is a great way to relax and find some respite even when you are not actually sleeping – just learn some effective relaxation techniques via meditation and deep breathing.

Now these two are inter-related. First, Stress is not just a condition of the body but also a state of mind. Have you ever felt too tired even when you have just come out of a seven-hour sleep? Generally that is the feeling of unrest or lack of peace of mind resulting to Stress. Even if your body is totally okay, when your mind is not in the best condition, your body also follows and you feel tired and worn-out. Thus, meditation is important to keep your mind at peace and allow it feel totally relaxed and in the best condition.

As with breathing exercises, it is a tried and tested method of preconditioning the body to relax and prepare for deep meditation. The idea behind deep breathing is to make the air or oxygen and your blood flow more freely throughout your body helping you to release your tensions to ultimately relax. Once your body has reached a relaxed state, it reaches the best situation to meditate…

Livestrong.com provides a great article about combining deep breathing and meditation to manage one’s stress. You can follow this link: http://www.livestrong.com/article/101984-breathing-exercises-meditations-stress/.

If you want to delve deeper into Meditation, you can read about the various benefits of Meditation and its different forms from Mayoclinic – http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070.

Now are you ready to relax and meditate?

Healthy Eating for Stress and Anxiety Relief

These days it has gotten easier for everyone to experience stress on a day to day basis. Most often it’s hard for us to keep up with these stressful times. Often we are too busy to relax and go on a vacation, but did you know you can combat stress and anxiety through your normal daily eating habits? Yes, comfort foods are a great way to ease fear, tension, or stress as long as you keep eating healthy foods in moderation. Note: there is a very thin line between eating healthy for stress relief – and binge-eating on junk foods. The latter will gain you even more stress than you originally had in the first place.

Remember, the idea is to eat all-natural healthy foods that boost immunity and maintain your blood pressure/ blood sugar at a healthy level. Eating foods with serotonin “feel-good hormones” that lower cortisol (stress hormones) and adrenaline will help keep your mood and energy up no matter how tiring and emotionally draining your day becomes.

Complex Carbs instead of Simple Carbs

Simple carbohydrates or sodas, candies, and other artificial sweets give the body temporary serotonins that make one feel good instantly, however this sudden spike in mood boosters drops all too soon making you feel more rundown more than ever. A better substitute is complex carbs that are slowly digested by the body, hence giving a more stable source of feel-good substances or serotonin.

Oranges, Citrus Fruits, and other Vitamin C

These are major immunity boosters. People who have high blood pressure and high cortisol (stress hormones) recover quicker or are able to get their body functioning normally again after taking Vitamin C.

Green Leafy Vegetables, such as Spinach

These are rich in magnesium which has also been found to prevent headaches and fatigue that can add up to one’s stress.

Fatty Fish, such as Tuna and Salmon

Fish high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids can help prevent depression and other mood disorders and heart problems. In other words, it can help ease out the negative effects of stress. Eat 3 ounces of tuna or salmon at least two times a week. (Avocados are also rich in good fats.)

Coffee versus Tea

Tea drinkers are much less stressed compared to coffee drinkers. It is because tea has calming effects, while the caffeine in coffee negatively raises one’s blood pressure and stress hormones.

Healthy Nuts and Seeds, like Pistachios, Walnuts, Almonds

Like fatty fish, nuts and seeds have the ability to lower bad cholesterols in the body which can wear out a person in his day-to-day activities. Just eat these nuts and seeds in moderation (only one handful a day). (Almonds are also high in beneficial Vitamin E and B vitamins.)

Fruits and Vegetables

Packed with dietary fibers and nutrients, fruits and vegetables are also high in anti-oxidants that combat free radicals from pollution and other daily stressors. It will keep your energy up no matter how hard your day has been.

As a rule of thumb, avoid stimulants if you’re already stressed. Stimulants increase anxiety and other symptoms related to stress. Stay away from alcohol, nicotine and illegal drugs. Also stay away from stimulant drugs and foods that have preservatives and additives (like salt, MSG, GMOs, and refined white products). These foods are either impossible for the body to digest and/or just adds stressful toxins to one’s body.

MayoClinic.com suggests foods containing tryptophan for its relaxing effects (bananas, sesame seeds, nuts, soy, poultry, and peanut butter). Soda water may also help ease hyperventilation and produce relaxing effects in the body. Other foods that produce calming effects include protein-rich foods (except red meat), molasses, and Brewer's yeast.

So, have you already made these stress/anxiety relieving foods a normal part of your daily diet?

Find Your Stress Outlet

There are many different kinds of stress outlets and different things will de-stress different people. They will never be the same. After a person has set aside time to de-stress they need to pick an activity that will give them relief from their stress or anxiety. For some, this could be as simple as putting on pajamas and watching a good movie and for others it could be rock climbing or kick boxing. Some people have a hobby that they focus on in their spare time to get rid of stress and anxiety and some people just find time to meditate or relax. For those of you who have not found your outlet yet, here are some options to get you started.

Yoga

Yoga is meant for a person to take time to focus on themselves. There are many different kinds of yoga classes that a person can take, some are more of a hard core workout and some are just meant for relaxation and getting rid of tension. Depending on your preference, either of these can help with stress relief. The more intense yoga classes can help to tone and strengthen the body as well as help relax you. The less intense yoga classes focus on breath and relaxation and aren't as much of a workout. Tai Chi is another similar option that is a type of martial art that is based on breathing and focus and is similar to yoga in that way. It is not as popular as yoga is, but it is becoming more and more popular as time goes on.

Keeping a Journal

I know what you are thinking, writing in a journal seems so cliché, however, it is one of the best and healthiest ways to de-stress. If you enjoy writing, start keeping a journal of your day. If it was stressful than fill the pages with all of the things that were horrible that day and then just let it go on to the pages and release it from your mind and your body. You would be surprised how much just writing it down will help you relieve the stress from the day.

Hiking

Going for walks in general is a good thing to do when you are stressed out or anxious. Hiking is great, especially if you live in a place that you can hike in beautiful places. Go alone or with friends and just enjoy the scenery. Exercise in general has been known to reduce tension in the body and calm the mind.

Photography

If you enjoy taking photos, this is a great hobby to take up. Photography can help you to focus on the beauty of things or to express yourself in many different ways. A great way to use this hobby for stress relief is to take your camera out into the woods and take photos of the beauty around you. It will help you to focus on the positive and give you some alone time in order to relax.

Archery

Some people enjoy the hobby of Archery or going to a shooting range for stress relief. They can focus their anger on a target instead of snapping at loved ones because they had a bad day. The other great thing about Archery is it is a hobby that can be done year round at indoor and outdoor ranges and is often a great way to get some alone time and focus on the art of shooting a bow.

Meditation
Mediation is all about focus. It helps you to focus only on yourself or only on other things. Mediation can help you to center yourself when you are having your de-stress time or while you are in the middle of a stressful situation. If you have never meditated before, a good starting place is to focus on your breathing. Sit in a quiet and relaxing place, close your eyes and focus only on breathing in and out. This can also help you to fall asleep at night if your anxiety or stress is keeping you awake. Every time a thought tries to push itself into your head, you just keep focusing on breathing in and out and nothing else and you will fall asleep. Some people have a place that they imagine. This could be a place that does not or does exist where you feel the most comfortable and at peace. People will focus on this place instead of breathing and it will calm them.


Go on Vacation
It is extremely important for those with stressful lives and/or jobs to take some time away from the office and home life and completely enjoy themselves and forget all the stresses at home. Going to a place that is warm with a beach is a popular choice. This gives you a place to relax and a place to pamper yourself.

Take a nap

Sometimes the only thing we need in order to relax is a little sleep. When you are feeling irritable or anxious, a lot of times, just laying down and sleeping for 30 minutes or so will give you enough of a power nap to wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world.

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