Don't Let Stress Make You Sick

There are quite a few individuals who live under such high levels of stress and for such an extended period of time that they actually forget how to relax. You would think the body could become used to the tension but it never does. The pressure builds alike a fuse leading to the inevitable explosion. If the assault continues health issues will begin to emerge.

If tension and worry are getting the upper hand in your life then it may be time for you to re-evaluate your priorities. Work, money, relationships, or simply too many obligations? Stress has become a common factor in today's busy world and it is certainly not a good thing. It may be time to get your stress under control. 

 The first step in fixing a problem is knowing that it exists. The second is knowing what is causing it. You may already have some ideas as to the factors causing your tension so take a closer look into what you think the underlying factors may be. A few of the main causes of tension are money, illness, work, family, relationships, or simply having more obligations than you are able to fulfill.

Using a small journal or notebook to keep tabs on the times when you experience anxiety will help you delve deeper into the reasons why it occurs. Seeing the issue in black and white will help you to better understand the triggers causing your stress. It will also better help you to develop plans to alleviate it.

We can have an overpowering sense of anxiety when we are attempting to deal with too many issues at one time. We start looking at our obligations in one lump sum and this can simply be too much to deal with. 

When this happens it is time to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective. It is time to stop looking at the big picture and to start dealing with things one small section or moment at a time.

 Write it out so you can see the situation in black and white and then begin breaking the issues and obligations down into smaller more manageable pieces. If you find that you have just too much to deal with then slow your life down. Yes, this is much easier said than done but it is an important part of getting your life back under control. Having too many obligations will increases stress. There comes a time when it is time to say NO and mean it. The more often you say NO the easier it gets. If a change in lifestyle is the only way to reduce your stress then it may be time to make that life altering change. You are the only one who can bring your life back under your control. 

 Although it can be difficult to put worrisome issues out of your mind there comes a time when you will have to deal with the overflow.  The way to do this is to deal with the stressors one small piece at a time and on a time schedule that you are able to handle. It is extremely important to not take on more than you are able to deal with but it is also equally important to not ignore these trouble makers either.

 Assertiveness training can help give you the social skills needed to reduce a great deal of the stress occurring in your life. Saying no and sticking to it, socially acceptable communication, becoming aware of your rights and those of others, and being able to alter your social behaviour are just a few of the skills taught in an assertiveness training course. The techniques are simple to learn but do take patience and practice to incorporate the techniques into your lifestyle. Once there you will benefit from them for a lifetime. Patience is the key when changing any behaviour. Becoming a more assertive person takes time and patience.

 Keep in mind that alike most other things in life it takes practice to make the behaviour more perfect. When you are first learning to be assertive your personality may swing wildly to either side of the pendulum. This is perfectly normal. As you learn to become assertive and much like the pendulum on a clock swings your moods and actions will balance out to fit this new pattern. You will slowly stray less from the centre as you become more visibly able to see which range of the pendulum your emotions and actions are at. Self control, patience, and learning are the keys to success.

Keep working at it and practice will make it perfect. You will become an assertive individual. To find online assertiveness programs simply Google search "assertiveness training". There are hundreds of Internet sites which deal with this topic but try to focus on Government, Educational, or Medical sites whenever possible when dealing with health related topics.

Let your endorphins out to play. When you participate in pleasurable activities like smiling, laughing, exercising or playing, your brain does an amazing thing and releases a little chemical message known as an endorphin. These endorphins are feel good messages that have the power to remove physical and emotional pain. They travel down the spine and then throughout your body sending a feeling of well being as they go.

Laugh. You may have heard the saying that, "Laughter is the best medicine". Well this may be true. Laughter is another one of those things like smiling which just naturally help you feel good. Laughter is also a great form of exercise with all the health benefits to your body that any other form of exercise will give it. That's a pretty good reason to find a reason to laugh. Find any reason that you can to laugh and even if it is not all that wholehearted at first don't be discouraged. Just do it.

The more that you practice laughing then the more
often you will suddenly find yourself bursting into a really good belly laugh and with laughter comes that funny little grin that spreads across your face. With that smile come endorphins and they help you feel good, so do it.

Dancing is another one of those wonderful things that releases a flood of endorphins into your body. Dancing is not only a great form of exercise but it can also be adjusted to match a number of physical skill levels. As you dance your body seems to almost automatically adjust to your current health level.

To sum it all up: Happy people smile and laugh often but it isn't because they are naturally happy people. It is actually their ability to smile and laugh which helps to increase their happiness. Your lifestyle and outlook toward it can minimize the stress you acquire. Only you can change who you now are. 

Incorporate a few basic changes to your current routine and you'll be amazed just how much better you will begin to feel. Take time to relax. Take time to play. Take time to socialize with your friends. Relaxation comes in many ways but each of these start with you taking back control over your life. 

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