By Worldroom Digest

Part 2:

MANAGING STRESS

If you can't make stress go away, you can learn to manage it and lessen it's impact on your life. The following are three key strategies for managing stress:

1. Powerful Relaxation Technique
2. Break the worry cycle
3. Increase your satisfiers

1. POWERFUL RELAXATION

The "How and Why" that makes it work:

1. You can't feel emotionally "up tight" or stressed unless your muscles are "tight". 2. A long, slow 'out-breath' sends a message - "it's O.K. to become relaxed."-to your nervous system and muscles. 3. As muscles relax: Heart rate and systolic blood pressure decrease, so do the stress hormones. 4. Your emotions-your feelings of "stress"-begin to decrease, allowing further reductions in muscle tension, blood pressure, etc. 5. Within minutes, you are as relaxed as in the 6th hour of sleep.

HOW
long, slow out-breath
feelings of warmth
feelings of heaviness

WHEN
during boring speeches
before a difficult phone call
after a frustrating day your "times"?

2. BREAK THE WORRY CYCLE

Most people worry about the same few things repeatedly. These "things" are like a stuck record, playing over and over again.

Once you define the problem, you can then begin to solve the problem. To break the worry cycle, identify the situation causing you to worry and answer the following questions.

A. Define the problem

The situation causing me worry (specifically) is:
-------------------------Space for your thoughts here----------------------------------

When I really get worried about it, the bad/unpleasant things I imagine happening are:
space for your thoughts here

B. Solve the problem
YES or NO


(i)Can I change the situation? yes no
(ii)Will I change the situation? yes no

If you answered "yes" to (ii), what change will you make to the situation?

Being realistic, what is the worst likely effect on me if this situation does turn out badly?
---------------------------Space for your thoughts here--------------------------

What do I plan to do if the situation does turn out bad?
-----------------------------Space for your thoughts here-------------------------------------------

There are many causes of stress, but the most frequent cause is uncertainty.

You have control over the situation, because it is you who will determine if you will change the situation. All of us CAN change the situation, but we must decide if we WILL change the situation. In many situations we feel we cannot change the situation. It is more accurate to say that we can change the situation but decide not to for various reasons. It is important to note that it is you who are making the decision!

3. INCREASE YOUR SATISFIERS

A "Vitality Quotient" is the ratio of Satisfiers over Stress. Satisfiers are defined as those experiences which you KNOW (not just hope) will provide you feelings of satisfaction. You cannot eliminate stress, but you can manage it. You can do yourself a great service by increasing your 'satisfiers' both at work and at home.

FINDING YOUR SATISFIERS

At work?
1. High pay
2. Good benefits
3. Feeling well informed about what's going on
4. A job that is not too easy
5. Working for efficient managers
6. Seeing the end result of my work
7. A chance to think for myself rather than just carry out instructions
8. Job security
9. Working for people who listen if you have ideas about how to do things better
10. Chance to develop skills
11. Recognition for good work
12. Interesting work
13. Work with people who treat me with respect

What about your satisfiers at home? These could include: going for a walk (a very good idea if you are stressed!), bike riding, watching T.V. or a movie, a hot bath, woodworking, drawing or painting, it can be just about anything. Just remember, satisfiers that are healthy will do the most good. Satisfiers that are unhealthy (too much caffeine, alcohol, or smoking, for example!) will increase your heart rate, probably decrease the amount and quality of your sleep and contribute to increasing your stress level.

No one can live a stress- free life, but by using these principles you can be in control of your life and hopefully increase your vitality!

Read more about: How is Your Stress Level? Part - 1