Reducing Stress

The National Institutes of Health found that 80 to 90 percent of all illnesses are caused by stress, either directly or indirectly. Try our ideas listed here to help reduce stress in your life. For more ideas be sure and read our article on relaxing techniques, since reducing stress and relaxing go hand in hand.

At times all of us feel stress. We have a looming deadline, our finances are in the red, an illness or major change  in our life are all things that cause stress. A key step in reducing stress is to identify what things in our life are causing stress and if there is anything we can do to eliminate or reduce those stress buttons from our life. Get professional advice in whatever area of your life is causing your stress and become empowered to make changes. Check with your H.R. department and look online and in your community for free resources. Every community has free legal consultations. Visit a lawyer and learn your rights. Innovative Improvements offers free information to improve your life in a variety of areas so be sure and check out the sections that may help you.

We all have stress from our work but if you find yourself overly stressed all or a majority of the time you may need to rethink your career and look for a less stressful job. Try to pinpoint the parts of your job that are stressful and look for a similar job that has fewer of the stressful parts of your current job but requires the same skill set. If your personal relationship is not working but fear of change or finances have kept you in it, you need to change your situation, even if it means compromising in some areas. You may have to stay with a friend or family member for a little while or give up a few luxuries in your life.

It has been proven that any type of change in our life even change for the better is perceived as stress for many people. Often times the unknown causes us stress. Try taking a new proactive approach to change and other things you worry about to avoid long term stress. If your finances are in arrears then make the call to your creditors to try and set up a new payment plan instead of stressing every time the phone rings.

When you have eliminated all areas of stress that you can control, the final step is accepting the other stressful parts of our life and learn ways to de-stress and relax.

Use exercise to reduce stress- You should know that exercise does your body good. But did you also know that virtually any form of exercise can decrease the production of stress hormones and counteract your body's natural stress response? It's true. The same regular exercise routine that helps prevent disease and builds muscle can also help you better manage stress.

• Exercise pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity helps to bump up the production of your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Although this function is often referred to as a runner's high, a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike also can contribute to this same feeling.
• Exercise is meditation in movement. After a fast-paced game of racquetball or several laps in the pool, you'll often find that you've forgotten the day's dilemmas and irritations and concentrated only on your body's movements. As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through movement and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything that you do.
• Exercise improves your mood. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. This can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

Go Back to School- Many of us feel trapped in our stressful job or in a bad relationship because we lack training and skills to get a better job or support our self on our own. Going back to school is easier than ever with online classes now be offered at every University and Community College. Learn what degrees are offered in your area and do the research to find a degree or certificate training is available. This is a lot of options out there for financial aid which will cover not only the classes but can help pay your living expenses while you are attending school. Read our article on online courses and completing a FAFSA to get you started.

Do volunteer work- Its hard to worry about our own problems when we are busy helping others. Donating your time and energy to a community volunteer organization will make you feel better about yourself and will go a long way in reducing your stress level. No matter how little spare time you think you have, there is some volunteer work you can fir in your schedule. By  reducing your stress level you will be empowered to deal with your work and family life more efficiently. Habitat for Humanity allows you to combine physical work with volunteering and is sure to lower your blood pressure. Visiting a Head Start or preschool class and reading a story is a quick and easy way to give back to your community. There is no end to the possibilities when it comes to volunteering in your community. Teach a class, coach a team or help out a school or library and you will literally feel our stress melt away!

Start a Blog- Writing in a personal journal or writing on a blog regularly helps us let go of our stress. By writing out your daily thoughts and issues you encounter in your routine, you are literally letting go of the stress and putting it on paper.  Often times when we begin writing about our problems we see that it is not as dire as it felt when the stress is bottled up inside us. By blogging you may also be helping others feel better too. We all feel a little better knowing we are not alone in feeling stress. You can visit here for complete information on how to start a blog. Almost all blog sites are free so you really have nothing to lose but your stress!

Set Goals- Setting both short term and long term goals empower us by helping us realize we are the ones in charge of our life. Short term goals should be goals you can reach in days, weeks or months. Long term goals make take months or even years to attain. Write out your goals and state them in positive terms. After you write your goals set a realistic time frame in which you want to achieve the goal. Next write out a plan of action on how you want  make your goal a reality. Remember to be realistic in your goals, timelines and plan of action. Setting a goal to lose 20 pounds in two weeks is not a goal you can realistically reach and this will lead to failure and more stress. Look over your goals often and make sure you are on track and once you reach a goal, replace it with a new one!