Secret About Stress

This year to help celebrate Stress Awareness Month try sending out free e-cards to colleagues or friends alike. E cards make celebrating Stress Awareness Month that bit easier in April, as with e-cards you no longer have to worry about going to the shop and buying a card, but you can log onto the internet and send a free e-card.

April has been named Stress Awareness Month since 1993, courtesy of the Health Resource Network, which also sponsors Stress Awareness Day. The date of Stress Awareness Day was chosen for a reason: taxes are due on April 15th, and completing the forms on time is enough to stress anyone out!

Stress, a term for the physical and mental symptoms caused by conflicts and specific problems, may be considered a fact of life, but according to statistics collected in highly industrialized countries, it almost qualifies as an epidemic.

There are infinite possibilities for what causes stress, from over-working to having excessive demands on your time. Not only does stress diminish productivity, motivation, and concentration, result in chronic physical manifestations such as headaches, but also saps energy.

Being stressed out, which translates into tense, angry, and/or despondent behavior, negatively affects your mental and physical health, which is why the focus of Stress Awareness Day is educating people about how to deal with stress to avoid its dangerous consequences.

To most effectively deal with the stress factors in your life, the Health Resource Network recommends that you identify the precise issues that are causing you frustration or pain, for example relationship anxiety, work-related pressures, and having too many simultaneous commitments.

By getting to the root of those specific problems, you can literally dismantle the stress that you experience bit by bit.

When you find yourself becoming anxious, edgy, or unhappy due to the external factors in your life, such as interaction with the people around you, your routine and obligations, try to figure out exactly what is bothering you and find a way to fix those problems instead of escaping from them by turning your attention elsewhere.

Ignoring a problem, no matter how insignificant often leads to its persistence. So deal with stress, and have a relaxing Stress Awareness Day!

A similar observance, called National Stress Awareness Day, is observed in Britain on November 1st.

A person experiencing continual stress is more likely to smoke cigarettes, consume more than a casual amount of alcohol, overeat, or commit suicide. Stress also can be a significant factor in the development of heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and have negative impact on the immune system.

Millions of people send free e-cards each year, and now loads of people celebrate Stress Awareness Month by sending free e-cards. You no longer have to worry about running out of ink, or leaving it to late to send your card, as all you have to do is type your message and click send. Then your free e-card will arrive almost instantly to its recipient. Free e-cards truly are the easiest way to celebrate any holidays or birthdays.

This year to help celebrate Stress Awareness Month try sending out free e-cards to colleagues or friends alike. E cards make celebrating Stress Awareness Month that bit easier in April, as with e-cards you no longer have to worry about going to the shop and buying a card, but you can log onto the internet and send a free e-card.

April has been named Stress Awareness Month since 1993, courtesy of the Health Resource Network, which also sponsors Stress Awareness Day. The date of Stress Awareness Day was chosen for a reason: taxes are due on April 15th, and completing the forms on time is enough to stress anyone out!

Stress, a term for the physical and mental symptoms caused by conflicts and specific problems, may be considered a fact of life, but according to statistics collected in highly industrialized countries, it almost qualifies as an epidemic.

There are infinite possibilities for what causes stress, from over-working to having excessive demands on your time. Not only does stress diminish productivity, motivation, and concentration, result in chronic physical manifestations such as headaches, but also saps energy.

Being stressed out, which translates into tense, angry, and/or despondent behavior, negatively affects your mental and physical health, which is why the focus of Stress Awareness Day is educating people about how to deal with stress to avoid its dangerous consequences.

To most effectively deal with the stress factors in your life, the Health Resource Network recommends that you identify the precise issues that are causing you frustration or pain, for example relationship anxiety, work-related pressures, and having too many simultaneous commitments.

By getting to the root of those specific problems, you can literally dismantle the stress that you experience bit by bit.

When you find yourself becoming anxious, edgy, or unhappy due to the external factors in your life, such as interaction with the people around you, your routine and obligations, try to figure out exactly what is bothering you and find a way to fix those problems instead of escaping from them by turning your attention elsewhere.

Ignoring a problem, no matter how insignificant often leads to its persistence. So deal with stress, and have a relaxing Stress Awareness Day!

A similar observance, called National Stress Awareness Day, is observed in Britain on November 1st.

A person experiencing continual stress is more likely to smoke cigarettes, consume more than a casual amount of alcohol, overeat, or commit suicide. Stress also can be a significant factor in the development of heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and have negative impact on the immune system.

Millions of people send free e-cards each year, and now loads of people celebrate Stress Awareness Month by sending free e-cards. You no longer have to worry about running out of ink, or leaving it to late to send your card, as all you have to do is type your message and click send. Then your free e-card will arrive almost instantly to its recipient. Free e-cards truly are the easiest way to celebrate any holidays or birthdays.

It seems that no matter how hard we try, we can’t avoid the holiday stress. I recently shared on my MomTV show – Going Retro with Dr. Mommy some ways to first identify stress and tips on how to handle stress during the holidays.

First it’s important to learn to identify the different stress signals that may occur. When you are able to identify the signals you will be able to handle or simply avoid the end result which is the needless stress.

Irritability or short temper – this is a signal that many of us tend to avoid but those around us can easily identify. If you find yourself giving short responses or becoming irritated over non-sense, chances are you are experiencing the first signs of stress.

Difficulty sleeping – if you find yourself tossing and turning throughout the night or looking at the clock every 30 minutes, you are experiencing signs of stress. This is certainly one of the most common signals, especially during the holidays. During a rough economy or during difficult times in general it is difficult to sleep because our mind can’t seem to shut down. You will find that you can not sleep well which will ultimately lead to insomnia and irritability.

Overindulging – seems like an odd signal but many will turn towards comfort foods during stressful situations. If you find yourself reaching for the chocolate cake, candy, salty foods, alcohol and/or more cigarettes, this is a sure sign.

Body Aches – believe it or not when you are stressed, your body will begin to ache and you will feel sore all over, as if you ran a marathon. Your body is a wonderfully made machine and if you abuse it with lack of sleep, irritability, or lack of proper nutrition it will give you signals that something is wrong. This is one of the signals of stress.

Here are some tips you can implement to avoid the signals/symptoms mentioned above.

Pace yourself – all too often we want to get all our projects completed in one day, which of course is unrealistic. By scheduling one to two tasks per day you will be less stressed. Take your time and enjoy the season. Don’t try to decorate your entire home in one day or try to mimic the decorations you see in all the magazines. After all, many of the displays seen in the magazines were put together by teams of individuals not two people.

Ask for help – as simple as that sounds you will be surprised the many who will try to do it all on their own. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness it actually is a very smart decision. If your children are old enough, get them involved, as well as getting your friends to help.

Learn to say the magic word – the magic word is ‘no’. However, many will find it difficult to say the magic word, so you can try this phrase, that I use. The phrase is this: “I simply can’t say yes to your invitation or request” and while saying this phrase be sure to be wearing a smile. You will be surprised at the reaction you will receive, since the person asking will be expecting a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Practice that phrase, you’ll be amazed at how easily it works.

Reason for the Season – during this rush-rush season it is very easy to forget the reason for the season. Learn to sit and enjoy the true meaning of the season and teach your family members the same. Consider a new tradition of watching the many Christmas movies throughout the season along with hot chocolate and popcorn. Tone down the craziness the season tends to bring upon the calmest of folks. Don’t be swayed into purchasing the high priced items, consider simple board games, homemade items and items that are truly necessary. Your stress will melt away when you learn to simply slow down.

There are many more ways to avoid the holiday stress but of course it all begins with YOU. Allowing the stress to take over will also make you susceptible to illness and the last thing you want during the holiday season is to be ill or under the weather. Enjoy this glorious time with your family and friends and most importantly ~ slow down.

My story is fairly routine. Many of you will relate. I’m a baby boomer. My parents are from the WWII generation. My father served in the Army Air Corp and fought in the Pacific theater. My mother was a Rosie the Riveter. She tore down air plane engines on a base in New Mexico. They met on base, fell in love, and they have been married for 64 years. They have been blessed with long lives. The downside of this fairytale is the stress involved in taking care of my elderly parents.

About 10 years ago their health began to decline. I am the only one of their children living in their city. Needless to say, the majority of the responsibility for caring for them has fallen to me. Caring for them is an honor. But, it is not without stress. In fact, it is one of the most stressful things I have coped with in my life. When I started this 10 years ago, there weren’t a lot of resources easily available.

Many of you are in the same situation as I had found myself in. We all lead busy lives. When we need to become the care givers for our beloved old people, our lives become even busier. I felt like I was doing it all. I began to feel like a rubber band stretched so tight, any more pressure and I would snap!

Caregivers deal with so much stress. It isn’t uncommon for the caregiver to get sick themselves. It happened to me. I developed a life threatening health issue myself. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It forced me to find other ways to deal with my parents and the stress of caring for them.

I wanted to share with you a few tips on how I alleviate some of the stress of being the main caregiver.

1. I found out, I wasn’t alone. There is so much more help for the elderly, and their caregivers, these days. There are numerous resources available. My father is a veteran and the Veterans Administration was very helpful. Aging veterans is their expertise. I feel, they really care for their veterans. They have, also, heard it all and seen it all.

There are many agencies that deal with aging which are as close as the phone book or Internet. Doctors who deal with geriatric patients are a great source for setting up services. They can help point you in the right direction for services. Many of these services will need a doctor’s referral for medicare to help with the costs.

Implementing these services took some of the stressful pressure off of me. An interest side effect of this, the trained professionals dealt with Mom and Dad on a completely different level then I could. They were the professional and my parents listen to them.

One of the most incredible service available in our city is seniors taking care of seniors. Retired people who have a talent or service they wish to offer are available to do many tasks around the house such as plumbing, electrical, yard work, etc. They take little, sometimes, no pay depending on the service provided. What loving and dedicated people!

2. I had to take time for myself. I know many of you have traveled by air to get to your destination. The flight attendant always has a demonstration at the beginning of the flight. They show you how to put on your air mask. They explain, you should always put your mask on first before you help those that can’t do it themselves. If you can’t breath and become incapacitated, you won’t be able to help others.

Taking care of Mom and Dad is very similar. If you don’t take time to unwind you will burn out and get sick. Taking time for yourself is like the life sustaining oxygen mask on your air flight. Spend time with friends, paint, read, or whatever you do to relax. Be careful of too many cocktails. Those can be an area of trouble no one wants to be in.

3. I found out I was too capable. I was doing too many things for them. Our goal was to keep them in their home as long as possible. I found out, when I did so many things for them, they let me. It became counter productive. They grew less independent and relied on me too much. Just like teaching a child to tie their shoe. If you always tie their shoe, they will never remember how to do it themselves. With our parents, if we always take care of it, they will soon forget how to do it and slide into dependence.

Be watchful, if things aren’t being done, it is time to step in and take over or delegate the task to someone else. Be careful in this area. Letting our parents do their own tasks can feel like watching our children learn to do their jobs around the house. We may feel compelled to snatch it away from them and do it for them. It seems easier and more efficient for us to do the task, then wait for them to do it. That attitude leads to controlling and whittles away at their self esteem.

Our parents will not always be with us. It is up to us, the caregivers, to learn how to keep our stress levels lower. Some day, when they are gone, we can look back on our care giving days with fond memories of being in their lives when they needed us the most.

Are you a grandparent raising grandchildren? If you are, or know someone who fits this description, then you are aware of the stress associated with change and being a second-time-around parent. It is not the grandchildren who are causing the stress, because you know what a blessing it is to have them around.

Stress comes from changes in your financial status, changes in the family structure and schedules, and the reason you needed to take in your grandchildren. Any time you experience sudden or drastic change in your life, you experience stress.

Stress can cause some very common health-related problems including fatigue, insomnia, high blood pressure, cancer, stroke, heart attacks and other illnesses. Unless you take control and learn how to manage the stress, it may lead to chronic illness and sudden death if not managed properly. Your grandchildren need you, so it is important to take care of yourself.

The 6 Steps of Stress RELIEF can help you gain control of what is causing you stress and help you lead a more peaceful life.

RELAX
Yes, I know. It is easier said than done. With a few quick strategies to do during the day, you will start feeling more relaxed.

Start by writing down what is causing you stress; then, write down possible solutions. Sometimes writing it down can help inspire solutions.

Keep a gratitude journal. Daily gratitude helps keep you focused on what is good: raising your grandchildren and having them close to you. When you focus on the positive things, more come your way.

EAT RIGHT and EXERCISE
The food that we eat has a profound affect on our attitude and well-being. Eating natural, whole foods will help you feel better, have more energy and reduce the stress that accompanies poor eating habits.

Of course it is a well known fact that exercise is good for you. It helps reduce the stress hormones in your body that create health problems. Enjoy a nature walk with your grandchildren. Whether you go out in the back yard or go to the park, this will keep you all healthy and happy.

Exercising your mind can also reduce stress. Books, puzzles, brain teasers and games are tools to keep your brain active, and can also be incorporated into activities with your grandchildren.

LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH
Enjoy the special moments with your grandchildren. Playing games, baking cookies, having a tea party or watch funny movies together will help build that special bond between you and your grandchildren while helping you relieve your stress.

INNER PEACE
Inner peace can be found through meditation, faith and spirituality. This is a more personal area of which you need to determine how to address this. It may involve prayer, going to church or having a few moments alone to meditate.

ENVIRONMENT
Additional family members living in your home can lead to clutter and limited space. Making room for your grandchildren so that they have a place to store their toys, clothes and personal possessions, can help you all feel more relaxed. If space is an issue, consider getting rid of thing in your home that you do not need any longer.

FAMILY and FRIENDS, or Other Support Systems
Your grandchildren are true blessings. Building communications with them, involving them in conversations and sharing experiences, are excellent ways of building that bond between you and reducing stress. Other family members, whether inside or outside the home, or close friends, can be a source of comfort during stressful times.

If stress becomes too overwhelming, or you do not have people close for a source of support, you may want to consider hiring a coach or seeking counseling before the stress becomes too great.

To begin your stress relief journey, make a list of those strategies you are going to implement and put them into action. By doing so, you are inviting gratitude, balance and tranquility into your life.

The holidays are upon us and for many people this is the most stressful time of year. There is so much to do and not enough time to do it in, places to go, people to see, gifts to buy, food to prepare, and on and on and on. We may feel overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted, and angry, rather than joyful, loving and peaceful. Greeting cards proclaim wishes of peace, joy, happiness, and love regardless of the event being celebrated. They talk of families gathering, warm homes filled with love and peace, but for many, those wishes do not translate into reality.

Our memories of wonderful holidays from our childhood and our expectations for this year may put an enormous amount of pressure on us. There are traditions to be followed and expectations to be met, those of others and those we put on ourselves, along with the commercialism that has the stores full of holiday decorations and “gifts” even before the Halloween candy has been put away. Some people will struggle through much of next year to pay off the credit card debt that they accumulate over the holidays. But saddest of all, is when the holiday is over and we think to ourselves “Is that all there is?” “Where was the joy, the peace, the love?” “Why does it seem as though it never measures up to our expectations?”

The answer is “our expectations.” One of the ways to reduce holiday stress is to take some time to examine your expectations for the upcoming months. What traditions have to be followed? What have you always done, because it is always done? Make a list, ask those who celebrate with you to make a list as well. Carve out some time to sit down and share your lists and discuss which of these traditions are really important to all of you and which are more work than you want to do. Get everyone involved in doing the things that may have been up to you. Discuss ways in which you can create new traditions or recreate old ones that will bring more peace, joy and love to your family, not only during the holidays. I recently read an interesting book by Gary Chapman called The Five Love Languages: How to express heartfelt commitment to your mate.

Although it’s primarily for couples, I think that the premise applies to everyone that we love. The author says that there are 5 basic ways in which we experience feeling loved. We tend to show others we love them in the same way we feel loved. The problems arise when our “love language” is different. The five languages, in random order, are “acts of service” “physical touch” “words of affirmation” “receiving gifts” and “quality time”. If, for the holidays, you show your love for someone by “giving them a gift” and their love language is “acts of service” which means that they feel loved when you do something for them, there is a good chance that neither of you will feel that your expectations have been met.

Perhaps, when your family gets together to discuss traditions and expectations for the holidays, you could discuss what would help you feel closer as a family, more loved, more joyful, and how this could create more peace. This can be a season for joy, peace, happiness, and most of all for love.

While Christmas shopping is hardly easy and often a cause of stress; people somehow manage to make it more stressful for themselves. The stress can mount as the shopping progresses or after its all don’t and your bills start to pour in. Here are a few ways to reduce the self-inflicted holiday stress.

Favorite colors and right sizes
People, men in particular will fret about the right color and size of anything that they buy for a woman. While its good to know you mom’s, sister’s, wife’s or Girlfriend’s favorite color, asking them what it is, is far better than abandoning a good gift. It’s the era of technology, pick up your cell phone and ask them what their favorite color is.

I can do better
Have you ever put down a great gift just because it was too low cost and you were afraid what the recipient would think if they ever found out you got them something ‘cheap’? That raises the question of does the price make a good gift or is the gift itself? If you put down gifts that don’t cost enough, it’s likely that you use your credit card to buy ones that cost too much. Stop the madness and buy what looks good, even if you find it at the Dollar store.

Over indulgence
It’s understandable that you would want to get your girlfriend something nice and indulgent but spending over $200 on Christmas gift baskets with wine and what not, isn’t sensible. Look for those small indulgences that won’t kill your credit rating like fresh fruit bouquets that make a great Christmas dessert and a nice romantic gift for your partner.

Pregnancy is such a daunting experience and it is only natural to worry. Hormones are flying all over the place and incredible physical changes makes it very hard not to worry to some extent. There are many reasons a women may worry during her pregnancy, such as impending birth, finances or relationships, these are common reasons to worry and in some women it may lead to stress during pregnancy. If this is the case it is important to look at ways to reduce the stress levels.

Under any circumstances, severe cases of stress can be harmful to anyone or anything. It can lead to disease and a deterioration in health as well as causing the mental health to suffer too. Pregnancy and stress seem to be coupled together, to start with pregnancy can put a women’s body under a great deal of stress. Mentally it is also a worrying time especially for a first time mum but also for additional pregnancies too as the worry then extends to siblings as well. It doesn’t help that we live in stressful times worrying about all aspects of everyday life.

In this day and age many women work as close to their due date as possible to ensure they get as much time off after the baby is born. Working so close up until the birth (obviously depending what kind of job it is) can put an extra strain on a heavily pregnant body. It is in the later stages of pregnancy that a women needs to listen to her body and relax while waiting for labour to begin naturally. It has been said that working so late in pregnancy is a major factor in the increased number of women going overdue and needing to be induced as their bodies don’t think they are ready, but how much of this is speculation I’m not sure.

If this stress is not managed early on the reality is it can have some severe consequences on the mother and then consequently her unborn baby. The mother is putting her body at risk of high blood pressure, panic attacks, depression, obesity, digestive problems and skin irritations such as eczema. Already we know that in certain extreme cases of stress and pregnancy that this could lead to a risk of miscarriage early on or if later in the pregnancy the risk is premature labour, premature birth and low birth weight babies. More recent research suggests that pregnancy stress also increases the chance of your baby being born with asthma or allergies.

It is not easy to stop worrying, but action needs to be taken during pregnancy to reduce stress levels. Some positive steps are eating healthily, sleeping well, making an effort to take the time each day to relax and taking some gentle exercises each day can make a huge difference.

Stress though widely accepted as a curse of modern living has a major impact on fertility in both men and women. In technical terms when you are highly stressed the communication between your brain and parts of your reproductive system (fallopian tubes and uterus) is disrupted causing your ovulation process to be blocked. Men can find the quality and production of their sperm affected often leading to impotence.

In plainer English terms STRESS can and will make you infertile.

When a couple is unable to conceive because their stress levels are too high the extra anxiety they will feel will only make matters worse. What develops is a no win situation where instead of trying to relax a couples stress levels are even more heightened by the frustration at not being able to get pregnant.

A woman can then feel inadequate and depressed because she is unable to give her partner a baby. At the same time her male partner feels a sense of guilt and anxiety that he is not able to provide his wife or female partner with what she wants the most. Men take this very personally and tend to question their manhood. Both partners are deeply concerned at their own failure to provide the other with a family something they may have dreamed about as a couple for a very long time.

So how do we stop this roller coaster of negativity and anguish? If you are not able to find ways between the two of you to relax and unwind it may pay to get into a stress management program. You may be thinking that this is a bit extreme but if you think that stress causes migraines, heart attacks, high blood pressure and many forms of cancer you could be more inclined to understand the adverse effects stress has on male and female fertility.

Stress can kill people so it needs to be taken very seriously.

Changing your thinking is the first step to having a stress free life. Sure bad things happen but the future outcome of any problem or issue is in your hands. You can chose to feel depressed, anxious and let it beat you down. Or you can rise above the problem and look at all the options you have to turn things around. It is a well-known fact that infertility can be successfully reversed by a positive attitude. If you are stressed and negative so is your body and especially your reproductive system, which is always the first part of you to become ill.

Start walking, talking to each other more, watching funny dvd’s together or step up the romance. Sometimes as couples we get so caught up in work and responsibility we forget life is to be enjoyed. You will be pleased to know that many studies have shown that once a couple finds the way to de stress their lives infertility becomes fertility and they finally get pregnant.