stress

taking the cap off of your stress

what do i mean by "taking the cap off of your stress?" what i mean is: when we're really stressed out, it is helpful and often necessary to do a brief relaxation exercise, and then continue relaxing more deeply until you can: "...calmly look at a problem, figure out options, and take some action toward a solution."
- D'Arcy Lyness, PhD

compound stress

okay, i'm pretty sure i made this phrase up. nonetheless, what i mean is the type of stress that results from the repetition of similar patterns of resistance to taking action on things. it can range from brief daily goals/tasks to longer duration goals like projects. right now, i want to focus on preventing or significantly reducing stress buildup (compound stress) from daily goals/tasks. here's some good advice from D'Arcy Lyness, PhD:

"Solve the little problems. Learning to solve everyday problems can give you a sense of control. But avoiding them can leave you feeling like you have little control and that just adds to stress. Develop skills to calmly look at a problem, figure out options, and take some action toward a solution. Feeling capable of solving little problems builds the inner confidence to move on to life's bigger ones - and it and can serve you well in times of stress."

so this is one good way to "take the cap off of your stress." try it. see if it helps. for the full article related to the excerpt above go to: http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/stress.html . ***also, just past the halfway point down the page of the article is a great audio podcast on a quick relaxation technique.-> click on the audio podcast player and do a breath/relaxation exercise. it worked well for me!***

as you can tell from the link, the advice is intended for kids, but it is so well written and constructed, that i strongly feel it is universal in scope.

here's to lowered stress in your life and those around you! :)

P.S. Wikipedia also has a great article on stress. check it out! :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_(biological)

P.P.S. i saw a news interview with the author of this stress reducing parenting book(scream free parenting). check this out for real !
(the author earned his LMFT education and licensure full on!):

http://www.screamfree.com/sfp/cpr_bc/?tab