A Guide To Stress Management

Causes of Stress

The causes of stress are as numerous and as varied as the people who suffer from it. Job pressure, debt, major changes in your life can all create stress. There is really no set cause for everyone, it is more about each individual's perceptions of events and how they react to various things in their environment. When someone perceives something as a threat they can become stressed. This may be a physical threat, financial or wellbeing and this goes hand in hand with two other causes of stress which are fear and uncertainty.

There are many things that can happen in our daily lives that can create stress. The death of a loved one, health problems, divorce, marriage, new baby, and the ups and downs of raising kids can all contribute to your level of stress. People who are victims of crime, have sexual problems or who have substance abuse issues can all experience stress. Changing schools, jobs or moving to a new house or town can also be stressful. It just depends on the person because what causes stress in one person may not cause stress in someone else. What is more important is being able to recognize the symptoms of stress.

Symptoms of Stress

Stress attacks literally every part of your body. It can cause you to have memory problems, be confused and impede your ability to concentrate. It can also cause you to be moody, restless and even angry. Depression is a symptom of stress as well as a risk of stress, as is anxiety and anxiety disorders. It can cause you to over eat or under eat, cause insomnia or fatigue where you feel that you need to sleep all the time. You can get headaches, back aches, muscle tension and pain, digestive problems, chest pain, high blood pressure, skin problems and decreased sex drive. The list is extensive, but many health problems can be traced to stress in some way or another. But it is important that you are able to recognize the symptoms of stress because the dangers of stress can be devastating.

Dangers of Stress

There are some serious health problems that have been linked to stress. Recent research indicates that approximately two thirds to 90 percent of all illness is stress related. These are some of the more prevalent health problems that are linked to stress:
- Heart Attack
- Substance Abuse
- Hypertension/High Blood Pressure
- Ulcers
- Stroke
- IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
- Cancer
- Memory Loss
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune Disease
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Obesity
- Thyroid Problems
- Eating Disorders
- Sexual Dysfunction

When you are stressed, it may seem improbable that breathing can alleviate some of your stress, you of course breathe every moment of every day, however studies have shown that proper breathing techniques can reduce your stress considerably.

One of the most popular breathing techniques to release tension is to use a straight chair and take deep breaths that reach right down to you stomach. This is similar to meditation; as you breath in, silently speak the phrase "Breathe in peace and relaxation." Hold our breath and when you release it again silently speak the phrase "Breath out stress and tension" Do this several times pausing in between each repetition. It is very important that you are aware of any tension that is in your body. Any place in your body that is tight or sore is where the tension is affecting you. When you use this technique, you will actually feel more relaxed and calm.

Another technique that is used for relaxation will relax every muscle in your body. It can show you the difference between what relaxation really is.

Often times, people are so busy with their chaotic lives that they do not realize that they are even tense. When you use the progressive relaxation technique, you will find that you will be able to recognize stress and be able to get rid of it with simple and effective techniques that do not take a lot of time.

When you start the progressive technique, you start from your toes and work your way up to your head and neck. To begin with, you must lie down on a sofa bed, or even the floor. Take your right foot, raise it and point your toes toward your head. Tense it as much as possible and then release it. Do the same thing again; only point your toes downward. Next, press the heel of your right foot into the surface you are lying on and hold it than release. Do the same with your left foot.

The next part of the body, staying in progression is the calf. Tense the muscle until you cannot hold it any loner and slow relax it, making sure that it is totally relaxed. Alternate legs and work your way up the body until you get to your buttocks.

Tighten your buttocks, count to ten and relax. You will be alternating back and front, so when it comes to your abdomen, suck it in and count to ten and slowly relax the muscle. Working on the back is next; arch and count to ten and relax. At this point, you will need to take a deep breath hold it and count to ten and slowly exhale. It is here that you will notice if there is any more tension in your body.

It is important that you take the time to recognize when tension is gone. When you exhale all of your tension away. One way that you can teach yourself to recognize tension is to make a tight fist. This is what tension feels like. When you relax your fist, you will know what it is like to let go of tension.

As you work your way up the body, to work on your biceps, you will need to bend your elbow and squeeze your bicep muscle hold it and count to ten and then relax. Repeat it with the other arm.

It is time to work on your shoulders, and this is very important. Shrug them so they touch your ear lobes. Count to ten and slowly release them and scrunch up your face as tight as you can. Again, count to ten and release. Remember that proper breathing is very important throughout the progressive procedure.

When you have finished the progressive procedure, it is important that you let your whole body relax, almost feeling like Jell-O. This is what you should feel like when you are done; it is an excellent feeling to be so relaxed.

If your time is limited, and you cannot do the entire procedure, it is possible to work both sides of your body at the same time. When you do this, you will be able to complete the procedure several times a day.

This section is mainly about how to control your stress. You will find a wonderful stress relieving technique below to help you manage or even eliminate stress.

Once stress reducing is to use your imagination to induce relaxation. The mind is a powerful tool and can easily induce relaxation. You can start this technique by doing some abdominal breathing for about five minutes to relax and wind down. Now imagine yourself in a comfortable place, maybe a hammock on a tropical beach or something else of the sort.

Now take in your surroundings, feel the warm sunshine on your body and notice how it does not only warm your body but it also warms your insides melting all your troubles away. Now listen to all the sounds around you, the birds, the palm trees waving in the nice tropical breeze, maybe even the waves crashing on the shore.

Now notice all of the colors that you are surrounded by. The brown of the tree trunks, the green of the leaves, the sea green color of the water. Take in all of the smells that come from the things around you. The salty smell of the water, the smell of a warm summer breeze, maybe even the coconut smell of suntan lotion. Use your senses to become one with nature.

Now imagine a really bright light coming down from the bright blue sky. This light is engulfing your entire body, feel the warmth and energy. This bright light is your guardian angel. You see her smiling down upon you with the bright halo on her head and a life force that is easy to absorb.

Submit herself to her completely. You should become one with her and through her become one with the universe. She is talking to you; she wants you to know how much she loves you and that she is there to protect you through anything. You can just feel the energy and vibration from her. A new sense of peace and harmony has come over you.

Now you are completely relaxed and your angel wants to share something with you. She knows that there has been something on your mind lately, a question, she wants to answer it for you. She knows what is in your heart and she fills it with knowing and understanding. Now take a couple of minutes to absorb her message, let it sink in.

Now you should thank your angel for the gift that she has given you. As you see her moving further and further away until all you seen is a faint white light, you can start coming out of your trance. Slowly open your eyes and breathe in the air around you. Wiggle your hands and feet and feel how relaxed you are. This is a great state of mind, enjoy it!

Thank you for taking the time to check out my lens on stress reduction techniques.

It is important that you try a variety of different techniques, as one may not work as well for you as another one will.

Visualize walking along the beach. This will be an emotional healing visualization.

Like you have learned in previous stress articles, start off by taking several deep, abdominal breaths. You can either sit in a chair or lie down, which ever you feel more comfortable with. It is important that while you are breathing, you are also trying to clear your mind and relax. If any negative thoughts begin to creep into your mind, take the time to acknowledge them and then simply let them fade away. Now you can breathe normally and easily.

Try to imagine yourself walking along a white sandy beach on a warm, beautiful, clear day. As you walk along the beach, be sure to take notice of your footprints in the sand. As well, take notice of all the people lounging in their chairs, walking their dogs, children playing in the sand, the waves crashing on the shore, birds flying above you, the puffy white clouds and the merchants selling a variety of different novelties. On the beach, there is an abundance of things to see and take in. The overall mood is one of relaxation and pure happiness.

Chances are your week has been less than perfect. Life's stressors have taken their toll on your mood. Therefore, this walk is your attempt at trying to change your mood, while getting things off your mind and relaxing.

As you walk along the sandy beach, you see a giant helium balloon in the distance. The helium balloon is very large and vibrant with colors. Attached to the balloon is a seat designed for one. You notice that a vendor is offering rides in the helium balloon. Since the price is right, you decide to take him up on his offer and go for a ride. You step into the seat. The vendor directs you on the how to work the balloon in order to go higher or come back to the ground. In order to assure you are completely safe, he has a rope attached to the balloon.

The balloon begins to lift you off the ground. The higher you go, the more peaceful you feel. As you ascend, the people and the beach appear to be so small. Then, you think about all of the problems you have experienced over the past week. Your body begins to tense up. You need to acknowledge that feeling.

As you begin to ascend, a bright light, which appears to come directly from Heaven, engulfs you. Your intuition tells you that the light is an angel who was sent to shine her bright light on you. She begins to communicate with you. She tells you that everyone experiences problems from time to time and that it is all part of life.

How we handle the problems can either make us or break us. Our reactions can either cause the problem to be a minor irritation or a complete catastrophe. Everyone has a different reaction to stress. The angel is asking you to view your problems as a minor hurdle that can easily be overcome. She is also saying that as a result of your problems, you can actually become stronger. As well, you can deal with anything that comes your way.

She tells you to feel the tension you are experiencing in your body. In order to feel this, contract your leg muscles, then completely let go. Next, contract your all of your muscles, including your abdomen, buttocks, shoulders, arms and face. Contract one set of muscles at a time. In between working each muscle group, make sure to take some time to relax. As you relax your muscles, let go of all the negative thoughts and situations you have experienced over the past week.

By the time you have worked your way through all of the muscle groups, your problems will have melted completely away. In the clouds, you can see your problems floating away. Your problems now appear to be as small as the people below. In fact, they no longer even exist.

At this point you feel as if you can tackle anything that comes your way. By simply doing this visualization, you realize you can handle all of your stress in a positive manner.

As you begin to descend, the angel tells you how proud of you she is. As you go further down, she tells you your tension will soon be completely gone. She reminds you of how joyous and refreshed you will feel when you reach the ground. Your body feels stress free and light. Be sure to take in the fresh air as you slowly descend.

Now, you begin to the see the people who are on the beach. You can feel how warm the sand is as you touch it. The vendor smiles at you as if he can tell just how refreshed and calm you are.

You thank him for allowing you to ride on his helium balloon. As you begin walking along the beach, you look up. The bright light you had originally seen, goes back into the clouds and then to the heaven. You know that you can call on this special angel at anytime. You are energized and happy. Your life is wonderful. You now know that you can take on the world.

Here's another visualization that will help you reduce stress.

As you have been previously taught, begin with abdominal breathing. Sit in a comfortable chair anywhere you feel safe and secure and are unlikely to be interrupted. You can be inside or outside in the sun on a porch or balcony. Even if you are sitting inside, IMAGINE that you are outside sitting on your porch, or even on a chair on the lawn.

See yourself in your front yard. Pay attention to the colour of the grass, the colors and shapes of flowers and leaves in your garden, and people walking by getting their daily exercise. Notice the butterflies, birds and insects, the cars driving by and tree branches gently moving in the breeze.

Become focused on the environment around you. As you do this, let go of all the stress in your body that has built up over the day. Appreciate the natural beauty around you. Life is amazing! Life is extraordinary! It is also very beautiful.

Breathe deeply a couple of times and as you do this feel the tension leave your body. You are literally breathing away stress. Slowly stretch your neck by touching your chin to your chest then bend it backwards as if trying to touch your back. Maintain the stretch for a few moments and feel the tension release. Now move your head from side to side a few times as if you are trying to touch your shoulder with your cheek. Finally, rotate your head from right to left and then from left to right. Do you notice how great that feels?

When your stretches are complete, you look up at the sky and see a magic flying carpet. You are fascinated by the site. How is this possible? What could you be seeing? A bright light like an aura seems to surround the carpet. You realize it is coming towards you, closer and closer. Soon it lands in front of you. Somebody or something is riding the carpet. It looks like a man but is glowing slightly. He is clearly friendly and beckons to you to get on the carpet with him. You are not afraid because you sense his kindness and you feel a sense of adventure rising in you.

No sooner are you sitting on the magic carpet, than it darts away taking you higher and higher quickly. It's wonderful. You feel a sense of joy and childlike fun as the carpet sweeps through the sky, flying higher then lower, over the beautiful green countryside. The air you breathe smells sweet and it refreshes you and gives you energy. You look at the people moving far below you. They are like tiny ants going about their business.

The carpet lifts higher and in front of you a beautiful angel appears amongst the clouds. She smiles at you and gives you an important message. She tells you that your journey through life is like a magic carpet ride. It can be an easy, gentle ride or a bumpy one if the winds are high. Whether the ride is gentle or bumpy you can choose to enjoy it. It is how you respond to life's bumps that affect you. You can choose to enjoy the wind tussling your hair or chilling your cheeks or you can let yourself get upset and stressed about it. You can always comb out your knots, after all. How you react to life depends on how you perceive your experiences. By embracing and enjoying your life, moment by moment, and looking for the good in people and circumstances, you will find that life becomes a lot easier. If you turn negative thinking into happy thoughts, your body will respond positively. To be happy, make sure you have fun, laugh a lot, and stop worrying about things. Life will take care of itself.

You are stunned, amazed. The angel has delivered a life changing message. She has inspired you and given you hope. You feel very thankful for the message she has given you. You feel very calm and peaceful as the magic carpet flies you back to your front yard and allows you to alight.

You look up towards the cloud in which the angel appeared and wave to her, watching her bright light become dimmer as she moves away from earth towards heaven. You feel wonderful, energized and very happy. You notice your front yard once again and everything looks even better. The grass appears greener and the flowers are even more vibrant and colorful. You understand now that your perception colors everything that you see. You realize you must view your life differently, more positively. You feel an incredible sense of appreciation for your life and already are more positive about it. There is an answer to every problem and a solution to every difficult situation; you just have to believe it. Life can offer you a great deal. You simply need the eyes to see the opportunities and blessings that are all around you.

Breathe deeply a few times. Now, don't you just feel terrific?