5 Secrets to Managing Stress

Life will always be full of uncertainties ... will my spouse leave me, will I be able to keep my job in this economy, how's my health, how can I get myself out of debt ...

If you're like most people you can find hundreds of things to worry about. Whatever it is ... It's not worth the bother. Live your life in the present moment. Accept that you can't plan things out 100%.

I'm not saying that you should just ignore potential issues or problems. I'm saying that you should realize that there is an issue. Once you know this, then you can plan for what your options are if the issue actually occurs. Then you're done ... don't keep worrying ... don't keep wondering if it will happen. You now have a plan and most of the time the issues you worried about won't even happen. That's why this is the first of 5 secrets to managing stress.

I'll be the first to admit that "de-stressing" is easier said than done. Control Stress helped me a lot as I worked through my stress issues.

I don't know about you, but most days there doesn't seem to be enough hours to get work done, coach my son's soccer team, do chores around the house ... etc.

One thing you can do to help in this area is to manage your time better. Keep a planner. Enter events, chores, tasks into it as they arise. The fact that you have all your tasks in a single place will decrease your stress because you know what you need to do at all times.

I purchased a "SmartPhone" that I now keep all my appointments on and it has reduced my stress significantly.

Health is an area that I used to stress out about. I felt like I wasn't exercising enough to keep myself healthy and that alone stressed me out. So what's the obvious answer ... make the time to exercise.

Make exercise part of your day. Not only will it reduce the amount of stress you have about worrying about not being healthy, but it will also change your body and you'll just feel better.

The great thing about exercise is that it's meditative. I used to wind surf. It was a great exercise that forced me to NOT think about my daily problems. As soon as I started thinking about the things I needed to do instead of thinking about how to maneuver the surf board ... I was in the water. Most other forms of exercise work the same way.

If you don't have your own form of exercise that will reduce your stress you should check out Control Stress.

The 4th of the 5 secrets of managing stress is ... laughter. Laughter generates healthy and positive energy that drives away all our negative feelings. I personally learned a good lesson about how laughter can reduce stress.

I used to work at a company for a little over 6 years. I felt the need to make more money so I eventually quit and got a new job doing the exact same kind of work ... only for more money.

Now you'd think everything would be great, but it wasn't. In the new company I worked for ... I worked with a group of individuals that had no sense of humor. The previous job had me working with the funniest people I've ever worked with. So even though I was making considerably more money and had an easier commute I was stressed and miserable.

So I lucked out and my original company took me back and I was able to join my original group of co-workers again. My stress level immediately went down.

So if you can get some humor infused into your workplace ... do it. But just about any kind of break from laughter helps. Look for the funny things in life. Watch funny shows on TV instead of watching CNN all the time. Give it a shot ... it will reduce your stress.

Learn how to say no. So you're needed in two different meetings at work at the same time. You have to be at two different social events that are scheduled at the same time. The fact of the matter is ... you physically can't be in two places at the same time ... it's impossible ... so say no and don't feel guilty.

Of course you don't need to be abrasive or mean when saying no. Just stay pleasant and explain the situation. If the other party doesn't understand then it's really their problem ... not yours.