The Stress Institute » Times

Resilience in Stressful Times

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:35:56 +0000

www.christian-life-coaching.org James Thomas gives a timely pep-talk on resilience and priorities during the holidays and economic recession.

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How to Pass Your Own Stress Test during the Hard Times without being a Bank

admin — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:52:25 +0000

So the governments are giving the banks stress tests? What about us? This is as if material things are more important than us—is there any love here? One wonders. You may also be wondering where your next meal will be coming from, or whether you will get another job…

And you may not be sure whether you will get the custody of your child if you have just received a divorce notice–common if you lose your job. Then, this related and usually forgotten one (but equally important): you may have just been rejected by a loved one or a prospective love.

Such may be the diversity of the issues that you may feel boxed into at the moment–and you may be shy to seek help (not all of us go about cleaning our linen in the public)…

The bottom line of all this is that no single government may have offered you the stress test and least likely is a confidential one. In this situation you may be better off turning to the following strategies:

1. Turn to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale:

Scientists (they seem to care more) have developed an approach which assesses the effects of stressors according to life changes or events in our lives. On this scale, your crisis can be scored from zero to hundred depending on its rating. The more crises you are in the more the score. An additive score of 300 and above requires professional help.

2. Use the Burn out scale:

You may already be displaying signs and symptoms of stress but you may not realize their significance. This is understandable because most of the signs and symptoms are common for many other ailments including ‘flu’ (a sensitive area that we will not touch today). Such symptoms can be rated on the so-called Burn Out scale, thanks to the above guys once again.

3. Take Personality Tests:

Some personalities are known to deal with stressors more effectively than others—and understandably so. So finding out what your exact personality actually is will help you know where you stand. Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom…Tao Te Ching. One such test can be found at www.personality100.com if a psychologist is hard to come by.

Taking these tests is only a beginning. When we take tests, all of us want to pass. Passing these tests will mean that we deal with our stressors more effectively prior to these tests. One sure way is to engage in the following techniques:

4. Intellectualization

If you sit down and figure out your real problems, you will be better able to deal with your crisis. Instead of using emotion, be objective to calculate the issues at hand. This is known as intellectualization. Sit down, get a pen and jot some notes–make some divisions, subtractions, multiplications and additions. You may just solve the jig-saw puzzle. This way, you will be better able to cope with your stress, meaning that you will be better able to score high on the tests.

5. Rationalization:

Rationalization may then need to be engaged, here you may have to re-adjust your thoughts and believes about life. You may have to come to terms with things you previously never considered highly. And those you believed in may have to be dropped altogether—that’s life. This means that you will need to come up with plausible justifications for your new approach in life to convince yourself. This is called rationalization.

6. Modify Diet.

There are many other techniques available but for quick help we will limit ourselves to a few which must include dietary modifications. Foods containing caffeine must be avoided. Many of these are popular including coffee, coke and chocolate and it may be hard to change. Alcohol and tobacco are obvious taboos in stress management.

All theses strategies and many more are conveniently explained in the concise and interactive book, ’7 Proven Steps: How to Defeat Stress without Going Through the Embarrassment of Counseling’ available on Amazon and other major bookstores.

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Managing Stress In Difficult Financial Times – What You Need To Know

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:20:51 +0000

Controlling and managing stress in these difficult financial times is very important and should not be taken lightly. Your mental and physical health are in jeopardy. Managing stress in difficult financial times has become a problem for thousands of people in today’s economy. Financial worries are abundant and are causing tremendous stress on many of us. We are terrified and fear losing our jobs and houses. We are worried about our dwindling retirement accounts. This financial stress is causing health problems and insomnia which only makes things worse.Watching the news only increases our stress. It can be downright depressing. It is advisable that you limit your viewing of news programs; they only create more fear and stress. Try watching funny sitcoms, westerns and romantic movies – they will not cause additional stress like the news programs do.To put it all in perspective, think about what worries you the most in your situation. Break down the things you can change and things you can not change. Start making the changes that you can and don’t worry about the other things that you can’t change. Oh yeah, right! But how do I not worry?Well, think this over. Does worrying ever change anything? No, it does not. So why should you do it? This is something you need to keep telling yourself over and over. Worrying does not help and it never changes anything.Each time you find yourself beginning to worry, remind yourself of this and turn your thoughts towards something positive. Picture yourself doing something fun, or visualize the gentle waves at the beach – anything that makes you feel happy. It is extremely hard to do at first, but the more you practice, the more your subconscious mind receives the message that you do not want this stress and fear in your mind. It becomes much easier the more you do it.Many people, including myself, have been very successful using meditation audios to help relieve this worrying . They help you lower your threshold for stress. Spend thirty minutes a day listening to the audios and you will feel calmer, less stressed and much more at peace with yourself. This is one of the best ways for managing stress in difficult financial times.Everyone should take fifteen to thirty minutes a day in quiet solitude to calm their mind and relax their body. It will make a tremendous difference in the quality of your life.

Just like the saying goes – Don’t worry – Be Happy!

I hope these tips for managing stress in difficult financial times have been helpful for you.

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