All entries had wonderful pieces of good advice for beginning stress management. Choosing winners was a challenge and very difficult, as they were to me, all winners! Thanks everyone.
Today is gives me great pleasure to share with you the entries winning second and third place:
Second place winner: Valerie Yancy
Because we are three-part beings, it is most important to remember to keep all three parts in check as body, mind, and spirit all effect each other. The key is to practice the following top three habits BEFORE stress has set in. Preventive maintenance is a lot easier than trying to recover from a stressful breakdown.
1. A person will be successful at managing stress if they are well- prepared physically by getting enough rest, drinking plenty of water, and holding correct posture. When stress begins to creep in, monitor the body’s posture and relax tense muscles in the neck, ease shoulders and lower extremities, release a furrowed brow by massaging temples, and breathe deeply from the diaphragm.
2. Keeping your thoughts positive is an obvious tip; but I want to dig deeper into what may be the root of all stress; isolation or helplessness. Ask for help! Stress stems from the feeling of having to ”go at it alone”. When we solicit help, a friend sharing the load makes all the difference in the most difficult task and in turn will keep our thoughts positive.
3. Prayer/meditation or visualization of the end goal can help you get and stay spiritually centered and ward off stress. Staying aware and calling upon your inner HELP can ignite the flow of supernatural wisdom throughout the mind and body to bring about success in managing most any situation.
Angel709
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Third place winner: Freddy Doyle
1. Deep breathing is the quickest and most effective stress management strategy. It is the simplest and most effective way to begin relaxation. The simple act of taking in a great quantity of air—filling your lungs and holding it—will immediately release tension in your back and neck muscles, clear your head, and bring a sense of peace. This technique brought awareness of my ability to empower myself and was instrumental in by being able disengage from stresses before doing more damage to my mind and body.
2. When you feel yourself getting stressed out (pay attention and don’t ignore it and you will know) just stop what you are doing and walk away. You don’t have to go far away, but just far enough to divert your own attention from the problem for a minute or so. Walk to the restroom, stand and stretch, do something to give you enough time to recover a bit. Take a few breaths.
3. Find what is triggering your stresses. It is family stress, emotional stress, health, environmental, or chemical stress? If you are able to reduce the strength of the stress by changing something, do it. If traffic is driving you insane, play a calm and beautiful CD and it will calm you from within. If you are bothered by noise and can’t think, buy earplugs! These are just a few examples. If there is no easy fix then practice empowering yourself instantly with your breathing.
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Tip: If you plan to go out in the sun, don’t forget your sunscreen. Sunglasses with UV protection are a must! Have fun.
