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Why Stress is Even More Dangerous Now and What to Do About It

Why Stress is Even More Dangerous Now and What to Do About It
By Nancy Slessenger
Why Stress is Even More Dangerous Now and What To Do About It

Last week we looked at a strategy being used in performance reviews and appraisals in some companies that is certainly guaranteed to increase stress.

A and B type personalities
During my time at Mars I was lucky enough to benefit from quite a lot of training. My manager was a keen learner and every now and then would show us videos on various topics or get us to think about new research into management techniques.

He once put a book on my desk that was written about 'Quality Circles'. He laughed as he dropped it onto my desk telling me to look at a specific chapter which I did. 'What did you think of that?' he said smiling. 'I though you might recognize it. It seems you have been doing exactly this. Have you already read the book?' I hadn't. It just seemed the obvious thing to do at the time.

The next thing he did was to give us all a questionnaire to fill in. It identified whether we were 'Type A' or 'Type B' personalities. He then went on to describe the two types: the 'Get it sorted' type A person and the 'Laid back' type B.

I remember my colleagues and I all eager to prove that we were definitely type A. We laughed at those who might be classified as the latter.

There was a factory next door which we referred to, rather cruelly, as 'The Reptile House' because the only movement anyone had ever discerned was the occasional blinking of an eye.

For years my colleagues and I strove to keep up the Type A behaviors. Then I went to a lecture by Robert Sapolsky. I also read his superb book 'Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers'. (A lecture on this topic, almost identical to the one I heard given by Robert Sapolski, is available as a completely free audio download from iTunes.)

The book describes the origins of the Type A and B personalities. Prepare yourself for a shock.

A couple of heart surgeons had a practice. Patients would come to see them. They had a waiting room furnished with comfortable armchairs. Over the years they had had the chairs re-upholstered and done their best to keep them in good repair. They had an upholsterer who they used.

One day, when they called him, it transpired that he was on holiday so they had to call another supplier. He duly turned up. He was aghast. 'What kind of people sit in these chairs?' he asked in horror.

'Why?' responded the surgeons 'What is wrong with them?' The upholsterer explained that he had never seen such wear in chairs before. He said it seemed that people were literally sat on the edge of the seats, picking nervously at the arms.

It was this accidental observation that led the two surgeons to investigate the personalities of their patients. It transpired that their patients had quite a particular personality. They called it 'Type A'. Those who were unlikely to need their services had a different personality, which they called (you're ahead of me I expect) 'Type B'.

Robert Sapolsky went on to describe all kinds off effects of stress on the body. I won't list them all here, but it's not good.

Stress also has an effect on the way you think. This is just as much of a problem, if not more so, at the moment.

The Effects of Stress on Your Thinking
A few years ago a client of mine told me she was expecting some difficult situations ahead. She was pretty sure that there would be redundancies amongst other things. She asked me to run a day for her team so that they could be in the best possible position to deal with the situation.

One of the things I did was describe the effects of stress on the brain and thinking. In summary, your thinking tends to become very detail-focused. You lose your ability to plan, and sometimes, to set goals all together. You focus on the very short term.

You tend to respond with knee jerk reactions. You over-react and behave in an authoritarian way. You see inputs as threats. You are unable to see opportunities, even when they are staring you in the face.

You react rather than take the initiative. You blame others for problems.

As I went through this list I expected gasps of horror, worried looks and lots of note-taking. Instead I was greeted with gales of laughter. Some members of the team were even in tears.

I asked them to explain the joke. 'You've just described our Senior Management Team perfectly.' responded one of the team.

Why Does This Happen?
It is an evolutionary response to an immediate threat and is quite sensible when you are being chased by a tiger and running for your life. No point in wondering what to have for dinner when you are about to be someone else's dinner.

Why Is It So Dangerous Now?
It's dangerous because in difficult times being able to plan and set goals is critical. The people who will survive and thrive in this climate are those who can spot the opportunities and plan to make the most of them, not the people who are panicking.

When you are stressed you are literally blinded to opportunities. Even when others point them out, fear can stop you from seeing them or evaluating them objectively.

What Can You Do?
Be aware of how you are affected by the situation.
Take plenty of exercise. Aerobic exercise flushes cortisol out of your system. This is the chemical that makes you stressed. Just 15 minutes a day will do it.
- Keep focused on the long term. Do this by forcing yourself to look at an overview of your diary or your plan. Look at least a month ahead at least once a week (if not more). Then go for six months.
- Ask your colleagues to let you know if you are getting stressed (we are often the last people to spot it ourselves). Key symptoms are short-term memory loss (losing your keys), temper loss, inability to plan and organize yourself, negativity.
- Ask your colleagues to look for opportunities.
- Set clear goals and track your progress towards them.
- Smile and look up. This sounds really stupid, but it does work. Just smiling releases chemicals that make you feel happier. Looking up helps you to recognise opportunities more easily. Do it several times daily.

Nancy Slessenger has authored over a dozen booklets including the best-selling 'How to Write Objectives That Work'. Her company Vinehouse provides materials and consultancy for those wishing to improve the performance of their people in practical, straightforward ways. She believes that there are simple easy things all managers can do to improve the performance of their people. She has worked with many companies both in the profit and not for profit sectors.

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"Help Me!" - Tools For De-stressing
By Monica Ryan
So often when we feel overwhelmed, these two words come to mind. Sometimes we cannot pinpoint what it is that is causing the turmoil in the first place and so helping ourselves becomes difficult. If you are feeling like screaming 'help me!' then the following tools are here to help you free yourself of any anxieties and find real joy again. They will compliment your beliefs or lack thereof, whether you are atheist, religious or agnostic and can help with stress you may be experiencing. They can also help you discover your own real love for yourself and the world, without the suffering.

Byron Katie's 'The Work' is an incredible tool that questions any stressful thoughts and guides you inside for your own answers. These four questions and a 'turnaround' help us to realise the peace that lies underneath any false beliefs that we hold and would be my most highly recommended tool for real lasting peace. The work can bring clarity, a reduction in stress, alleviation in depression and more energy. If you're feeling unhappy, stress, ashamed, guilty, angry, fearful or any form of negativity the work is for you. Visit The Work online to use the free worksheets or to see Byron Katie working with others through their stressful thoughts.

Another great place to visit online is the 'The Option institute', founded by Bears and Samahria Kauffman. Although their work is mainly done on-campus, they do have great resources through their books and free webinars. Watch one if you want to feel that childlike inspiration again. My personal favourite is the uplifting webinar on 'Your Life's Purpose', which can be found in the videos section of their website. Their enthusiasm is contagious!

A book called 'The four agreements' by Don Miguel Ruiz is a practical guide to being happy and discusses the four agreements to live by: Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, never make assumptions and always do your best. After finishing the book, expect to feel lighter, freer and enthusiastic about life again.

Eckhart Tolle, author of 'The Power of Now', suffered from depression for many years before awakening to the voice in his head. He realise that the 'voice in his head' was not who he was, that he was the peace behind the thinking mind. He sees peace and joy as our natural state.

Tolle talks in detail about how we are either dwelling on the past or obsessed with the future, when the present moment is all there is. He recognises the exhaustion of the mind's inner dialogue that seems to run without our permission. Tolle teaches us how to live in Acceptance, Enjoyment or Enthusiasm and that if you're not experiencing one of these modalities you are suffering in some form.

Reiki is a Japanese technique used for helping to reduce stress and allow the body's natural healing to take place. Dr Usui rediscovered Reiki and understood that it was important to heal our mind at the same time.

His five Reiki Principles are as follows:

Just for today, I will not anger,

Just for today, I will not worry,

Just for today, I will do my work honestly.

Just for today, I will be grateful

Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

These tools for understanding your mind all lead to the same road, gratitude. As Byron Katie said, "Gratitude is what we are without a story."

Simply questioning your mind is powerful enough to leave you with peace. Positive thinking is what is left underneath the stress.

If you do not feel yet ready to talk or write down your tensions, know that you are doing your best. Accepting yourself exactly the way you are is a good place to start; all you are asking of yourself is to lessen the stress and unload any burdens off your shoulders.

Wishing you a peaceful and joy-filled life.

Visit: http://positiveaffirmationstoday.blogspot.com/

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Women's Guide to Stress Free Living - 10 Truths About Meditation
By Linda Hampton
Stress free living techniques that strengthen and reinforce the body will also help strengthen the mind's ability to resist the negative effects of stress. Meditation, one of the most widely practices stress management techniques. Is practiced for many reason including stress management. In the United Sates almost 20 percent of the population mediates in some form. Studies on meditation reveal some exciting results. Here are 10 truths about meditation.

1. Creates a unique state that lowers metabolism even more then sleep.
2. Reduces blood lactate, a marker for stress and anxiety.
3. Meditation increases production of melatonin and serotonin hormones that produces a sense of calmness. And decreases the stress hormone cortisol.
4. Improves hearing and lowers blood pressure.
5. Detach from constant thoughts and provides emotional stability
6. Helps you to get to know yourself all over again
7. Long term mediators experience 80 percent less heart disease and 50 percent less cancer
8. Causes the secretion of youth hormone DHEA. DHEA decreases stress, improves memory, preserves sexual function and help manage weight
9. Helps insomniacs to help them sleep normally
10. Decreases chronic pain


A quiet mind is a blessing you can grant yourself with practice. Can you remember times whey you were simply being, not doing anything at all. When you're still but highly observant allowing everything around you to be as it is, you're in a meditative state. Here's a good way to begin practicing mindfulness. Find a time when you can take ten minutes to yourself. You don't have to be in a dark room with candles and incense. You can be outside, in the lobby of a large office building or a hotel or on your front porch, even in your car, if your not driving. All you need is to sit and be fairly confident that you won't be interrupted for a few minutes. Now, get comfortable in your seat. Uncross your legs, With both feet on the ground and your hands n your lap begin to relax.

Now start thinking about the fact that you're breathing. Don't make a big deal out of it. Just notice. Your mind will drift and that's to be expected. When it does just notice your breathing again. Your mind will eventually stop jumping around. You're in a state of mindful meditation. After about 10 minutes begin to notice what's going on around you move slowly as to ease out of this mindful state. You'll feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Welcome to the world of stress free living.

And now I'd like to offer you more stress relief techniques that get results? Learn how to dramatically improve your stress relief results by claiming your FREE 5 Part customized E-Course. You get instant access at => http://www.keytostressfreeliving.com

From Linda Hampton RN, MSN A Wellness and Stress Management Coach

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Play Stress Relief Games and Reduce Stress Easily
By Luka Dobravc
There are many available techniques that help us reduce stress, some are comprehensive and time taking while others are easy, funny and more accessible to most of us. The former techniques include funny jokes and pictures, relaxation and most common of all playing computer games.

Much research was conducted on the effects of playing games to reduce levels of stress and most of them confirm the positive effects of stress relief games when we are trying to reduce stress. These games have the advantage of not only being more accessible and easy stress relief technique, but also they offer fun and entertainment, something that we don't get from traditional stress management techniques.

We all know that many different kinds of games are available for us to play. But probably you wonder what game is the best for reducing stress. Well there is no simple answer to that questions, we could almost say that not only one but most of the games help relieving stress. First we could mention the good old traditional group games for stress relief, which we played with our relatives, friends or family. Those are the games like monopoly, card games, backgammon, charades and many other similar that you can play with other people without using your laptop or computer. This group of games is known to humanity for centuries if not even millenniums. Even the old societies had some kind of group games and this type of stress games is still quite commonly played in current society,

Other group is the group of computer stress relief games which is on constant rise as our society gets more digitalized. As computer games are becoming more popular there are also many stress relief games being developed. We all probably know game stress reducer desktop destroyer, where you can choose your favorite weapon to smash, burn, destroy or in any way mutilate your computer desktop. Few years ago this game was one of the most popular stress relief games on computer and we could stay that it is still amongst the top stress relief games available. Other games that we could mention are newer version of Stress Reducer Desktop Destroyer; On-line Paintball which is very funny and exciting; Sudoku that help us calm down and concentrate and many others that are being played to help people combat their stress.

Now that we have specified what kind of stress relief games are available we could easily say that playing games is still very useful and commonly used stress relief technique. Even more, not only that this type of relieving stress is common it is also growing rapidly. In recent years there has been a burst in development of stress relief games because this technique is being more and more perceived as one of the easiest and more accessible to the whole society.

More details on reducing stress are available on our site when you can go through our reviews of top stress relief games that are available to play on-line. You can also find detailed information about stress reducer desktop destroyer which is still the most popular game used to release the stress out of our mind and body. Try it, for sure you will not regret it.


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