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Stress in school is a big topic these days. Are you a student suffering from stress? If this is the case, then this article is for you.

As students are being asked to do more, there is a pressure to handle more and more tasks. That pressure can lead to undue stress. Just as their parents suffer from stress in the workplace and at home, students also suffer stress from work, social contacts and family strife. What can students do in order to reduce the deleterious effects of stress in their daily lives?

Students can help to reduce the likelihood of stress occurring by following these simple rules:

• Know your learning style; are you a visual learner, or a kinesthetic or auditory learner? Adjust your study habits so that you are accommodating your learning style.
• Create a study friendly environment in your room or other place where you normally study. Make use of aromatherapy, soothing music and keep distractions away.
• Learn to manage your time by staying organized and on schedule. Use a day planner, or electronic calendar to keep track of due dates and special assignments. Plan study times throughout the week.
• Visualize yourself achieving your school goals. Take a few moments each day to make a mental image of how you will look and feel when you achieve a certain school goal.
• Develop positive habits. Learn how to think in positive terms about self-image. Learn how to accept failure as a learning tool that will increase your likelihood of future success.

What other measures can you take? Remember that sleep is your friend; do not cheat yourself of something that is beneficial to your well being. Planning study time and sticking to your plan will leave you the required time to sleep. Those individuals who are sleep-deprived have more trouble learning facts, and have difficulty remembering them. Those who do not get enough sleep, perform poorly. If possible, take afternoon naps to help you stay fresh and alert especially when dealing with extra assignments or a heavy schedule.

Stress that is chronic can actually affect your ability to learn and to remember facts. Learning how to manage stress is an important school tool. Learn and practice good study skills right from the start. If you are prepared for class, you will not be as stressed as someone who is unprepared.

Stress is dissipated if you share your duties with friends. Take advantage of any mentoring, tutoring or study groups offered by your school. Ask friends to study together or compare notes from class. Make sure study groups do not turn into parties. Leave the fun and games for celebrating after the grades are won.

You need physical activity, healthy meals and snacks and plenty of sleep in order to do well in school. When you lack in any of these areas, you can become stressed. Make sure you are exercising on a regular basis, are eating the proper amounts of fruits, vegetables and dairy for your age groups, and get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Stress Management.

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Tags: sleep, Stress Management

We all know about stress at work. Do these examples look familiar?

• Your boss has moved the deadline for your report up a few days
• you have an annoying co-worker
• you have an in-basket that reaches the ceiling
• your paycheck is too small to cover your needed expenses

Work stress comes in all flavors (people, events, deadlines, environment)–coping with them can be a real juggling act. There are ways to minimize work stress, here are a few things you can do right now.

People:

You can’t always choose your boss or your co-workers. You have to live with their idiosyncrasies, or idiocies, depending on your point of view. Unless you decide to quit, you have to deal with the over-bearing boss or the pesky co-worker. This can be challenging and not dealing with them can add stress to your life.

One way to deal is to keep your work life separate from your home life. Try to keep your home life private. This will make it easier to leave work behind when you exit the building. Be in your “work mode” during working hours and then as you exit the building shake off those work bugs and physically relax your muscles for the ride home. Turn on your favorite music station on the radio or tune into your MP3 player and listen to some fun or relaxing music.

Events:

Work meetings, seminars, work-teams and work travel can all add to the stress level. Learn how to organize, plan for tasks in advance, delegate your other responsibilities and ask for help when needed. Reward yourself when an event is over, successful or not. Find ways to relax during the event like, for example, doing yoga or going for a walk at lunch. Make friends at the event so that you can share experiences and pass the time.

Deadlines:

The best way to beat stress that comes with deadlines is to plan for success. Keep your workstation and tools clean and neat. Know what tasks need to be done first; which ones will be the most time consuming and how to accomplish them with accuracy and efficiency. Ask for guidelines during the planning stage of the task. The best way to reduce stress is to not experience any surprises. Make sure you understand the assignment before it begins. Use organizational tools like calendars, day planners and software when applicable to automate repetitive tasks.

Environment:

The work environment can contain many stress triggers, from pollutants like cigarette smoke to dust or clutter. Address these issues with the people you work with. By brainstorming with your co-workers, you may find ways to reduce stress by controlling pollutants, removing dust and de-cluttering the workstations.

Evaluating the people, events, deadlines, and environment at your place of work can help you to come up with creative ways to cope in advance with the stress. Keep in mind that your work is but a portion of your total life and then go out and have some fun when work is done.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Stress Management.

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Tags: stress at work, Stress Management, stress triggers, yoga

One of the biggest problems we have today is dealing with stress. Everyone gets stressed from time to time. Stress is actually a normal function of the body.

Under certain conditions stress can be helpful. One in four people suffer from the adverse health affects that stress can cause. It is estimated that seventy to ninety percent of adult visits to doctors are due to stress-related complaints. These problems cost an estimated 300 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenses.

Even though everyone can suffer from stress, the way we experience can be very different. There are some common symptoms and causes, however. What causes one person to be highly stressed may not bother another in the least.

When we are anxious, hurried, worried or feel threatened, our bodies begin to tense up. This reaction probably benefited us in caveman days—the well-known “fight or flight” reaction which prepared us for battle and allowed us to hunt prey. In the modern environment, the stress hormones released do not dissipate in the way that they did in our early history—we feel stressed, but don’t engage in physical activity. As a result, these stress hormones attack the organs and create long-term problems if not dealt with adequately.

Constant worry or mental anguish creates chronic tension. This tension begins to take a toll on the body, mind and emotions. This chronic tension can result in anger, depression, fatigue, physical pain, irritability and many other unpleasant and undesirable reactions.

If we can identify what it is that causes stress, then we can effectively manage it. There are several common approaches to alleviating stress that can help most people. These approaches don’t have to use drugs, but a natural approach that can produce long-term beneficial effects.

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to plan ahead. We can’t know everything that will happen, but there is an advantage to getting there on time or even a bit early. Be prepared—and not just if you’re a Boy Scout. Plan to arrive early for appointments; if you’re held up in traffic, you still arrive at the meeting stress-free.

Be prepared also means: make sure that you have enough gas in your car, enough change for the bus, enough of the basic supplies at home such as food staples, and have extra keys made for those times when they get misplaced. Getting things ready ahead of time removes time-imposed stress. Prepare a lunch the day before. Pick out your clothes the night before.

Be prepared to wait. If you have a few minutes before the appointment, have a book or magazine handy. This will help you to deflect concerns about the upcoming meeting.

Get organized. Create a place for everything at home and at your workplace. Put things away when you are finished with them so that you know where they are. Learn to say no and to delegate responsibilities and chores when possible. Taking on too much will surely lead to stress. By making these simple adjustments you are taking a natural approach to stress management.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Stress Management.

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Tags: Anger, Depression, fatigue, hormones, Stress Management

Managing stress is becoming more important as our environment becomes more tension-inducing every year. From traffic jams to work-related stress, there are more stimuli that can make the heart race and the adrenaline flow than at any time in the past.

What is the best way to improve physical and psychological well-being?

• Exercise is a proven stress-reliever. It releases endorphins that counteract stress hormones, and improve mood. It’s always difficult to start an exercise program, so it makes sense to start gradually and work your way up. Stretching and flexing the muscles in the neck, back, shoulders, arms and abdomen help to take away tension and make it easier for the muscles to relax. Exercises that improve cardiovascular function benefit the heart and lungs and affect the blood. This causes chemical changes in the body and the release of and balance of hormones that improve overall mood. Starting and sticking with a regular exercise plan also encourages a healthy concept of self, giving one a better outlook on things and a line of defense against stressors.
• There are also relaxation techniques, or exercises that are extremely helpful in managing and reducing stress. One such technique is trying to touch the shoulder to the ears. Hold your shoulder for a few seconds and then let the shoulders drop. Rotate one shoulder toward the rear and then the other, do each shoulder up to ten times and then do both shoulders together.
• Another exercise that is good for relaxing and good for the body is to lie down with knees bent, press the back down so that all parts of the back touch the surface, while doing so pull in hard on the stomach muscles. Then just relax them. This helps to let go of tension as well as firm abdominal muscles and strengthens the back. Many people find specific exercise programs such as Pilates, tai chi and yoga to be very relaxing.
• Getting adequate sleep can do wonders for the body and mind. Just going to bed a half an hour earlier at night, or taking a short nap during the day, can reenergize the body and recharge the mind, If you’ve had enough sleep, you can make clear, thoughtful decisions.
• If a nap is not possible make sure you take time to relax or take a break. Even a fifteen-minute respite from work, school, or regular daily activities is advisable for quiet, privacy and introspection.
• Taking a brisk walk or even just going outside or to another room, the change in scenery can eliminate existing stress or to counter it before it gets to be too much.
• It is also necessary to eat properly. Eat an adequate and nutritious breakfast each day. Hunger cannot only leave you less able to cope with stress but can also be considered a stressor in itself. It is also important to make sure to eat a well balanced diet for optimal health.

Avoiding or reducing the consumption of caffeine containing substances is a simple and effective way to reduce tension and stress. Caffeine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system in a similar fashion as stress as do other substances like alcohol and tobacco that people often use as a means of reducing stress.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Stress Management.

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Tags: caffeine, exercise, hormones, relaxation techniques, sleep, Stress Management, yoga

College can be a wonderful, enlightening and socially fulfilling time of life for most students. However, for the adult student balancing school, work and family can be stressful and overwhelming. If part of that balancing act includes dealing with a financial crisis, a sick child or an absent spouse, the stress can seem at times to be unbearable. There are ways to deal with college-related stress and keep your sanity in check.

Take the time to get organized, make a plan and ask for help. These are all tips that all students should heed, especially those who are older and are up to their eyeballs in responsibilities outside of the college halls.

There are three ways to reduce the stress of going to school and balancing other daily responsibilities. Your studies and papers are important and should command a certain place of priority for the serious student. One way of beating the stress of missed deadlines is to be organized not only with your class assignments but also with all of your responsibilities. Plan your days and put it down in writing so that you can refer to your day-planner and at a glance know what has to be done yet that day. Don’t let appointments sneak up on you, or work deadlines catch you unprepared. Use a highlighter to color-code which items are school, work or family. Don’t be shy about asking for help from professors, classmates, friends or family when you first begin to feel the squeeze and you feel like you are losing control of your obligations. Especially important are the end of term or end of year classes; they tend to hit when we are tired and overworked. Ask for extensions from professors, ask classmates to form study groups, or friends to help with family projects like raking the yard, or packing your dorm room at the end of term.

Use a day-planner or calendar to keep track of when all your responsibilities are required to be done. Mark down all exam dates, paper due dates, labs, midterms and finals. Keeping all these dates in one place instead of written in class notes. This will help you to see at a glance what is due each week. Being able to get an overall picture of all your class assignments in one place will give you some perspective on what is top priority and what can wait a day or two. Record in the same day-planner the out-of-school responsibilities that you have including work, and family obligations. Include dental and doctor appointments, work deadlines, family dinners or events so that you don’t forget about them. Make daily things to do (TTD) lists and check off each item as you accomplish it. Do the toughest assignments first if possible to get them out of the way and to do them while you are the most alert.

Communicate by email with professors to let them know if you are having difficulty in plenty of time so that they can steer you in the direction of help (college tutors, helpdesk, or help Websites. Letting a professor know the day a paper is due, that you do not understand the subject matter will not give your professor much time to help you. If you find yourself, running out of time to complete assignments, try to set an alarm on your cell phone, PDA or other electronic device to remind you of important dates and times. Take advantage of writing and math labs that are set up to check papers and give feedback on ways to make improvements. Make sure your professors and boss know that you are both an employee and a student; you might be surprised at how understanding they might be.

Returning to school after a long lay-off can be overwhelming, but by staying organized, making sure lines of communication stay open, and prioritizing the experience can be quite rewarding in the end.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Stress Management.

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Tags: adult student, Stress Management

There are many causes of stress in our lives from having to multi-task, procrastinating, forgetfulness, being late, not preparing, lack of organization, and the inability to get a good nights sleep.

We are all susceptible to the above triggers, but learning how to deal with these issues can help you to reduce the stress you feel so that you can be healthier and happier. Let’s examine each trigger one at a time:

Multi-tasking can seem like a good thing because we can accomplish more of our daily goals, but we do so at a cost to our minds and bodies. Completing more than one task at the same time can put a strain on our brains and our physical body. We feel rushed, we breathe quickly and usually with shallow breaths that rob us of needed oxygen. Slow down, delegate tasks when necessary and breathe deeply and slowly.

Procrastination or putting tasks off can put a lot of pressure on you when the time comes to produce results and you are short on time to complete the task. The result may be that the task is not done well, or not done completely. If it is a school assignment, it will adversely affect your grades. If it is a work-related task, it will influence your job performance review and could affect your pay rate or even your ability to remain employed. Learn how to schedule tasks by using a calendar or day planner. Give yourself plenty of time to complete a task. Break a task down into mini-bites if possible or at least try to do difficult tasks early in the day when you have more energy and are more alert.

Is running late a problem for you? Try setting an alarm 15 minutes earlier than normal. Have a buddy call you to remind you about a meeting or important appointment; but don’t forget to make personal reminders for yourself as well. Set your home clocks 10 minutes ahead of the real time so that you will leave earlier than you think you are. Just don’t rely on having more time by remembering you set them to be early. If your appointment is at 2p, think to yourself, that your appointment is at 1:45p instead. Reward yourself for being on time.

Having difficulty remembering things? Try putting your brain on a training mission and exercise your brain with crossword puzzles or memory games. Keep your brain active by reading or answering quiz show questions on TV. When you are actively feeding your brain new information or making use of the ability to recall information, you are exercising your brain. These exercises just may help you to be able to remember important dates like anniversaries and birthdays and where you put your keys.

Often times not being prepared is a result of not being organized in either your study habits or your work ethics need a little polishing. It is easier to be prepared for a task when you understand the importance of the task and what is expected of you. Ask questions when you are being assigned a task to do at school, home or work. Find out exactly what you are expected to do, how you are expected to do it, when it needs to be finished and why the task is necessary. The answers to these questions can help you to understand what is expected and why it is important to complete the task. The more you know, the better you can perform!

Know your limitations on time and weigh each proposed task carefully the next time someone asks you to do something. Take the time to check in your day planner or calendar so that you can be aware of other events or deadlines that are around the same time frame as the task you are being asked to undertake. Ask yourself if you really need to take on this task? Do not be afraid to say no! You are not the only capable person in the world. Make a suggestion of someone else who could accomplish the task. Be polite when refusing, but know your limits. Do not overextend yourself, it will only add to your stress.

Get organized, clutter can add to stress!

Sleep is a necessary part of being healthy. You may need to reduce your involvement in extra activities to free up time to relax during the day and get to bed earlier at night. Our bodies need rest to reduce stress.

There are many triggers that put stress on us all, but learning how to deal with them properly can lead to healthier and happier lives.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Stress Management.

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Tags: reduce stress, Stress Management, stress triggers

Many philosophies have been adopted throughout history in the continuing search for good health. Holistic health is the realization of our potential as humans as total beings, and our desire to live fulfilling and satisfying lives. The overall goal is not just to be physically healthy but also to be in harmony with oneself and the environment at all levels, body, mind and spirit. Relationships, social interaction and lifestyle are also factors that are considered when dealing with a holistic approach. Managing, or eliminating stress is a basic component of holistic health.

Holistic is a term that emphasizes the functional relationship between the whole and its parts. Holistic health or holistic medicine attempts to treat the whole person, including mind, body, spirit, and emotions. Holistic medicine is not a new concept or theory. In fact holistic health is more of a philosophy that has been in existence for thousands of years. Holistic medicine however is new to western medicine and our health care system.

When holistic medicine is used in conjunction with traditional health care, the approach to therapy takes on a whole new dimension. Patients roles are changed in that they become more involved in their treatment by being made aware of their condition and how their thoughts, behaviors and attitudes are attributed to the situation and they are taught how by making changes they can be actively involved in their own healing process.

There are several terms that are often associated with holistic medicine. Alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and natural healing are probably terms that you have heard before. Alternative medicine is a term used by both medical professionals and the general public to describe medical techniques or procedures that are not generally recognized or accepted by traditional or conventional practitioners.

These techniques include non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical methods as well as experimental drugs or therapies that are not in general use or as of yet widely accepted as means of effective treatment. The attitudes about alternative medicine are changing and in recent years many of the practices have become widely accepted so much so that a few are now actually considered conventional.

Complementary medicine is usually a term used by conventional or traditional medical practitioners to describe non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical practices that are used in conjunction with or to compliment surgery and prescription or over the counter drugs.

The implication is that these practices are the primary tools used in the healing or treatment process and that the unconventional techniques are just used as a backup or supplement as needed. Natural healing refers to non-invasive techniques as well but does not usually involve the use of any drugs or supplements of any kind. Natural healing is usually a reference to physical healing or bodywork only.

There is a wide variety of natural, alternative, or complementary practices that are used to attain holistic health. Some of these practices include aromatherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, naturopathy, medicinal herbs, Reiki, Tai chi, and yoga. All of these approaches can help reduce stress. Stress reduction is a fundamental principal of holistic health. The reduction of stress is believed to allow the body’s natural healing abilities to go to work.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Stress Management.

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Tags: alternative medicine, body mind and spirit, complementary medicine, holistic approach, holistic health, natural healing, Stress Management

Stress comes in different types and levels and can either assist us in positive performance or can cripple us making it difficult to function at work or school. There are many issues surrounding stress.

A negative attitude can increase your stress level. Thinking in a negative manner about yourself can lead to stress. Those of us who feel the need to be perfect add stress to our lives.

Benefits of stress are evident when you witness a fire fighter rescuing a child from a burning building. Stress triggers the fight-or-flight response in our body and gets us ready to burst into energy.

Chronic disease can be a result of too much stress over long periods of time. Diseases like diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Deal with the stress in your life by recognizing the symptoms of stress. These include headaches, insomnia, forgetfulness, feeling overwhelmed and chronic colds. Seek help when dealing with stress.

Ease into new routines so that you can reduce your stress levels. Monitor how many major changes you make in your life in any given year. Moving, divorces, new job, having a baby are all stress triggers.

Find ways to reduce stress and make them a part of your everyday routine. Stress reducers can be as simple as taking a walk, or shrugging your shoulders a few times every hour if you have a job that doesn’t require a lot of physical activity.

Give of yourself to your community in a volunteer position. You won’t believe the wonderful benefits you will receive and the act of doing for others is a great stress reducer.

Healthy eating habits can do wonders for reducing our stress. Giving our body the nutrition it needs to function allows it to deal with stressful situations.

Increase your physical activity during times of stress. Get out and walk instead of fighting with a family member.

Jump for joy once in a while; celebrate the positive events in your life. When you achieve a goal, go out and celebrate your achievement!

Keep a log of all the good things that happen each day and read over what you have written on occasion to remind yourself of all the positive things that are in your life. Reminding ourselves of these positives can help balance out the negative events and keep us from stressing.

Live life to the fullest everyday.

Make friends, stay socially active.

Notice all the little things about your day like flowers and children playing in the park.

Open your life to those around you and feel blessed by the good things in your life.

Praise yourself for your accomplishments.

Quietness is something to treasure and participate in daily.

Remember that stress happens and it shall pass.

Stress is only a response to the events and people in our lives. To change the level of stress we have only to surround ourselves with positive and uplifting people and plan to attend events that celebrate life.

See if you can complete the alphabet with activities in your life that reduce stress.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Stress Management.

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Tags: Stress Management

Along with summertime comes vacations, warmer weather, outdoor activities, and the stress of having to balance regular work routines and taking care of the kids. We all enjoy the break from the usual especially when it means having fun in the sun or having a break from school or work. Unfortunately, the enjoyment is tempered by situations that have to be managed that result from change in routine. Stress is brought on from the concern we have for our kids and how to care for them during off-school times. Other situations demand that we change our routine to correspond to the changing needs of the season.

Kids are out of school during the summer months and need alternative care during times when parents are at work. The solution may work out to be babysitters, neighbors, relatives or daycare centers. Those solutions may involve a certain amount of cost and a possible hardship on your household budget. One way to address this financial stress is to organize a block babysitting co-op. One member acts as secretary and records all babysitting needs (date, times) and it is up to the members of the group to each provide the service of watching the other member’s children in exchange for having their children watched when they need this service. The secretary records how often members baby-sit and how often they request to have their children cared for. No money is exchanged but services are monitored so that on one is taken advantage of.

Other options include enrolling the kids in summer camps, vacation bible school, sport teams and neighborhood activities like bake sales, and lemonade stands to help keep the kids happy and busy. Kids who become bored will create mischief and get on the nerves of adults. Keep plenty of stress busters around like arts and crafts supplies (crayons, paint, clay, chalk, bubbles, silly string, beads and other jewelry handiwork). Supply them with board games, playing cards, crossword puzzles, and books. Interest them in hobbies like stamp collection, gardening, bug and bird watching, or biking. Encourage older kids to do projects around the house that perhaps have been shelved during the busier months of the year like organizing those photographs, or putting storage items into protective containers. Teach older kids to cook and you could return from work to a home-cooked meal, prepared and ready to eat. Kids can even clean and straighten the rooms in your home so you can return to nice clean living spaces. Involve them in researching summer vacations. Kids today are very computer savvy.

Summer days are longer so we have more time to be outdoors. We tend to overdo and stress our bodies and our minds with too many outdoor activities with family and friends. We tend to take on too many outdoor projects like landscaping the yard, or maintaining vehicles or our homes. Most of us do not know how to say no to volunteer or organizational opportunities. As summer approaches it is a good idea to plan just how many activities you can reasonably commit to and then stick to it.

Manage your stress through organizing activities for kids that keep them happy and busy while keeping your activity level to a minimum. Learn how to delegate tasks and to say no, when it is necessary. Enjoy family time and create those special family memories this summer that you will cherish for a lifetime.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Stress Management.

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Tags: alternative care, financial stress, stress busters, Stress Management

Stress has become an everyday part of life for most of us and we do very little to cope with it. Some stress is actually a good thing as it helps keep us on our toes, ready to cope with whatever challenge we might have to face. Too much stress, however, is detrimental to the body, mind and spirit. Recognizing the signals of stress and stress related problems could reduce the damage that stress can cause. It can be difficult to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress, as vary from person to person. So all symptoms of excessive stress may not be easily observed but those that are can also help to identify stressors and then recognize the other symptoms. If we pay attention to the early warning signs of stress, the effects can be combated preventing further harm.

Some of the most common early warning signs of excess stress are chronic fatigue, excessive irritability or moodiness, amplified or disproportionate anxiety, poor emotional control, noticeable changes in appetite, sleep patterns or sex drive, insomnia, critical feelings of dependency or helplessness and withdrawal from normal activity or responsibility. One may even verbally express signs of stress by making comments or talking about not being able to relax, feeling tense, and inability to focus or stay on task. They may verbalize that they don’t feel good or are miserable and don’t know why.

If you pay close attention to your body you may notice that you feel extremely fatigued, the TV may sound like it is blaring, and a door being shut sounds like it was slammed. One may argue or yell at those around them for no reason. These are indicators that stress has reached a critical level and needs to be dealt with.

While it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress, it is of equal importance to be prepared for situations or events that are potentially stressful. Undergoing or anticipating major changes to ones life such as a move, change in jobs such as a promotion, new job or retirement or family status such as marriage, adoption or pregnancy. If undergoing a major change in one aspect of your life it may be advisable to limit or avoid changes in other aspects. Sometimes people feel stressed at certain times of the day or even of the year due to work or other pressures such as family obligations. For some it is the holidays, for others it’s summer vacation, birthdays or anniversaries.

A good way to lower stress level or to prepare is to write things down. You may want to try keeping a daily log of events and reactions or even just taking a few moments a day to jot down your feelings or emotions. It is also helpful to write down appointments, to do lists, meal plans, and upcoming events instead of relying on memory as this can cause mental anguish and undue stress.

Learning to manage stress can help you to a happier, healthier life; and enjoy your job, family and friends.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Stress Management.

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Tags: body mind and spirit, chronic fatigue, Stress Management