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The Performance Advantage Special Report on Stress Management
by Dennis Buckley
The Performance Advantage
"Special Report on Managing Stress" by Dennis R. Buckley, DC
Stress, it is all around us. It seems to be greater and greater every day. With the advancements of technology, cell phones, the internet, we can be connected 24/7 from any where in the world. This increases our possibilities but also increases what is demanded from us. Unfortunately our genes are still programmed when we were farmers. This "load" on us is causing injury and illness.
What can be done?
There are areas of your life that you can address to build your internal resistance to the real or perceived stress in your life.
Put in place these activities and you will not only feel better but become better as you meet the daily challenges of life.
EXERCISE -- Working out three or more times a week is recommended to decrease stress by channeling pent up energy into a productive activity. Using exercises such as weight training, karate, aerobics classes, or dancing can provide a good outlet where you can release tension while exercises such as running, biking, walking or yoga can have a calming effect.
DIET -- Poor nutrition decreases your energy. It can also lead to excess weight, affect your emotional state and increase stress. By increasing the fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, use supplements and drink plenty of water you will increase your health and energy. Increased energy will help you meet the demands of daily life as you fuel your body.
SLEEP -- If you are getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night you could be sleep deprived. This increases your stress and makes it difficult to focus, handle daily challenges, compromises your immune system making you more susceptible to illness, and making errors in judgment such as driving a car. You need at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep per day, and this can include naps during the day.
CAFFEINE -- Caffeine can have many different effects on the body. It can interfere with sleep and hormones effecting moods and actually increase the stress response. Having too much caffeine creates a physical dependence and as the caffeine wears off you feel even more tired. Too much caffeine can create withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and intense craving when you are deprived of it. Limit your caffeine intake to 2 cups or less per day.
FRIENDS -- Where can you go to truly be yourself and express your feelings without being judged? It is necessary to have at least one person in your life to share your fears and joy with. It is also important to have a network of friends or resources to call upon to help you meet the demands of life. Nurture relationship by also being there for them for if you help them get what they need they will help you get what you need.
UNSAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT-- If you find you are in a situation where you are dealing with others in a confrontational arena, you may need to obtain training to learn how to get what you want without offending others and helping them get what they want. Learning these skills can reduce your stress greatly. If you don't have interpersonal conflict because you do what everyone wants at your expense, then you may have intra personal conflict. This may create stress by you growing resentful until you finally explode. Assertiveness training and communication courses may help you in this way.
TIME MANAGEMENT -- Feel rushed, always late, everything becomes an emergency? You may need to take a look at how you manage your time. More importantly you may need to look at how you are managing your energy. Where are you putting your energy? Discovering what is really important to you, what brings you the most joy and satisfaction, and then putting your energy into those activities first with help you manage your time. There are many great time management programs, Franklin Covey for one, and taking instruction from them can help you reorganize your priorities so you make time work for you.
CAREER -- You will spend the majority of your life at work so it is important to do something that is truly inspiring and satisfy's you. Connect your passion with your paycheck. If you hate your job, take actions to find out what truly excites you, go back to school or learn to appreciate the job you have.
BALANCE -- If your life feels out of control, it is time to stop, take a thorough inventory of how you spend your time. Make the changes to strengthen weak areas and remove unproductive activities such as TV.
CLUTTER- Your home or your workplace is where you spend a majority of your time. Your home should be a sanctuary. Today, clean it up. Get rid of the mess, throw stuff away, clean out drawers, rearrange the furniture, complete those small fix-up projects, pull the weeds and plant flowers, add color and music to your life. Create your sanctuary.
FINANCES -- One of the greatest stress worries is money. Financial stress is one the major problems that interferes with relationships and cause people to lay awake at night worrying. Seek professional help to get yourself back on track.
SEX -- Sex can be a great stress reliever however when under great stress your libido or sex drive can be decreased. Other habits such as diet and exercise can lower stress and your sex drive can return. Unsafe safe or infidelity can create stress in of itself so use trust and integrity in your relationships. If sex performance is still a problem seek professional help.
By putting attention into all these areas, little by little you can not only handle stress but make it work for you.
Work on one area each week for 12 weeks. The 13th week, take an inventory of your progress, review your gains and then repeat the process. In one year you will have gone through each area 4 times and step by step you will have transformed your ability to handle stress.
Get the "Performance Advantage" and create a new you. Share this with your friends and family. Go to www.Performance-Advantage.net
Dr. Buckley is a health care provider on the cutting edge of strategies and information to help you preserve and protect your health. To be successful in health you need to "Get Real & Get Going." This requires self responsibility and the courage to face up to where you are really at and where you may be headed. His information is straightforward and to the point with actions you can take immediately. His patients love him and now he is making his information available to everyone. Go to www.performance-advantage.net to sign up for his free e-zine.
Contact the author, Dennis Buckley
, at TriDocD@aol.com
.