Stress Management

Negative Effects of Stress

On November 22, 2016   /   Blog, Stress Management  

There are many negative effects of stress. Stress makes us feel bad all over. It increases irritability and everyday activities become chores. We begin avoiding our usual activities—even things we enjoy. Stress also prompts us to make unsound, unwise decisions, including those that directly affect our finances and our jobs. It impinges on our appetites, having us feel like either eating too much or not enough. Sometimes we even begin to neglect our physical appearance.

Clearly, the effects of stress on the mind and body are numerous. Unfortunately, adults aren’t the only ones who experience stress. Children feel stress too.

Since stress can powerfully affect learning, you can predict that children living in high-anxiety households would not perform as well … >>>

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A Biblical Interpretation and Stress

On August 21, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

Here is an interesting biblical interpretation.

The King James Version of Psalm 23, “The Lord is My Shepherd,” contains the phrase: “I will fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

The “rod” in this context, refers to the governing of flock so they don’t wander. The flock refers to sheep, but metaphorically it refers to people.

There are some who use the biblical reference of the “rod” to justify using spankings as a primary and frequent form of discipline—as in “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” This phrase is a modern day proverb that means if a parent refuses to discipline an unruly child, that child will grow … >>>

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Compensation Is Not a Reward

On August 18, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

500_F_54422632_D9xdngl2zzWKf7jpudWADUmySXRxrGjvA common response I receive at my presentations on the topic of rewarding relates to the idea that people will only work if they are given a reward. This idea that dangling money and other goodies in front of people will “motivate” them to work harder is the conventional theory in our society. But the fact is that compensation is not a reward.

There are two assumptions here. The first is that people would not work if they were not rewarded. The fact that many people volunteer and invest time in learning skills without compensation puts this idea to rest. In addition, studies on employment conclude that as long as compensation is at a satisfactory level, one’s salary rates among … >>>

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Stress and Consistency

On August 16, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

Being consistent can reduce stress levels.

“Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” This quote, attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, is a very odd thought to put to print. Did Emerson actually write this? After all, he did write the classic essay entitled, “Self-Reliance.”

When you look around, it is rather obvious that, quite contrary to what Emerson seems to have suggested, consistency is a hallmark of logic and efficiency. What, then, could a man of Emerson’s caliber have meant when he attributed consistency to that of a small mind?

If we go back to the original source of the statement in his essay, we find the problem. Emerson actually wrote,

“FOOLISH consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, … >>>

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Stress and Driving

On August 9, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

Stress levels can be elevated by your driving habits.

Many recent scientific studies have shown that congested traffic conditions can heighten stress levels in drivers. The longer the distance one has to drive, the more dramatic can be the level of a person’s stress.

When experiencing stress, you may be affected totally—not only in your body but also in your emotional reactions, your personal thoughts, and your relations with others.

Sometimes it takes an unwanted experience to change driving habits. I know this from an experience I had after receiving a California Highway ticket a few months ago.

Southern California has carpool lanes that can only be crossed when the pavement has white lines. As I was impatiently driving in … >>>

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Reduce Stress by Analyzing the Risks

On August 3, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

Any time we engage in an activity, we are taking a risk. This is how we live our lives—from getting out of bed in the morning and not losing our balance so we don’t fall—to crossing the street and hoping a car doesn’t appear from nowhere to hit us.

Now with this in mind that we are always taking risks, let’s look at a procedure that we can use when we ponder taking a risk that we have not taken before.

The process of risk taking is not complicated. To reduce anxiety and stress, just analyze the situation.

Before embarking on an undertaking, examine the venture, and answer these questions:

  1. What is the best thing that could happen as a
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Vision, Success, and Stress

On July 26, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

One of the great approaches to successful living and reducing stress is to develop positive visions.

For example, suppose I lay a plank on the ground. Almost anyone can easily walk on the plank from one end to the other. But if I were to raise the plank 10 feet off the ground, how many people do you think would get across it without falling? I would guess quite a few people would fall off the plank.

Why can people walk the plank when it’s on the ground but not while it’s elevated? A prime reason is that when the plank is on the ground, people imagine success. They vision that they can accomplish the task. Off the ground, there … >>>

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Perfectionism and Stress

On July 19, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

Perfectionism and Stress

Perfection is a goal that humans should not strive to achieve because it can prompt a crippling condition or an overly critical self-evaluation.

A goal of excellence can be reached. But perfectionism, the striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high standards, is too often a burden.

A focus on perfection has opened pathways, for many young people in particular, to live with the idea that they have to be perfect for people to accept them—especially with young girls who develop anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

With young people as early as kindergarten age, perfectionism can become so tyrannical that they develop anxiety attacks. This leads to the thinking pattern that they cannot perform or engage in the activity … >>>

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Action Without Thought

On July 13, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

When I was a young teen-ager, I had a clear glass covering the top of my desk in my bedroom. From time to time, I would collect thoughts that made an impression on me and place them under the glass so I could review them.

The quote I remember most came from Bernard Baruch, an advisor to presidents—among his many other achievements and contributions.

I quote him:

“I believe above all else in reason, in the power of the human mind to cope with the problems of life.

“To nothing so much as the abandonment of reason does humanity owe its sorrows.

“Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in public or … >>>

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Your Subconscious and Expectations

On July 5, 2016   /   Blog, Reduce Stress, Stress Management  

Whether you expect to succeed or expect to fail, your expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies.

When you expect failure, you communicate your expectations to your subconscious mind. Your brain accepts the notion and prompts your actions as if you will fail. You actually program yourself to do the things that will lead you to fail. This creates anxiety that contributes to stress and negative feelings.

In contrast, when you expect to succeed, you prompt your subconscious to succeed.

This optimism and positivity may lead to many things, including an extra effort that could be the difference between success and failure and the move to seek out people who can contribute to your success. In short, your subconscious can be the spark … >>>

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Disagreement and Stress

On June 30, 2016   /   Stress Management  

Disagreement between people causes stress—there’s no doubt about it. Sometimes the disagreement elevates to the point of verbal fighting. Once that occurs, the stress levels of both parties will be high, and agreement will be elusive.

Fortunately, you always have a choice in how you handle a situation. Rather than let a disagreement escalate, you can reduce stress by doing the following:

Say to the other person, “I don’t want to win; I just want to understand what you are saying. My objective is to CLARIFY, NOT INFLUENCE. You’re saying that you believe A B and C. I believe A B and D. So we really agree more than we differ.”

At the worst you have clarified. At the best … >>>

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Sitting Is The New Smoking

On June 19, 2016   /   Reduce Stress, Stress Management, Weekly Tips  

Sitting is the new smoking.

The human body was developed for movement.

A sedentary culture of sitting is taking a major toll on people’s health. When sitting for long periods of time, our bodies become less efficient. Sitting more than six hours a day puts you on a very unhealthy path—even if you exercise.

Sitting for long periods of time can actually make bottoms bigger because sitting down puts a large amount of force on the body tissues that make fat cells. People who sit for prolonged periods throughout the day are predisposed to developing diabetes as well as other health problems. In addition, lack of movement increases a propensity for depression and feeling blue.

Here are a few suggestions … >>>

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How To Handle a Monkey

On June 18, 2016   /   Reduce Stress, Stress Management, Weekly Tips  

When we do things for people that they can do for themselves, we deprive them of the opportunity to learn, grow, and become more self-sufficient.

Here is a technique I used as an elementary, middle, and high school principal and as a district director of education.

When my office was large enough to hold a table as well as my desk, I immediately welcomed the person and offered a seat at the table. This immediately removed any feelings of my being in an authority position.

I listened, and if the conversation was about a problem that I thought the person could handle, I immediately envisioned a monkey sitting on the person’s shoulder. My intent was to be sure that when … >>>

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How To Avoid Saying NO

On June 12, 2016   /   Reduce Stress, Stress Management, Weekly Tips  

Ever say “NO!” to a person?

It seems rather obvious that the response to this question prompts negative feelings. If you ask for something and you receive a negative response, you will not be very pleased.

The negative response not only may prompt stress for the receiver of the comment, but it can also prompt negative feelings and some stress for the person giving the response. What parent or manager derives pleasure in saying “NO!” to someone?

Someone who was about to adopt a child asked me how to avoid the common response by so many parents of NOT continually saying, ‘No!’” (“No, you cannot do that!” “No, you cannot have that!”)

My response: Say “Not yet.”

These two words … >>>

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Employing Your Nonconscious Mind

On June 4, 2016   /   Reduce Stress, Stress Management, Weekly Tips  

Make your nonconscious mind your friend.

The nonconscious mind believes what the conscious mind tells it. When a thought flits through your mind, your nonconscious mind “hears” it, believes it, and records it. Your conscious mind may forget about it immediately, but it’s in a permanent file in your brain.

Your nonconscious mind is the storehouse for your habits and all of what you do without consciously thinking about them, which means that your nonconscious mind has a profound effect on you.

For example, if you think that you will not sleep well tonight, your conscious mind believes you and creates a roadblock. If you think that you will not pass some employment or other exam, you are programming negative … >>>

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Working with Fear

On May 30, 2016   /   Reduce Stress, Stress Management, Weekly Tips  

Fear is often a by-product of negative thoughts. Unfortunately, we have an innate capacity for fear.

In 1919 psychologist John B. Watson conducted a controversial experiment to see whether fear could be learned.

A young boy he named “Little Albert” was shown different creatures, including a rat. At first, Albert showed no fear of the rat.

Then Watson paired the exposure with a harsh sound that scared the little boy. Soon, Little Albert would react with fear at just the sight of the rat alone.

In essence, this was an example of classic conditioning. We are all familiar with the example of Ivan Pavlov and his experiments of feeding a dog while ringing a bell. Soon Pavlov just rang the … >>>

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Overcoming Fear and Anxiety

On May 22, 2016   /   Reduce Stress, Stress Management, Weekly Tips  

Fear and anxiety are natural emotions.

You may not know exactly why you feel these emotions, but when you do, you think something bad is about to happen—even if you don’t quite know what.

Since fear and anxiety do not naturally accomplish something positive, the trick is to manage them and put them to your use, rather than trying to ignore them.

The first step is to acknowledge these emotions—since you cannot initially change them.

The next step is to visualize them as positive sources for motivation. This can be likened to a soldier about to go into battle. The soldier uses courage to act regardless of the fear and anxiety.

My father, as articulate as he was, feared to … >>>

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Defeat Stress and Negativity

On May 19, 2016   /   Stress Management  

Stress levels for most people are at an all-time high these days. But does the greatest stress come from natural causes, or do PEOPLE prompt their greatest stress?

Upon reflection, I believe you will find that a NATURAL DISASTER or other negative circumstance stimulates us to think, “What can I do now?” and “What are my options?” However, when a SOMEONE ELSE does or says something that stimulates us in a negative manner, we may not think of our options. We simply suffer—allowing the unintentional, selfish, or cruel comment to actuate depressing feelings. So often, we allow ourselves to become victims without even realizing it. We create a life of stress instead of a life of joy.

As I state … >>>

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