Inspirational Tips for Reducing StressTry Videos of Success Affirmations.

The best tips for reducing stress that money can buy are actually FREE. If you want to live a stress-free life, then you must first believe you are worth it and that you deserve it.

True stress-free living comes at the top of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (see picture of hierarchy at bottom of this page) in the form of self actualization and the only way to get to the top is to go through levels three and four (love of self and others and self esteem). For as long as you spend your life stalled at level one or two, you will never achieve a continuous and profoundly stress-free life.

If you have a lot of stress in your life, then commit at least 30 minutes per day to watching inspirational videos such as the ones below. There are tons more on YouTube. Also read as many inspirational stories and poems as you can get your hands on. These stories, poems and videos are filled to the brim with tips for reducing stress.

Stay away from all media that is negative, angry or stressed. Your brain could use fewer mixed messages. To attract abundance, you must live abundantly.







Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Disney's Stress Management Philosophy

Timon and Pumbaa from Lion King got it right as did Baloo the Bear from The Jungle Book. "No Worries" and the "Bare Necessities of Life". If we could all watch more Disney, perhaps we would have a lot less stress.



Happy watching and have a Merry "STRESS FREE" Christmas.

Figuring It Out For Ourselves...Or Not.

Have you ever been in a conversation with a friend and made the mistake of offering some well-meaning advice? Perhaps, you were discussing a relationship or work-related problem. Maybe it was something to do with the kids or a home-based business challenge. No matter the nature of the problem, somewhere along the way, you felt it was appropriate to share some advice.

This innocent advice might have started with the words, "You should..." or "Have you ever tried...." The moment you did this, the tone of the conversation changed. Your friend, who up to this moment, had been regaling you with endless problems, likely with immense passion, suddenly did one of two things and you probably didn't even notice.

The first possible behavior change was to jump on the defensive and begin generating massive excuses for the situation just described. This person does not take responsibility for herself and comes up with reason after reason, why the problem is someone else's fault or why it can't or couldn't have been prevented. The defensive person apologizes for living, but probably is not interested in solving the problem at all. Truly, she just wants to complain. When you offer a solution (some advice) she has to work twice as hard to get back to discussing the problem and away from a solution-oriented conversation.

The second behavior change is anger and resentment. Unlike the defensive person, the angry person probably would like to find a solution to the problem, but she can't hear or appreciate your advice or any advice, for that matter, but the resistance happens for a very different reason.

When this happens, you probably won't know that the person is no longer listening to you. Your friend has likely taken the route of silent anger or hostility and you have been completely tuned out. Of course, this person is polite and still appears to be listening and engaged in the conversation, but that person is no longer hearing you. In fact, she is actually mad at you.

What did you do to deserve this unkind, albeit unknown treatment? Were you pushy, interfering or rude? Probably not. Were you demanding, condescending or disinterested-sounding, as you delivered your advice? This, too, is unlikely.

No, your well-meaning advice is not accepted because your friend wants to figure things out on her own. She doesn't want to be told what to do. She doesn't want to be coached. She is resentful of you because you have just become the proverbial know -it-all. You have implied that you have all the answers when she doesn't.

Oftentimes, the problem runs still deeper. Not only do you seem to have the answers and she doesn't, but she, very likely, lacks the skills to find the answers on her own. It is not a lack of intelligence that causes this reality, rather it is a lack of skill, a lack of problem solving skills. Strong problem solving skills, possibly the single best stress management technique or tool available today, is not something we are born with and unfortunately, it is not something we learn in school to any great degree.

In the old days, we may not have been any better at problem solving, but we had back up systems in the form of extended families, we spent more time outside the home listening to others ideas and opinions, and the problems were far less complicated than they have become in the last 50 years. Some would say it is a lost cause.

So there is no shortage of problems to discuss or complain about endlessly, but many of us lack adequate problem solving skills and are too embarrassed to ask for help. We have become islands and we believe that we must go it alone. We think we have to figure it out for ourselves. We are so sold on this crazy idea, that we would rather suffer endlessly than reach out for advice or ideas from those we care about. We say we are not ready; we shut doors on friends and family who may have good, even great ideas; and worst of all, we endure our problems and stress endlessly.

Like most chronic diseases today, stress and problems are self-inflicted and self-perpetuated. There are solutions and answers available and you never know, one of the best solutions or answers just might come from some innocent advice offered by a friend or family member. So instead of becoming defensive or resentful and angry, take a moment to listen to friendly advice and evaluate it objectively. Try it out or ask some questions or do some research, but whatever you do, don't overlook or tune out those jewels of wisdom from a friend.

We are in the midst of the information age or knowledge economy or whatever you want to call it and it hasn't been possible for a single person to know everything there is to know since the days of Leonard Da Vinci. Essentially, you have three choices, you can improve your problem solving skills, you can listen to advice and ideas from people who care or you can suffer, preferably in silence, because there is nothing worse than listening to someone who complains all the time about everything and never seems to move forward or never tries to solve the problem.

Managing Financial Stress: As easy as 1, 2, 3!

Doesn't it seem strange that different people react so differently with regards to money? You would think that, in difficult economic times, everyone would be bent out of shape about money. However, this is not always the case. Take me, for example. Even when times have been really tough, I have not really felt extreme amounts of financial stress and managing financial stress has never really seemed like an unwieldy task.

Now, don't get me wrong, there have been times when I have nearly lost my marbles because of financial stress; however, for the most part, these times have been few and far between and they have not lasted for very long each time. It seems that I have an uncanny ability to pick myself up and dust myself off and start all over again, even when debt loads have been really extreme and in all of it, I have never felt a need to declare bankruptcy. Am I just a special person or is there another reason for my supposed financial serenity?

Recently, I was reviewing my work history as I prepared a resume for a contract application. There is nothing that will make you feel older than a detailed resume review. As I did this analysis, I realized that I have operated a very wide variety of businesses covering all different types of business models and I have held a large number of jobs in many different career fields.

That resume exercise got me thinking about two different, but related ideas. My first thought revolved around variety as a tool for managing financial stress. Was the extreme variation in my work history a key factor in my feelings about money and finances?

My second thought revolved around passive income. Most of my business ventures were structured to create passive income streams. In other words, I did a whole bunch of work up front and then, once the structure had been created, I continued to earn money, whether I was working or not.

I came to the conclusion that my unique ability to manage financial stress came from both the variety in my work history - there are very few business sectors, in which I have not worked; as well as from the fact that many of the business models, I created, over the years, allowed for passive income generation. It seems the difficulty level of managing financial stress is reduced considerably when you know you have lots of options. Without even really realizing it, I have developed multiple streams of income in my life.

Over the past 25 years, I have run service and manufacturing businesses, I have done network marketing and Internet marketing, I have done real estate and stock market investing, I have done private consulting work and I have even tried my hand at self-publishing. I had different levels of success with each venture, but the one thing that has become very clear to me is that I am not afraid of finances or, put another way, I don't get stressed out about money because I have confidence that I can always go out and earn what I need to pay off debt or work toward achieving my goals. My experience has allowed me to be financially independent, so to speak, even when I was broke. I am happier, I believe, because I don't suffer from the classic idea of 'money worries' or financial stress.

Another key factor that jumped off the page as I completed the resume exercise was the extent of my financial knowledge. Whether it was banking terms, real estate jargon, stock market language or accounting rules, I realized that I am fairly comfortable with the language of finance and I now understand that this knowledge helps me to be far more confident in managing financial stress as well.

So what's the take away here? It is a good idea to have a wide variety of financial experiences under your belt, even if you only engage in each venture on a very small scale and all along the way, every person should try hard to increase his or her financial knowledge as much as possible. Some famous person once said, 'KNOWLEDGE IS POWER' and someone else said, 'VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE'. I think I finally understand these phrases and I hope others can experience my idea of financial freedom as well.

For more ideas on managing financial stress, check out
Three Steps to Managing Financial Stress

OXIDATIVE STRESS REPORT - Vitamin C & E Leads to Lower Mortality Rate

Dr. Strand's Health Nugget
An article published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported the results of a study which found that vitamin C and vitamin E supplement users had a lower risk of dying over a five-year period than those who did not supplement. The supplement users had a lower risk of dying from any cause. When mortality was examined by cause, those who supplemented with vitamin C and vitamin E had a 28% lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease. This highlights the health benefits of supplementing your diet with a variety of antioxidants and their supporting nutrients, which I advocate in my concept of cellular nutrition. Join Dr. Strand's Online Medical Practice.

Time To Solve This Environmental Wellness Challenge Once and For All.

I just received an e-mail from www.350.org about the Copenhagen Summit coming up December 11-13, 2009. It seems world leaders are once again assembling to try to come up with a solution to the global warming crisis. Here is the body of Bill McKibben's e-mail, which he asked to have circulated.

"Dear friends,

Usually we write you with good news. This time it's much more mixed.
Help Plan a "Vigil For Survival"

Mid-way through the climate talks in Copenhagen, people around the world will gather in solemn solidarity with the nations and peoples for whom delay on climate action could mean extinction. Can you help plan a vigil?

What: A candlelight vigil.

Why: To send a clear message to world leaders deciding the fate of the planet's future.

Where: Somewhere in your community that is iconic (beautiful and picturesque) or strategic (like U.S. Senate offices, consulates, and embassies)

When: The night of Friday, December 11th or Saturday December 12th.

Who: You, your family, friends, neighbors and people all over the world.

Click here to get started and register your local vigil: www.350.org/vigil

Earlier this week Barack Obama and the leaders of some other large nations announced that they weren't going to reach any kind of legally binding climate agreement in Copenhagen--declaring that they need more time, despite the five years of preparation they've already had.

That's sad and it's dangerous--the planet is running out of 'next years'. But it does give all of us more time to organize a movement to make them respect the science.

So it's time for the next big steps. The world needs your help once more.

There's a global mobilization coming together for the weekend in the middle of the Copenhagen conference--Dec. 11-13. Our collective message? "The World Wants a Real Deal" -- people all over the planet are demanding a binding global climate agreement guided by the latest science and built upon principles of justice and equity.

There will be big rallies on Saturday the 12th in many cities, and on Sunday the 13th communities of faith the world over will ring church bells, beat drums, blow horns -- all 350 times.

Our main hope is that you will help organize a candlelight vigil at some iconic or strategic place near you on Friday or Saturday night, December 11th or 12th? Around the world people will gather to light lanterns or candles, in solemn solidarity with the citizens of those nations who will be first to face the challenges to their very survival.

Click here for details about staging a local vigil and to register one in your community: www.350.org/vigil

Eventually all of us will be hard-pressed by rising seas, spreading drought, and temperatures too hot for growing food. But right now--this year, this decade--there are countries being pressed to the brink. They're at the forefront of a fight for real change in Copenhagen, and need your help to amplify their voices.

As Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed said last week at a summit of the most vulnerable nations:

"We will not sign a global suicide pact, in Copenhagen or anywhere."

Instead, he and the other nations called for a "survival pact," for commitments by the developed world to cut emissions enough to get the atmospheric concentration of CO2 back to 350. They know the simple, mathematical truth of global warming: 350=Survival.

Some of the planned candlelight vigils will take place at iconic places in communities all over the world. Others will be outside American consulates and embassies, and at senators' offices throughout the United States. Partly this is because the US is, historically, the country most responsible for the carbon in the world's atmosphere. But it's also because America, if it chose, could lead the way to a sane global climate policy. The election of Barack Obama ended America's automatic veto on progress--but the U.S. is still offering insufficient actions, far short of what scientists say is necessary. And Obama has yet to offer the leadership the crisis requires.

In a very real sense, the short-term survival of many nations, and the long-term health of the whole planet, rests in the hands of Obama and the United States Senate. Their positions, along with the level of leadership provided by the European Union, China and a few other nations, can make or break a global climate treaty. The decisions made by this small group of people will, in large part, determine whether or not the world forges a real deal--not just any deal, but one that is strong enough to pull us back from the brink of climate catastrophe and put the planet on a path to 350. Their courage--or lack of it--will help set the future of the planet for geologic time.

The candles we will light are candles of hope.

Onwards,

Bill McKibben for the whole 350.org Team

P.S. Can you share this call to action? Please take a few seconds to share the message on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else you can."

About 5 minutes later, a note appeared on Twitter, from a highly-respected web presence, questioning a news feed from Spiegel Online International stating that it appears the climate crisis may be coming to an end. See excerpt and link below:

"The planet's temperature curve rose sharply for almost 30 years, as global temperatures increased by an average of 0.7 degrees Celsius (1.25 degrees Fahrenheit) from the 1970s to the late 1990s. "At present, however, the warming is taking a break," confirms meteorologist Mojib Latif of the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences in the northern German city of Kiel. Latif, one of Germany's best-known climatologists, says that the temperature curve has reached a plateau. "There can be no argument about that," he says. "We have to face that fact." Spiegel Article Link.

My question is simple. Do they really think we are that stupid? How can they truly believe that we are so gullible as to believe that this could br true and it's only a coincidence that the information is coming out exactly one month before the Copenhagen Summit.

Please get in touch with 350.org as soon as possible and get on board with the work they are doing. It's time we solved this environmental wellness challenge once and for all. There is enough stress in my life without having to add this to the mix.

56 Ways To Go About Managing Workplace Stress While Volunteering

Helping others can reduce your stress because when you volunteer, you will have higher levels of the feel good hormones and the trust and bonding hormones, naturally created in your body.

Of course it helps if the volunteer experience is a good one and we all know that's not always the case. So, in order to ensure that your volunteer experience and the volunteer experience of others is relatively stress free, here are 28 behaviors to live by and 28 more behaviors to avoid at all cost.


Managing Workplace Stress While Volunteering - Get The Real Benefits Of Volunteering.

# Smile
# Find reasons to be thankful
# Ask what you can do to help
# Respect people's privacy and confidentiality
# Be a good ambassador for the organization
# Work out conflicts respectfully and peacefully
# Speak only for yourself
# Show up a few minutes early and stay a few minutes late to meetings
# Follow e-mail etiquette guideline - DON'T ABUSE E-MAIL
# Stay a few minutes late to meetings
# Take on only the tasks you can manage within your schedule
# Leave your ego at home
# Ask for help if you are feeling overwhelmed
# Have a positive attitude
# Show your appreciation of others
# Be a part of the solution
# Be honest and ethical
# Don't make mountains out of molehills
# Stay within the bounds of the law
# Keep your defensiveness in check
# If your toes are being stepped on, pull in your feet
# Lend a hand, even if it's not your job, if you have the time
# Stay in communication and stay informed
# Be resourceful
# Don't be afraid to share your ideas
# Get your friends involved
# Say thank you to the organizers
# Leave the organization if you start to hate it
# Report problems before they become too big


Managing Workplace Stress While Volunteering - Behaviors To Avoid.

# Spreading gossip
# Micromanaging others
# Not following through on commitments
# Forming cliques
# Bringing a personal agenda (especially a negative one)
# Monopolizing meetings
# Not attending meetings
# Being late for meetings
# Spreading yourself too thin, taking on too much
# Subversive bullying
# Emotionally abusing paid employees or other volunteers
# Being too sensitive and taking things too personally
# Not staying informed
# Putting down or knocking the organization
# Looking the other way when problems happen
# Speaking for others without their permission
# Not doing your best
# Participating in unethical activities
# Participating in illegal activities
# Participating in immoral activities
# Wasting the organization's time
# Wasting the organization's money
# Wasting the organization's resources
# Staying involved after you have lost interest
# Creating problems
# Complaining and griping about everything
# Being judgmental of other volunteers and staff
# Being negative all the time.

Go to http://www.strictly-stress-management.com/managing_workplace_stress.html to watch a great video on this important subject.

Stressed about weight/health? Try H4L - Lifestyle change w/ side effect of losing weight/inches.

Hey, I just became a Certified Team Leader for Dr. Ray Strand's Healthy for Life Program. What an awesome program it is. I have lost 37 pounds so far and I have never felt better. I used to have a serious problem with Asthma, too, and I've been Asthma free and drug free for almost two years.

It's not a DIET!!!!!

It's a program of real lifestyle change following a well-defined, scientific model and it just happens to have the side effect of serious weight loss and reducing your waist size.

It's not expensive, it's user-friendly and it's full of education and training to make sure that you learn what you need to know to keep the weight off permanently.

Best of all, there is no weekly weigh in, no weighing and measuring of food or counting calories, and no cravings once you break your carbohydrate addiction.

Did you know that sugar is more addictive than cocaine or heroine.

Go to http://www.realeasingfat.com and make sure you use my discount code "futurefocus" to get a 20% discount. Click Join Now and at the top it will ask you id you have a discount code. Click yes and follow the prompts.

If you use my code to sign up, I will log in to your file once a week to help keep you on track.

Good luck with getting Healthy for Life, like me.

Can't Keep Up With All The Stress? It's Time To Get REAL Help!!

Not all energy drinks are created equal and in today's high-stress, fast-paced world, we need all the help we can get. But, who wants to get all revved up just to crash again a half-hour later? That's the Rev3 difference - NO CRASH! Get juiced and stay juiced! Get Rev 3 and other stress management products NOW!! Click Usana for Rev 3.

Stress At The Speed of Light

Never before has there been a need to get our stress management skills in tip top shape. Effective stress management should almost be an Olympic sport. Only the best of the best will survive is today's fast-paced, competitive world. But it would be difficult to text a gold medal anywhere. Nevertheless, forewarned is forearmed, so they say. Good luck keeping up. Click here to strengthen your stress management muscles.

Communication Anxiety May Be One Of The Biggest Causes Of Stress Of Them All

The need to communicate is everywhere. With the world becoming more scary all the time, people are choosing to isolate themselves more and more. Solving our Interpersonal Wellness Challenges is becoming very difficult as people turn to e-mail, texting and social networking instead of live, face-to-face communication. It seems the more ways that are created to communicate, the more unreachable people become. Check out this article for more info.

Public Education System - A Major Cause of Stress

Have you noticed the increasing trend in homeschooling lately? There are several hundred thousand kids being homeschooled in North America these days and the numbers are growing everyday. Why is this happening? Could it be that we are fed up with not being able to access quality education for our kids? Is this trend intended to send a clear message to schools? No matter what the homeschoolers are doing, the reality is that dealing with the education system, on behalf of our kids, can be very stressful. And let's not forget the kids, they are stressed out too. Something has to be done. Click here to learn more about this problem.

Top 4 Stress Reduction Techniques

There are many excellent stress reduction techniques. Here is a list of 4 of the best ones.

Bach Flower Remedies
Bach Flower Remedies easily top my list. These 38 remedies discovered in the 1920's and 30's are flower essences that respond to moods and feelings. Each remedy seems to minimize the negative aspects of feelings and moods, while at the same time emphasizing the more positive aspects of feelings and moods. Click here for more information or to buy Bach Flower Remedies.


Usana Health Sciences - Nutritionals You Can Trust
Number Two on the list of excellent stress reduction techniques is to build up your immune system's natural defenses with high quality nutritional supplements and probiotics. This technique focuses on neutralizing free radicals, reducing oxidative stress in your body and repairing the damage from oxidative stress. If you have a stronger immune system, your stress response hormones will all be more effective as well, which helps to keep emotional stress under control. Click here for more information or to buy Click here for more information or to buy Usana Nutritionals.

Journey To Wild Divine
A third great way to reduce stress is to use the body's natural biofeedback rhythms. The Journey to Wild Divine is an excellent tool (computer game) that teaches you how to control the natural biorhythms of your body. Many of us are very reactive in the ways that we manage stress; therefore learning to listen to and understand your body's natural biorhythms is an excellent way to learn to reduce stress. Click here for more information or to buy the Journey To Wild Divine computer game.


Solving The Wellness Challenge
Number Four on the list of excellent stress reduction techniques is not yet available. Coming soon is a series of stress management courses that teach problem solving skills. You will learn how to solve personal problems, in every area of life, using a business and project management approach. Businesses take these tools for granted, as they break down and solve really difficult challenges, each and every day. Isn't it time for individuals to have access to these skills and tools without having to have a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Stay tuned for "Solving the Wellness Challenge" so to be available from Strictly-Stress-Management.com.

Definition of Stress

When most people think of the definition of stress, they think of emotional stress and stress is almost always considered to be a bad thing. What most people don't know, though, is just how bad stress can be. There is another kind of stress besides emotional stress and that is oxidative stress. You may have heard the term "free radicals", but what are they and what's the big deal about them? This blog is dedicated to teaching you the real definition of stress. I am going to talk about emotional stress and oxidative stress and I am going to help you understand how one creates the other and what you can and must do about them in order to take back control of your health and your life.

My name is Jill Prince and I am the author and founder of Strictly-Stress-Management.com. I aim to give you all the information and tools you needs to get back in the driver's seat of your life.

Let's start with a definition of stress. The emotional stress response is a hormonal reaction in the body to a stress put upon it. It was Hans Selye who, first, defined, emotional stress. He said that something or someone places pressure on you, such as a danger or perceived threat, and your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help you respond to the threat or danger.

With oxidative stress, the definition of stress is quite different. With oxidative stress, the furnace system in your cells (the mitochondria) fires up to create energy in your body, but sometimes an unpaired electron shoots off. These unpaired electrons are called free radicals or oxygen radicals. These need to be neutralized, quickly, before they can do damage to your cells. If they are not neutralized, they can make a real mess and this damage is known as oxidative stress.

Emotional stress and oxidative stress are linked because emotional stress causes even more of these free radicals to be produced in your body, which, in turn, leads to the cell damage called oxidative stress. In fact, emotional stress is one of the greatest causes of oxidative stress out there. It is critical to understand how to manage stress in your life so that you can reduce the number of free radicals that your body produces and it is even more important that you know what to do about the free radicals that have already been created and how to correct the damage already done.