HOW TO KEEP STRESS AT BAY AND ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL

When It comes to achieving ones goal, your mind can be the single most powerful thing—it can either be our greatest  assets or our greatest defeat—our best friend or our worst enemy.  There are a numerous mind traps that can get in the way of our goals. Mind traps can hinder our best efforts leaving us to feel like a failure.  If we are not vigilant  and are aware of the signs of "when to hold and when to fold", they can de-rail every single effort we make and throw us completely off track.

STRESS is one of the greatest mind traps present in our everyday life.  It is the biggest downer---it will close us up and zap our entire energy.  For anyone trying to succeed at anything, if they don't learn to recognize and put stress at bay, it can upheaval their entire plan.  It can put everything they work for at risk.  Stress is paralyzing and can get in the way of your rational thinking, causing one to over-re-act in the guise of coping.  Here are some solutions to help zap stress – the biggest mind trap – and keep you sane and forward thinking:

Anticipate the built up

One should have an arsenal of remedies at their disposal to zap stress at the very on-set of its anticipation. Take time to study yourself--know your own infrastructure-- and recognize when you are beginning to feel anxious, burnt-out and or frustrated and be prepare to stop stress in its trap. Here are your prescriptions:

• Prayer
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Exercise
• Leisure reading
• Short brisk walk

Any of the above is sure to release endorphins (the body’s natural pain and stress fighter according to the medical profession)resulting in a natural high or feel good mood.  If all else fail—get up, get out and get some fresh air –this will clear your head and give you a fresh perspective. 

Tip:  Stay active - it helps one to think things through and burn calories in the process—a double bonus.

Pen it

Next time you start to feel bugged-down, anxious and out of control—pen it!
Too often we think food can fix our mood and our problems, so we dive in and indulge in our favorite feel good snack –a bag of chip, ice-cream or chocolate bar, candy, cake or whatever it is.  So you pigged-out, yeah sure it felt good going down. But how long is it going to last? Now we feel bad and we are ready to beat ourselves up for loosing yet another battle—the food battle.  If you feel bad and want to indulge a little, go ahead; just don’t beat yourself up over it afterward.  Beating up yourself is just amplifying the problem.  Yes, you felt stressed out and yes you ate to feel better…admit it! Don’t puke it! Shrug it off and grab your journal and favorite pen and write it all down.  Write down what is making you mad, sad or guilty that has you feeling stressed out and out of control.  Write down how you could change it to feel better or so it does not happen again, and write down what you could have done differently to make your stress more manageable.

Tip:  Try not to focus on the issue.  Focussing on the issue just make it larger than it really is. Ask yourself, in a few days or months, will it have mattered? and move on.

Get some me time

Me time.  What is me time you may ask, well me time is the time you spend in solitude—it’s about rest and relaxation (R&R). Spending time alone, especially when you are feeling stressed or down or miserable, can be one of the best remedy for stress. Me time is time to reflect and concentrate on you—what’s good for you (Me).  Always try to schedule time for you, if it is even once a week, to spend some alone time.  If total solitude is too much for you, then do the "spa” thing or treat yourself to a relaxing massage.  Other ideas of “me time” are just chilling out and listening to your fave tunes on your iPod, or browsing through your fave magazine.  When all else fails—call up a good friend and have a hearty chat and some good laughs. 

“Laughter, they say, is good for the soul."

Tip:  Above all, do not forget to actually Rest! Close your eyes, lay back, take a few deep breathes and go to sleep.  Just allow yourself the luxury of lying mindlessly and rest peacefully.

De-clutter

Clutter can take a great toll on our mind and body.  It is a huge stressor. So take the time to de-clutter and fix your life.  Clutter breeds procrastination and vice-versa—and neither one is healthy.  Get up and clean up! Do it now! The less time you spend looking for thing the better off your life will be and the more in control you will feel.  Keep your space organize and tidy.  Create a place for everything and put everything in its place…where you will find it next time you need it.  Being organized and clutter-free is a great time management tool because it gets you moving faster with fewer setbacks.

Tip:  Use “To Do” lists to keep you organized and on track—"to-do" lists help one feel more accomplished as they see things disappear from their list.

Make healthy Nutritious choices:

“A healthy man is a wealthy man.”

Take care of your body; it’s the only place you really have to live.  It may sound simple, but poor diet is the number one contributor to stress leading to poor health and shorter life span.  I know with our fast –paced busy lives we don’t have the legacy of our fore-parents to prepare fresh home-made meals every day, but we should really strive to incorporate healthy food into our diets.  Try to eat at least one well balanced diet daily.   Water helps flush out the daily toxins in our body and makes it easier for our organs to function and replenish our blood flow naturally. And when it comes to snacks, try to choose nuts and fruits as your first choice.  I know I am definitely going to try a little harder.

Tip:  Cut back on salt, sugar, and fat intake and drink plenty of water.

In short, to relieve stress and keep moving forward towards your goals, Stay active--keep on the move. The push will help to build momentum which will attract unexpected opportunities you need to reach those goals. When you are feeling anxious and stressed-out, pen it—writing can help you get to the heart of the matter—don’t worry about grammar, spelling or anything, just write it down and eventually you will figure out why you are feeling out of control.  Find ways to incorporate some R&R into your life. De-clutter and keep it tidy. Avoid procrastination at all cost. Last but not least embrace a healthy meal plan—protect your heart!

AggieStrong! ☺
Be Bold! Be Strong! Be Confident!