Stress Busting 101

Our Main Website

katmill — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 20:06:08 +0000

If you have been visiting us here at our Stress Busting 101 blog, we will invite you to come over to our official website www.stressbusting101.com. We will be shutting down this blog at the end of January 2011.

The Importance of Breathing Deeply

katmill — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:56:39 +0000

So you’re feeling stressed out lately, and you would love to have an easy way to reduce that stress. There is one thing that I talk to my clients about that can be done easily and quickly to reduce your stress level and that is deep breathing. Deep breathing is a wonderful tool that you can use to begin undoing a stress response and to help you to become more calm in any situation. Unfortunately, when we are stressed, we tend to breathe more shallowly without even being aware of how little oxygen we are even taking in.

To help you to become more aware of your breathing (and face it, we don’t really pay attention to our breathing, unless we have a stuffy nose) so that you can make sure that you are not breathing shallowly, I have created a demo video to show you how to deep breathe properly.

So happy breathing and I hope you have a relaxed and peaceful day!

New Feature-Weekly Stress Tips

katmill — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:16:28 +0000

I am unveiling a new feature on the blog…..weekly stress tips. Each week, I’ll give you little tips about things that you can do to reduce stress. Look for them each Monday. I hope you enjoy!

Also, we debuted our new weekly show on blogtalkradio.com tonight. Check out our page: Blogtalkradio.com The show can be heard each Monday night at 6:30 pm EST. On our show page, you can listen to the recording from the previous week. You can also find past shows on our website.

http://www.payloadz.com/d1/direct_download.asp?uId=129549&FId=575678&FName=GreenFinchandLinnetBirdMod2.mp3

The Spiritual Effect of Stress

katmill — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:00:02 +0000

We know that stress can effect our physical, emotional and mental health. But so often we overlook our spiritual health. Our spirits can suffer from the effects of too much stress and the negative consequences of that are rarely covered by conventional medicine and therapy. But the mind, body and spirit are all connected and if you only focus on two of the three, it is about as good as having a two legged stool. That stool simply cannot stand on its own.

The Bible gives us a definition of what the different elements or “fruits” of the spirit are. Galatians 5:22-23 says:

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control.

The different facets of the human spirit are the same whether you are from the Christian faith or not. We are all spiritual beings and we all possess those characteristics. It is from our spirit that we love, where we find our peace, our patience, our kindness towards others, our goodness, our loyalty and faithfulness, and our gentleness and it is the spirit that is the root of our self-control. When subjected to stress, the human spirit deflates and you are left feeling unfulfilled, lost and empty.

Acute, episodic and chronic stress can all wear away at our spirit. Think about the last time you were stressed out. Were you kind and loving to your spouse or children? Probably not. Were you joyful or filled with peace? That would probably be a big no as well.

Below is a list of some of the spiritual effects of stress:

*Difficulty expressing love-during periods of stress, we experience a reduction in our ability to express and feel love. We usually snap at and are irritable towards those closest to us.

*Lack of joy-this is particularly true with longer periods of episodic stress and chronic stress. It is hard to be joyful when you are continually stressed out.

*No peace-stress is the opposite of peace, and so when stress is present, there can be no peace.

*No patience-when stressed we tend to be much more impatient with others.

*Less kind and good-there was a study done that showed that when under stress, people were much less likely to help out another person in need. Empathy, caring, kindness and goodness are all reduced in the presence of too much stress.

*Less gentleness-because we tend to me more short tempered, and more easily irritated and angered, the ability to be more gentle becomes a challenge.

*Lack of self control-when we are stressed, especially once we go past our stress tolerance threshold, we lose self-control. This leads to overeating, spending too much money, smoking too much, drinking too much, taking drugs, gambling and more.

Stress management can help to not only reduce your stress, but rejuvenate your spirit. Make sure to take the time to manage your stress everyday.

Stress Relief Tip of the Week-November 17, 2009

katmill — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:06:49 +0000

So often when we are stressed, we turn to caffeinated beverages like colas and coffee to give us the energy to keep us going. Unfortunately, the caffeine can be more detrimental to your health when the stress is piling up. Although caffeine can increase your energy level, it also increases your heart rate and respiration and can cause anxiety, the jitters, insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, and nausea. Caffeine also acts as a diuretic and can actually cause you to lose more water than you gain by consuming the caffeinated beverage. This can lead to dehydration. Dehydration will cause you to be more lethargic and to lack the energy you need to get through your stressful situation.

So my recommendation is to skip the caffeinated beverages and choose water, or caffeine free herbal teas. Your body will thank you and ultimately, you will be able to face the stress much more effectively.

Stress Relief Tip of the Week-November 9, 2009

katmill — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:15:22 +0000

If you are finding that you are experiencing a lot of stress, a great way to help reduce your stress level is to soak in a hot bath. Simply add 1-2 cups of epsom salts and 1 cup of baking soda to a hot tub full of water. Allow yourself to soak for at least 20 minutes. If you are fighting a cold or the flu, add a couple of ginger tea bags to the water. The ginger will probably make you a bit red for a short period of time while you are in the tub, but won’t cause any problems.

Stress stops the flow of lypmh in your lymphatic system which can lead to health issues. This simple soak not only helps to relax you, but helps to detoxify your body and helps you to feel better. The last time I was sick, I used this soak and within a couple of hours, my sore throat was almost completely gone, and the congestion I had been experiencing in my head, was draining away. But most of all, I was extremely relaxed and felt much better!

Do make sure that you drink a glass of filtered or distilled water before your bath and drink another glass or two after your bath to help flush out even more toxins. Also, if you wrap yourself up in a warm bathrobe or a good pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, you will continue to draw out toxins for several hours after your soak. Less toxins in your body will make you feel even better!

Stress Relief Tip of the Week-November 2, 2009

katmill — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:05:18 +0000

Noise pollution is a growing problem in the world. Too much noise can overwhelm your body and create problems such as heart disease, inability to focus, depression, sleep disturbances and more. If you find yourself getting annoyed by even little sounds, such as a ticking clock, or a dripping faucet, then take a break. 15-30 minutes of silence or listening to quiet soothing music or the relaxing sounds of nature can help. Listening to soothing music or relaxing sounds have a positive psychological effect on the listener, and can help to undo the stress created by too much noise. Reduce the amount of time that you are subjected to loud sounds and you will increase your health….both physically and mentally.

How Noise Effects Your Stress Level

katmill — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:00:11 +0000

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, the kind where the kids are crying, the dogs are barking, you have the vacuum cleaner running, the television is blaring, one of your teenagers had the music up very loudly, the washer and dryer is running and the dishwasher is going. And with all of that noise, you just want to scream. You long for a few moments away to quiet the chaos in your house and in your mind.

When you are being inundated with large amounts of noise without interruption for an extended period of time, it can rob you of your peace of mind and your feeling of well being. Most people are completely unaware of how exposure to too much noise effects us, mentally, emotionally and physically.

Now, most people are aware that exposure to noise that is too loud can create a loss of hearing. If you go to excessively loud rock concerts, your ears will probably be buzzing for a while after you leave the venue. Factory workers, airline workers and those working in construction also need to take precautions to protect their hearing.

But in everyday life, we come in contact with a great deal of noise that can actually work to compromise our mental and physical health.

Some sources of noise pollution that can be found in your home are:

*Appliances such as your washing machine, dryer, mixers, dishwasher, coffee grinders, food processors, microwaves and vacuums all contribute.

*Entertainment sources-Television, stereos, video games, computer speakers, mp3 players. When used with moderate to high volumes, they can have negative effects on us.

*Family-shouting, crying, singing, clapping, stomping of feet, coughing, sneezing and snoring.

*Pets-barking, whining, meowing, fighting, panting.

*Others-toilets flushing, running water, heating and air conditioning systems.

Outside your home:

*Vehicles-car horns, large trucks, airplanes, motorcycles, helicopters, tractors and buses all contribute highly to the noise pollution problem.

*Any outdoor machinery such as generators, lawn mowers, leaf blowers and such contribute.

*Sporting events, concerts, movies, restaurants can all be very loud and overload your system.

Even the small and irritating sounds like a faucet dripping, someone chewing food or a clock ticking can overwhelm you if you are already overwhelmed by excess noise.

So many of us have become so used to being surrounded by sound on a continuous basis, that we cannot recognize how the overabundance of noise is creating stress and eventually health problems for us.

Even the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recognize the growing health problem that is created by noise pollution.

According to the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Community Noise, noise is an increasing public health problem. Noise can have the following adverse health effects: hearing loss; sleep disturbances; cardiovascular and psychophysiologic problems; performance reduction; annoyance responses; and adverse social behavior.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hsb/noise/

If you find that small noises are irritating to you, if a ticking clock, or the chewing of a family member is becoming irritating to you, it may be a buildup of stress from all of the noise that you have encountered throughout your day. You must do something to counteract the negative effects of noise induced stress in order to protect your health.

If you live in an area that experiences a lot of traffic or airport noise, you can counteract that with the use of a white noise machine that can mask some of the detrimental traffic or heavy machinery sounds.

Music is also a powerful tool that can be used for undoing the negative effects of sound pollution. Soft, soothing music on your stereo or mp3 player can actually help to soothe you mentally and help to calm you psychologically. Soothing music, or the sound of rain, or the ocean can also help to improve your mood and help you to concentrate better when working on projects or reading. Amazingly, soft nature sounds or music do not contribute to noise pollution stress, but have a positive psychological effect and can quickly reduce your mental and physical stress.

Taking some quiet time each day can also be very helpful. No television, no loud music…….just silence.

Meditation and deep breathing exercises can also be effective in helping you decompress and let go of some of the excess stress caused by noise pollution.

Also, if you do need to use loud appliances, earplugs can be a great way to reduce the amount of noise that is getting into your system.

If you have problems with noise waking you up while you are sleeping, try using a white noise machine, a fan, or listening to a soothing CD of gentle rain falling, the ocean or other sounds of nature. Earplugs are beneficial in helping to cover excessive traffic noise, or the snoring of a spouse or significant other.

Also, if a family member listens to the television or music too loudly, suggest they use headphones. You can purchase headphones that plug into most televisions and stereo systems for very little, and wireless headphones are available as well.

Be proactive in combatting the effects of stress in your life that are caused by noise. Not only will you feel better, but you will find that you have more energy, a better mental attitude and better concentration. You will get much more done and you are guaranteed to by healthier for it!

Stress Relief Tip of the Week-October 26, 2009

katmill — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:57:45 +0000

Is stress getting to you? One great way to lower your stress level is to laugh. They say that “laughter is the best medicine”, and actually, when physical illness and problems are occurring due to excess stress, that quote is right on the money. Laughter can quickly ease tension in your body and make you feel better. But surprisingly, many people are so busy and their plates are so full that they actually don’t take the time to laugh or have fun.

So, if you have had a stressful day or week, take the time to watch a funny movie or television show, watch some funny videos on the internet, read a few jokes or a comical book and laugh……laugh a lot. It’ll help to improve your health and your life!

Why Turning Off Your TV Can Help You to Improve Your Health

katmill — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:33:09 +0000

You get home from work and you decide to turn on the evening news. The stories you hear are all about the latest Hollywood or political scandal, natural disasters, major accidents, child abductions, murder and a host of other things that make us angry, frustrated or sad.

After watching a newscast, how do you feel? Relaxed? Calm? No way!

I guarantee those would not be typical responses to watching the news. Television news bases which stories they air based on what type of stories will get the best ratings. And heartwarming stories simply do not get the type of ratings that a story like the “Balloon Boy” scandal, Michael Jackson’s death, Octomom, or the Acorn scandal do. Sometimes we simply can’t stop ourselves from being drawn into the excitement or tragedy.

So the news is padded with horrible, anger invoking, frustrating, infuriating stories that aim to draw the most viewers. And the body’s natural response to this type of story is to tense up and become more stressed.

And of course, an increase of stress without relief can create physical, mental and emotional illness. And watching the news can stress you out!

So I encourage you to turn off the news. Choose to watch a rerun of a great sitcom or movie and let yourself laugh. Laughter is a great way to relieve stress!

Limit the amount of time you spend watching news programs. It takes relatively little time to get caught up with what is going on in the world, without having to be glued to the television watching hours worth of news programs.

Just remember that the more news you watch, the more stressed out you will be. See how much more relaxed you are if you simply turn off the news more frequently. Your health will benefit greatly.

Here’s wishing you a relaxed and peaceful day!