Stress Management Techniques, Activities Coping Strategies

Stress Management Techniques, Activities Coping Strategies A recent report from the American Psychological Association indicates the average stress levels in the US are at their lowest since 2007, the current average being 4.9 on a scale of 1 to 10. (The average perceived healthy level of stress is at 3.9.)ButAlmost 75% of Americans report having experienced at least one stress symptom in the last month. If we narrow down the sample to only include people younger than 35, the number becomes 95%.Millennials, Gen X, and Gen Z all experience greater levels of stress than any generation before them. If this trend is sustained, the next decades will bring a real stress epidemic.But what can we do about it? Is stress actually that much of a problem? How can you manage it successfully?This article will explain the phenomenon of stress, as well and show you exactly how to manage long-term stress and why its so important.What Is Stress in the First Place?Before we tackle the issue of stress management and outline the most successful methods of dealin g with stress, its crucial to actually understand the issue in question. And this is where we encounter the first problemStress cannot be defined easily, mostly because its a very subjective phenomenonaffecting different people in different ways. Even the American Institute of Stress states that stress, however common and problematic, is not a scientifically-useful term.First things you need to know, though, is that stress:is a natural physiological reaction that you cannot avoid;is not necessarily badin fact, you need stress to survive.Defined very broadly, stress is our bodys physical response to any changeoccurring in our environment, in our thoughts or within our bodythat requires adjustment.When we are stressed, our body reacts as if we were under attack and releases a mix of chemical substances and hormones to prepare us for physical action: our blood pressure rises, unnecessary bodily functions such as digestion are shut down, and we experience a boost of energy.Sounds good s o far, doesnt it? So why are we making such a big deal out of stress?Why Do We Need Stress Management?When were stressed, our body enters a mode called fight or flight. Our blood flow is then directed only to the most important musclesthose we need to defend ourselves or run away. Our brain function becomes limited to instincts.While stress as such isnt a negative thing, it can severely hamper our lives if we are experiencing it continuously over long periods of time.As mentioned above, stress changes the way our body functions. Such changes, if prolonged, can lead to adverse effects on our physical and mental health.Negative effects of prolonged stressThe most important adverse effects of long-term stress can be grouped into 5 key areas: physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral.Physical effectsIncreased blood pressureIncreased heart rateIndigestionFrequent coldsAcneEmotional effectsDepressionAnxietyIrritabilityPanic attacksOverwhelmednessCynicismCognitive effectsTrouble conce ntratingFeeling of a brain fogSelf-doubtInability to finish tasksPoor judgmentHampered decision-making skillsBehavioral effectsSocial isolationLack of motivationDistorted patterns of sleep (sleeping too little or too much)Loss of sense of humorIncrease in the intake of psychoactive substances: nicotine, caffeine, alcoholIm sure its quite a comprehensive list of things youd rather avoid. But all these might happen if you experience stress for too long.Enter: stress management.As I said earlier, stress is something you cannot (and shouldnt) escape altogether. The key is to learn how to deal with it in a sustainable way so that you can enjoy the short-term benefits of stress-induced high performance while keeping your body and your mind healthy in the long run.Be careful, thoughTheres lots of snake oil out there. Many dubious self-help gurus will recommend various medications and magic therapies to combat stress-related problems. Below, youll find a list of techniques supported by legi t research, so that you dont need to look elsewhere.How to Manage Stress (Science-Backed Methods and Techniques)1. Embrace stress instead of demonizing itA fascinating study conducted by Stanford and Yale researchers focused on how the attitude towards stress changes the way we deal with it.The assumption was that avoiding or reducing stress is often impossiblewho cant relate to that, right? Plus, trying too hard to reduce stress (e.g. avoiding the stress of paying bills) is a surefire way for the stressful factors to accumulate later on.The participants of the studymanagers in a large multinational banking firmwere shown different videos about stress over the course of 1 week. One group of participants would watch videos presenting the negative impact stress has on our health, another groupclips showing positive short-term effects of stress, as well as case studies of the performance-enhancing impact of stress.Over the course of the following weeks, the latter group turned out to p erform better, be more engaged at work, and report a 23-percent drop in stress-related physical symptoms, compared to the former group, as well as control.The takeaway is simplethinking about stress in terms of a challenge and opportunity, rather than an obstacle will help you tackle your stress triggers more effectively while, perhaps paradoxically, keeping you less stressed in the meantime.2. Use the four As of stress management: avoid, alter, adapt, acceptAvoidWe just said it: avoiding certain stressful situations isnt healthy (especially if the situations will need to be addressed in the future). ButYoud be surprised to learn how many stressors in your life you actually can eliminate.Try to avoid people who make you feel stressed.Learn to say no to things you feel you wont be able to handle.Prepare and analyze your daily to-do list. Consider what items are of the highest priority. If you feel you have too much on your plate, drop those chores that arent of utmost importance.Alte rIf something or someone causes you to stress, communicate it.Maybe your coworkers habits bother you and make you stressed at worktell them. If you dont voice your feelings, they will build up over time, consequently increasing the stress.If youre feeling stressed about something not directly linked to the behavior of people around you, communicate that to your close ones. They might be able to helpeven if not directly, at least by offering their support and understanding.AdaptIf you cannot avoid or alter what stresses you, change your expectations and attitude.Try looking at the bigger picture: will the stressful situation matter at all in a few months? Whats the actual worst that can happen? (Its almost never that bad.)Finally, consider readjusting your standards. Lowering the bar for whats good enough in certain areas of life can help you take a lot of stress out of everyday activities.AcceptJust think about this: in 2017, the most common source of stress in America was the futur e of the countryIm not trying to say its not worth the attention, but actually stressing over it is counterproductive.There are other stressors you cant prevent or change such as death and illness. The best way to cope with them is to learn accepting things as they are, instead of fighting a situation you cannot change.The rule of thumb: try not to worry about things you have no control over.3. Breathe (the right way)Thats right, something as natural as breathing can help you reduce your stress levelsif you use a proper breathing technique called diaphragmatic breathing. Heres how to do it:Sit in a relaxed position or lie flat on a comfortable surface.Relax your shoulders.Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach.Breathe in through your nose for about two seconds. While breathing in, make sure your chest remains flat, while your stomach expands.Press gently on your stomach and exhale through your lips for about two seconds.Repeat for several minutes.Research has proven this technique works in particular when dealing with acute stressful tasks. Whenever something unexpectedly stressful happens in your life, spend a few minutes every day to breathe in this purposeful way. Itll work wonders. (As a bonus, this technique helps lower your blood pressure and heart rate, plus improve core muscle stability.)4. ExerciseYou knew youd find this tip here, right? Thats because it works so well!As little as 10 minutes of intense exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety as well as release chemicals responsible for memory, concentration, and mental sharpness. This is particularly important in periods of prolonged stress when the body limits the functionality of our brains, leading to the feeling of mental fog.5. Eat more food rich in omega-3 fatty acidsAccording to Joe Hibblen from the National Institutes of Health, omega-3s help quiet down the bodys response to inflammation, making your stress system more flexible.Studies clearly prove that omega-3s protect ou r bodies against the damage done by chronic stressparticularly, the alteration of glutamatergic synapses in the hippocampus.There were also clinical trials that showed these acids help reduce depressive symptoms.If you want to prepare yourself to better defend against long-term stress, include more of those ingredients in your everyday diet:Fish and seafood (in particular cold-water fish).Nuts and seeds such as walnuts and chia seeds.Plant oils: flaxseed, soybean, and canola, for instance.6. Practice transcendental meditationSound like an overly spiritual idea? But it works. This study has shown transcendental meditation helps decrease psychological distress, as well as blood pressure while helping boost our coping mechanisms.The technique is incredibly simple: you pick a mantra, a word or a sound from a specific set, and repeat it silently with eyes closed for 20 minutes twice a day.7. Take time off workNumerous studies point to the importance of taking short-term vacations for bet ter stress management. Taking a few days of work has been proven to increase well-being and decrease perceived stress levels both short- and long-term.Another study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, found that a 6-day holiday improves bodily functions related to managing stress and results in feeling less stressed and less depressed.8. Help othersYale Universitys research suggests that affiliative behavioractions intended to help or please othersmoderates the effects of stress on positive affect, negative affect, and overall emotional functioning.Even small things that help others will greatly help you manage your stress levelswhenever youre dealing with stress, try to help others: hold the door or elevator for someone, ask people around you if they need help, assist your coworkers with difficult tasks theyre tackling, or spend more time helping your child with homework.9. Grin and bear itSmile. I mean it. Dont feel like it? Fake it.Its a very clever way to t rick your body into resisting stress.This study showed that people who smile while performing stressful tasks experienced less of a drop in a positive mood during the stressor. Thats because moving your facial muscles sends an electric message to your brain that influences your mood.Similarly, forcing yourself to keep good posture while performing a stressful task (such as a public speech or a difficult negotiation), results in higher self-esteem, more arousal, better mood, and lower fear, research shows.Key TakeawayHeres a quick recap of everything you need to know about stress and stress management:Stress is our bodys natural reaction to any change we need to adjust to.Short-term stress isnt harmful.You cant avoid stress altogether. What you can and should do is manage your stress properly.The most effective, science-based stress management techniques are: changing your mindset towards stress, performing diaphragmatic breathing, regular physical activity, eating an Omega-3-rich di et, transcendental meditation, regular vacationing, and engaging in affiliative behaviors.If you have more questions or need further assistance with dealing with stress-related issues, drop me a line in the comments, Ill be happy to help!

Tips For Writing a Good Resume - Your Job Search Tips

Tips For Writing a Good Resume - Your Job Search TipsThere are a number of job seeking tips and resources that are available on the internet to help you with your resume. You can learn about each resume tip and resource from the Internet. Each resource has a different way of teaching you how to write a good resume.The main tip is to make your resume as unique as possible, so if it is common you will get noticed. People hate to read resumes that are basically the same as all the others.When you are writing your resume, make sure to keep it simple. You can learn how to write a good resume by talking to someone who has already done it before. They will be able to give you some advice on the subject.If you want to learn how to write a resume you need to find out what other people say about it. There are a number of resources available online that will teach you how to make a good resume. There are many tips and suggestions available on the Internet.The top 10 tips for writing a good resu me will cover all the aspects of making a resume. The main tip that you should remember is that you must think of your resume as a marketing tool. The resume is the first impression of you to the potential employer.The resume should help the employer know that you are the right person for the job. It should also give them an idea of what skills you have.The other tip for writing a good resume is to make sure that the resume is completed correctly. There are a number of things that you should not do if you want to get a good resume written. The following is a list of things that you should not do if you want to get a good resume.There are a number of tips for writing a good resume for job seekers online. The key is to spend time learning how to make a resume in the right way.

Coachology How to get a book deal

Coachology How to get a book deal The good news about getting a contract for a nonfiction book is that you dont have to write the book to sell it. You just have to write the proposal. The bad news is that often authors spend four or five months figuring out what the proposal is. Where agents earn their commission is helping the author to understand what they should be writing a book about. Last week, my agent, Susan Rabiner, laid out seven tips for writing a better proposal. And this weeks Coachology will be 90 minutes of free help from her to get your proposal into shape. Or, if your initial idea doesnt work, shell help you to come up with something else. For those of you who think 90 minutes is too long, I just got a contract for my second book to be published in 2008 and I spent the last five months writing proposals until I got it right. Id say that I spent about 900 minutes on the phone with Susan, but after 90 minutes you will at least know what you need to work on. If youre interested in working with Susan, please send a three-sentence summary of your proposal (include the idea and your qualifications to write it) by the end of the day on April 29.

Suffered a rejection How to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and move on after a set-back University of Manchester Careers Blog

Suffered a rejection How to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and move on after a set-back University of Manchester Careers Blog ‘Everybody gets knocked down in life…there will be disappointments, there will be losses and as, my late mother drilled into me, it’s not at all about getting knocked down that’s inevitable it’s about getting back up.’   These wise words were said by Hillary Clinton, on the Graham Norton show, and regardless of your political views are worth paying attention to. Maybe for you, getting to university proved pretty straightforward? Perhaps you were one of the highest achieving in your school year group, worked hard for your GCSEs and A levels (or equivalent qualifications), applied, got accepted and looked forward to starting your course. But, once here, you’ll have found yourself with a lot of equally smart people who, like you, might be applying for opportunities such as work experience and graduate schemes. Due to the sheer volume of applications many of you won’t be successful first time round and will need to keep trying. How you deal with this is key to your eventual success.   To help you, here are a few tips: Reflect on why you weren’t successful. Do you need more experience? Was your application tailored enough or have you been putting in a lot of applications and not had time to properly do this? If you were interviewed, could you practise your technique so next time you come across as a really strong candidate? If you’ve had a number of knock-backs, could you be more strategic and also target smaller companies/organisations, rather than the biggest and best known ones? If your area of interest is particularly competitive, have you thought of a Plan B? The Careers Service can help you with each of these points. For instance, we can signpost you to work experience and volunteering opportunities (a great way to add to your CV), provide feedback on an application, put you through a simulated interview, offer guidance, help with psychometric tests and more… Read the autobiography of any successful person, and chances are their ability to ‘bounce-back’ is a theme running through it.     Think of someone you admire and find out what coping mechanisms they’ve developed; Build your own personal support network. Identify friends and family members who will help you feel better after a disappointment. Offer support when a friend needs it so you give back. Together you can act as ‘cheerleaders’ and remind each other how great you are! Be kind to yourself. It’s tough putting your all into something and getting knocked back. You have every right to be disappointed, so treat yourself to a healthy bar of chocolate (if there is such a thing!) or whatever works for you; Try to keep things in perspective. There will be other opportunities you can apply for, or you might apply for something again next time round when you’ve got more experience under your belt. It’s important to see rejection for what it is â€" a set-back, nothing more, nothing less. cknowledge it, see if you can learn from it and move on.   Above all, don’t allow it to get the better of you.   And remember to make the most of help available from the Careers Service, now and for up to two years after you graduate. All Positive thinking

How to Write a Good Resume in Fresno

How to Write a Good Resume in FresnoWhen you are applying for jobs in Fresno, California, you want to make sure that your resume is as professional and well written as possible. If you are able to follow these tips you will be in a good position to have your resume read and received.Your resume should stand out and grab the attention of the hiring manager. That is why your resume should be different from others in the job posting. This will help the hiring manager to find you easily when they conduct a search on the internet.You should focus on your education level while writing your resume. It is not important if you have a college degree, however, that does not mean that you should skimp on the information on your resume. Be as detailed as possible. Keep the work experience section to a minimum as you will want it to be short and sweet. In a nutshell, this means that the information listed on your resume must be appropriate for the type of work position that you are applying for.Be sure to create a summary of the important points in your resume. This is your opportunity to explain who you are and what you have accomplished. Explain your strengths and weaknesses in a manner that will grab the interest of the hiring manager. After all, that is the only way they will decide if they are hiring you based on your skills and qualifications or based on the other information that is listed on your resume.Always make sure that your resume is free of errors. The reason that you want your resume to be error free is because it is the first thing that the hiring manager will see when they receive your resume. In addition, the applicant who has an error free resume will be seen as a good candidate because they are honest and hard working. If the hiring manager comes across a resume that has spelling errors, that could also be cause for rejection.Some employers look for specific skills and experience. These may include executive leadership, computer abilities, innovative thi nking, problem solving, technical writing skills, sales experience, or service related experience. However, the hiring manager will most likely not require every job opening in Fresno to list their educational level. They will most likely prefer to focus on the type of skills that the person has and whether or not they can be productive for the company in terms of their skills and capabilities.The resume should have a bold and easy to read font. It should also be clearly written. The writing should flow easily from one paragraph to the next and be clear and easy to understand. Lastly, the font should be clear and legible at all times. No one wants to read a poorly written resume that will be difficult to read and will cause them to be turned off.All of these resume writing tips are fairly basic and easy to implement. However, if you are going to apply for jobs in Fresno, California you need to make sure that your resume is well written and understandable. This will allow you to be s een as a potential employee in the area.

Book review The DaVinci Code - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Book review The DaVinci Code - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog It seems like Dan Brown is trying to develop a new format: The ultra-condensed thriller. The action in his last book, Deception Point, took place over 48 hours, and most of the story in The Da Vinci Code unfolds over only 12 hours. Considering this, Brown still manages to pack an enormous amount of action into such a short time span. The book takes off within the first few pages, and it simply doesnt let up until the (quite satisfying) conclusion. The action drives you forward, and theres always a new event or question that youre just burning to discover the explanation for. Robert Langdon (a symbologist who was also the protagonist of Angels and Demons) becomes involved in a case of murder and gruesome self-mutilation at the Louvre, and to clear himself of blame, he must find clues in the bible, in ancient organizations such as the catholic church and the Priory of Sion and in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, whose art never quite is what it seems. The book works wonderfully as a thriller, but it works on another level as well: The alternative view on historical facts like bible history and the art of Leonardo da Vinci is extremely thought provoking. The book would work fine without it, its just that it adds a wonderful depth and believability that is rarely seen in a thriller. This is one of the best suspense novelse Ive ever read, and I recommend it highly! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Top 25 Twitter Tips for Your Professional Development - CareerEnlightenment.com

DEVELOP A TWITTER COMMUNITY:Become a community leader on Twitter, creating networks, inviting others, and fostering communication between participants in your community. Heading up a group can be hard work, but it’s a great way to get front and center and be a part of major discussions and developments in your network.USE TWITTER AS A RESEARCH TOOL:Twitter is an incredible place to find information that’s relevant to your career. It can be as simple as just following the right people in your network, or you can even make use of Twitter’s search function and RSS feeds to stay on top of specific search queries you’re interested in.HELP OTHERS, AND YOU CAN LEARN, TOO:Reach out and help others whenever you can. Answering questions, sharing resources, or pointing out useful links isn’t just for helping other people, it’s great for you, too. You can learn something as you offer your assistance, and as you become the go-to person for help in your professional field, you can buil d your network and find more opportunities for growth.ASK FOR HELP:Cash in on your good karma that you’ve earned by helping others and call in a favor yourself. Let others know you’re looking for a job, or ask a question that you need help answering.MANAGE YOUR PRESENCE:Once you’ve started connecting and sharing on Twitter, consider how you’ll manage your presence on the site. Remember to regularly connect with others, check your mentions, and stay consistent with your interactions on Twitter. You may consider using tools like TweetDeck to manage your brand and networking efforts.