Learning to Let Go

This little book helps you to develop a lifestyle that better fits what you would describe as your ‘perfect life’ With many goal setting ideas and life organization strategies, there’s something for everyone. At the very least, it offers a useful and entertaining read; used to the fullest, its many practical ideas can help you develop a happier and less stress-free lifestyle.

What’s more, if you’re busy, stressed and feel that it’s almost impossible to find quiet time to meditate every day, you’re in luck: you can learn to meditate anywhere you are, and get things done while you do it!

Grab a copy now at an introductory price of just $25USD! I can’t promise how long the price will stay there!

Be a volunteer to eliminate stress

You can help yourself when you help others. Be a volunteer in your community—at the community center, with the park district, or at your local hospital, for example. Volunteer work has many advantages. It gives you a chance to think about something other than the events that are causing you stress; it builds your self-esteem because you are helping people in need and in your community; and it can keep you from getting bored. When you volunteer, you meet new and interesting people and make new friends. You can learn new things.

Volunteer work can have a more practical side, as it did for fifteen-year-old Jay. “I never thought much about plants and flowers, except when we had a biology assignment,” Jay says. “Then the volunteer director at the community center told me that they needed people to plant flowers around the high school. I decided to sign up just to get away from home on the weekends. That’s when my parents seem to do most of their fighting, and it’s really causing me a lot of stress. I had to go to the plant nursery to pick up the plants. When I was there, I learned that there’s a lot more to flowers than just something for Mom on Mother’s Day.

“They are trying to grow healthy plants without using chemicals that are bad for the environment. I got so interested in the work, I started volunteering with the park district twice a month. I’m now planning to go into conservation or forestry after I finish high school. By the way, volunteering and doing something that interests me really did cut down on the amount of stress I feel. I don’t get the bad headaches I used to get when I had to listen to Mom and Dad fight.”
There are many ways to help yourself mentally and physically. Along with helping yourself, you may turn to others for help, too. Friends and family members, professional counselors, support groups and organizations are there to help when you are experiencing stress and the effects of stress. It’s all right to ask for help.

Exercising to Fight Stress

Besides eating right and getting enough sleep, try to include some exercise in your daily routine. Take part in individual sports, such as jogging, swimming, bike riding, or walking, or participate in team sports after school. Play basketball or baseball with friends in the neighborhood, or just throw around a Frisbee. Outdoor activities could also include mowing the lawn or gardening. You can do aerobics or yoga by yourself, with friends, or at your local park district or community center.

“My friends couldn’t believe it when I went out for track, but it was the best thing I ever did,” says Gina, seventeen. “I’m getting a lot of pressure from my teachers and my parents. I’d get so stressed, I couldn’t sleep at night, and I would get headaches all the time.

To fit in time for practice, I had to adjust my schedule, and that wasn’t easy. Still, when I get out on the track and I’m running or jumping, I forget all about the work and the pressures and my parents, too. Even though I have less time for studying, I can work more efficiently and get more done. I feel better about it, too. I can really cope with the pressure now.

When you are under stress, your body reacts with a fight-or-flight response, which involves increasing your heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. Physical exercise helps to use some of that energy and reduce the symptoms. Exercise is good for you mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. It can increase your self-confidence and self-esteem, help you feel in control, and improve your outlook on life. It can help you to relax and temporarily get your mind off other stressors in your life.

Start your exercise program slowly and build from there, especially if you have never exercised regularly before. In the beginning, plan non-competitive activities that you can do by yourself or with friends, such as running or bike riding. This way you can work at your own pace, increasing your activity each day. Talk to your doctor about possible limitations and also suggestions for the best type of exercise for you. Plan your exercise time into your daily schedule, so fitting it in won’t cause more stress.

Doing household chores, or any task or activity that you are committed to doing well and completing, can help reduce stress. These activities can keep you from getting bored (which can be stressful); they can take your mind off other stressful problems temporarily; and they can boost your self-esteem by giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Dealing with Physical Effects of Stress

The effects of stress show how your mind and your body work together. Stressful situations can lead to a variety of physical problems, including headaches, dizziness, stomachaches, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, tense muscles, anxiety, and skin disorders. If you treat your body appropriately, you can reduce the effects of stress on your body.

Because stress can lower your body’s resistance to disease, you are more susceptible to illness when you have stress. That’s why it is so important to take good care of yourself by eating right, getting enough sleep, and exercising. When your daily routine is disrupted following a crisis or disaster, you need to get back to normal as soon as possible.
Eating right, getting exercise, and taking time to relax or have fun are always good ideas. These behaviors ensure that your body has what it needs to function properly. These practices can also help to reduce stress or even prevent it in the first place.

It may be possible to change your eating habits. If you like fast food or products with caffeine or sugar in them, such as soda, candy or desserts, you may not want to give them up too quickly. In fact, you may think that eating food like this reduces your stress because it makes you feel better. However, these foods contain stimulants, which can add more stress to an existing problem. Reducing such foods can help to reduce stress. Eating food to reduce stress can lead to overeating, which is a serious symptom of stress.

It is important to get a good night’s sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, or are sleeping too much, this may be a sign of stress. “I’ve got to get at least six hours of sleep a night in order to function in school the next day,” says Michelle, sixteen. “I try to finish my homework before I go to bed or in the morning; but even if I don’t, I’m better off when I get enough sleep. Otherwise, I develop a headache or I feel dizzy. I have a bad attitude with my friends and even my teachers, and you know that’s not good. Everything just goes from bad to worse when I don’t get enough sleep.”