RELAX to manage stress

Stress!!! A word that haunts almost every single individual today, irrespective of whether they are working or not working; whether they are young or elderly; whether male or female; whether satisfied or dissatisfied. In fact, many claim that though there are a number of courses that offer tips and techniques to lead a stress-free life, they do not really work and have not much impact.

The reason for the above is, in fact, very simple. The concept of stress-free life is a myth! One that is not possible! All the techniques are not to lead a stress-free life, but to lead a stressful life with happiness and fun! That even though life gives us stress, we need to look beyond it and what we can do to get ourselves to a state wherein we can continue to live in bliss in spite of the stress.

A few simple techniques to manage stress such that it does not engulf one's life can be just to relax�

. R: Respond � the concept of 'respond' is very simple. It means to 'pause'. Many times in life, we just say something instantly, and the moment we say it we regret doing so. When we react towards another person, this creates a sense of negativity between the two people that can carry forward to further conversations and interactions.

This negativity, spiraled over time, becomes a constant source of stress. One profound concept to remember whilst communicating is that when one feels the urge to immediately say something, all one needs to do is to pause for a while and in that pause, think whether to go ahead and say the same or not.

In anger management, people say � count 1 to 10. If not enough, count up to 20. If not, count on to 30 and beyond... the count is a start to the pause. This simple technique of waiting and thinking before saying anything helps proactively in avoiding stress for self and conflicts between people.

. E: Energy Boosters � According to various psychologists, stress is one of the biggest energy zappers. Stress stems from anxiety, and anxiety, just like worry and fear, uses up a whole lot of energy! It can leave one mentally and physically exhausted even if they've spent the day doing nothing and simply lying in bed.

Giving oneself a constant dose of positive energy boosters helps alleviate stress. Energy boosters can be defined as those which help an individual renew energy to take on new tasks. They can be as simple as one's family and friends or can be complex as a challenging task that stimulates the brain cells.

According to psychologist Baard, anything that is relaxing for you will reduce tension and that will help increase energy. For example, a walk around the block or a power nap can both be energy boosters.

. L: Laugh � Nothing relaxes one as humour does! It is said that telling a joke, making one smile, and learning to be able to laugh at oneself helps immensely not only in building relationships but also in vaporizing and eliminating one's stress levels.

There are many examples of laughter therapy helping individuals feel better and tackle situations better. However, one needs to remember that forced laugh is not the same as laughing about someone. Laughter definitely is one of the simple ways of reducing one's stress levels

. A: Attitude of positivity � Sometimes, no matter what the situation, it is essential for an individual to think and stay and project positive energy. An ounce of positivity every day helps one overcome whatever stress one encounters that day.

Positivity does not mean that one should be laughing and joyous all day. Positivity can occur in many forms � from being determined and focused to being courageous and patient, from having belief and confidence to projecting enthusiasm and optimism; all are various examples of how one can stay positive. A consistent and conscious positive attitude helps an individual to keep looking at the good and thus lowers feelings of stress.

. X: eXcellent � It is often touted that adversities and failure create stress in an individual's life. Striving for excellence is one way of taking care wherein an individual, instead of succumbing to the stress, can take charge of it and work towards the next steps of success.

Excellence can be attained only through continuous learning, through failure after failure. Thus having an attitude of wanting to excel and working towards it helps one take failures in stride and one encounters lesser stress levels.

There is a story told many time about a stress management expert who walks into a room holding a glass filled with water and asks the students for its weight. Not much was the students' obvious response. Then when the expert asked them what would happen if he had to hold it for an hour � the students obviously knew the hand would start to pain.

This pain increases and keeps increasing slowly as the time the glass is held is increased � ie from an hour to two to three and maybe over time to even 10 hours. The expert then suggested that the weight of the glass did not really increase and it was only the fact that one was carrying it around for so long that made it so heavy!

The same works for stress too! The more one carries negative thoughts and feelings around, towards self or others or tasks, the more heavy it feels and the more stress one goes through! All one needs to do is to let go and relax to start feeling stress-free.

According to psychologist Baard, anything that is relaxing for you will reduce tension and that will help increase energy. For example, a walk around the block or a power nap can both be energy boosters

Drop the glass of stress� You have the power!

Revathi Turaga is an international trainer & inspirational speaker http://www.revathionline.com