Take Command of Your Stress

View video below to learn what stress really is.  Enlarge to full screen by clinking icon in lower right corner of video.

Click picture below to access the Exploring Eustress and Distress activity!

Play video below to learn about the Biology of Stress.  Press the icon in the lower right corner of the video to make full screen.

Today we would like you to consider that stress is a habit.  By that we mean that a majority of your perceptions, your reactions, and your behaviors are automatic and conditioned.

The following video describes how each of us are Creatures of Habits and provides education about how habits develop.  This video is NOT specific to stress!

Play the video below to learn the Costs and Impacts of Chronic Stress on Wellness.  Press the icon in the lower right corner of the video to make full screen.

Current Stress Management Techniques

The intent of this activity is to bring awareness to your current stress management techniques and to help you identify which are effective for you and which are not.

Use the reflection questions below to become aware of your experience when using each of the techniques listed.

1. What is your experience [body, mind, heart, spirit] when you use the stress relief mechanisms listed above? What bodily sensations do you experience?  What thoughts do you experience?  What emotions do you experience?

2. What are the benefits you experience by relieving your stress in these ways? What about these work?  How do they serve you?

3. What are the costs [body, mind, heart, spirit] of relieving your stress this way? What about these don’t work?  How do they rob you of vitality and wellness?  How do they impact your quality of life?

Which of the following techniques do you currently utilize to relieve the discomfort associated with stress?

• Eating

• Drink alcohol

• Tobacco/Nicotine Use [smoking, dipping, vapors, etc.]

• Take medication/drug

• Distraction with TV, social media, games, other.

• Physical activity/Exercise [Running, Hiking, Climbing, Swimming, Dancing, etc)

• Sex

• Meditation/Mindfulness

• Yoga

• Massage/Facial

• Music

• Social Interaction

• Other:

The goal is to use stress management techniques that have few costs and consequences. We will be exploring tools which have great benefits with few, if any risks, in later sections of this module!

The first component of Taking Command of Your Stress Reaction is to SEE your Stress.  This activity includes 3 components:

• Thermometer

• Inquiry

• Monitoring

The Stress Thermometer is a visual representation of our Stress reaction, body, mind, heart, and spirit.  Using it regularly will help you become aware of your stress experience and the impacts it has on your wellness.

The Inquiry Activity is the most important aspect of the SEE Your Stress tool!  It provides a series of questions to ask yourself about the event and your perceptions about the event.  You may find that some of your perceptions are disempowering or limiting you and causing undue stress.  As you become aware of them you can begin to introduce new thoughts/perceptions that do not cause a stress response.

The Monitoring Activity is provided to record your experiences over time, so you can begin to notice patterns.  Write down what you find each time!

The instruction video at the bottom of this page includes additional details and instructions for use!

Click the picture below to enlarge and print!

Please don’t let the tool intimidate you.  This activity should only take a few moments of your time and as you become more familiar with the tool, it will become more natural to you. We will prompt you in upcoming activities to review the last 24 hours and SEE Your Stress!  The goal is for you to SEE Your Stress throughout the day and take action to mitigate the impact stress has on you!

Instruction Video for Use:

As you begin to SEE Your Stress, you can begin to Create Distress Tolerance.  We will be devoting most of the remaining days to Creating Distress Tolerance.

So what is Distress Tolerance????

Simply said, distress tolerance is the ability to cope with external circumstances in a way that reduces the damage that stress does to the body, mind, heart, and spirit.  We teach you activities that have been scientifically proven to reduce the impact of stress on your health and well-being.  Most of these activities can be done anywhere you are.

The Creating Distress Tolerance Tool is used to identify the adaptation methods you will utilize when you find yourself experiencing a stress response. When you take your stress temperature and find yourself in yellow or red, you will be able to take action to bring yourself back to green.  Increasing your time in the green zone increases your wellness.

Click on image below to view and print!  Take a few moments to select activities that will work for you.  You will be learning some new actions and techniques that correspond with this activity in futures sections of this module.

The activities in the Red section are intended to jolt you back to the present moment and remind you that you are alive and well.  You may need to use an activity from the yellow zone along with one of these.

Today is about considering what activities might work for you and beginning to create a plan for creating distress tolerance. Again, we will be PRACTICING several of the activities listed on this page in days to come!!!

Mindfulness is being aware of the body, mind, heart, and spirit in the present moment.  Mindfulness activities are about turning off the auto-pilot and becoming conscious of the present moment.  It is about bringing awareness, without judgement or trying to change what is.  We can apply mindfulness without any special tools or techniques.  We can just be.  We can engage all 5 senses and experience the moment.  We can become present to our emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations.  Mindfulness includes meditation, yoga.

Mindfulness includes many of the activities that are included in this module, including relaxation activities, diaphragmatic breathing, and body movement.  We can apply mindfulness to eating, walking, and exercise.  It applies to stress because it disengages us from our fearful thought patterns and allows us to live in the moment, body, mind, heart, and spirit.

Mindfulness techniques are known to reduce the consequences of the stress response in the body.  Mindfulness is known to improve the immune system, reduce pain intensity, reduce inflammation, improve blood sugar, and reduce blood pressure.  Mindfulness leads to structural changes in the brain that allow for more functional connections between nerve cells, resulting in improved cognitive function, as well as sensory and emotional processing. This is a fancy way of saying mindfulness leads to health and wellness of the mind, body, heart and spirit!

Mindfulness Activity in Nature

You will want a mobile device for this audio!  Log into the website on your cell phone, tablet, or laptop!

Find a place in nature where you can sit comfortably.  This may be a park bench, a chair by a lake or stream, or in a yard.  When you are ready play the audio.

Yesterday you learned about Mindfulness.  Today practice mindfulness again! Follow the instructions from yesterday and practice using this audio.

Mindfulness can be practiced anytime, anywhere!  Mindfulness simply involves being present to our everyday activities!  One easy way is to pay attention to all 5 senses.  Try it while doing the following regular tasks:

• Brushing your Teeth

• Taking a Shower or bath

• Eating a snack or meal

Why Progressive Relaxation?

Progressive Relaxation is an activity intended to bring awareness to the tension that exists in our bodies and to bring relaxation to the body and mind. The exercise involves purposely tensing specific muscles in the body, then relaxing the muscles.  Through the regular use of this activity, you can begin to identify tension in the body and develop the skill to relax the tension and identify the source of the tension.  Much of the tension we experience in our body is due to stress.  By identifying that our body is tense, we can utilize the SEE Your Stress activity to assess what is being perceived as a threat.

This activity may also improve emotional states as well, including anxiety and depression.  Progressive relaxation has been found to reduce stress, pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and side effects from radiation and chemo.  Relaxation activities such as this reduce heart rate and cortisol, which become elevated in a stress response.  This activity may also be used to relax the body and mind as part of a pre-sleep routine.  We provide a two short audios to assist you in learning this skill.  As you become more comfortable doing this relaxation activity gradually work up to approximately 15-20 minutes to obtain the maximum benefits.

Occasionally, people experience discomfort as they create body awareness.  As people become more relaxed, some individuals may experience unexpected emotions or physical discomfort.  Allow the emotions and discomfort to be present and witness them. Notice the tension that is affiliated with the emotions. If you experience any distress around these emotions or discomfort, please contact your healthcare provider. If you have an acute injury, please avoid that area until it is healed.  If you have a chronic injury, contact your healthcare provider before completing this activity.

Allow for uninterrupted time [5-10 minutes] to complete this activity.    Have a journal or monitoring activity available.  Before starting, take a moment to scan your body and note any obvious tension in your body.  Notate this in your journal.

You will need a space to lie or sit comfortably with no distractions [TV, radio, telephone, people]. We encourage you to silence your phone and close programs on your computer that may cause a distraction while doing this activity.

Ensure that your legs are comfortable, using a bolster or pillow under your legs if you experience lower back discomfort with legs straight out.  Allow your arms be relaxed at your sides with palms up.  If you are unable to lie down, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, your head supported, and your arms resting comfortably with palms up.

When you are ready play one of the audios.

We will start with a short [4 Minutes] Progressive Relaxation activity today!  When you are ready play the audio click the play button below.

Today we are practicing Progressive Relaxation.

Allow for uninterrupted time [5-10 minutes] to complete this activity.    Have a journal or monitoring activity available.  Before starting, take a moment to scan your body and note any obvious tension in your body.  Notate this in your journal.

You will need a space to lie or sit comfortably with no distractions [TV, radio, telephone, people]. We encourage you to silence your phone and close programs on your computer that may cause a distraction while doing this activity.

Ensure that your legs are comfortable, using a bolster or pillow under your legs if you experience lower back discomfort with legs straight out.  Allow your arms be relaxed at your sides with palms up.  If you are unable to lie down, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, your head supported, and your arms resting comfortably with palms up.

Play the audio when you are ready! This video will last 7 minutes [a little longer than yesterday]!

You may have noticed on your Creating Distress Tolerance Form we recommend listening to music and even singing along!  Music has been studied and proven to be a stress reducer!  And guess what, researchers have found any type of music will work, as long as the listener likes the music!  It can be classical, rock, hip-hop, sounds of nature (stream, ocean), spa/ambient.  Imagine the benefits if you incorporate music, with mindfulness AND physical activity!!!!

How does it work?  Listening to music causes:

• Decreases in cortisol and stabilization of  it’s release (reduces the amount of cortisol released in subsequent stressful events!)

• Decreased activation of the sympathetic nervous system (the one that excites and ramps up the body)

• A shift in perspective.  Remember that stress is a reaction to a perceived threat.  When listening to music we do not perceive a threat, thus our bodies do not react!

• Trigger activity in the areas of the brain related to emotional regulation and pleasure/reward centers.

Today, pick a piece of music you love and reserve 5 minutes of private time to simply listen to the music.  Put all of your attention into it.  Don’t multi-task.  Do just this.  If you feel the desire to move your body, move your body.  If you feel the desire to sing along, sing along.  Be present to your experience!

Today we invite you to incorporate these activities into your life!  Aim for SEEing your stress 3 times today!

Pick a way for you to remember to do your SEE Your Stress Activity during your regular day.  That might be:

• using an alarm on your phone or computer

• using the mindfulness bell app

• putting it on your calendar with a notification

Use whatever works for you!

When the alarm goes off, take the time to really examine the source of the stress.  Look for the perception/the thought in that moment that is leading to the stress reaction.  Do the inquiry exercise.

Then, choose one of the Creating Distress Tolerance activities that you have learned so far OR one listed on the tool for 5 minutes. For example:

• Progressive Relaxation

• Autogenic Relaxation

• Mindful activity in nature

• Singing, Dancing

• Watch a funny YouTube video

Use the monitoring tool on the Creating Distress Tolerance activity to document what this over time!

Our goal is always to empower you to use the tools we provide in your everyday life!  That is how we begin to create wellness, one day, one action at a time!

Our bodies do not discriminate between what we imagine and what is “real”.

Stress is a response to an imagined threat, so what if we imagine something else?  Autogenic relaxation, sometimes called imagery or guided imagery, is based on the notion that relaxing the mind leads to relaxation of the body.  Imagery and body awareness are combined to guide an individual into a state of deep relaxation.  The person relaxes herself by using her imagination!  She use her mind to imagine changes in the body, which often produce similar result in the body.  Try the guided imagery audio below – it is specific for stress.

Allow 10 minutes to complete this activity.  For maximum results do this activity lying down in a quiet, dim location that is distraction free!  Ensure that your legs are comfortable, using a bolster or pillow under your legs if you experience lower back discomfort with legs straight out. Allow your arms be relaxed at your sides with palms up.   If you are unable to lie down, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, your head supported, and your arms resting comfortably with palms up.

If you are congested or have difficulty breathing through your nose, please breathe through your mouth.

Take your stress temperature and notice the signs and symptoms your body, mind, heart, and spirit are experiencing prior to the activity, then record the results you notice on your monitoring activity.

Guided Imagery for Stress Audio: When you are ready play the audio click the play button below.

Yesterday you learned about Autogenic Relaxation.  Today we are going to practice again!

Allow 10 minutes to complete this activity.  For maximum results do this activity lying down in a quiet, dim location that is distraction free!  Ensure that your legs are comfortable, using a bolster or pillow under your legs if you experience lower back discomfort with legs straight out. Allow your arms be relaxed at your sides with palms up.   If you are unable to lie down, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, your head supported, and your arms resting comfortably with palms up.

Play the audio when you are ready!

Today we are going to practice Autogenic Relaxation again!  Doing an activity multiple times allows you to begin to do it independently without the need for the audio and allows you to become more comfortable with the activity making further progress each time!

Allow 10 minutes to complete this activity.  For maximum results do this activity lying down in a quiet, dim location that is distraction free!  Ensure that your legs are comfortable, using a bolster or pillow under your legs if you experience lower back discomfort with legs straight out. Allow your arms be relaxed at your sides with palms up.   If you are unable to lie down, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, your head supported, and your arms resting comfortably with palms up.

Play the audio when you are ready!

Stress impacts how we breathe!  When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, our breathing becomes shallow and rapid.  We use our chest muscles to breathe.  This type of breathing actually leads to less oxygen exchange in the body.  Chest breathing can also perpetuate the perception of stress and experience of stress, causing a vicious cycle…stress begets stress.

We can use our breath to reduce the impact of stress on the body, mind, heart, and spirit.  Slowing and deepening the breath stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and allows the body to reset itself following a stressful event.  And the best news is we have access to our breath at all times!  Breathing activities can be practiced anywhere, anytime!

The healthiest way to breathe is using the diaphragm.  Have you noticed the way babies and animals breathe?  Their bellies move up and down rhythmically, while their chests barely move.  This type of breathing is called:  Diaphragmatic Breathing, Deep Breathing,  Abdominal Breathing, or Belly Breathing depending on the source.

Unfortunately as we age, chronic stress and life experiences cause many of us to adopt a pattern of chest-breathing and diaphragmatic breathing requires conscious effort. Studies show that as few as 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing a day, can reduce the perception of stress!

The easiest way to know that you are breathing with the diaphragm is to see if your abdomen rises when you inhale.  Today we will be doing a short breathing assessment so you can be aware of how your breath is right NOW!

Breathing Assessment

This activity is intended to be about noticing your breathing pattern in multiple positions.  Do this in an area where you can sit and lie down.  You may do this using the audio or by reading the text below.  If you have a medical condition that restricts your ability to sit or lie in multiple positions, adjust the positions as you need to.  Following the activity take a moment to write your experience in a journal or on a monitoring activity.

Tomorrow we will review a simple breathing activity that can be done anywhere, anytime to create distress tolerance!

Four Square Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is used in many types of meditation and yoga practices.  Four Square Breathing is an easy way to learn deep breathing that can be used anywhere.

This is a SIMPLE breathing activity that can be utilized where ever you are.  In traffic, in a stressful meeting, at your desk, during an argument with a loved one…ANYWHERE.  The intent of the activity is to slow the breath and deepen the breath.  It can be used to reduce stress, reduce fatigue, improve focus.  This can also be used to calm your mind before sleep.  Even doing this 2 or 3 times will make a tremendous difference in your stress response.  For maximum results, lie down in a quiet area with no distractions and with dim light and do for 5-15 minutes.

We have provided a guided audio that you can use to begin your practice and to help you stay focused, but the instructions are very simple:

Sit, stand or lie comfortably with aligned posture to allow for free movement of the chest and abdomen.

Breathe in for a count of 4, Hold for a count of 4, breath out for a count of 4, then hold for a count of 4

REPEAT.

Tips:

• Breathe with your abdomen not your chest. Your abdomen should rise, while your chest moves minimally.

• Breathe gently, not forcefully.

• If any discomfort exists, either count faster or reduce the count by 1.

• If a visual image helps, imagine a square and watch the edges with your mind’s eye.

• Keep your timing consistent.

• You can choose to breathe through your nose or mouth, whichever is comfortable for you. Just be consistent!

• For some people breathing this way is uncomfortable at first, as they are so accustomed to their chest breathing patterns.  It may take some time and practice to become acclimated to this type of breathing.

• Over time you may wish to extend the timing to 5, 6, 7,  or EVEN 8 counts

The following audio provides a 2 minute demonstration of how to use Four Square Breathing.

We love Four Square Breathing because it can be used ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!  Let’s practice it again…

Set a timer for how many minutes you want to practice.  The audio is only 2 minutes long–see if you can do 4 or 5 minutes!

Andrew Weil, MD, a renowned integrative medicine physician, recommends the 4-7-8 Breath.  You can try it here.

Acceptance

There are many issues over which we have little control.  We cannot change the situation right now.  It is just what is at this time.  We often resist these circumstances, wanting them to be different, thinking they should be different, that it just isn’t “right” or “fair” that things go this way.

Resisting what is leads to additional stress.  Resistance furthers the impact of the original stress response and contributes to physical and emotional fatigue.  Don’t be confused, accepting what is right now is not affiliated with defeat or condoning bad behaviors.  It is simply letting go of the resistance of what is.  Illness acceptance has been associated with reduced psychological symptoms and improved self-reported health status and reduced stress during hospital stays.

How do we bring more acceptance into our lives?  How do we let go of our resistance?

The first step is to become aware of the resistance.  Being aware of the thought patterns we have.  Notice when you think the word should or when things are wrong.  You may wish to use the inquiry portion of the SEE Your Stress activity to build your awareness. A key question to ask is “Can it be any other way than it is right now?”  When we see the answer is no, we can be in the moment as it is and see our experience of the moment for what it is.

Notice your posture and body sensations when you are in a state of resistance.  Do you find that you are closed up, arms crossed, shoulders forward, tense muscles, lower back pain, neck pain?  What happens when you take on a pose of acceptance and openness, with your arms relaxed, palms up or forward, back, head and neck upright and in neutral position?

Use the following meditation to guide you towards acceptance.  Consider using a journal or monitoring activity to notate your experience following the activity.  For this activity you will sit or lie down in a comfortable position.  Your head, neck and back should be aligned, with your legs and arms supported, with palms up.

Play the audio when you are ready.  This audio lasts 5 minutes.

For some, the Serenity prayer, supports them in accepting what is.

Gratitude

Gratitude allows us to shift our perspective from things are bad/wrong in our lives, to what is good.  This shift in perspective has a natural calming effect.  You have learned that stress is a reaction to a perceived threat.  When practicing gratitude there is no perceived threat!  So how do you practice gratitude?

• Take a moment before each meal to contemplate and appreciate how your food came to be on your plate.

• When eating a meal with your family, invite each person to share what they are grateful for that day!

• At the end of each day write or share 3-5 things that were good about THAT day.  This will train you to be on the lookout throughout the day for things that are right and good!

• Express to the people in your life what you appreciate and love about them.

• Thank service people verbally for their service.

• As you do your bills each month, be grateful that you had the money to pay the bills.

Let’s practice Acceptance again!  We could all use practice in this.  Did you notice anywhere since the last time you were here where you resisted a circumstance?

Play the audio when you are ready!

Physical Activity
When we are stressed we tend to get stuck in our head and try to think our way out of it.  As an added factor, our lifestyles are much more sedentary.  We often don’t realize that our bodies are designed to release stressors through movement!  Physical activity is protective because it helps to metabolize some of the hormones that the stress response releases.

Recent studies found that the more complex body movements that you can make the better, especially when it comes to negating the impact of stress, especially cortisol in the body.  Moving all 4 extremities in a 3 dimensional way is the most beneficial.  AND this can be done at any fitness level.

• If you walk, try adding light weights and move your arms in a variety of directions while walking

• Dancing, especially that which requires mental and physical component—Samba, Tango, learning new dance routines.

• Move your body in new and different ways than you regularly do

Why does it work?

• Contraction of muscles uses up excess blood glucose.

• Reduces cortisol!

What else does it do?

• Cognitive function is improved by 30% within 3 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity and lasts up to 48 hours later. You are better able to process visual images and recognize patterns.

• Dopamine and serotonin are released in the brain. These are chemicals that allow us to feel pleasure.

• The more muscles that are moving at once the more work the nervous system does, which helps it to make more efficient connections.

Shake It Off
What do animals do when they experience a stressful event?  They shake it off, thus releasing the tension stored up in the body.  We do this naturally when we have a “cold-chill” after a stressful event, but rarely do we do this consciously.  To do this, stand with knees slightly bent and begin to gently shake your whole body.  You may naturally begin to speed up your shaking as you go.  It also helps to make audible noises through your mouth to release stressors this way.  Try it and see what your experience is.  You may wish to view this video.  If you have any injuries, check with your healthcare provider before trying this.

Laughter
Laughter is good medicine!  Studies show that laughter improves mood, reduces stress, and reduces the perception of pain.  Laughter has been shown to reduce the physical and mental effects of stress, including reduced cortisol.  Laughter releases physical and mental tension that builds up over time.  Laughing stimulates multiple systems in your body, then causes a relaxation response in the body.     Laugher also stimulates a change in our breathing pattern, in particular allowing a longer exhale, thus releasing more carbon dioxide from the body.

A recent trend is laughter yoga or therapeutic laughter.  This system does not rely on humor, partly because humor is based on perception.  It is laughing just to laugh!  This type of laughter is initiated from the body and leads to changes in the mind, as laughter is contagious.  The physician who created laughter yoga expresses that the largest benefit from this is increasing the amount of oxygen in the body because we are able to exhale more air when laughing, resulting in increased air and oxygen intake.  You can learn more about what he discovered here.

You may feel a little silly doing this, so try it for the first time in a private area to discover if it works for you!  This 10 minute video will give you the experience of laughter yoga! More options are available on YouTube.

Yesterday we discussed how physical activity has a dramatic impact on how the body experiences and reduces the impact of stress.

Today, put that into action and notice what your body feels like after movement.  We encourage you to combine mindfulness and physical activity together!  Mindfulness is simply about being present in the moment.  Be present to how your body feels when you move. Notice the experience of all 5 senses when you move. Bring a sense of childlike wonder!

Pick an activity that you want to do – walking, dancing, running – bring your attention to these areas when you do this activity:

• Your breath

• Your muscles

• How does the air/sun feel on your skin?

• Notice how your feet move/impact the ground

• Engage and notice what all 5 senses are experiencing

• Notice how amazing your body is!  Notice how your muscles move, how your heart beats without reminder, how you breathe more or less depending on activity level.

You may wish to use this walking meditation as a guide!

Your tribe are the friends and family that provide social support for you.  Your tribe can be good medicine!  Studies find that social support is beneficial in negating the impact of stress, improving the wellness of the body and mind!  Positive social interactions with others:

• provide support during times of transition

• improve our self-esteem and self-worth

• improve our confidence that we can manage and cope with stress

• improve our ability to problem solve

• contribute to sense of being nurtured and loved.

These interactions cause a physical response in the body.  One response is the release of oxytocin, a hormone that negates many of the effects of stress [reduces blood pressure and cortisol levels, increases pain thresholds, reduces anxiety, and promotes growth and healing].  Hugging, receiving gifts (even kindness), touching, orgasm, food, and social interaction lead to oxytocin release.

What can you do to create more social support?

• Call someone with whom you have a positive relationship when you are stressed.

• Hug/kiss someone you love.

• Laugh with someone you like.

When you are adopting new healthy lifestyle habits it helps to surround yourself with a tribe who are doing the same!  They will provide a sounding board for solutions, provide moral support, provide accountability, and reinforce your skills.

Consider Selecting an accountability partner AND/OR creating a support group or regular gathering.

Wow you have come a long way in learning about stress, what is stress for you, AND practicing distress tolerance techniques.  So how do we put it all together?

Taking Command of Your Stress is about first being aware that you are having a stress response, then taking action to mitigate the impact.

The most impactful way of Taking Command of Your Stress is to identify thoughts and perceptions that are leading to your stress in the first place and questioning if they are really true.  Often our reactions are based on misconceptions and judgments from our past that we are unaware of.  As we identify the thought patterns, we can learn new patterns of thought that have us react differently!

We will still experience stress, no matter how good we are at identifying the thought patterns that contribute to it.  That is where creating distress tolerance comes into play.  Pull out your Creating Distress Tolerance tool  You have been documenting on your  monitoring tool how effective each activity is for you.

Now it is time to take what you learned and Take Command of Your Stress. What are the best activities for YOU to Take Command of Your Stress???  We did not cover all of the items on the tool, as some require no instruction at all!!!

What can you do daily, no matter what your stress level that will make a difference for you body?  What Audios worked best for you.  What will you use when you are not close to a computer?  How will you remind yourself to do it daily?  What do you need to put in place or have available to increase your success?

Put technology to work for you.  Use phone Apps that support you in reducing your stress.  We love these apps AND there are many others available:

• Mindfulness Bell

• GPS for the Soul (Developed by Ariana Huffington, of Huffington Post!)

• Insight Timer

Now you have learned strategies that will help you mange your stress!  How do you make Live the Alternatives and Take Command of Your Stress regularly?

Situations and circumstances in our daily lives make it difficult to maintain our commitment to the alternatives we are creating.  These circumstances drain our mental energy and the will power we rely on when changing or creating new routines.  By exploring what hurdles and obstacles will get in your way, you can develop strategies to overcome these barriers.  Proactively planning for these barriers will improve your success in creating the routines you desire.

To help you identify what the hurdles and obstacles are, consider the following questions:

• Where are areas that will make it difficult for you to complete your routine as you envision it?

• What has caused you to fail instituting the change in the past?

• What stressful situations do you anticipate in the near future?

• Will you have exhausted your will power before doing this routine? How can you not rely on will power?

• What could you put in place that would help you succeed? [See the strategies listed below]

• By when will you have these in place?

Consider planning ways to add the following strategies:

• Maintaining your commitment to your new future by completing the form entitled Living My Commitment to Wellness (Below) and posting where it will be visible regularly.

• Substitute your habitual perspective with a mantra that represents the future you are creating for yourself and including the mantra on the Living My Commitment to Wellness.

• Review the Living My Commitment to Wellness form each morning and periodically throughout the day!

• Create a reminder system for yourself! Schedule it on your calendar.  Use an alarm on your phone.  Use the Mindfulness Bell App on your phone.

• Create a reward for yourself! How will you celebrate your success???Intrinsic rewards are more successful than extrinsic rewards over time.  Intrinsic rewards are those that come from within, like feeling accomplished or successful or pleasure from completing an activity. Extrinsic rely on external circumstances, like rewarding yourself with food, money, prizes etc.

• Visualize what you will experience when you Take Command of Your Stress!   What will your feelings/thoughts about yourself be when you have accomplished the routine?  How will your body feel?

• Avoid the “I must do this alone” mentality by enrolling a support partner in this journey!

Living My Commitment To Wellness

Use this form to keep your commitment to Taking Command of Your Stress vibrantly alive. Print it and keep it somewhere where you will see it regularly!!!  Maybe even multiple places where you will see it regularly!

• Continue inquiring into what perceptions lead to your physical stress response.

• Share your commitment and use a support network to hold you accountable

• Consider the following Mantras:

  • I choose peace and ease in all circumstances.

  • I breathe, accept, and let go.

  • I powerfully take command of my stress.

Print this “Sticker” and put it in places where it will remind you of your commitment to wellness!

Monitoring your progress leads to success!  Get real with yourself!  Be authentic about what you are doing and what you are not doing!

Get Real Authenticity Assessment

Click on the image below to open and download the activity.  Use the following activity as a guide to support you in assessing what when well this week and what didn’t go as well as expected.

You have completed the Taking Command of Your Stress Module!  We honor your commitment to your wellness.

Stress is not going away – it will continue to be a part of our daily lives.  We hope you have found these tools valuable for reducing the impact stress has on your body, mind, heart, and spirit.

With practice and continued use you will master the tools and truly Take Command of Your Stress!