Stress Management techniques

A Message from Noelyne....

 Here are five quick steps you can take toward relieving and overcoming stress:

1.    Don’t just sit there. Move! According to many psychologists, motion creates emotion. You might notice that when you are idle, it’s easier to become depressed. Your heart rate slows down, less oxygen travels to your brain, and you are slumped somewhere in a chair blocking air from reaching your lungs.
I challenge you right now, regardless of how you are feeling, to get up and walk around at a fast tempo. Maybe you might want to go to an empty room and jump up and down a little bit. It may sound silly but the results speak for themselves. Try it now for a few minutes. It works like magic.
Exercise can be a great stress buster.  People with anxiety disorders might worry that aerobic exercise could bring on a panic attack.  After all, when you exercise, your heart rate goes up, you begin to sweat, and your breathing becomes heavier.
Don’t panic – it’s not an attack!  Tell yourself this over and over while you’re exercising.  Realize that there’s a big difference between the physical side of exercise and what happens when you exercise.
2.    Smell the roses. How do you smell the roses? How about investing some money to go on that one trip you’ve been dreaming about? Visit a country with lots of exotic places to jolt your imagination and spur your creativity. You need to detach from your daily activities and venture a little bit.
3.    Help others cope with their problems. It is very therapeutic when you engross yourself in helping others. You will be surprised how many people’s problems are worse than those you may be facing. You can offer others assistance in countless ways. Don’t curl up in your bed and let depression and stress take hold of you.
Get out and help somebody. But be careful.  Don’t get caught up in other people’s problems in an attempt to forget about your own.
I am constantly being called by friends and family when they want to vent or get advice.  I joke and tell them “Don’t call the ‘crazy’ person for advice!”  But there are times that I find myself worrying about the ones who call me and I get caught up in what they’re going through.  This just gives me more stress than I already have and I find that I have to step away and re-assess myself and my priorities.
I’m now to the point where I can tell them that I just can’t deal with it right now and to call back later.  Sometimes, they get upset, but more often than not, they understand.  But I’ve learned not to get too upset about their reactions.
4.    Laugh a little. By now you’ve heard that laughter is a good internal medicine. It relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases a chemical that rids the body of pains.
Every day, researchers discover new benefits of laughter. Let me ask you this question: “Can you use a good dose of belly-shaking laughter every now and then?” Of course you can. What you are waiting for? Go a comedy club or rent some funny movies.
5.    Wear your knees out. If there were one sustainable remedy I could offer you when the going gets tough, it would be prayer. Many people, depending on their faith, might call it meditation. It doesn’t matter to me what you call it, as long as you have a place to run to.

There you have a few quick fixes when you’re feeling stressed.  These will help you overcome stress and feel more relaxed in yourself.  Try them and find out what works best for you.

Enjoy,

Noelyne Jones


P.S. Request a copy of my Free Special Report here

Eliminate Stress from your life.

Image via Wikipedia

A Message from Noelyne....

I recently saw a title of an article on 'How to eliminate stress and anxiety from your life'.  Initially I thought that was a great title however, after thinking a little more I wondered why you would want to eliminate stress completely.  In my experience some stress is good for you.  It motivates you to take action.  It can give you a buzz and get you in the zone for achieving fantastic results.  Some stress keeps you alert and aware, keeps you focused on what you are aiming for.  Without the stress you tend to sit back, relax and take things easy and so not achieve very much.  Just like when you are on holiday, so now and again this is also good for you.

It's when you get too much stress that things tend to get out of hand resulting in confusion, a loss of focus, overload, poor decision making and poor results.  If the high levels of stress are prolonged then this can often result in illness in the body such as headaches, ulcers and other serious health conditions.

Each individual is different and will have different tolerance levels in terms of dealing with too many things going on at once.  The majority of people would be able to handle each one of these things if that's all that was happening, it's when you get many things all at the same time that it becomes stressful and mistakes happen. I've recently come back from holiday where I totally switched off however, on my return I discovered that my home phone and broadband had been disconnected in error, a number of problems with a property that I rent out, my partner is confirmed as requiring a major operation and getting used to having someone living with me again.  This on top of the normal day to day activities of living and running a thriving business.
Tips for Managing too much going on at once

1. Recognise and accept that you have too much happening.
2. Know that you are not alone, there is always someone ready to help out both voluntarily and paid.
3. Take a deep breath and for each situation be very clear on what you want to achieve. 
4. Plan what needs to be done in order of priority. (Don't panic! as this is when mistakes happen)  Depending on what it is that you are dealing with check your rights and responsibilities first. Write things down.
5.  Take action.  If you need other people on board consider who you know and trust.  If you are paying people aim to employ people recommended to you, so reducing the stress of poor quality work.

Put things into perspective.  You will get through this phase of your life.  There are normally people far worse off for example, people losing their lives in disasters or in conflict situations.  If you are handling situations that you wish had not happened stop focusing on what's wrong and focus on the solution.  See it as a learning experience for you and an opportunity to connect with other people and perhaps to give employment to other people.  There is opportunity in every situation.


I'll post some stress management techniques next time,
 Enjoy the process of life,

Noelyne Jones

P.S. Free Special Report on How to Overcome Your Fears, get your copy here Free

Post holiday stress and how to manage it.

A Message from Noelyne....


It doesn't take long to get stressed out again does it?  You've just had a fabulous holiday and don't have a care in the world and you start to believe that you can be like this all the time.  You know that you have to eventually go home however, you delay switching your mind back on until the very last moment which really starts when you have to pack away your stuff.  That's when you start to wonder where you put things like the tickets, passports and house keys and parking tickets.  The slow process of winding yourself up again starts.

You dread the journey home because there's bound to be delays of some sort or someone will get sick in the car etc.  And then there's the thought of all that washing....  Will the house still be there?  The garden may be overgrown.  Can you feel the tension starting to come back?

The beauty of being in self-catering with a washing machine is that you can do the washing before you come home and get the family to help.  It's quite a novelty for them using someone elses equipment!  Plus the boys were heading straight for another holiday with their Mum so it was a necessity.

Pillows in the car for the children to sleep and Mp3 players are a godsend.  They were soon asleep.  Keeping calm when we got caught in traffic is always a challenge however, great music helps as does a cheerful partner and regular stops for coffee.


Arriving home at a reasonable time of day is always a bonus as it gives you time to unpack and then settle down for an evening meal and relaxation and an early night.  Travelling tends to create stress on the body so it's good not to aim to achieve too much on the first day back.  Do you find that the further away you have travelled the longer it takes you to recover?

This year due to a problem that had arisen whilst on holiday I had to arrange a meeting for the day I arrived home, which was a bit of a shock to the system and not recommended.  However, the meeting identified a new problem which needed to be solved so I was able to take action sooner than if I'd left it yet another day.  Unfortunately, having solved the new problem this identified yet more problems previously hidden.  I can't yet blog about them as I need to seek legal advice.  Yet more challenges to overcome and more things for me to learn and eventually share with you.

So not the best return from a holiday I have had however, at least I was in a wonderful frame of mind to deal with them.  So much for the slow wind up too, guess who is already ready for the next holiday.

Enjoy the process of life,

Noelyne Jones

P.S. Request a copy of my free special report here

Back Home!

Image via Wikipedia

A Message from Noelyne....

I'm in the wonderful position of having been able to take over a month off on holiday.  It's not always been like that as I worked for an organisation for 25 years where you had to apply for leave and hope that you got what you wanted.  During the first few years of running my own business I chose to work rather than take leave.  However, I am now in a position of being able to take holidays when I choose.  It's a fantastic feeling.  And I certainly made the most of it this year.  I've just come back from a holiday to Cumbria with my family and prior to that I was on holiday in a small village called Kalkan in Turkey. Both holidays fantastic but totally different.

Turkey was superbly relaxing mainly due to staying in a hotel and being forced to slow down due to the heat.  the best thing to do is lie by the pool in the shade reading a book.  I'd hoped to find inspiration to write my next book however, even this was just too much of an effort.  I totally switched off and enjoyed spending time with my partner and hia 16 year old son.

Then off to Cumbria to stay for two weeks in a converted eco friendly barn in the middle of nowhere.  This time there were four of us as my partner's 13 year old son joined us too.  We were self catering so no getting up for freshly squeezed orange juice and omelettes.  We agreed to share tasks so the boys also cooked meals occasionally, washed up and were responsible for keeping their own bedrooms clean.  We were constantly on the go walking, swimming and sight seeing.  Relaxation came in the evenings with good food and wine, watching DVD's, reading and even a wasgij! I could easily have stayed an additional week although it was a little frustrating without wifi or telephone.

So this week it's about getting back into the zone, winding myself back up so that I'm ready for the next holiday.

Enjoy the process of life,

Noelyne Jones

P.S. Remember to request a copy of my Free Special Report www.howtoovercomeyourfears.com

Natural Living

Image via Wikipedia

A Message from Noelyne...

Natural living

I have just spent two weeks at an eco friendly barn in Cumbria.  Going green is very important to me as I believe in doing my bit to help protect the earth.  I was brought up on a farm for the first 5 years of my life and then after my dad left we moved to live with my Grandparents who had been farmers all their life.  So a love of the land, animals and the environment was instilled in me from a young age and some would say is in my blood.  Money was in short supply due to Mum being a single parent (and no state benefits to help!) so I got into the habit of saving and not wasting anything.

I am careful with anything and everything that I come into contact with including money, food, possessions.  So staying in a green barn was excellent for me.

Staying in an eco friendly barn made me aware of how important living naturally is to me. It made me aware of the amount of waste in the world and the fact that many people who do not take the time to care for their environment.  I hate waste of any kind including wasted food.  People whose eyes get bigger than their bellies.  Although this is not a problem for us since the boys have become teenagers.  In fact the challenge is to keep enough food in the house.

Living naturally is very close to my heart and it all stems from my upbringing.  I love the countryside, the scenery, the fresh air and the animals.  Walking through fields of sheep and cows realising how much I enjoyed this as a child.  I had forgotten how much knowledge I have about farming.

Enjoy the process of life,

Noelyne Jones

P.S. Free Special Report How to Overcome Your Fears.  Click Here

Leann Rimes - Amazing Grace

Not easy to think of challenges when you are totally relaxed

Image by Garry - www.visionandimagination.com via Flickr

A Message from Noelyne...

When you are happy and content and living in the moment it's hard to think of your problems. This blog is about overcoming life's challenges however, whilst on holiday I found it difficult to think of situations
and problems to blog about.  I took my laptop with me expecting to be inspired into writing and blogging daily particularly as we were staying in a rural area in th emiddle of nowhere.

However, as I felt totally relaxed and at ease with life I found it difficult to think of anything other than the present moment and enjoying time with my family . I was with people I love and who love me. I felt safe and totally chilled out. Making decisions other than what to do and what to eat, became an effort so I stopped. My brain switched off completely. Nothing really mattered apart from enjoying the moment. Have you ever felt like that? Where all your problems, issues and concerns dissolve.

It's a feeling that I only get when I am on holiday and staying away from home. I can be on holiday at home however, I see all the things I have yet to do so don't completely relax.

Where we stayed there was no Internet access which initially made me feel nervous and as though something was missing. I am so used to accessing emails and websites daily and having access to information at the drop of a hat. However there is more to life than the Internet! For example, to get information about the area I went back to going to the tourist office. It was lovely meetiung and chatting with local people and discovering what to do.

Even though I love what I do. It's been good to have an extended complete break away from what has become my normal life.

Enjoy the process of life,

Noelyne Jones

P.S. Overcome your fears with a copy of my Free Special Report