Category Archives: Stress Management

5 Quick & Simple Happiness Habits for Busy People

Posted on by

Have you ever been so busy that you forget to center yourself, relax, de-stress and reach for a moment of happiness? Why did I use the expression, “reach for a moment of happiness”?

I think that feelings of happiness are transitory, as are all feelings, such as sadness, anxiety or anger, for example. Why not increase the moments of happiness, and decrease the other stressful feelings? Here are some quick and simple happiness habits for busy people:

1) Every so often, when your focus of attention is outside yourself–on another person or on a project or activity– do a “check-in”. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling?” and “What am I thinking?”

2) Take in a deep breath in while you do step #1, and on the exhale, release as many stressful feelings and thoughts that you can. Repeat this a few times.

3) Take a “60 Second Vacation”. That means to allow stressful thoughts and feelings to be suspended for 60 seconds, while you allow your thoughts and feelings to drift to a pleasant memory or peaceful image.

4) Then ask yourself, “What can I do now to nurture myself in this moment?” Perhaps you need some water or something healthy to eat, such as fruit. Perhaps you skipped lunch, and need a healthy meal. Perhaps you are exhausted, and need to rest for a longer time. If you have evaluated a situation that bothers you, maybe you have realized that you have no control over the issue that is flooding through your mind. Or, you may decide that you do have some control over an issue. If so, write down some ideas about a plan of action to address the current issue that is draining you. We usually feel better when we identify a draining issue and set up an action plan.

5) Do a Gratitude Exercise. Take a few moments to list in your mind, or write down the things you are grateful for. This has been proven to reduce stress and increase a sense of peace and happiness.

 

Frustration, Grief and Stress Management

Posted on by

Stress Management is a broad term. Moment to moment, we encounter inner thoughts, past memories and current environmental triggers. This article will focus on the experience of Frustration, and the feeling of Grief that often “hides below” the frustration.

What do I mean by “hides below” the feeling of frustration? This is a figure of speech, rather than a true psychological term. Have you ever been very frustrated over an issue that you cannot change or control, and then began to cry, or feel sadness?

Feelings of frustration and grief are often experienced together, but usually not at the same time. For example, if you love someone who has a destructive tendency, you may feel frustrated that you cannot change or influence that person’s behavior. If you dig a little deeper, you may find that you also are very sad, as well. Ironically, the best way to manage a feeling is to first identify it and acknowledge that it exists, rather than repress or deny it. We tend to feel sad and angry when we perceive that we have little or no control over a situation.

Helpful Strategies to Manage Frustration:

1) Become aware of the issue that bothers you, and acknowlege the feeling of frustration, and loss of control over the situation.

2) Ask yourself if you are also sad about that. If yes, take out a piece of paper and finish the sentence, “I feel sad about this situation because….”

3) Ultimately, acknowledging the feelings of both  frustration and sadness regarding a situation that you cannot change is a strategy to reduce the stressful impact of an issue that you cannot directly control. Future articles will address the Grief Process more specifically, and will describe ways to manage grief in a healthy way.