I have been silent for the last little while, and have not written any entries in my blog. Much of which was due to my stress level, as of late. Indeed things have been nuts on my end, with re-designing my website, resolving countless web development issues, work, training, nagging injuries.. and the list goes on! We all experience stress, one way or an other. We need to learn how to deal with our daily stresses, before ‘they deal with us’ (that’s a Chanty-ism) so to speak! Granted, what works for me, may not work for you, as we are all different, but here are a few tips that work rather well for me, whenever my stress meter goes fire engine, red.

Say “no” – Overextending yourself is a sure way to stress you and everyone else out. Before you say yes to anything, take care to double-check with yourself if this is something you actually do not mind doing. Be honest with yourself, and do not take on any responsibilities against your true will. Learn how to politely decline requests or invitations that do not resonate well with you. No one of value will love you less or think any less of you when you do…
Focus on the positive – Remember that no situation is ever 100% bad, so whenever someone of something stresses you out, try to notice positive aspects about this person or situation. It may help change your mood or perspective, which will help lessen your stress level. Remember: the alternative to being:” fake happy”, is to be “authentically miserable” and also, as quoted by Wayne Dyer ” When you change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.’Hmmmmm….
Laugh out loud, and not just on text!– Whenever I feel stressed or sad, I tend to look for funny videos to brighten my mood, until I am laughing out loud! which I guess is one thing we can thank Facebook or Youtube for!
Express feelings instead of bottling them up – Get around people that you can truly trust and talk ( or use the dog or cat! They don’t care!! As long as food is involved!) If not, keep a thought journal. I know it sounds silly, but believe me, it is much better than going nuts!
Address conflicts with others – Avoiding conflict most often increases stress, as  your mind realizes that action must be taken but no effort has been made to solve the problem. Addressing conflict will allow you to move forward. Many times by addressing the problem you can remove the burden or weight you are carrying, reducing stress loads. With that said however, be careful to not create more conflict, by trying to resolve conflict.. LOL
Spend time in nature – Go Golfing, take the dog for a walk or  sit in the park (please do not feed the squirrels! )“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” ~ Dale Carnegie
Listen to music – Music is a stress buster and unifier of people. Go to a concert or learn a new instrument, the piano actually opens up areas in the brain that foster creativity. Listening to your ipod, in stressful environments such as the TTC, can also help make your ride much less stressful..
Get physical- Exercise, or get moving! If you’re not a natural athlete, go out for a walk in the park, join a Yoga class or stretch. Exercise releases endorphins which naturally lessens stress levels.
Just Breathe, if you can’t meditate– Meditation isn’t something we are all able to do, but we are all able to slow down and focus on our own breath! Lie back, close your eyes, and focus on taking slow deep and even breaths. It will lower your CNS firing within minutes, and negate the deleterious effects of stress !
There you have it! Try to incorporate some of these into your life, when stress hits you hard, and see if these are of benefit to you. ‘Til next time! :)