Stress Busters – Part 2
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Now that the Thanksgiving fun is over and everyone is back to the grind, we could think of no better time than now to provide you with a few more stress busting tips from our Stress Busters Simple Strategies in 5 Minutes or Less
Take 10 deep slow breaths – Why? Breathing is one of the easiest systems to control in order to relax (Dr John Mason, Guide to Stress Reduction). Close your door or put on a headset so your colleagues won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes. Take 10 deep slow breaths where the exhalation is longer than each inhalation. As you breathe, make sure your abdomen fills up like a balloon when you inhale and sinks in when you exhale. Very quickly you will feel more relaxed and able to refocus.
Guided meditation – Try a guided meditation that you can easily access on your ipod, computer or smartphone. A guided mediation is so simple because all you need to do is listen and relax. You can find great guided CDs by Jon Kabat Zinn, Deepak Chopra or Jack Kornfield in almost any book store. To start with a quick 3 minute meditation, click on http:// www.watershedtraining.ca/Guided_Meditation.asp.
Stress Journal – Monitor your stressors and your reactions in a stress journal. This will enable you to see what events cause you stress, how you react to them and how you cope. Initially your coping response may not be as good as you would like it. By reviewing each situation and identifying other reactions, you can teach yourself better coping skills.
For even more Stress Buster tips, you can purchase our book at https://www.watershedtraining.ca/Stress_Busters_Ebook.asp