So much for all of us getting better at managing our lives what with Dr. Phil and more self-help books on the market than pork barrel politics in Congress.

In fact, we are more stressed, and leading less contented lives than ever before in modern history. Depression is at record highs (and that’s not just because it’s reported more, although that is one factor), families are ever more disconnected, more than half of our marriages now end in divorce (about 25% of those being multiple divorces), and we are generally lounging ourselves into an early grave.

So, here’s the top 7 Greatest Stress-creating behaviors. Find the ones that apply to you, and get to eliminating them, because these you can control.

1. Not saying “no”:

This is a particular problem for the female of the species, but men, now even you're doing it. It’s OK, in fact it’s healthy to turn down a request from family or friends, or not volunteer for that PTA project when you’re already looking for time on your schedule to eat... Take Nancy Reagan’s advice and…”just say NO” – nicely and with a brief, honest explanation (“I’m just too booked right now” or “my kids come first and I’m not spending enough time with them as it is…”) Only you can prevent over-load fires.

2. Inefficient time/task management:

Set a schedule for checking/responding to emails and voice messages, vs. doing so extensively throughout the day; this technique is used by the top business leaders. When scheduling an appointment, rather than asking “what time’s good for you?” which gives away control of your schedule, start by giving them some good times for you. Pay attention to the amount of time it takes you to complete a task, get to/from a meeting etc; you’ll be amazed by how much longer these things take than you thought, and now you can arrange your schedule more realistically.

3. Being a perpetual “fixer”:

Take off the Knight suit and stop rescuing people. It’s an unhealthy way to get attention, and, honestly, you’re really helping yourself more than actually helping them (it’s called “enabling”). If it is your responsibility, know what is in and out of your control so you don’t spin your wheels working on things that you cannot possibly influence.

4. Not scheduling time for rejuvenation:

Burn out is guaranteed when you don’t make taking time to rest/rejuvenate as much a part of your schedule as getting the laundry done. It is not something that you can take or leave – it is a mandatory requirement for both your body and your mind, and ignoring that law of physics will not change it.

5. No exercise:

The human body requires regular physical movement much like an automobile requires regular running to maintain it in good working order. You cannot remain sedentary and expect to feel good. Change your daily habits from using the least amount of physical exertion to using the most (taking the stairs whenever possible, walking into the bank vs. using the drive-thru, etc.), or you purchase one a large work-out ball to use at home, particularly while watching TV (good for everything from sit-ups to leg strengthening), But, keep your personal “vehicle” sitting in the proverbial driveway and you will soon be taking it to the salvage lot….

6. Making “mountains out of molehills”:

Otherwise and more currently known as “sweating the small stuff”, This behavior is quite toxic for you, and a real relationship buster with those you love. Learn to discern the difference between what’s truly important and worthy of concern, and what’s worthy of a smile, a shrug, and moving on. Begin by getting feed-back (from people whose opinion you trust) on when you tend to do this most often, and start with those and similar situations.

7. “Should’ing” all over yourself (and others…):

I think “should” shouldn’t be in the dictionary… I mean, really, what does “should” actually indicate? “I should be better at that….” Huh?! Either you can be better at that or you can’t (for whatever clear reason); you will be better at that or you won’t (depending on your level of motivation or present capabilities). Thinking “should” is a set-up for a no-win; an expectation with no clear determination of whether the desired outcome is doable in actuality. Be clear about what you or others actually “can” or “won’t” do vs. what they “should” do, and you’ll be on much more solid ground.

By: Terri Benincasa, Ed.M.
Terri Benincasa has a double Masters in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University, and over 15 years’ experience facilitating clients’ mastery of life–management & professional-development techniques designed to help with even the most difficult situations. She has been featured in the Tampa Bay area on WFLA’s Daytime Show, as a contributing editorial & advice columnist for the Tampa Tribune, and as the host of “What Works” on PAX-TV, a talk-show with a wellness flair!

Featured by Resources For Attorneys, a Legal and Lifestyle resource for attorneys, lawyers and the general internet public.

There is an old saying, "laughter is the best medicine". Why not treat yourself to some laughter? Visit our jokes index and relax with some jokes, humor and humerous anecdotes.

Yes. You can indeed will stress away simply by meditating. Of course, don't expect immediate results. Constant practice is still essential in successfully meditating for stress relief.

Tips on How to Obtain Stress Relief by Meditation Rules will become less and less important as you become more familiar and experienced with meditation. As a beginner, however, your success will be primarily dependent on how good you are at following them.

Do keep in mind that rules for stress relief by mediation are not meant to place limitations on you but are there to help you attain your objectives more easily and quickly.

The Right Place, You'll be able to meditate better in a place that you find instantly relaxing such as your bedroom. It must be a place that's reminiscent of happy memories and where you can do anything you wish in complete privacy. The place you choose to meditate should be a place which you can gain daily access to for better results in meditating your stress away.

The Right Time, Meditation can be achieved at any time of the day, but it's best to do so when there's the least likelihood of distraction. If you've a full-time career, you can choose to meditate either before or after work, but do make sure to hang the Do Not Disturb sign at your door if you prefer to meditate on your office.

Again, it's important to choose a time which you can be sure to be free at all days of the week. Meditating at the same time each day will allow you to have better success in getting rid of your stress.

Contrary to common belief, meditation will work better if your mind's fully alert instead of battling with the aftermath of sleep and exhaustion.

The Right Atmosphere, There's nothing wrong with using additional props to get you into the right mood for meditating. Most people, for instance, make extensive use of scented candles to create the ideal atmosphere for meditation.

If you have already taken care of the previously mentioned factors, you're now ready to meditate and eliminate stress from your mind and body.

Start by enhancing the atmosphere with a touch of spirituality. Acknowledge the role of a higher being in your life, the identity of which depends of course on your religion. Deepen your relationship with the Superior One by singing a spiritual song, or reciting poems of devotion.

Spend a few minutes of your meditation session, which could last about twenty minutes at the start then gradually progressing as you become better at meditating, simply enjoying the rare moment of peace and quiet.

Meditation can help you improving the way you deal with stress, bot if you suffering or having serious problems that causing this stress, it's recommended having a better medical attention that can help you facing this stress.

By: Sharon Mirin
Learn how to use Stress Relief Meditation and how Managing Stress can improve your life, more advice about stress relief at http://www.stressrelief.zupatips.com.

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There is an old saying, "laughter is the best medicine". Why not treat yourself to some laughter? Visit our jokes index and relax with some jokes, humor and humerous anecdotes.

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The term 'depression' is variedly used and understood. When we see someone who was a cheerful fellow sink into melancholy and lose interest in most of the things what he does, the obvious conclusion is that the fellow is 'depressed'. Depression, in other words, is a state wherein a person undergoes a sudden loss of interest in what he or she enjoyed earlier.

Such a person carries around a rather sad look on his face and his body language consistently suggests lack of human warmth. At times, the affected person might not even be aware of his condition.

Among other things that are symptomatic of depression is an irregular sleep pattern. A person who is reeling under depression would fail to have a regular sound sleep. A normal person would sleep for around 7 or 8 hours a day, while a depressed person may fail to sleep even for a few hours. He or she would either keep awake the whole night or would keep rising every hour or so. At times, the person may sleep all through the day and may stay awake the whole night.

Appetite changes are also noticed. Some would stop eating while some would turn into walking, talking gluttons. This means some people would gain weight while others would shed some. Among adults, loss of libido is also symptomatic of depression.

A depressed person fails to concentrate on work and may be easily provoked. Adults tend to lose interest in work and prefer seclusion while children may stop playing and turn very quiet and lost. A dip in self-esteem is often noticed, which causes isolation. And isolation tends to worsen the problem. The depressed people tend to cry for no reason at all. This is because they feel sad deep inside and cry out of helpless. If a child is depressed, he or she might throw unreasonable tantrums and expect you to do meet his utterly unreasonable demands. When someone is depressed everything appears dark and pointless. He or she has a very negative take on life and is utterly hopeless towards the future.

Depression can manifest itself in physical pains like body pain, headache etc. Problems like constipation, joint pain and tiredness are also associated with depression.

If one or more of the above symptoms are noticed, it is better that a psychiatric help is sought at the earliest because depression can get more intense, and may also become life threatening in certain cases.

By: Javier Fuller
The author writes articles on different topics. To get more disability articles visit http://www.about-disability.com.

Featured by Resources For Attorneys, a Legal Resources and Lifestyle Information source for attorneys, lawyers and the general internet public.

There is an old saying, "laughter is the best medicine". Why not treat yourself to some laughter? Visit our jokes index and relax with some jokes, humor and humerous anecdotes.

Comments: For those of you that would like to comment on this or any other post in this blog, go to the Contact me link on the upper right hand side of this page and send your comment via that link. If your comment is on topic, whether pro or anti, and even fairly well written, we will post it with the article. If you have a site that you would like to be linked to your comment please supply it and we will include it.

Stress is a daily reality for most of us. We live with it and sometimes it is silently killing us without us realizing it. It is not a question of does stress affect a person, it is a question of how and how much does stress affect a person. Let's look at how it can affect you.

MedSearch defines stress as, "The sum of the biological reactions to any adverse stimulus, physical, mental or emotional, internal or external, that tends to disturb a person's normal state of well-being."

I like this definition because it emphasizes the fact that stress is actually the effects that we experience in our bodies due to adverse stimuli.

That brings it much closer to home and makes it easier to understand how stress affects a person.

The biological reactions can include one, more than one, or all of the following:

1. Physical effects on your body.

2. Changes in your emotional state.

3. Disturbances in your mental state.

4. Deviations from your normal behavior.

Physical effects of stress can include tenseness in the muscles, an increased heart rate, more rapid breathing, increase in blood pressure, and many other adverse conditions.

When subjected to circumstances that induce stress, the body reacts in a similar way that it would react under dangerous situations. It releases chemicals that prepare the body for defense.

Under normal dangerous situations these bodily reactions lasts for a very short period of time, until the danger has passed.

Stress inducing conditions tend to prevail day after day, month after month. The body was not designed to be in a constant state of high alert.

That is why stress can be a killer.

It is basically synonymous with running a car's engine constantly at red line revolutions. Sooner or later it is going to break because it was not designed to do that.

There is a normal level of operation that your body can easily cope with. The effects of stress take your body beyond those limits.

These additional pressures of stress on the bodily systems result in major effects on a person that can ruin your emotional state, cause depression and a general negative state of mind, and cause you to act completely out of character.

By: Tisha Diaz
Tisha Diaz recommends these relaxation products, stress relief products, and feng shui products that include professional quality massage tools & chairs, snuggle comfort pillows, aromatherapy products, and other things to soothe you and delight you every day.

Featured by Resources For Attorneys, a Legal Information and Lifestyle Resources source for attorneys, lawyers and the general internet public.

There is an old saying, "laughter is the best medicine". Why not treat yourself to some laughter? Visit our jokes index and relax with some jokes, humor and humerous anecdotes.

Comments: For those of you that would like to comment on this or any other post in this blog, go to the Contact me link on the upper right hand side of this page and send your comment via that link. If your comment is on topic, whether pro or anti, and even fairly well written, we will post it with the article. If you have a site that you would like to be linked to your comment please supply it and we will include it.