Reduce Stress

Simple Strategies to Control Performance Nerves and Anxiety

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Sweaty palms, anxious jitters, a racing heartbeat – we’ve all been there. Pre-performance nerves are seemingly universal to the human species. If you dread the thought of presenting in front of a large group of people or fear failure in any performance-related activity, you’re not alone. Although the physiological responses of our bodies may be difficult to completely control, there are undoubtedly some practical ways you can start to improve how you respond to and cope with performance stressors, nerves, and anxiety. Let’s take a look at just a few of these helpful tips.

Be well-prepared

Confronting a stressful situation head-on is already hard enough but doing so while underprepared is much worse. Think about a time when you’ve begun something challenging without putting in the prep-work it required beforehand. There’s a high chance your performance wasn’t as successful as it could have been because you were ill-equipped for the task. The expression “practice makes perfect” is so overused for a reason – it really works. Human beings are less likely to feel mass amounts of nerves and anxiety if they are prepped, rehearsed, and organized.

Just consider how people with potentially adrenaline-inducing jobs handle their performances. Professional rock climbers and poker players both agree that working through the fear is possible by practicing over and over again, and that level of preparation is directly linked to the level of emotional energy necessary in order to perform well. Listen to the experts if you are skeptical: being prepared will not fail you. One of the most helpful strategies for calming performance-related stress is to acquire confidence in your ability to succeed. This self-assurance is best attained from knowing deep down that you have prepared as best you can.

Control Performance Nerves and Anxiety

Concerts, sporting events, university presentations, and adrenaline-inducing activities are all examples of situations that often produce nerves in their participants

Find ways to relax daily

Most people say that reacting calmly in the exact moment of an anxious experience is extremely difficult. While preparation helps dramatically, sometimes the body cannot help but feel the physical weight of stress. However, training the mind through daily practices of relaxation can provide you with the necessary tools to tackle these situations differently when in the thick of them.

Whether it’s through meditation or yoga, practice taking control of your breath at least once a day. Concentrate on every sensation in your body and let wandering thoughts enter freely, but without giving them the power to distract you from the moment. Find the right meditation technique for you and commit to practicing it consistently over a long-term period of time. While it may seem futile at first, you will begin to notice how your first reactions in moments of stress are more contained and calmer than in the beginning.

Studies show that daily meditation practices often see positive results in as short a time as three weeks

Be kind to yourself

When it comes to anxiety, our biggest enemy is often ourselves. Negative self-talk leading up to or during an important event can be cause for an emotional breakdown. Rather than focusing on the negative, the words we speak to ourselves should be kind, encouraging, loving, and true. Even if performance does not produce the result you were hoping for, it doesn’t mean you are the embodiment of failure. Speak to yourself the way you would like to be spoken to, however silly that may sound. Adopting a few positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself in the midst of an anxiety-inducing situation can help you to remember what is true and what is not.

Another huge part of caring for yourself means filling your body with the right nutrients it needs to be happy. Combining daily exercise with healthy eating habits is a foolproof recipe for success. The truth is this: being kind to yourself is a multifaceted job that takes awareness, commitment, and practice. But, ironically, if you truly want to grab a hold of your anxiety and have the power to respond to any stressful situation with ease, the most transformational changes may begin with you.   

Why Dogs Make You Happy And Improve Your Wellbeing

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A person generally tends to feel happier when they have something exciting to wake up to. Dogs do a great job of this with their wet nose and wagging tail ready to jump on you.

The excitement of a dog only increases when you get dressed and get hold of their leash. When you see happiness in someone else early in the morning, it generally tends to make your day beautiful as well.

It is why dogs are the perfect beings to make your life physically, mentally, and emotionally better.

Here are some ways in which dogs help you feel happy:

1. Love

Dog Love

Owning a dog is like welcoming a different kind of love into your life. Spending enough time with these fur babies by stroking or cuddling them can help increase your love hormone or Oxytocin. Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that makes your nervous system feel calm and loved. As a result, you build increasing levels of trust towards them.

2. Healthy and Fit

Healthy and Fit with a Dog

A dog comes with a lot of physical activity, which includes running with them, taking them out for a walk, and keeping them entertained. As a result, a dog owner tends to get very active with a healthy life. While your physical health can get better, your mood gets elevated as well. Dog owners hence have lower blood pressure and have reduced risks of heart diseases.

3. Social

Dog Walk

If you are an introvert, it can get uncomfortable to deal with other people in social situations. Your dog is the best savior in such circumstances. As social animals, they greet other dogs, and you are bound to exchange greetings with the dog owner as well. However, some of us may own a reactive dog, in which case you should train him to calm down in front of other dogs. Handling a reactive dog while in others’ presence may be embarrassing if you are unable to calm them and stop their barking or lunging. In such cases, it’s always best to seek help from online dog training lessons that can help you calm your dog to become his playful, lovable self. You may check out this article to learn more dog training programs focused on reactivity.

4. Lowered Stress

Lowered Stress with Dogs

Being near a dog and stroking it tends to control a person’s stress hormone. Many types of research have shown how people with frequent exposure to dogs tend to have lower stress levels. Along with this, taking your dogs to workplaces can also help lower your stress and of those around you. It enforces positive interactions and improves your recovery to your stress.

5. Improved Mood

Improved Mood with Dogs

Being a dog owner tends to help maintain a more optimistic view of life. While dogs can help you get over the temporary mood swings, they are proven to help you lessen the long-term anxiety and depression as well. One of the biggest reasons why a person feels much more elevated is because the interaction between a dog and a human goes straight to the heart and nurtures it in a caring manner.

Dogs do an excellent job of improving the quality of our lives. Their presence can instantly make a person feel grateful and positive. Although they do not seem to understand you, their behaviors towards you from their gestures will send the message either way. Make sure you treat them to their favorite snacks and appreciate their unconditional presence in your life.

Positive Words Research – Why Dogs Make You Happy

Four-day New Orleans Itinerary to Relax and Enjoy Travel

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New Orleans. NOLA. The Big Easy. Whatever you choose to call Louisiana’s biggest city, there’s no way to deny that it’s one of the most fascinating cities in the United States, if not the world. Its unique culture combines elements of French, Spanish, Creole, and African populations, leading to a destination unlike any other.

New Orleans deserves its reputation as a great place to party. But the city has more to offer than bars and nightlife — even if it certainly has plenty of those, too. Spending four days in the city gives you long enough to see some different sides to New Orleans and gain a deeper understanding of what makes it so unique.

Day 1 in New Orleans

Where else can you start with New Orleans but the French quarter? This district has been the heart of the city since it was founded in 1718, and its narrow European-style streets are iconic of the city as a whole. 

The French Market is always worth a visit and can provide you with a place to save some money by picking up a picnic lunch. As well as grocery vendors and food stores, you’ll also find a fascinating fleamarket here which is a great place to pick up unique souvenirs.

If you find you buy a little too much, or you’re just tired of lugging heavy bags around with you as you explore this vibrant part of the city on foot, a  luggage storage facility in New Orleans can look after your possessions for you while you enjoy yourself. Be aware that the French Quarter, though generally safe, has its share of pickpockets, so the less you carry with you, the better.

As day turns into night, the character of the French Quarter changes. Bourbon Street has historically been the heart of New Orleans’ nightlife, and it’s still a fascinating place to explore after sundown. Bourbon Street is within the French Quarter, so you can spend the whole day in this part of town. And if you’re up to it, you can go late into the night in the bars and clubs along Bourbon Street.

Day 2 in New Orleans

After your first day in New Orleans — and depending on how late into the night you went — you might feel in need of something a little more relaxing. The Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium could be just the place, especially if you’re visiting New Orleans with the kids.

This unusual museum has an exhibit that will shrink you down to the size of a bug to experience the life of insects. And in the garden where thousands of butterflies swarm, you’ll be able to recharge your batteries and savor a rare oasis of peace and quiet in this otherwise bustling city.

To keep the peaceful vibes going, consider spending the afternoon in City Park. One thousand three hundred acres of parkland once formed the backdrop for Southern gentlemen’s duels, but now offers an excellent place to relax. You can enjoy the botanical garden and the sculpture garden. And if you or the kids are in need of more excitement, the park also contains Carousel Gardens Amusement Park for some exciting rides.

Day 3 in New Orleans

Now that you’ve experienced the madness of Bourbon Street and the serenity of City Park, it’s time to delve a little deeper into the rich cultural life of the city. You can start with a visit to Whitney Plantation.

This restored plantation allows you to explore what life was like in the old antebellum South. Tours show you the slaves’ quarters and the house of the plantation owner to provide a glimpse of the different structures of New Orleans society. It’s a sometimes sobering but fascinating trip back in time.

The history of New Orleans is inexplicably tied to the history of slavery and the African-American community. After seeing the plantation, see the rest of the story of the Backstreet Cultural Museum. This museum is devoted to the cultural life of black people in New Orleans. You’ll get educated on fascinating traditions such as jazz funerals, carnival Indians, and the civil rights movement.

Of course, New Orleans is known around the world as the birthplace of jazz. When night falls, there are a few more iconic places to be in a jazz club. For a taste of the kind of hole-in-the-wall venues where the art form was born, check out Sweet Lorraine’s for music and drinks in an atmospheric location.

Day 4 in New Orleans

On your final day in New Orleans, it’s time to head out of the city and into the swamp. New Orleans swamp tours get you up close and personal with the wildlife that inhabits the sprawling wetlands. Along with snakes, turtles, wild boar, and many different species of birds, you’re almost guaranteed to see some alligators.

Cajun Encounters is one of the many tour companies in New Orleans that can take you on the trip of a lifetime. To make things easy, they can pick you up from your hotel if it’s close to downtown and take you out to the wilderness. The bayous that surround New Orleans are what have inspired the city’s unique culinary scene over the centuries, and they are well worth seeing for yourself.

Once you return from the swamp, consider a visit to Frenchmen Street. Outside of the popular French Quarter, the street has a variety of bars and restaurants without the crowds — or high prices — of Bourbon Street. Spending the evening here will give you more of a taste of the real New Orleans instead of just the tourist version.

Conclusion

No matter what your idea of fun is, you can probably find it in New Orleans. This itinerary is just the starting point. Once you see New Orleans for yourself, chances are you’ll want to visit again and again. And each time you do, you’ll see a different side to this unique and enigmatic city.

References:

Positive Words Research – Four-day New Orleans Itinerary

New Orleans Itinerary

15 Test Taking Tips for Students To Ensure Exam Success

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Whether you are taking a test or prepping for the SAT, test taking is something that provokes anxiety for students. In this case, it is important to be prepared and try to calm down in order to be able to pass it. As Alissa Zucker, an essay writer, says “nervousness makes our brains work in an inappropriate way because we are starting to forget even obvious things”.

Tips for Students Before the Test

Get Some Rest the Night before

This tip is an old standard, but there’s a reason for it. Staying up all night studying or worrying about a test doesn’t leave you with much energy the next day. And when you have no energy, your brain isn’t up to optimal performance. It’s a bad cycle to get into.

Make Sure You Have Everything You Need in One Place

If the object is to reduce stress, running around trying to find #2 pencils (or to sharpen them) or not being able to find your calculator is not going to help. Lay everything out in place so you can grab it in the morning and go.

Eat Breakfast

If you’re tired, hungry or sick to your stomach, you’re not going to do well on the test. So, even if you hate to eat in the morning, try to put some protein in your stomach to give your brain a fighting chance

Be on Time

Don’t miss the bus, don’t dawdle in the hallways and don’t show up for the PSAT, SAT or ACT late. Your teacher may be forgiving, but achievement test monitors are not.

You will most likely be turned away at the door if you show up late.

Tips for Students during the Test

Stay Calm

Take a deep breath, do some stretching exercises and try to stay relaxed. The calmer you are, the easier it will be to concentrate on the questions and not focus on how tense your body is.

Know How Much Time You Have and Pace Yourself

The goal isn’t to be the first one done, it’s to do as well as you are able to. Pacing yourself gives you enough time to be thoughtful about each question and make sure you’re done in time.

Read the Directions before You Read the Question

You would know all the material forwards and backwards, but if you misunderstand how the answer should be phrased or what you are looking for, it’s easy to blow an entire test.

Read the Question Carefully

Sure, there’s bound to be some information that you can discard, but you won’t know what’s relevant until you take in all the information. Don’t worry about how much time you have left for the rest of the questions. Right now the one you are working on takes top priority.

Always Use Complete Sentences for Essay Tests

The trick is to assume the reader has no prior knowledge about what you are going to explain. So, give some background, rephrase the question to start your answer and write as though you’re telling a new story.

Eliminate the Answers that Can’t Be Right before Choosing One

That requires reading the question and all of the answers of a multiple choice test before making an informed decision. Sometimes, it’s easier to spot wrong answers than right ones. If you get rid of the wrong ones, the right one may be right in front of you.

Skip a Question if You’re Stymied

If you absolutely cannot figure out the answer, starting at the words over and over again won’t help. It will take up time and make you more anxious. Continue on with the test and come back to it.

Look for Signal Words

Words that state absolutes, like never, every, not, all and always, often signal an incorrect answer. There’s very little flexibility in absolutes and correct answers rarely are so forceful.

Know that Sometimes the Right Answer Is Simply the Most Correct Answer

Some tests, like the SAT and other achievement tests, aren’t just measuring knowledge, but also your problem-solving skills. That means sometimes the answer is the one that makes the most sense, but doesn’t seem exactly right.

Make Educated Guesses

That doesn’t mean you should fill out the bubble sheet in a fancy pattern, but one of the best tips for taking multiple choice tests is that sometimes you have to make a guess. Once you’ve eliminated the wrong answers, if you’re still stuck, it’s better to guess at an answer than to leave the spot blank.

Check Your Test before You Turn It in

Make sure all the questions are answered, that the bubble sheet is filled out correctly and even that you’ve put your name on your test. However, resist the urge to change a lot of answers. Often, your first instinct is correct.

Positive Words Research – 15 Test Taking Tips for Students

Test Taking Tips for Students

How Online Music Lessons Reduce Stress and Empowers

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City life has grown more and more difficult. Stress is damagins our health and wellbeing. Stress will grow and have negative effects on our quality of life whether we are involved in work or education. Online music lessons will reduce the stress.

Numerous people are left beginning to feel drained between job role, family, friends as well as other commitments. The continued presence of screens in our everyday lives contributes to our stress. We need to take time off to relieve our tension and to sit down to play a tool is an efficient and extremely enjoyable choice.

Whilst many people end up walking out from their television to take a breather. But unknowingly, there is a better way of clearing their heads — that is by knowing how online music lessons reduce stress. 

In this article, we will shove the curtains for you to see what are the benefits you could get upon engaging in online music lessons and how it will help you decrease the stress.

1. Music: A Source of Relaxation?

Far too much tension may cause an individual to become unhealthy and researchers to seek to think of strategies to prevent people from getting too depressed. The effect of music on anxiety was determined in this research by scientists.

Women were asked whether to listen to soothing music, natural sounds, or nothing. They took the woman to pose before an audience to conduct two activities during the music session. With that said, every woman had to talk. Second, every woman in her head would have to do mathematical computations.

All exercises form the Trier Social Stress Project, a tool used to make citizens feel anxious by scientists.

Scientists believe that adrenaline induces tension in the body and so it is used as a means of stress assessment. After listening to music and many occasions after completing the Trier Social Pressure Challenge, scientists measured cortisol rates.

The scientists also evaluated a saliva alpha-amylase enzyme. Alpha-amylase is essential for the body because it kills undesirable bacteria and breaks down the food you eat. Alpha-amylase is often produced in reaction to tension via the nervous system, but scientists still have a great deal to know about it.

2. How Online Music Lessons Reduce Stress:

Here are just some of the ways wherein music can help counter stress:

Forces You to Take Time Away From the Screen

In nearly every aspect of society, technology has gained its path. From our morning telephones, when we wake up, to a computer screen at work, to the evening binging of Netflix. Stress was found to be triggered by strong electronics. Playing an instrument is a significant escape from the screens for our eyes and brains.

Keeping Busy

Playing music takes the focus and concentrates on productive activities to alleviate tension. Such decreased rates of stress may lead to a safe reduction in heart rate and blood pressure.

Social Engagement & Connection

Socialization is known as stress reduction. Joining friends or relatives to create music is a pleasant, enjoyable, and stimulating social practice.

To reap the stress reduction effects of music, you don’t need to become a virtuoso. Only hitting a guitar or practicing piano will provide the brain with the kind of relaxation it needs. The next time your computer becomes tired and exhausted, you pick up the instrument. If you want to learn how to then plan to take music lessons.

Instrument Playing Synchronizes Brain and Body

Music integrates our minds and muscles with hearing and presentation of songs.

3. How to Start Using Music for Stress Reduction:

You do not have to participate in a music therapy group to gain the medical benefits of playing music. Here are the things you just need to remember:

Don’t Pick Up a Guitar

It takes longer to learn basic finger technique. Your objective is to enjoy this experience. Choosing an instrument that needs no loads of techniques to sound good is critical.

We recommend to choose wireless keyboards where you only press the key to create fun sounds. Or knock on a pan. Otherwise.

Play by Ear

Make no effort to learn songs or play instruments. Take tips, instead, and just jam for the pleasure of Dana Marlowe. Anytime in the near future, you’ll manage to release a record. This is only a loud noise deafening roar.

Enjoy Often

It takes time to create long term changes in your cells to the advantages of music-making. Studies also shown that practicing one hour a week for six weeks may minimize tension levels. Music is just like any other health and fitness activity; you must make it a constant change in your lifestyle.

Speaking about music, to relieve tension by raising the degree of cortisol in the body often requires a significant deal of effort. They are also learning how to boost health and avoid illness by listening to music. It goes unresolved whether the music of the subjects’ choice could result in greater stress relief. 

Before we learn more, maybe you play stuff or if you feel overwhelmed listen to any sounds of nature. Even if it doesn’t improve the stress level specifically, listening to a good song is always great.

A musical instrument can disrupt stress, improve physical and emotional health. If our senses are able to detect a potential threat in the environment, the body is subjected to a chain reaction in which the genes in any cell are activated. Playing music causes an opposing chain reaction, which again cuts off certain genes.

Online Music Lessons Reduce Stress
Curtis-Dean

About the Author: Curtis Dean writes on behalf of Sage Music School where they base lessons on the science and research of the psychology of learning. Their effective teaching methods create confident and capable students who enjoy the happiness of making music.

Social Media Links:

  • https://www.facebook.com/SageMusicCo/
  • https://twitter.com/sagemusicco
  • https://in.linkedin.com/company/sage-music

Best 7 Positive Thinking And Stress Management Tips

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Another term for positive thinking is positive mental attitude. Positive thinking is very helpful to us in stress management. Overcoming negative self-talk and adding positive self-talk are the two important sides of having a positive mental attitude.

1. Journaling With Freedom

Journal every day at least 6 lines of words. Journal with freedom. What this means? It means making an agreement with your mind that any thought can be written on paper. This agreement with your own mind is very important. The main reason is that sometimes very negative thoughts that scare you go through your mind. And if you don’t allow your mind to have them, you increase the state of fear of the mind. Look at your mind like a child. Think how dangerous it is for a child not to have enough confidence in you to tell you what hurts him.

One of the great challenges for parents is to convince their children that it is safe to talk to them and tell them what is hurting them. Either we talk about emotional pain, physical pain, bullying at school, child’s mistakes and many other things that children tend to hide from parents out of fear. If you are a parent you understand this aspect very well. You want your child to tell you everything.

This is how your mind should feel towards you and you should help it reach this state. You want your mind to tell you everything. But not random, not chaotic. Just like with a child. You don’t want him to talk all the time and never stop. You need order and discipline. Use journaling freely to help your mind tell you everything. This will help you with stress management a lot. My father has a saying: The disease whose diagnosis is made correctly, is already half cured.

2. Befriending Your Mind

Become friends with your mind. A kind, gentle friend, a true friend. Not a friend who uses you and manipulates you and talks bad to you. Look at your own mind as a friend. When negative thoughts go through your head, look at things like this: “My friend is suffering. How can I help him with this suffering.” This way you will have the following attitude towards your mind: “Well, let’s talk for a while. Write down what thoughts are hurting you. I understand you.”

It is important to spend quality time with your friend. To like him and you to like him. So do things with your mind that you both like.

Also another trick is to look at your mind as an organ of the body. We often forget that the brain is an organ. An organ that we have to take care of, just like we take care of our stomach for example. We don’t eat everything because we don’t want our stomachs to hurt, to get sick, to break down. Same with our brain. We need to take care of him just as we kindly take care of every other organ in our body. And so, our mind will become a good and reliable friend. This will also help you with stress management because you will solve faster and even earlier, the eventual stress generating situations.

3. Stop the Generalizations Game

Generalization is poison to the brain. The search for the secret of secrets, the solution that can be applied to all problems, everything you think after saying the words “in general” are super harmful to the human mind. These generalizations do not help you to live in the present, to be present and aware and to choose from this present awareness. Generalization forces you to make your choices based on predetermined rules that are not properly verified and validated.

Nowadays when lifestyles have become so complex largely due to strong technology and the growing number of people in the world, generalization is extremely dangerous even for your life.

And negative generalization is even more damaging. For example: An unpleasant thing happens to you at work and instead of focusing only on this aspect, you tire your mind in vain with other thoughts. How do you do that? Reassessing in all those days all aspects of your life. In relationships, often when one of the partners has a problem in his life, the other partner quickly concludes that their relationship is no longer working. Instead of giving you space to solve your problem, the partner worries because the level of happiness decreased. These re-evaluations of other sections of life on the days when we have a problem in one section of life, stress you out a lot. Stop reevaluating other areas of your life when you have a problem in a certain area. And teach those around you to do the same. This will help you with stress management because you will not put additional stress on you when you are already stressed.

Positive Self-Talk Tips To Improve Positive Thinking

4. Positive Journaling

Positive Journaling is not writing realities, but it is a tool that generates positive energy that your mind adores, moreover, needs it. One of the needs is to have positive energy to make clearings through the countless energy channels that run through the human body. Three main energy channels pass through the human body, which are strangled, drowned, in seven large areas called chakras. From these channels start countless other channels throughout the human body and this pattern supports the human body in fact. Positive energy helps to unblock the energy channels of the body through which vital energy flows. Positive journaling is a very good tool for generating positive energy.

Another need of the brain is to connect to higher levels of light and wisdom. And your brain does this through positive thinking and positive words. This will help you with stress management because positive energy acts as a clearing for negative energy and stress. However, cultivating positive energy is not easy for everyone. The licensed therapists at BetterHelp can help you learn how to stay positive and reduce stress.

5. Learning Positive Words

Positive words are learned through education. They are like other words, they do not exist in the human mind from birth. They are learned in the same way as other words that the child learns from an early age. If there is no specific and clear learning of positive words, the child grows up with a lack in this area. Every positive word denotes a positive emotion. With the help of positive words, the child or adult can actually identify the combination / pattern of positive emotions that is happening in and around him. If the child has not learned positive words, he will not know how to put a label, to recognize positive feelings when they happen. Usually he will frame all the positive emotions in two big categories Happiness, Love, Courage … and later in life: Peace. But it will not go on to Serenity, Warmhearterdness, Loving-Kindness, Acceptance, Appreciation, Gratitude, etc. Unless someone teaches him or if he teaches himself.

Positive words and positive emotions do not come automatically, they are learned. Unfortunately this aspect is not clearly and distinctly included in the classical education systems. A big disadvantage of not learning positive words and positive emotions from an early age is that the mind “does not record what it is not told to see.” I mean, if you don’t tell the mind, look, this is a moment of Serendipity, the mind won’t remember that moment later, even if you lived it. This is one of the reasons why many adults consider that they had a very unhappy childhood. They no longer remember the countless moments of joy and other positive emotions they had. Example: Do you remember all the moments when you ate ice cream when you were little? No. The tons of ice cream you ate when you were little, made you happy. But you don’t remember.

Start today to learn positive words and practice identifying positive emotions in your reality to create positive memories.

6. Improve Quality Of Sleep

Without a restful and quality sleep whatever you do does not work. It’s not about sleeping as much as possible, although that does matter. But the quality of your sleep matters a lot. First of all, don’t jump a night without sleeping. Sleepless nights practically disintegrate the cells in your body. You felt it actually. After not sleeping one night, you seem to be unaware of anything. You can’t even sleep because of how tired you are. Sleep every night, don’t jump any night.

Another trick to being able to sleep is to have the ability to stop your mind. One of the benefits of meditation is that it gives you control over this button, if we can call it like this, a button to stop and turn your mind on command. If you do not meditate then there are two tricks that combined will help you fall asleep.

The first trick is to make a deal with you so that at 10 o’clock at night you stop any activity that requires your mind. Such as: emotional discussions of any kind (with your mother, siblings, husband, friends, etc.); to read any text on the internet that excites you negatively, to worry about any problem in your life, to work something else for your job/work.

The second trick is that when you go to bed, after you put your head on the pillow and say your prayers or affirmations, or what else you think after you put your head on the pillow, to invent a new story in your head. By the end of the story, you’re already asleep. Of course you do this without moving your body and by keeping your eyes closed. Like when you were little and your parents put you to sleep and said: Keep your eyes closed and don’t move.

Improving the quality of your sleep will clearly help you in stress management because it will firstly decrease your stress level.

7. Help Someone with Positive Thinking

Helping someone other than yourself with positive thinking is the best advice in this article. To help the other person, you need to know something about how to think positively. Many times we help others to think positively just by telling them: Think positive. But the “How?” is the key and the valuable advice you can give.

In order to be able to tell someone how to think positively personalized about the situation of his life, you must have studied this aspect of life before. So helping someone else forces you to learn more and this is a benefit. A second benefit is that it will return to you multiplied. And suddenly you will wake up and have many positive thoughts and you notice that is very easy for you to think them.

Positive Thinking and Stress Management Tips

Zenful Spirit – 7 Amazing Techniques to Reduce Stress

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Separating stress from our life has almost become impossible. Different people have different reasons for their stress. But, the reparations of long time stress are practically similar. If you will not find a way to deal with stress, it is there to stay. Stress can be the root cause of various mental and physical disorders. Techniques to reduce stress can help with this challenge.

Stress is injurious for our health. It might result in insomnia, depression, obesity, high B.P, heart diseases, panic attacks, etc. Various techniques are available that can help to reduce stress. Several methods are also there that can increase an individual’s ability to deal with stressful situations. Individuals can practice techniques that they considered most effective.

In this article, we have discussed seven techniques that can be very effective in reducing or managing stress.

1. Exercise Regularly

Exercise not only helps us in reducing weight and keeping us physically active and fit. But, it also is one of the most effective ways to reduce the stress levels in the body. Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have lower chances of getting stressed.

2. How Exercise Helps Reduce Stress

Stress hormones: Exercise reduces the level of stress hormone (cortisol) in the brain. In addition to this, exercise stimulates the release of happy hormones (endorphins) in the body.  The release of this hormone uplifts the mood, which further results in lowering stress levels.

Sleep: Lack of quality sleep may also result in anxiety and stress. Exercise or physical activity improves sleep quality. A good night’s sleep reduces the stress levels in the body.

Confidence: Regular exercise will make you feel more confident. An increase in confidence level is good for our overall wellbeing.

You can select an exercise that you enjoy doing. To get long-term results, regularity is vital.

3. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a technique that teaches us to live in the present. This technique increases self-awareness, and when practiced regularly, it enables an individual to stay away from negative thoughts.

Overthinking about failures, lousy day, past, or future causes stress. People who practice Mindfulness, learn to see a positive side of everything. Where there is positivity, the chances of getting stressed becomes quite less.

 Hundreds of Mindfulness techniques are available all over the world. People can select and practice any technique. Some of the practices that help in increasing self-awareness are Yoga, meditation, etc.

If you are looking forward to a technique that not only helps you in reducing stress but also helps you evolve as a human being, then Mindfulness is the right technique for you. You may learn more about how mindfulness can improve your mental health by visiting BetterHelp.

4. Practice Yoga

People have been practicing Yoga since ancient times. In the past few days, more and more people have made Yoga a part of their daily life. Studies have proved that yoga is one technique that makes an individual physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy and strong.

Yoga helps in strengthening the connection between body, mind, and soul. Breathing exercises of Yoga has found to be very effective in reducing stress and anxiety. People who perform Yoga regularly have a lower risk of depression, high B.P., heart diseases, etc.

Yoga reduces the level of stress hormones and increases the production of GABA. This results in lowering the stress level in the body.

5. Listen to Soothing Music

One of the easiest ways to reduce stress levels is by listening to music. Listening to our favourite, song, album, or music takes our mind away from the situation at hand.

 Music has a soothing effect on our brains. This lowers the heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones.

Next time you are going through some tough time, or having a bad day or feeling stressed or anxious, switch on your favourite music and let yourself lose, feel the music, and try matching the rhythm.

6. Set Realistic Goals and Expectations

To stand out the competition or to prove ourselves, we end up setting up goals that are either difficult or might even be impossible to achieve. Failure to meet our goals or expectation makes us feel grey, sad, and can even lower our confidence. Many a time, we end up thinking about our failure. All of this might result in stress and depression.

Hence, an easy way to prevent ourselves from getting stressed is to set realistic and achievable goals. Achieving goals and landing up to the expectation would not only make us happy but would also increase our confidence level.

7. Spend Time with Friends and Family

Love and support of our family and friends give us the strength to face tough times. Having our loved ones around us during bad times provide us with a feeling of being loved and a sense of belongingness during hard times of our life.

Talking to our friends or spending time with them, help us in clearing negativity from our mind. This allows us to think clearly and rationally. Finding a solution to the problem becomes much easier when we have a clear mind.

Having friends and family members around might not solve our problems. But, knowing that they are there for us increases our strength to face the problem. Our loved ones act as a stress reliever for us.

8. Sleep Better to Reduce Stress

People under stress might face difficulty in sleeping. On the other hand, lack of peaceful or quality sleep can also result in stress and anxiety. Our sleep and state of mind our interconnected. Many people have claimed that a nap turned out to be very useful when they feel stressed. A peaceful sleep, clam, and relaxes our brain and body. Hence reducing stress and anxiety.

Finding ways to overcome stress is very important. Practices like Mindfulness and Yoga enhances our ability to fight stress. However, practicing these techniques in the right manner is very important.

Dhaval Patel is an expert writer who writes on different categories like mindfulness, meditation, mental health and many more. His writings are not only descriptive but also meaningful. He loves to share his ideas on different categories. To learn more about these techniques, refer “Zenfulspirit.com“.

Techniques to Reduce Stress

5 Tips On How Can Writing Reduce Your Level of Stress

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Humans face stress as a result of different aspects of life such as work, relationships or finances. School going teenagers also face stress as a result of difficult subjects, bullying in school, examinations, peer pressure and much more. That’s why people would rather hire an essay editing service than deal with that. This is why dealing with stress remains one of the most common essay topics.

While stress in life may be unavoidable, one of the best things we should learn is on how to deal with stress. According to recent research, maintaining a daily journal can be great of clearing your mind of stress and fighting anxiety. Writing down a journal of emotion before taking a test has been noted to boost performance in exams. This is on top of the fact that recording your thought can be a great way of solving the problem.

What studies say

When you keep a diary or journal, this will help you to document your experiences and thoughts. According to the studies, journaling is not only effective in relieving stress anxiety, but it can help those who write to increase their lifespan. In one of the studies that were published in the Psychotherapy Research, it was noted that psychotherapy patients who released their emotions by expressive writing enjoyed better reductions in their anxiety, but this also helped to reduce their symptoms of depression.

This means that by recording how you feel, you can reduce the amount of worrying that you experience. In another study that was published in Behavior Modifications, it was noted that expressive writing was able to reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders such as depression and worry. This means that essay writing is not always hard. It has its own benefits.

How writing reduces stress and anxiety

It is not clear why keeping a stress relief journal is beneficial. However, there are some reasons that are believed to be the reasons why writing a thought journal is beneficial. These include:

  • Making it possible for you to sort out and also clarify your emotions and thoughts
  • Allowing you to reflect upon the journeys of your life as you look at your past journal entries
  • Giving you time to reflect on your emotions and feelings to help you understand them better
  • Offering you an outlet to express the difficult emotions like frustration and anger without hurting your loved one
  • Enabling you to get rid of those negative thoughts and helping you move to a happier state of mind.

How to start a stress release diary

Recording your thoughts is different from writing an essay as there are no rules to follow. In case you have an interest in recording your thoughts, getting started is easy. You will only need a pen, paper and a computer. There are people who find that experience of writing using a pen to be quite therapeutic. But there are those who love typing their thoughts. The good thing is that there are certain websites such as LiveJournal that make it possible for people to journal their thoughts privately.

Take time in a quiet and comfortable place where there are no interruptions. Depending on the kind of person you are, choose a particular time each week and day set aside for journaling. Or you may need just to write when you feel like. Ensure that your journal has a date and begin writing. While there are no journaling rules, make sure your notes are as short as possible. Since nobody will be reading the journal, it doesn’t have to be perfect. You may not need an editing service as you do not have to worry about the grammar and punctuations. All you need to do is to keep writing your thoughts as they flow in your mind. According to EssayReviewExpert, one of the essay topics you can choose for your psychology paper is on how writing can help reduce stress.

Effective journaling method

On top of helping you to reduce stress, keeping a journal will help you to keep a record of events. If you don’t know how to do it, try these effective methods:

  • Write down everything, small or big that you would like to achieve in your life
  • Imagine your favourite fictional character is going through a dilemma and write how they would deal with the issue
  • Do an exercise associated with words and use the word stress

Other stress relieving method

It is worth noting that writing a journal is not an end and a fix for many patients suffering from mental issues as well as PTSD. There are some people who will not love writing. If you are finding it difficult to keep a diary, there are other methods you can use to relieve your stress like:

  • Sharing your thoughts with a close friend, relative or teacher
  • Getting an online support group
  • Singing it out
  • Painting or drawing
  • Speaking with mental health professionals, like the ones at BetterHelp

The most important thing is to reduce your stress by finding a creative way of expressing your happy thoughts and emotions.

Conclusion

People respond to stress differently. There are those who prefer to drink alcohol, cut themselves or even eat junk food. Instead of engaging in such destructive behaviours, why don’t you try writing as a stress reliever?

Positive Words Research – How Can Writing Reduce Your Level of Stress?

How Can Writing Reduce Your Level of Stress 2

6 Positives You Might Not Know About Travelling Abroad

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Travelling is something that people either love or loathe, right? Many people spend their days dreaming about the next time they jet off, whilst others can’t see it far enough. Regardless of how you feel about travelling abroad on your next trip, I’m sure you’ll want to minimise any potential hiccups along the way, take a look at these things you might not yet know about travelling abroad and simply by being aware, your next trip abroad should hopefully run a little smoother.

 1. Travel Can Lower Stress

I mean, we could all do with being a little less stressed every now and then, couldn’t we? Well here’s some good news for you— believe it or not, travelling does come hand in hand with a lot of health benefits and one of these benefits is that is can reduce stress. Yes, this is a little confusing as most of us experience increased stress levels when navigating through the airport and trying to catch our flights.

However, if you look at the bigger picture, you will understand that travel can do you a world of good. When we are abroad, we tend to relax, allowing us to come back down to reality and tune into our inner thoughts and feelings. This then gives you time to focus on who really are, what really matters in your life and it encourages you to let go of any negativity you may have.

2. Travel Can Make You Fitter

When travelling, you will become much more active. It’s something that you don’t have very much control of as you’ve got to do some walking and maybe even running in order to get to your destination. Many people associate travelling with eating lots of specialty dishes and trying new, calorific things that you’re not used to eating. I mean, we are all guilty of doing this more than once, aren’t we? But if you want to keep fit it’s completely up to you to keep it up and try your very best to resist the mouth-watering meals that you could easily overindulge on.

3. Your Creativity Can Be Increased By Travelling

We all know the struggle of trying to get our creative caps on, it’s not an easy thing to do at all. Somedays the creative ideas will come to us without very little thought, but other days we face a total mind blank and can’t think of a single thing to create, it’s normal though and it happens to everyone.

Travelling abroad opens a brand new door that has a ton of creative ideas behind it. Many famous creative writers, drawers, musicians and filmmakers will book themselves a trip abroad when they feel like they need some inspiration for their work and more times than one, they say that some of their best work is created when abroad. The scenery, the temperature, the atmosphere and so much more can play a huge part on your creativity, allowing you to get lost in your work and produce a masterpiece.

4. Your Career Prospects Can Be Improved By Travelling

So you can improve your career prospects by travelling abroad? Ok, I’ll be on the next flight out of here, thank you! I mean, seriously, how amazing is that?! Of course, you will need to be wise when travelling and push yourself to learn new things and meet new people if you want to improve your chance of landing a dream job. Unfortunately, heading on a lads holiday or staying in a spa during the duration of your time abroad will not get you too far and your career prospects won’t be much different to what they are now.

You have complete control of making this happen though. When heading abroad, simply learn the language of the country you are travelling to and you will instantly become more employable. You don’t need to be fluent, but if you try your best to learn the basics and mention this in your next job interview, then you could be waving goodbye to your current job and saying hello to something shiny and new!

5. Shipping Your Luggage Abroad Can Save You Time & Money

This is something that I am forever telling people about and once they take my advice, they never look back! Using a luggage shipping company to transport your belongings abroad can save you both time and money. Nobody wants to pay expensive excess baggage fees, it can totally ruin any excitement you have for your trip and then having to trail these heavy bags to the airport, then onto a train, bus or taxi to your destination can be a total pain. Shipping your luggage abroad means you an travel stress and luggage free, why would you reject that offer?! Oh and best of all, it’s completely affordable!

6. It Comes With A Feeling Of Accomplishment

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment in life and knowing that you have done something successfully. We’re often too hard on ourselves and many of us lead busy lifestyles, which has meant that the little things that we accomplish often go unnoticed. When travelling, this isn’t the case,  you feel proud of yourself every step of the way. Travelling is a pretty big and brave thing to do, regardless of where you are going and who will or won’t be going with you. If you are able to get up and travel to another country, then do it and don’t feel bad for taking time off work or avoiding your long to-do list. Instead, accept the feelings of accomplishment that you get throughout your trip and be proud of yourself.

Written by Stuart Cooke, Blog Editor at UniBaggage.com a door to door luggage delivery service.

Positive Words Research – 6 Positives You Might Not Know About Travelling Abroad

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Best 5 Ways To Use A Journal To De-Stress And Relax Now

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Technology is advancing quickly but some values and traditions keep up with it while staying the same. One of those traditions is definitely journaling. Young generations find that the beauty of journals and journaling far surpasses blogging and online diary keeping – pen and paper are here to stay.

At the end of a long day, it’s best that you sit down with a cup of tea or coffee, turn off all of your devices and start writing. Not only is journaling popular and beautiful but it also has a therapeutic effect and helps you de-stress.

If you still haven’t decided to pick up the pen and begin, here are some benefits that you’ll notice if you journal every day.

1. Journaling can help you get rid of negative thoughts

When you put those words on pen and paper, you slowly start to let go of all of your negativity. Words are now on paper, not in your head. You’ll find that it’s a lot easier to go about your life once you release all of your bad energy on the page. It would become easier to de-stress.

This kind of experience is something you would hardly have online since typing does not give the same satisfaction.

One study even says that if you write your thoughts down and then throw them away, you’ll be able to keep them at bay for a while. Of course, thoughts regenerate but once you throw them away, you’ll be able to forget about them, at least a bit.

2. Journaling is empowering

“Through journaling, you can track your own life and what happened to you, how you felt and what made you sad – it gives you perspective. This new perspective on your life will enable you to draw lessons that you would otherwise miss completely”, – explains Carol Garner, a Psychology writer at Bestbritishessays.

Whatever bothers you, write it down and after a while, you’ll be able to see what you can learn from that.

3. It gives you a chance to spend time without technology

Technology can sometimes have a therapeutic effect on people, especially when they use social media to connect with friends and family etc. However, it’s always a good idea to turn off all of your devices and dive into the wonderful world of writing your thoughts down.

4. Gratitude journaling reduces levels of stress and makes you happier

Gratitude journaling is a great practice where you write down everything that you are grateful for or happy about in your journal. This is believed to have a therapeutic effect since it draws positive energy and brings it to you. It helps you learn to look out for the better things in life. After a while, you’ll be noticing details that you are thankful for with an ease and all thanks to your journal. It can even help you think less about negative things in your life by simply thinking more about good things.

5. Give yourself wise advice

Once you notice that there are lessons to be learned in your journal, you’ll see all of your mistakes and wrong steps. Write about it in the third person so you can have some more perspective on the whole situation.

Jason Horn, a Personal Coach at Ukservicesreviews comments: “Journaling about a big decision you’ll have to make or a tricky situation that you are in will help you see it clearly. Then you could give yourself the kind of advice that you give to your friends and listen to what your heart tells you. Journaling has that kind of therapeutic effect on people and it helps them realize what they need to do”.

How to Start Writing a Journal and de-stress

There are plenty of ways that you could start journaling. First, you could get an actual notebook and write in or a new email where you’ll send yourself journal entries, or a private blog. After you have decided upon this, you’ll probably wonder what to write and how to write it.

For the beginning, you could use some tools to help you out:

–  Studydemic or Academized to give you some writing guidance if you don’t think that you are a talented writer.

– AcademAdvisor and Bigassignments are online editing and proofreading tools that can be useful to you if you are a perfectionist or if you simply want your journal to be beautiful and mistake-free.

– Oxessay is a formatting tool which will give you an excellent insight on formatting – it was recommended by Uktopwriters.

– Writingpopulist is a website that will give you plenty of fresh, quality writing tips and advice.

– Australian help is a grammar checking tool that will make sure that your text displays no grammar mistakes.

Conclusion

You should definitely start journaling right away – with all of these health benefits, you will learn to de-stress sooner than you think. Let the journal into your life and allow it to guide you through your emotions.

 About the Author

Freddie Tubbs is an Australian business writer at Revieweal. Besides, he is running educational blogs at Essayroo and Australianreviewer.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

Positive Words Research – Best Ways To Use A Journal To De-Stress

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