How to Prevent Stress – Get Centered!
I have fortunately happened upon a effective self help anxiety technique. Its easy and best of all successful! Life is full of stress for this parent of a teen – actually if you look up stress in the dictionary I am sure you will see a picture of a teenager. So any healthy ways of relieving stress are hugely beneficial.
One of my favorite stress reducing techniques is getting centered. What is ‘getting centered’? That is for you to figure out. Everyone has their own individual way to do this. Some even have more than one. But let me tell you once you figure it out, you will be able to start using it immediately.
Where does stress come from?
The main reason we have stress, in my opinion, is that our lives, or portions of our lives, are out-of-control. Finances, health, kids, time – these are all areas that can easily get overwhelming and quickly can get out-of-control. This is a complex, fast-paced, stress-filled world we live in, and there’s really no way around that unless you live by yourself on a desert island. I know I don’t have that luxury.
So how to we reduce our stress?
I do solemnly believe that stress cannot be actually reduce just handled. And the way I do this is to get centered.
What does it mean to get centered?
Getting centered means figuring out something that you can do that will give you a sense of control in your life, even if it’s in a tiny way. It might not even be anything that needs controlling, but it has to be something you can control. So even if you can’t control any or all of the big things, if you can control something small, it can do wonders for your overall stress level.
How do you get centered?
All you need to do is find an activity that helps you to feel relaxed. These come in all different sizes and shapes and are what you like to do, so don’t use your neighbors idea as a measure of the effectiveness of your centering ways. If it works for you, do it. I must tell you I love to mow the lawn. The sense of relief and completeness I feel in looking at the completed project, grass all neatly in a row, reduces my stress at once.
Another technique of mine is making the bed. It’s my wife this time that doesn’t mind this quirk of mine. I love the look of a smooth, tightly made bed with the sheets and blankets tucked in perfectly. Ahhhh!
Speaking of my wife, she too has a centering tool – cleaning the glass on our sliding door. When life is whacko, she sprints down the hall and grabs the cleaner and towels and goes to town. She gets it so clean our kids have been known to try to walk right through it! But boy is she centered.
Paper Clips Piles!
I heard about a CEO of a major corporation that get’s centered by separating small paper clips from large ones. When his assistant told him they could have someone else to that, he almost ripped the container of mixed-up paper clips out of his hand! Nope, that was his job, thank-you very much!
That’s it! Told you it was simple. So the next time you can’t get a handle on things, figure out what you can do to get centered. And before you know it, you have your own ways of reducing stress.