Stress Education Center - Dstress.com Newsletter

"Dedicated to serving by providing information, products, and services to create awareness and then offer control of stress and the process of change."

In this issue:

1. Introduction and Welcome

2. Stress Management Tip of the Month: Make Time for You!

3. Tips for 2003: Time to Plan

4. Article: Do not get sucked in!

5. Product of the Month: 25th Anniversary Special Offer

6. Thank you

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1. Introduction of the Stress Education Center's - Dstress.com Newsletter

If you are reading this newsletter, congratulations, you have made it through 2002! For many people the past year has been a rough one. Things beyond our control have sent the economy into a slide. Threats of terrorism and war have been blazed into our minds by the media. CEO's have been found to be less than completely honest. And, as usual, politicians are dancing around the real issues and making us wonder when they will do something of value.

The best thing about January, 2003, is that we can make a new start to the year. So many people are overwhelmed and running on empty that this year is different than years past. There are less people rushing off to accomplish their New Year's resolutions. Perhaps you did not even make any. The athletic clubs that I have visited, which are nearly always crowded in January, are not so busy this year. Is this a sign of depression or burnout?

Let's not be victims to the craziness of the world! The one thing that we can control is the way we respond to these stresses. From my point of view, the best thing we can do is to be great role models and to TAKE GOOD CARE OF OURSELVES!

Stop for a minute in whatever busy place you are, take one deep breath, relax your shoulders, your forehead, and your jaw.

If you do not make your own self-care a priority, you will not be in a good position to achieve your goals and provide service to the people you care the most about.

Read on to gain insight, learn about products and materials to enhance your life, increase your productivity and most importantly give you back what you want - a life and the time and energy to enjoy it. Do you have ideas for subjects you'd like addressed? Let me know! Do you disagree with something I say? I want to hear!

L. John Mason, Ph.D.

Stress Education Center - http://www.dstress.com

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2. Stress Management Tip of the Month: Make Time for You!

Now if you are ready to relax! Read this next article. But before you do, take three slow deep breaths. Feel the cool air as you inhale, and then pause a moment. Exhale fully and completely, feeling the warmth breath flow out and away. Letting the muscle of your body begin to release tension or extra energy. Slow down.... Easier said than done, but slow down, and then read on.

I have said this before and I will say this again... make time for your self-care. It will save you time in the long run. You will have a better quality of life, more energy, and you will be able to produce more! Try the following approach for 8-12 weeks and let me know how it works for you.

1. Make 15-20 minutes per day for deep relaxation. This can be a guided relaxation on tape/CD or a meditation practice or mental exercise that is relaxing and has positive visualizations of health and happiness.
   
   Research tells us that 20 minutes of deep relaxation can take the place of up to 2 hours of sleep. The sleep we do get will be deeper and more restful. I did not believe this when I heard about this when in training in 1977. I started practicing Autogenic Training phrases daily. After 3 months, I noticed that my requirement for sleep went from 8.5 hours per night down to 7.0 hours per night. I felt better and more rested AND I SAVED 1.5 hours.
   
   One busy executive vice president, whom I had to convince to actually use the guided relaxation I provided for him, said that after using the tapes daily he was able to get his 8 hours of work done in 6.5 hours. He could concentrate better, communicate more effectively, and made fewer time robbing mistakes. He loved the additional productivity that he received from using this program.
   
   
2. Take a deep breath every 15 to 20 minutes. Get back in your body in the present moment, in a positive relaxing way. It only takes 10 seconds, but saves lots of wear and tear from building stresses. To remember to do this, associate the deep breath with something that re-occurs during your day. e.g.: the telephone ringing, clock watching, computer screen saves, coming to a slow down in traffic (while driving.) Take this brief pause to relax your forehead, jaw, shoulders, and other tight muscle groups.
   
   If you do this 40 times per day for 2 weeks, you will notice how much better you can feel.
   
   
3. Regular exercise will help chase stress away and improve your mood. I recommend 30 minutes 5x per week (if you can work your way to this level and your body can tolerate this.) You may wish to check with your physician prior to beginning a rigorous exercise program if it has been a while, or if you are over-weight, or if you have another health concern. You have to make time and find the energy to get started, but you save time and energy in the long run. You will also feel much better, emotionally.
   
   If you do not exercise regularly, do not start too fast. To start a program, consider walking 5 minutes per day for one week. If you are tolerating this level of exercise then add 5 more minutes per day each week until you get up to 30-40 minutes a day of brisk walking. Remember to listen to your body and be smart!
   
   
4. Consider reducing caffeine! Especially when you feel stressed, anxious, or have intensified pain. Caffeine is like throwing gasoline on a fire. Your levels of stress will not drop with caffeine fanning the flames of anxiety.
   
   If you are drinking (or eating) massive amounts of caffeine daily, then gradually taper your caffeine consumption. As an addictive drug, caffeine withdrawal can be tricky. Good luck.
   
   
5. For more tips on what you can do to get back in control of your responses when you are stressed, use the tips from the article "ten timely tips" at www.dstress.com/10-tips.htm. These are very useful. Let me know what you think.

Along the way, do not forget to take good care of yourself!

Good Health!
L. John Mason, Ph.D.

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3. Tips for 2003

It is the start of a new year. Time to make some plans!

Set aside one hour of time. Reduce your distractions and unnecessary interruptions. Think about where you want to be, in every aspect of your life, in ten years. Are you on track to accomplish these goals? If not, take each major goal and work backward to discover what you could be doing this year to make it happen.
Warning: Do not neglect your family/friends, relationships, spiritual requirements, aesthetic enjoyments, and your need for fun.

We often see our financial goals, our career path, and goal education goals as the only ones worth planning. Without balance, your body will resist even the most important goals.

Break down your year's activities into realistic bits that you can work on weekly, if not daily, to accomplish this year's plans. Without this roadmap, you will not be able to find your way, especially toward achieving your major goals.

You must also commit to checking in with this plan regularly, weekly or monthly, if not daily. Revise this plan if life gets in the way...

Do not be afraid to set your sights high. You will never know what you are capable of accomplishing until you set your priorities and then move up the path to your pursuits.

Along the way, please take good care of yourself.

Send me your comments regarding what strategies you believe work for your self-care and how you most benefit from regular self-care practices.

Please take good care of yourself.

Send me your comments regarding what strategies you believe work for your self-care and how you most benefit from regular self-care practices.

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4. Article: Do not get sucked in!

Do negative or angry people at work get you down? Do friends or family members have major "dramas" going on that unnecessarily distract you? Does the world news from TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers cause you upset?

It is difficult to be positive, even healthy, with negative and angry feelings bombarding you daily. Negative environments can take their toll on the strongest and most positive people. "Sticking your head in the sand" will not fix the situation anymore than denial solves your problems.

It may be time to stand strong, face the demons, and protect yourself with a positive lifestyle of self-care.

In a recent movie that I saw, "Bowling for Columbine," one of many excellent points that were made, related to the effect of the news media creating sensationalism that creates fear, even paranoia, in American society. The fears and lack of understanding, and lack of acceptance of minorities in our society has created a belief that we must protect ourselves from everyone. We lock our doors. We arm ourselves. We can not enjoy our expensive toys, because we fear that someone will want to take these from us. The director of the movie visited Canada to prove one of his points. He walked down the streets of Canadian cities, walked up to the front doors on many homes, and found that the front doors were not locked. The murder rate is much lower in Canada, even though they have as many guns as Americans have per capita. Attitudes are different in Canada. Canadians do not get as sucked in to the media hype as Americans seem to do. Maybe they do not watch as much TV. Or maybe they do not spend as much time around combative, negative, hostile environments.

We must become aware of the pervasive negativity and then not get so caught up in its trap. Positive self-care can help you to be strong, healthy, and even positive in the face of raging anxieties. Eating carefully, physical exercise, and regular relaxation can give you the internal strength to defeat environmental craziness.

If all else fails, consider this visualization technique. At the end of your regular, daily relaxation, picture yourself surrounded by a protective cocoon of white light. This cocoon does not make you insensitive, it simply keeps others from dumping the fears and negativity on you. It can protect you from being "ripped off" of your joy, health, and positive attitudes. This mechanism creates awareness for your subconscious mind and reminds you that you do not have to be caught up in negativity, unconsciously.

I hope that this article offers you useful information.
Along the way, do not forget to take good care of yourself!

Good Health!
L. John Mason, Ph.D.