{"id":6903,"date":"2014-05-13T01:00:20","date_gmt":"2014-05-13T05:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allandouglas.dougbittinger.com\/blog\/?p=6903"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:39","slug":"defuse-stress-bomb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/defuse-stress-bomb\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Defuse the Stress Time Bomb"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"stress<\/a>Everyone knows that stress is a bad thing.\u00a0 Too much stress leads to many health problems and can be a major contributor to a seriously shortened life span.\u00a0 Stress also tends to take the joy out of our lives.\u00a0 Attempting to eliminate stress is a fruitless task because stress is a natural by-product of our modern lives.\u00a0 If we are attempting to make a living, pay our bills, feed our family, keep up with all the goings-ons of our family and friends, stress will result.\u00a0 Even if we become mega-millionaires and retire to a beach in Maui to sip margaritas for the rest of our lives, stress will search us out. So, if we can not avoid it, we must learn to manage it.\u00a0 Fortunately, that is not as hard as we might think. \u00a0We may still have deadlines to meet, and writer\u2019s block to climb over, and writing to do, but if we can get the anxiety under control, all that will be easier to deal with too.\u00a0 Here are come of my favorite ways to defuse the time-bomb of stress. \u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Physical Activity.<\/strong>\u00a0 Even gentle exercise produces endorphins in our body that make us feel good.\u00a0\u00a0 For me, a brisk walk along our mountain road does a great job of pushing anxiety out, getting fresh air in and clearing the cobwebs of stress that threaten to ensnare me.\u00a0 Gentle stretching, like toe touches can work wonders to get the kinks out of my back and shoulders after a stint at the keyboard.<\/li>\n
  2. Deep Breathing.<\/strong>\u00a0 Speaking of fresh air, here\u2019s another simple, effective way to regain calmness; breathe in through your nose to a slow count of three, hold for three counts, then exhale through your mouth for three counts.\u00a0 This is a good way to keep from exploding when something goes badly, and it is a really good way to relax before laying down to sleep.<\/li>\n
  3. Water.<\/strong>\u00a0 The human body is about 62% water (by weight).\u00a0 You knew that your body is mostly water, but if you are feeling tired or stressed or have a headache, how often to you reach for a glass of water as a remedy?\u00a0 Often these things are brought on by mild dehydration and simply replenishing the water supply will help you feel better.<\/li>\n
  4. Grab a Snack.<\/strong>\u00a0 Hunger lowers your blood sugar level, leading to decreased energy, difficulty concentrating, headache, and even dizziness.\u00a0 If you are feeling stressed or grouchy, ask yourself when you last ate a proper meal.\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about a can of Pringles, but real food with nutritional content.\u00a0 If it has been longer than 3 or 4 hours, seek out food.\u00a0 If not a real meal then at least a healthy snack like a granola bar and a glass of fruit juice.<\/li>\n
  5. Change Your View.<\/strong>\u00a0 Part of what helps me in item #1 above, is simply getting something other than my four walls and computer screen to look at for a while.\u00a0 Quite often changing my surroundings will jiggle a good idea loose or help me let loose of some bit of stress that I had in a death grip.<\/li>\n
  6. Conversation.<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019m not an especially social person, but even I can\u2019t go more than a few days without talking to someone before I start feeling isolated and neglected.\u00a0 If you feel this form of stress too, it\u2019s time to call on a neighbor or arrange a lunch date with a friend. \u00a0\u00a0A phone call may do in a pinch, but the real psychological benefit of interaction is gained through face-to-face contact.<\/li>\n
  7. Pampering.<\/strong>\u00a0 When I worked at a publishing company in Wisconsin I stopped at a health club on my way to work 3 times a week for a 30 minute workout, 10 minutes in the sauna, and a shower. \u00a0\u00a0This went a long way to helping me feel my best and keeping me energized.\u00a0 Women may prefer a facial or manicure.\u00a0 Any of us can enjoy a long hot bath or shower to help pipe off the stress and unknot the muscles at the end of a day.<\/li>\n
  8. Diversion.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 A really good way to take your mind off of stressful things is to distract it. \u00a0Work on a hobby that you genuinely enjoy, read a good novel, watch a great movie.\u00a0 Even if your diversion is gardening – not something you normally engage in at 9:00 at night – you can browse seed catalogs or read a gardening magazine to learn how others deal with gardening issues; but try to keep it light – do not fall into \u201cresearch mode\u201d.<\/li>\n
  9. Seek A Higher Power.<\/strong>\u00a0 Even if you are someone who goes into anaphylactic shock at the mention of religion, finding something powerful and solid outside of yourself to inspire you can be helpful.\u00a0 I used to volunteer with a 12 step recovery program.\u00a0 All participants had to select a higher power.\u00a0 One fellow chose an enormous oak tree in his front yard because it was so solid and reliable.\u00a0 That worked for him.\u00a0 I start my days with 20 to 30 minutes of prayer and find this helps me stay centered on what is really important in life.<\/li>\n
  10. Chocolate. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0do realize that not everyone\u00a0enjoys chocolate as much as I do; if you don\u2019t care for it, choose a treat you do enjoy and use it as a reward.\u00a0 I would never advocate gorging on a one pound Big Block; you must control yourself. \u00a0However allowing yourself a small amount of hedonism after a full day (especially if it was a successful day) \u00a0is a nice way to pat yourself on the back and say, \u201cGood job\u201d. \u00a0Appreciating your own efforts is a good way to defuse that ticking time bomb of stress.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How about you?\u00a0 Do you have other ways to defuse stress?\u00a0 What works best for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    More Stress-busters<\/h2>\n

    http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Video\/playerIndex?id=10182451<\/a> Stress in Men<\/p>\n

    http:\/\/health.discovery.com\/videos\/health-tips-stress-reducing-tips.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Everyone knows that stress is a bad thing.  Too much stress leads to many health problems and can be a major contributor to a seriously shortened life span.  Stress also tends to take the joy out of our lives.  Attempting to eliminate stress is a fruitless task because stress is a natural by-product of our … Continue reading “How to Defuse the Stress Time Bomb”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[56],"class_list":["post-6903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational","tag-mental-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6903"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19671,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6903\/revisions\/19671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}