It is now easier than ever to travel for work or for pleasure. However, with travel becoming a more common part of modern life, travel stress as also become a common element of life. Fortunately, there are a few stress relief strategies that you can use to manage your travel stress.

Stay Organized
One of the most common causes of travel stress is a lack of organization. This is particularly true on business trips. When you travel it is important to organize all of your travel items so that they are easy to find when you need them. Organization can be facilitated with a great travel bag. When shopping for a travel bag make sure that it has the compartments and features that you need, such as straps, mesh pockets and exterior compartments for shoes.

Exercise While On the Road
Travel stress can also be managed with exercise. When you select a hotel to stay at you will want to look for one that has a 24 hour gym or at least a swimming pool. This will give you the option to get in a short workout each day. These workouts will help release endorphins, they will help relive muscle tension and they will help you to unwind after a long flight or a long day of site seeing.

Plan Ahead
While it is fun to be spontaneous and adventurous when traveling, a lack of preparation can create a lot of travel stress. It is better to plan ahead for the big things related to your travel and then allow smaller side trips be spur of the moment. You will want to plan out where you will be staying and how you will get there. You will also want to plan ahead for exchanging money, if needed, and you will want to identify where to find help, if needed. Planning for your basic travel needs will allow you to take advantage of exciting adventures and activities once you get to your destination.

Be Prepared
Traveling is a lot of fun, but it takes you out of the environment that you are used to. In order to deal with problems that may arise when you are traveling you need to be prepared to take care of issues that arise. For example, if you have a medical condition you will want to have your doctor fax your prescriptions to a pharmacy in the city you will be traveling to, you may also want to take out a medical travel insurance policy to ensure you can afford to pay for an emergency extraction or an emergency flight back to your home town. Knowing that you are prepared for emergencies will help lower your stress level by eliminating things to worry about.

Holiday stress is something that turns a time of year that should be joyful into something that is dreaded and emotionally traumatizing. Most of the problem develops from being overwhelmed by the pace of the holiday season, as the season is marked with extra financial burdens, extra housework, extra shopping and extra socializing. In order to survive this holiday season you need to learn how to manage your holiday stress.

Pay Attention to Your Health
All the extra stress that comes with the holidays can really impair your immune system. This impairment can make your more susceptible to illnesses, like the flu. To help preserve your health you need to pay close attention to what you are eating and to the amount of exercise that you are getting.

Proper nutrition during the holiday season can help you to avoid gaining holiday weight and it can also help your body to deal with holiday stress. Getting daily exercise will also help to keep you healthy and to reduce your holiday stress levels. A great way to reduce holiday stress is to simply take 30 to 60 minutes to go for a walk, to take an exercise class or to lift weights.

Manage Your Time
One of the reasons why you get stressed during the holidays is that your schedule gets overbooked with things that you need to do. You can reduce your holiday stress by simply managing your time more aggressively. Plan out all of the things that you need to get done and do not leave everything for the last minute. Also, try to give yourself at least 15 minutes a day to just relax and soak in some peace and quiet. Use your watch to time your break.

Holiday Exposure
During the holidays your exposure to stress increases dramatically. The streets are overcrowded, the stores are overcrowded and the noise and visual stimulation that you are exposed to is magnified with holiday decorations and music. With all of these stressors competing for your attention it is no wonder why you feel so crazy during the last two months of the year. To manage your holiday stress you can limit your exposure to holiday madness. You can do this by planning your shopping during hours that are less crowded and by limiting the number of trips into town that you make.

Resources
http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/features/tips-for-reducin...

Each day we are exposed to thousands of images and sounds. These things are used to communicate information from one person or group to another. However, while we need these interactions with information on a daily basis, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information that is presented to us in the form of electronic media, printed media and auditory media. Overexposure to information can lead to information stress which can cause headaches, anxiety, paranoia and other socio-emotional problems. Fortunately there are several ways to manage information stress.

Control Your Exposure to Information

The first thing that you can do to manage your information stress is to control the amount of information you are exposed to each day. You can do this by selecting to avoid certain information sources and by limiting the amount of time you actively search for information that is not essential to your daily chores. By limiting how much exposure you have to information you will improve your mind’s ability to process the information that it is exposed to.

Find a Point of Balance

On a daily basis we actively and passively are exposed to information. Passive information gathering is done by absorbing information that is found in our environment. Information is found everywhere including billboards, television, radio and through conversations that we engage in directly or indirectly. Active information gathering occurs when we mindfully select to search for information.

In order to reduce your information stress you need to find a point of balance for your active and passive information gathering tendencies. This point of balance can be accomplished by giving your mind a break through meditation, nature hikes and other non-informational experiences. It can also be done by moderating your information gathering behaviors.

Meditation and Relaxation

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information that you are exposed to then you need to consider meditation. Meditation is a great exercise for mind relaxation. To practice meditation you will want to slip into comfortable clothing and a pair of cozy slippers . Then you will want to find a quiet spot that can be darkened. Relax, focus on your breathing and try to block out words, sounds and other sources of information. Do this for 15 to 20 minutes a day and you will notice your information stress level will be reduced.

References:
Seaward, Brian Luke. (2004). Managing Stress: A Creative Journal, Third Edition. Mississauga, ON: Jones and Bartlett Publishers Canada.

No matter how excited you were about your new fitness frenzy attitude a few weeks back, there will come a time when the motivation level hits an all time low. Getting into a new exercise routine is great, but it’s the consistency of the workouts that will get you the results you crave. Unfortunately, many people simply give up after a series of missed workouts, or from sheer boredom. Don’t be the next victim of workout burnout! Prepare yourself for the dip in motivation by jazzing up your workout routine with some of these simple strategies:

1. Pump up the jam. Workout to music that really gets you going so that you can have fun while you move! Create a special soundtrack just for your workouts, and change things up every few weeks.

2. Buy some new workout shoes . A fresh new pair of sneakers may be just what you need to get back into gym-mode again. If you’ve been wearing the same shoes to workout in for several months, you may even be causing some serious damage to your calves and heels. Take the time to get fitted for a pair of sneakers so you can protect your feet and legs from the impact of your workout routine, and power up your workouts instantly.

3. Bring a friend along. Have you been doing your workout solo all this time? Bring along a friend and show them the moves. Teaching someone else a few exercises you’ve mastered is a great way to improve your skills and take your mind off the workout. Plus, making the commitment to help someone else to get in shape might help you do the same.

4. Watch what you’re eating. Make sure you’re not eating a heavy or non-nutritious meal before your workout, because the wrong types of foods can make your energy levels fizzle. Eat right so your body is physically prepared for the exercise routine ahead.

5. Maintain a separate workout calendar. Even if you’ve become good at penciling in your workouts as a to-do item in your regular calendar, stay motivated by creating a dedicated workout calendar that keeps track of all of those gym visits. It’s a simple and effective way to visualize your progress!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday are everyone’s favorite days of the week. You finish work for the week, and the kids are out of school. The weekend schedules are usually less hectic and more flexible, and you can break out all of your most comfortable clothes. What’s not to love? But even though it’s the weekend, there are still places to go, people to see and things to get done. If you’re like me, those people, places and things often get pushed off until the last minute or aren’t tended to at all! Fortunately, just the slightest bit of organization and planning can make your weekend even more relaxing.

Say you’ve promised to have dinner with the in-laws and take your son to play at his best friend’s house sometime over the weekend. Not knowing when you’ll be doing those things can add stress to your weekend, and it’s simple to get around. Call the in-laws during the week and nail down a night and time for dinner. Call the mother of your son’s friend and decide when and where the play date will be. Then record your scheduled to-dos for the weekend in a calendar or planner for easy access.

Other weekend tasks may not be so set in stone, but you know they still need to get done – and you’ll feel bad on Monday if they haven’t. Sit down on Saturday morning and make a list of what you need to do, things like running the laundry, changing the sheets and grocery shopping. Start marking your list first thing on Saturday and get it done as soon as possible. Once your to-do list is all done, you’re free to be as lazy as you want. And who doesn’t like that?

In last week’s blog entry, we discussed some of the ways you can cope with
stress. But what if you could prevent stress from happening in the first place?
Wouldn’t it be nice to live a stress-free life? While that might not be entirely
possible, there are steps you can take to prevent most of the stress in your
life. In this week’s blog, we’ll discuss some of the best ways to prevent
stress.

One of the best ways to prevent stress is to take control of your life. How
is that possible? First, you need to buy a planner . If you
already have a planner, use it! So many people carry planners around and write
down appointments, but what about the rest of your life? It may sound time
consuming, but making a daily schedule can prevent much of the stress you’re
experiencing. Just think about all the times you thought you could remember
everything you needed to do that day and then you remembered a forgotten task.
It’s enough to make anyone’s day stressful. A planner not only helps you
remember, but it ensures everything gets done in a timely manner.

Another way to ensure stress stays at bay is to say no. No is a powerful word
that gives you control over your life. The next time someone asks you to do
something last minute, politely turn them down. Explain to them that you’ve made
previous commitments and aren’t available. Tell them that if they give you
enough notice, you’d be happy to help out in the future.

Last, but not least, remember the importance of me time. We spoke about it
last week, but it really is worth mentioning a second time. When you write out
your schedule, make sure there is time for your favorite activity. Your body and
mind will thank you.

I hope these tips help you cut at least some of the stress out of your life.
You can’t escape stress all together, but it doesn’t have to rule your life.

As I discussed last week, the physical and mental experience of stress can actually be used to your advantage. Although stress is blamed for a surprising range of personal problems today, it can be used to restructure different aspects of your life to actually prevent stress in the future. You may be thinking, how on earth is that possible?

Like fear and pain, stress is your body or mind’s way of telling you that something is wrong. When you’re afraid, you usually know what you’re afraid of. When you’re in pain, you usually know what’s hurting you. But when people are stressed out, they usually treat the symptoms (headaches, tight muscles, anxiety), assuming there’s nothing they can do about the source of stress.And, of course, the source of some stress can’t be mitigated. Instead of treating only the symptoms, try starting at the source. It’s easier than you think.

For instance, many people experience significant stress associated with their jobs – be it difficult bosses, snarky co-workers or the potential for job loss. But when you come home after work feeling so wound up that you can’t think straight, try writing down exactly what it is at work that stresses you out. You may feel that your boss isn’t happy with your job performance . In that situation, what can you control? If you’re concerned about your boss, go directly to him or her. Ask if there’s any additional work you can take on or anything they see that you can do to improve your job performance. It makes you look responsible and concerned, and it may make your boss reevaluate the way he or she views you as an employee.

Fortunately, we’re not helpless victims of our problems. Take control of the issues your body and mind are making you aware of through stress. You’ll feel more in control and experience less stress, regardless of the outcome.

It doesn’t matter how healthy you try to be, stress can always undo all your hard work. Who hasn’t experienced coming home after a long day and skipping dinner because you’re too tired and stressed to eat? Or, even worse, a bag of chips and a candy bar are washed down with a large bottle of soda. Stress can ruin a healthy lifestyle. Learning to cope with stress should definitely be a healthy lifestyle change you make in the New Year. In this week’s blog, we’ll begin to discuss some of the ways you can handle stress so that it doesn’t ruin your healthy lifestyle.

Many people find that working out helps relieve stress. This is a wonderful way to reduce stress levels, because exercise is healthy. It isn’t for everyone though. Some of us are simply too wiped out by stress to be able to exercise. When I get stressed out, I turn to relaxing activities. First of all, I brew myself a cup of tea. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of summer; a cup of hot tea always relaxes me. Best of all, I add a bit of Splenda to make it seem like a treat. Then, I turn on some music or get out a book to read. In other words, I take a bit of me time. Taking time for yourself allows you to escape, if only for a few moments.

A few other activities that seem to reduce stress levels include cooking, baking, gardening and crafts. The key is to choose something that you love doing but never have time for. Heck, sometimes all it takes is skipping that quick shower and enjoying a long, hot bath.

What are you waiting for? Break out the casserole dish , book, gardening tools or whatever makes you happy and say goodbye to stress. Also, don’t forget to keep tuning in for more ways to cope with stress.