Autumn Stress-Busters: Balancing…BEFORE the "Fall"
Author: Susie Mantell

Fall seems to be about beginnings and endings. Businesses gearing up for new projects and end-of-year reports. Kids starting back to school, as "To Do" lists grow and kitchen calendars fill. For many, juggling responsibilities each September necessitates some skillful "balancing". Everyday demands combine to create a climate in which Stress is becoming a routine part of daily living. And we're paying for it; in everyday irritability, stress-related-illness, depression, addictions, decreased energy and quality of our lives. It’s a good idea to collect a variety of realistic, stress-relief tools, consistent with personal lifestyles and belief systems. As Fall begins,here are some quick tips for finding… and maintaining your equilibrium!
Tip #1 Stress Happens
A lighter look at "the stuff that makes you crazy…" :
- Waking at 3 AM to: a) smoke detector b) car alarm c) wrong number
- Proposal due at 10. New client meeting at 10:15. "School nurse on line one."
- In a hurry. Out the door... keys are inside.
- "I’m sorry. Would you like to try a DIFFERENT credit card?"
- Any phone call that begins, "Hello, Sir (Ma’am). How are you this evening?"
- Voice-mail holds you hostage to accordion rendition of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon."
- The words, "I’ve got good news and bad news..."
- "I'm afraid your policy doesn’t cover that."
- An afternoon at DMV... in the wrong line...and it’s now 4:59 PM.

Tip #2 Stress Compromises Health
…and depresses mood, depletes energy and self-esteem, taxes relationships and drains organizations. Each week this Fall try one of these and see which feel right for you!

Quick Tips for Mind-Body Wellness
- Tense? Irritable? Depressed? Reducing sugar, caffeine and alcohol consumption just may do the trick!
- Take a "well" day. Take off your watch and go for an aimless walk and look at the Autumn leaves. Find 6 beautiful things, and 6 that make you laugh.
- Hugs... Massage... Orgasms all release endorphins and inform the body that all is well. Take your pick!
- Teas That Please:
Stress? Chamomile. Digestion? Ginger. Energy? Peppermint.
- When all else fails …Go to Bed! Things always look a little brighter in the morning…

Tip #3 Stress is Cumulative
Therefore its harmful effects are also cumulative. But so is Stress-Reduction. And ongoing relaxation practices are like money in the bank for a rainy day. As the Fall pace picks up, see which of these sound like fun..

Simple Soothers
- 1-Minute Speed-Whine: Find a friend, set a timer and take turns whining about everything you can fit into 1 minute. If you whine fast enough, you'll end up laughing—The best stress-buster of all!
- Make time to be with good, trusted friends (…or to make some!)
- Do something for somebody else. Feed an expired meter, smile at a stranger…just because...
- Curl up and read something of no educational value whatsoever.
- Indulge in a 'Non-Working Bath'. No shaving or shampooing allowed. Light candles & luxuriate…


Tip #4 Your Mother Was Right…

A good nights sleep makes a world of difference to bust stress and promote overall well-being. The advent of overnight and "instant" everything, has created a society working harder, longer and faster. The resulting sleep deprivation creates tension, irritability and compromises immunity. (NOTE: If waking during the night is a problem, keep soothing music or a relaxation tape ready-to-go on your night table, simply press "play" and rediscover restful, restorative sleep.)

Overtired? Overwhelmed?
Desk-Side Brain-Vacation: Round Trip in 5-Min. Flat!
- Turn off the phone. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Hang "Do Not Disturb" on your door (Mean it!)
- Closing your eyes, settle them on a far-off horizon as you notice muscles around your eyes already beginning to release.
- Inhaling into the belly; exhale through the shoulders, as your neck and jaw, cheeks, scalp all begin to soften.
- Imagine shimmering light showering over your head and shoulders... cascading into the heart, lungs, dissolving words and images, any aches it finds along the way.
- See yourself exactly where you would like to be today. Bermuda? A mountain cabin? Your grandmother's kitchen?
- Imagine it in great detail, complete with body sensations, sounds, smells. Luxuriate in your dream vacation.
- When the timer is up, travel back slowly to resume your day refreshed.
- Bon Voyage!






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Stress-relief expert Susie Mantell's award-winning relaxation CD,"Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace" has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, NBC,ABC -TV, Billboard, Town & Country, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The American Pain Society, Hazelden, and is clinically approved to soothe stress, sleeplessness, PTSD and depression. Listeners include The Mayo Clinic, and Canyon Ranch ("BEST SPA.") Customizing programs for Fortune 500 companies, distinguished medical centers and spas, Mantell's techniques are seen in leading magazines, syndicated media, medical and corporate newsletters. [Copyright 2000, '01,'02,'03,'04 All rights reserved. Federal law prohibits use of this content in whole or part without written consent of Relax. . .Intuit (tm)L.L.C. Kindly email reprint requests to info@relaxintuit.com. Find more of Susie's
stress-relief tips, and order "Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace" at:
http://www.relaxintuit.com



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