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As The Primary Care Giver for an Alzheimer’s Patient, How Can I Get a Break?
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Effects Of Stress On The Body
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How To Reduce Stress That Causes Hair Loss and Bad Hair
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Stress & Performance: How much is just right?
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What is a Career Anyway?
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Five Ways to Combat the Blues and Win
Five Ways to Combat the Blues and Win By Mike Moore
As Neil Diamond sang in his song Song Sung Blue “ Me and you are subject to the blues now and then...” Awe the blues!! Those feelings of joylessness, hopelessness, and blahness. They usually occur after a happy event, on the occurrence of something sad or simply for no other reason than it’s winter and we’re tired of it. They can also be brought on by a nostalgic trip down memory lane especially at Christmas or New Years. When we remember with fondness the “ good old days” and remain too long with our memories we run the risk of a bout with the blues. I always say that the past is a wonderful place to visit but a dangerous place to stay. Whenever the blues come they can suck the joy out of life and give new meaning to the word “down”.
Here are five ways to effectively combat the blues and win every time.
1. Put the blues in perspective.
It helps to remember that the blues are merely feelings - feelings that flow from our dominant thoughts and just like any other feelings, they pass. When we feel affectionate it passes. We don’t feel affectionate all the time. When we’re angry, the anger passes. The same applies to the blues. You’ll find that they pass more quickly if you don’t dwell on them. Just relax and wait for them to pass. While waiting here are a few effective strategies you can apply to ensure their quick passage.
2. Thought Replacement
If the blues come from our negative thoughts and we are able to control the thoughts we have then whenever we have a fearful, disturbing, lonely ,or depressing thought visualize it leaving your mind and being replaced by a happier more enjoyable one. Create a bank of happy, pleasant thoughts to use as replacements.
3. Forget yourself in the service of others.
I think it was Tennyson who said “ We must lose ourselves in action lest we wither is despair.” He was suffering the loss of a dear friend and found that serving others helped him forget his grief for awhile and helped him heal. There is nothing more effective than forgetting yourself in the service of other to banish the blues. “ I had the blues because I had no shoes when upon the street I met a man who had no feet.”
4. Learn how to relax.
Frequently the blues make an appearance when we are stressed and over-extended. Physical and mental relaxation help restore calmness and peace to our frantic lives and in the process enhance our resistance to the blues. By the way laughter is an excellent way to cut stress in half and promote healing relaxation. It is impossible to worry when we laugh and worry is one of the major stress inducers.
5. Look for the comedy in your chaos.
Funny things happen to us everyday. When they do most of us give a brief chuckle and move on with life. In my book “ Light Up With Laughter” I teach the art of “Mining the Moment” whereby I encourage my readers to extract every ounce of humor from the funny things that happen to us daily. When you do this and give yourself permission to laugh heartily and enjoy fully you reap the many therapeutic benefits laughter provides. It helps to constantly recall that life is just too serious to be taken seriously.
As the song says,the blues come to us all now and then. They are just part of the human condition. The next time you have the blues try some of these suggestions and experience how you too can combat the blues and win.
Mike Moore is an international speaker on “ Humor and Stress Management”, Humor in the Workplace” and “ Humor and Human Potential” His articles and cartoons have appeared in publications throughout Canada and the USA. http://www.motivationalplus.com
formatted 50 per line)
Five Ways to Combat the Blues and Win By Mike Moore
As Neil Diamond sang in his song Song Sung Blue “ Me and you are subject to the blues now and then...” Awe the blues!!
Those feelings of joylessness, hopelessness, and blahness. They usually occur after a happy event, on the occurrence of something sad or simply for no other reason than it’s winter and we’re tired of it. They can also be brought on by a nostalgic trip down memory lane especially at Christmas or New Years. When we remember with fondness the “ good old days” and remain too long with our memories we run the risk of a bout with the blues. I always say that the past is a wonderful place to visit but a dangerous place to stay. Whenever the blues come they can suck the joy out of life and give new meaning to the word “down”.
Here are five ways to effectively combat the blues and win every time.
1. Put the blues in perspective.
It helps to remember that the blues are merely feelings - feelings that flow from our dominant thoughts and just like any other feelings, they pass. When we feel affectionate it passes. We don’t feel affectionate all the time. When we’re angry, the anger passes. The same applies to the blues. You’ll find that they pass more quickly if you don’t dwell on them. Just relax and wait for them to pass. While waiting here are a few effective strategies you can apply to ensure their quick passage.
2. Thought Replacement
If the blues come from our negative thoughts and we are able to control the thoughts we have then whenever we have a fearful, disturbing, lonely ,or depressing thought visualize it leaving your mind and being replaced by a happier more enjoyable one. Create a bank of happy, pleasant thoughts to use as replacements.
3. Forget yourself in the service of others.
I think it was Tennyson who said “ We must lose ourselves in action lest we wither is despair.” He was suffering the loss of a dear friend and found that serving others helped him forget his grief for awhile and helped him heal. There is nothing more effective than forgetting yourself in the service of other to banish the blues. “ I had the blues because I had no shoes when upon the street I met a man who had no feet.”
4. Learn how to relax.
Frequently the blues make an appearance when we are stressed and over-extended. Physical and mental relaxation help restore calmness and peace to our frantic lives and in the process enhance our resistance to the blues. By the way laughter is an excellent way to cut stress in half and promote healing relaxation. It is impossible to worry when we laugh and worry is one of the major stress inducers.
5. Look for the comedy in your chaos.
Funny things happen to us everyday. When they do most of us give a brief chuckle and move on with life. In my book “ Light Up With Laughter” I teach the art of “Mining the Moment” whereby I encourage my readers to extract every ounce of humor from the funny things that happen to us daily. When you do this and give yourself permission to laugh heartily and enjoy fully you reap the many therapeutic benefits laughter provides. It helps to constantly recall that life is just too serious to be taken seriously.
As the song says,the blues come to us all now and then. They are just part of the human condition. The next time you have the blues try some of these suggestions and experience how you too can combat the blues and win.
Subscribe to Mike's newsletter Lifeline at http://www.motivationalplus.com
Mike Moore is an international speaker on “ Humor and Stress Management”, Humor in the Workplace” and “ Humor and Human Potential” His articles and cartoons have appeared in publications throughout Canada and the USA.
About the Author
Mike Moore is an international speaker/ humorist whose articles and cartoons have appeared in publications throughout Canada and the USA.
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Stress Management Tips and Techniques from Mind Tools |
More than 100 stress management tips and techniques, helping you manage the job-related stress in your life. |
www.mindtools.com |
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Stress Management Techniques, Stress Relief & Stress Reduction ... |
Mind Tools helps you manage the causes of stress and teaches useful stress management techniques. |
www.mindtools.com |
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Stress Management |
Stress Management. What is Stress? Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical ... |
www.ivf.com |
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Stress Management: Information and Resources on Stress From About.com |
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stress.about.com |
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Stress Management |
Links to stress management information on the web. |
www.pp.okstate.edu |
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Return to the Stress Management and Emotional Wellness Page ... Cognitive Restructuring Approaches to Stress Management ... |
www.imt.net |
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International Stress Management Association(UK) |
The leading professional body for stress management. The ISMA website has articles from their journal Stress News, links and general advice on lifestyle and ... |
www.isma.org.uk |
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Stress Management for Patient and Physician |
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www.mentalhealth.com |
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Stress Management: Counseling Services, University at Buffalo |
The description on stress management. ... Stress Management. Introduction Stress is a part of day to day living. As college students you may experience ... |
ub-counseling.buffalo.edu |
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Stress Management and Anxiety Relief |
Welcome to stressmanagement.co.uk - We specialise in managing your stress. |
www.stressmanagement.co.uk |
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Stress Management for effective ways to manage stress |
Our stress management services allows you to find the solutions to all types of stress. We also have professional stress management counsellors available 7 ... |
www.stressmanagement.com.au |
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Stress Management--UIUC Counseling Center |
Self-help Brochures. What is Stress? Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; ... |
www.couns.uiuc.edu |
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The Stress Management Society |
Congratulations to taking the first step to freedom from the stress trap. This is the place to learn more about stress and its management. |
www.stress.org.uk |
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Stress management - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Stress management encompasses techniques intended to equip a person with effective ... Definition of stress: Stress management defines stress precisely as a ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Stress |
Stress Management. Everyone experiences stress from time to time, so it is perfectly normal ... Fortunately, stress management is largely a learnable skill. ... |
www.cyberpsych.com |
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SBC Academic Resource Center | Stress Management |
With stress management training, you can learn to avoid procrastination and other stress-producing situations. Stress Quiz: How Stressed Are You? ... |
www.arc.sbc.edu |
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Mind Tools - How to Master Stress |
3. Stress Management Techniques. Raising Stress Levels - Psyching Up · Stress Reduction Techniques · Reducing Short-Term Stress - Mental Techniques ... |
www.psywww.com |
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Stress, stress management, occupational stress, stress prevention ... |
A recent survey showed that 70-90% of us feel stressed at work and outside. Unless we learn to manage stress, we will get sick. |
www.holisticonline.com |
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HSE - Stress Management Standards Homepage |
The International Stress Management Association has produced a leaflet showing how employees can work with their employers to tackle work-related stress ... |
www.hse.gov.uk |
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Stress Management Tips for Stressed and Overworked People. |
Free weekly stress management tips and relaxation CD plus practical resources for stressed people. |
www.stresstips.com |
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