Stress, Crisis and Chaos Reduction in 5 Steps

Kim Wolinski, MSW
"Dr. DeClutter" www.DrDeClutter.com

70-95% of all physicians office visits are due to stress related complaints. Do you feel overwhelmed once in a while (maybe a lot?) and just don't know where to start stopping the chaos? Is it effecting your life?

Here are 5 steps that will help you nip stress, crisis, chaos and overwhelm in the bud.

1. FEED YOUR BRAIN
Stop everything and take a big breath. Fear and stress create hours of shallow breathing keeping oxygen and blood from your brain. Make sure you've had sufficient protein so that low blood sugar isn't one more nasty culprit for your internal spinning to continue and inability to reason well.

2. CHANGE YOUR MIND
Make a right now decision to shift your mind, your thoughts and mental energy to something proactive. Is your situation terrible? Life looks like many things as it's happening, doesn't it? No one is exempt. Good, bad, happy, sad... change your mind about it, your thoughts and perspective. You have total control over this. I know, "Yea, but... you don't understand... " Yes, I do understand... this is your moment of choice, right now, your point of surrender. Choose your path. Change your focus, or you will go the downward spiral into more fear, stress, overwhelm, depression, despair, apathy....

3. MOVE
Adrenaline and hormones gone wild from fear triggers and surges from the brain are pulsing through your body like a wild fire. Give them an option, an outlet to flow positively. We are generally a couch/computer potato society... not good for the eyes, body, butt, back or brain! Put on some music you love and dance, go for a walk, jump up and down, do something to move your energy and put some fun back into your life no matter what your situation. Give your brain something else to think about and your adrenaline a good place to go.

4. F.O.C.U.S.
I love creating acronyms. Here's a good one. F.O.C.U.S. Feelings Of Clarity Under Stress.
Learn to ask yourself this question as soon as something "hits the fan," "What can I do about it NOW?" Then, go do that. Or, if nothing can be done now, move onto what you need to be doing in your day. Focus on this moment first, then the next 1/2 day and the day, then the week, etc. Pre-plan as you can, and let the rest go. Dance some more.

5. TAKE ACTION
From your options in #4 do what it is you can do and get past it. If you don't, your procrastination will cause more stress. For some people this can become debilitating mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically, causing dis-ease. Keep dancing!

TIP: Go see the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know!"

(C)2004 Kim Wolinski, MSW
Author, speaker and published in national magazines.
http://redecisionsinstitute.com/kims_keynotes.html to view speaker topics and more.
Kim Wolinski, MSW, "Dr. DeClutter", International Speaker and Author. Past President of the National Speakers Association - Colorado Chapter.