Hello Everyone,

I don’t know about you but it seems that the older I get the more susceptible I am to stress.  I remember a time when, as a young man, I felt as though I had all the time in the world.  Now it feels as though I am the last man to finish in a one-man race; and the clock is ticking.  (Smile)

I remember a time when almost nothing stressed me out but now-a-days, if feels as though everything gets to me, like the following:

Waiting for my W2s to arrive safely in the mail.
Hoping that my tax return does not trigger an IRS audit.
Hoping that a little patch of dry skin on my knee is not the beginnings of some slow-moving flesh-eating disease from Hell. 
Sitting in an examination room waiting to be seen by my doctor.
Sitting in a doctor’s office, waiting for a friend to be seen by his/her doctor.
Noticing a tiny strand of hair at the bottom of a restaurant glass whose content I just gulped down.
Shaking someone’s hand that is slightly damp just after the person returns from the restroom.
Standing in line behind someone who, while trying to avoid contaminating the person to whom she/he is speaking, turns sharply around in my direction and coughs up half a lung.
Having to sit on a public toilet without benefit of that cheap, thin, and most definitely worthless seat-napkin.
Using a friend’s toilet after having ingested a large quantity of fake, died, and fried fast-food-squeezins the night before.
Trying to recall if I turned off the gas before leaving the house.
Trying to remember if I turned off all of the small electric appliances that can cause a home to go up in flames while at the same time voiding any homeowner’s insurance policy.
Trying to remember if I turned off all of the water faucets before walking out the front door.
Struggling to remember if I left the cats enough food and water while I am being roughly groped by some big barnyard of a woman at airport security.
Wondering if I remembered to shut the garage door as the taxi I just entered takes a death-defying dive into oncoming traffic.
Hoping that my underwear which I donned in the wee hours of the morning doesn’t have any holes in case my broken body has to be pulled from the mangled twisted and smoldering yellow wreckage that didn’t quite finish the dive only moments before.
Wondering if anyone will attempt to resurrect that old PC I just dumped and discover some dirty little secret I forgot to erase like the fact that once upon a time I had a huge crush on my cousin’s best friend’s mother’s best friend’s aunt’s second cousin’s oldest sister.
Wondering if my cats would attempt to eat me if they were bigger than I.
Wondering how long it would take me to change my identity, so no one could find me, if I were to win the California Super Lotto.

Don’t stress-out like me; read the following article from Everyday Health, and learn how to quickly reduce your tension level, on the fly.

Enjoy,

Mark

NOTE:
A link to the original article is located at the bottom of this post.

3 QUICK WAYS TO RELIEVE STRESS

1.
WHEN YOU’VE GOT ONE MINUTE:
Place your hand just beneath your navel so you can feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you breathe. Breathe in. Pause for a count of three. Breathe out. Pause for a count of three. Continue to breathe deeply for one minute, pausing for a count of three after each inhalation and exhalation.

2.
WHEN YOU’VE GOT THREE MINUTES:
While sitting down, take a break from whatever you’re doing and check your body for tension. Relax your facial muscles and allow your jaw to fall open slightly. Let your shoulders drop. Let your arms fall to your sides. Allow your hands to loosen so that there are spaces between your fingers. Uncross your legs or ankles. Feel your thighs sink into your chair, letting your legs fall comfortably apart. Feel your shins and calves become heavier and your feet grow roots into the floor. Now breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Each time you breathe out, try to relax even more.

3.
WHEN YOU’VE GOT 10 MINUTES:
Try imagery. Start by sitting comfortably in a quiet room. Breathe deeply and evenly for a few minutes. Now picture yourself in a special place. Choose an image that conjures up good memories. What do you smell — the heavy scent of roses on a hot day, crisp fall air, the aroma of baking bread? What do you hear? Drink in the colors and shapes that surround you. Focus on sensory pleasures: the swoosh of a gentle wind, the soft cool grass tickling your feet. Passively observe intrusive thoughts and then gently disengage from them to return to the world you’ve created.

Click Here to go to the original article containing many helpful links and resources.