While there are many aromatherapy oils specifically useful for stress, you need to choose the one you feel most happy with.  For many women, geranium or clary sage are great favourites, and most people love the soothing aroma of lavender.  If you haven’t used aromatherapy oils before, start off by buying one or two of the less expensive oils as follows:

Lavender oil - one of the least expensive, but most useful and effective oils.  Every medicine cabinet should include a bottle.  It is also one of the only oils you can use neat on the skin.  Lavender is calming and soothing and will also help you to sleep at night.  Put a drop on your pillow - or rub a drop into your temples for a stress headache.

Geranium - has a pleasant fragrance, often used in perfumes and other toiletries.  Geranium has a balancing effect so is very good for mood swings, PMT or menopausal problems. 

Rosemary - this is a stimulating oil and is best used in the case of emotional exhaustion or when worry has left you feeling drained. 

When you are ready to try a few more oils, I recommend the following:

Clary sage - This is a very uplifting oil so is good for feelings of depression and is also very effective for tension and insomnia.  Also an excellent oil for PMT and exhaustion.

Chamomile (Roman) - Soothing and relaxing, this oil is very good for a restless mind and anxiety.

Sandalwood - a beautiful fragrance also used in perfumes, this is helpful in cases of fear and anxiety, irritability and nervousness.

Neroli - One of the best oils for stress and shock, and extremely useful in the case of bereavement, hysteria, mental strain and restlessness.

How to use the oils.

The three most effective methods of using oils are:

Massage - blend 2 or 3 of your favourite oils with a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil or sunflower oil.  You only need about 5 drops per 10ml of carrier oil.  Get someone to massage your whole body, or massage your shoulders and neck.

In the bath - add around 4-5 drops of your favourite oils to your bath.  Light some candles, play some soft music, slide in and enjoy!

Diffusers & burners - burn a blend of 2-3 oils in an oil burner.

You can also buy ready made blends specifically for stress or other conditions.  Have a look in your local health shop.

Using aromatherapy for stress is probably one of the most pleasant ways of treating yourself, especially when combined with a hot bath or slow massage!

Ros Bott

The ‘fight or flight’ response is purely intended to help you in immediate situations, and is not meant to be a long term solution. Unfortunately, in today’s world the things that cause stress tend to be ongoing situations such as debt worries or a demanding job. A raging bull seems almost preferable to many of the stressors of our daily lives.

Our bodies are not physically able to cope with this extended response. The constant release of chemicals and hormones that the body produces in the natural fight or flight response does us no good in the long run.

If your modern stressors continue for a long period of time it could cause major health problems. Long term stress is a serious matter and should not be ignored.

Symptoms that should not be ignored include:

• chest pains
• Palpitations
• Frequent indigestion
• Frequent headaches or migraines
• Nausea and/or heartburn
• Constipation and/or diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Loss of appetite
• Skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis
• Hair loss
• Frequent viral infections such as colds or flu
• Back and neck pain
• Menstrual problems or erectile disfunction

If you suffer from more than one of these conditions, then it is very important that you get medical advice before trying to treat yourself.

Dealing with the causes of your stress, and taking action to relieve feelings of stress will help to alleviate these conditions, but you should always make sure that you also receive any necessary medical treatment if there is a more serious physical condition.

You will help your body’s recovery and help to alleviate your stress by eating a healthy, well balanced diet, not skipping meals, getting daily exercise and cutting down on stimulants such as coffee and soda drinks. Make sure you get enough sleep and spend some time during each day relaxing or involved in some enjoyable activity such as a hobby.

The best way to deal with anxiety over a specific problem, is to deal with the problem. If the problem is out of your control (such as a relative’s illness) then make sure that you have a close friend or family member who you can talk to and share your feelings. If you feel stuck, it may help to talk things over with a professional counsellor or therapist.

Although you may not be always able to solve the problems that are causing stress, there is always something you can do to change the way you react to your problems. Try to put things in perspective by looking at the big picture. In other words, ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’. Take a break and get away from what’s worrying you - you may find it’s not as bad as you thought when you come back to it, and sometimes you may find the solution by getting some distance. Remember that the way you respond to stress is something that you can control, even if you cannot control the thing that’s causing it.

While it is important to treat the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety, it is equally important that you deal with the causes of your stress, and/or the way you respond to it.

To make it easier, you might like to have a look at what Tripleclicks have to offer.  While of course it is not the only place where you can buy supplements online, they do provide many discounted and excellent brands that contain 100% natural ingredients. 

Tripleclicks is owned by Secure Futures International (SFI), and is a venue for people to buy and sell goods online.  SFI produce some of their own health products under the brand name Veruni, but there also plenty of other brands who sell natural health products on Tripleclicks.

To browse the Health and Wellness section of Tripleclicks, click HERE.

Altnernatively, have a look at the following products, specifically formulated to relieve stress and anxiety:

Planetary Formulas Stress Free - “Combines three primary classes of botanicals-calmatives, nervines and tonifiers-to support the internal system against the pressures of external stressors”

Advanced Holistics 4 Way Stress Support System - “Provides herbs to strengthen the Heart and Liver Systems while providing a wealth of Shen. It also provides herbs that clear the stagnation of Qi in the Liver, and that stabilize the Shen of the Heart. ”

Tension RX  - Helps to relieve tension and ease mental fatigue

Stress-Defy Balanced and Relaxed - “Specially formulated to create a healthy stress response by promoting relaxation, mental clarity and replenishing stress-fighting reserves.”

There are many more stress and other health supplements at Tripleclicks.  They have a very wide range of products and you should be able to find the stress relief supplement that’s right for you.

Workplace stress can be split into two categories:  external stress and internal stress.

External stress is caused by things outside of yourself which may sometimes be beyond your control.  Loud factory noise, continual interruptions by co-workers or too many complaining customers are all examples of external stressors.  All too often employees think these things are too trivial or beyond their control, and therefore do not do anything about them.  However, you should not ignore anything that is causing you stress.

Identifying the cause of your stress is the first step in your ability to handle it.  Even if a problem cannot be completely resolved, talking with someone about it in a calm way can help to make some changes in your environment that will improve the situation.

Internal stressors are more to do with your own feelings and perceptions.  These may be feelings of inadequacy or dissatisfaction, or simply that you feel you are not properly rewarded for the work you do.

Again, ignoring this problem is the worst thing you can do as it will only increase and lead to greater stress and even health problems.

Examine why you feel stressed and look at what needs to change in order for you to feel more satisfied, or look at what you could do to improve your confidence.  What needs to change?

Once you have ascertained this, you might want to talk it over with your boss or a fellow worker, as long as they are understanding and supportive.

Much workplace stress occurs because we have lost sight of why we wanted the job in the first place, or what its purpose is.  Redefining these goals can help you to alter your perspective, perhaps set new goals and so reduce your stress.

It is also important that your work does not encroach on the rest of your life.  You need to focus on work when you need to, but to let it go when you walk through your front door.  Make plans for your free time so your mind will be taken completely off your work.  This is essential for your mental wellbeing.

Make sure that you take all your allocated breaks.  Working through lunch time is never good for your health, and very often you will get just as much work done if you take that break and re-charge your batteries.

Finally, try and cut down on coffee and other caffeinated drinks such as cola.  While you may think they are keeping you on the go, they actually create more stress and de-hydration - which causes more tiredness.  Drink lots of water or fresh fruit juices to keep you hydrated.  You will find that this will keep you more alert in the long run.

Managing stress in the workplace is a combination of analysis, taking action, changing focus and developing a healthy lifestyle.  Even if you are unable to cut down your work hours, there is much you can do to resolve problems and make adjustments that will reduce stress levels and improve your work performance.

Try a Free Demo of Holothink’s Stress Relief Audio System Here

Why is it that one person can feel completely overwhelmed and stressed out by a particularly situation, and another is able to respond calmly and without anxiety?

The answer lies in our own heads. It is the little things that we tell ourselves about everything that happens to us and everything and everyone around us.

We all have an inner dialogue: that little voice that is constantly chattering away in our heads, telling us what we should do, what we shouldn’t do. Often this voice is self-critical. It’s the one that tells us that we look terrible when we look in the mirror or that there’s no way we’re going to pass that exam, or the one that says: “he’s never going to look at me!”

Where does this voice come from, and how does it have such an impact on our stress levels?

From the moment we are born, we are taking in experiences and we are learning how to think. When we are very young, we do not question what we are told by our parents or teachers. We have no way of sifting out what works and what doesn’t, we just believe what we are told to be true, and these ideas, values, beliefs and statements become our world view, whether they are negative or positive.

If we grew up in an atmosphere of difficulty this will affect the way you perceive things. If your parents had to deal with financial loss which caused dramatic changes, you may develop a fear around money, so that any difficulties you have later in life may occur to you as greater than they actually are.

Negative self talk makes things much worse. If you say to yourself that a situation is ‘difficult’ or ‘stressful’, you will actually create difficulty and stress. Positive or optimistic self talk might call the same situation ‘a challenge’, which suggests that it is solvable. Practising positive self talk on a regular basis has proven benefits for stress, health and productivity.

Your subconscious mind cannot differentiate between positive and negative, or what is the truth. It just believes everything you tell it, and responds accordingly. When you tell yourself that you can’t do something, you subconsciously stop looking for a way round it.

Next time you find yourself thinking that something is too difficult, try asking yourself how you are going to do it, instead of saying that you can’t. Asking the question, ‘how?’ opens up your mind to solutions, whereas the latter closes it down.

If you need to relieve stress, try catching yourself in the act of negative thinking, and then switch it to something more empowering. A positive mental attitude takes practice and time, but you can start to see results immediately, and this will increase as long as you practise every day.

One way of doing this on a profound level is through hypnosis tapes.  There are now CDs on the market that will take you through a form of self hypnosis and give you affirmations and visualisations that will go to your deep subconscious and therefore have a more powerful effect.

I personally recommend Glenn Harrold’s hypnotherapy CDs, and I’ve included a few links below:

Amazon.co.uk links:

Glenn Harrold’s Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Stress (BBC Audio Collection: Lifestyle)

De-stress Your Life: In Seven Easy Steps (Book & CD)

Positive Thinking (Diviniti)

Creating Inner Peace and Calm

Amazon.com links:

Glenn Harrold’s Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Stress (BBC Audio Collection: Lifestyle)

De-Stress Your Life in 7 Easy Steps (Book & CD)

Learn How To Think Positively

Creating Inner Peace & Calm

Lavender

Our sense of smell is is very powerful and can influence the mind far more than we may imagine.  Think how evocative certain scents are: the smell of new-mown grass, fresh coffee, Christmas trees, for example, and how good they can make you feel.  This is why aromatherapy stress relief is extremely effective.  Aromatherapy uses our sense of smell to uplift us, relieve stress and also to revive flagging energies.

Aromatherapy is of course completely natural and uses the pure essential oils of plants.  There are various ways of using essential oils; you can mix them with carrier oils for massaging, you can use them in burners or infusers or you can put a few drops into your bath.

To use aromatherapy oils for stress, you should start with two or three of the recommended oils and incorporate them into your life as much as you can.  After a while, you can choose one or two more until you get to know which are your favourites and work best for you.  Combining two or three oils together often seems to make them more effective.

Essential oils vary in price due to the different processing methods for each plant.  You will find lavender, which is one of the best oils for stress, is generally one of the cheapest, whereas jasmin or rose tend to be at the top end and are a real treat!

The best oils for anxiety and stress are as follows:

For emotional stress (caused by grief, loss, relationship problems etc):  Geranium, Sandalwood, Palma rosa, Bergamot, Vetiver, Rose, Cardamom.

For mental stress (caused by over-achievement, exams, unemployment, financial stress, doing too much etc):  Geranium, Lavender, Sandalwood, Basil, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Cardamom, Patchouli

For physical stress (caused by over-exertion, driving long distances etc):  Rosemary, Chamomile Roman, Marjarom, Lavender, Bergamot, Thyme, Geranium, Fennel

For chemical stress (caused by too much coffee, over-drinking, junk food, antibiotics, pollution, smokers etc):  Lavender, Patchouli, Pettigraine, Geranium, Clary-sage, Grapefruit, Lemon, Rosemary

For environmental stress (caused by bright lights, noise, cramped living or working space etc.):  Cedarwood, Coriander, Geranium, Cypress, Chamomile Roman, Basil, Bergamot

You can also buy ready-made blends, or make up your own blends to treat particular symptoms.

Aromatherapy is a lovely way to reduce stress, but make sure that you read how to use essential oils before you start.  It is important to use the right strengths.  Using too much can actually have a reverse effect, and if you are pregnant there are some oils that you should not use.

Aromatherapy stress relief is very effective and easy to use at home once you understand how to use the oils.  It can also be reasonably inexpensive if you stick to the cheaper oils such as lavender and geranium.

Ros Bott

You can buy aromatherapy oils here: Thymely Solutions

Or use the banner below to get discounted aromatherapy oils:

Hypnotherapy is a procedure where a professional hypnotherapist helps a person relax and achieve an alternate state of consciousness.  This is sometimes  referred to as a trance.

The hypnotherapist can help the distressed person understand how they can make changes to their life in the future.  They do this through hypnotherapy sessions with the goal of helping the patient deal with the seriousness of the problem in a more realistic perception of it.

It works by going through a series of steps.

First, the patient will go into a state of deep relaxation, or trance.  The hypnotherapist then be able to communicate with the patient’s subconscious mind, offering solutions that can change behaviour patterns.  The patient then accepts and adopts a new way of dealing with this problem, and finally the session is ended where the patient wakes.

Hypnosis is completely safe and does not involve anyone having power over you, which is often a misconception based on entertainment shows where the hypnotist gets someone to do something silly when they click their fingers.  No-one can hypnotise you against your will, and a professional hypnotist has no interest in theatrical tricks!

The number of sessions a patient will need is determined by the results that the hypnotherapist feels the patient is having based on the patient’s thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Generally speaking, older people tend to take more sessions for hypnotherapy to work than younger people do.  Not everyone finds it easy to enter the hypnotic state, so it is not for everyone.

Does hypnosis therapy work?  Well, it has certainly had great effects on people’s lives in dealing with stress.  If your stress or anxiety is preventing you from leading a normal life, it is definitely worth trying.

Ros Bott

I recommend Glenn Harrold’s self hypnosis tapes at Amazon.co.uk:

Glenn Harrold

or at Amazon.com:

Glenn Harrold

Or try Mindsinc meditation/hypnosis tapes:  Click Here!

Stress management is an overall definition which includes a wide variety of techniques that are used to treat the physical and emotional effects of stress.  Stress relief management is something that you can usually do on a daily basis and might include such things as eating correctly, exercising,  positive thinking, taking deep breaths, and so on.  These are all things you can do to help manage stress in your life.

Stress treatment usually refers to a specific therapy that helps to alleviate worry or emotional tension.  This is usually done with the help of a professional, such as a therapist or doctor.

Stress itself can be divided into two types.  Firstly, there is psychological stress which can cause worry, fear, anxiety and so on.  Secondly, there is physical stress which can be caused by lack of sleep, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, and other physical illnesses.

The type of stress you are suffering determines how you need to treat it.  Physical stress can often be dealt with through a doctor and sometimes with medication.

Psychological stress may need more theraputic treatments, such as counselling, relaxation training or cognitive therapy techniques.  Many people do not know how to relax and need to be taught how to do this to control the stress as their levels increase.

With cognitive therapy you are taught how to examine what is important to you and manage stress to help you focus on this.

As you can see, managing stress is different to treating stress, but you may need to combine both forms in your life through daily stress management  as well as treatment via a therapist.

Here are six ideas to help you manage stress and improve the quality of your life.

1. Listen to music whenever possible. It is very relaxing to listen to your favorite music and today. With iPods you can quickly program your favorite songs and have them at your disposal whenever you feel a little stressed out.

2. With so much emphasis on dieting today many people do not keep adequately fed. An easy way to prevent this from happening to you is to eat snacks throughout the course of the day.

Simple sayings include fruit, vegetables, nuts, and quick things you can keep with you as you go about your daily activities.

3. Take a short walk whenever you can. This is not something that you have to change into workout clothes to do and can be done at almost any time and anywhere.

4. Do not take your work home! Having leisure time and relaxation time is important. Many people never get away from their work which adds to the stress in their life.

5. Try and keep a balance in your life. Things that are important include your family, your work, a spiritual life, and taking some recreation time to do things you enjoy.

6. Go on a date and see if you can improve your sex life. This is one way to manage stress by relaxing your body and your mind.

In this brief article we will talk about easy ways to get rid of stress so you do not have to be stressed out anymore.

1. There is a saying that you should never sweat the small stuff. Very few of the things we get stressed out about are really that important.

2. Another important thing is that you eat right. One of the worst things to happen in the world today is fast food. Although many fast food restaurants offer healthy food we all fall in the trap of eating on the go and this can lead to even more stress.

3. Have you read a good book lately? Reading a book that you find enjoyable relaxes your mind and helps get rid of stress.

4. Keep active in every way possible. Exercise is an excellent way to release stress and something anyone can do.

Go out and take a short walk. Take the stairs instead of an elevator. Park your car on the opposite end of the mall store you are going to.

5. Get a pet and pay attention to it. Pets will always be there for you if you are there for them. Having a pet that you love is extremely comforting and and easy way to relieve stress.

These are a few easy ways to get rid of stress in your life every day. There certainly are more things you can do but these five things have proven to be successful for people in the past.