So step back from the gunk of the day to reflect, relax and focus on stress relief.

• Stress Relief 1: Recognizing the Problem

Have you ever been in a situation wherein you seem to be down in the dumps
and really tetchy, then something as minute as your secretary spilling a drop of coffee on your carpet can make you explode like a time bomb?

Sometimes we get really stressed out, bad tempered, or really glum without even knowing why. In this case, it is best to backtrack and figure out what could have happened within the past few days.

This way, you will be able to zero in on the most significant causes of your bad mood. Being able to recognize the sources of your problems can help you figure out how to fix the underlying troubles with some bust the stress activities.

• Stress Relief 2: Zeroing in on the Real Deal

Stress is caused by many factors, and anxiety can make a bad mood seem like the seven plagues that happened to Egypt. It is best to focus on the real deal that has been causing our problem. Question yourself regarding the major thing that’s been causing your bad mood, which you’re somehow avoiding.

For example, instead of getting extremely irked at your pet dog for bringing in the daily newspaper in bits and pieces, recognize that the real problem is because of the looming deadline of your paperwork.

Being able to zero in on the real deal can help reduce the pressure and let you focus on it more proactively.

• Stress Relief 3: Chill

The easiest thing that you should do first to tone down that bad mood would be to breathe. Then follow these steps:

1. Go to a quiet place.

Tip: The bathroom is the most private place to run to
if you’re in the middle of a busy place.

2. Concentrate on your breathing.

Tip: Take deep breaths with your nose and exhale through your mouth. It restores your body’s natural, calm state.

3. Organize your thoughts.

Tip: One way of doing so would be to create a pie chart which can give you a picture of all the stressors.
Recognizing these problems helps you get a clearer picture of how to address to them.

Tip: Jot down your problems in a list and create step by step solutions on how to handle them. You can also
create a list of specific anti stress activities in order to help increase your mood, such as planning for the week ahead and creating a budget plan.

4. Exercise

Tip: something as simple as taking a brisk walk to something as strenuous as taking laps at the local pool can really boost your mood.

Edyta is helping people to combat stress. Discover the best anti stress activities via her free report. Click this link to get her FREE Stress Relief Download! ]]> http://www.healthinsider.com.au/stress-management/banish-bad-moods-with-these-easy-steps-goodbye-stress/feed 0 http://www.healthinsider.com.au/womens-health/chronic-headache-treatment http://www.healthinsider.com.au/womens-health/chronic-headache-treatment#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:15:19 +0000 admin http://www.healthinsider.com.au/?p=58 When Headache Pain Becomes a Serious Problem

Just about everybody has experienced the discomfort and annoyance of a headache. Brought on by a particularly stressful situation at work or within a social scene, arising as a reaction to a certain type of food or other stimulus, or seeming to manifest for no other reason than to ruin a perfectly good afternoon, headaches are rarely if ever welcomed. Sometimes, however, headaches can transcend the status of an occasional bother to become seriously debilitating. Chronic headaches and severe headache pain can serve as signals that something is wrong in the body or the lifestyle; the offending element may be an injury or the participation in a particular activity, and attempting to divulge the source can often be a difficult task.

Physiotherapy can greatly aid in the quest to discover the source of –and the cure for– chronic headache pain and tension headache pain. Traditionally, those suffering from moderate to severe headaches on a regular basis might turn to aspirin or other over the counter pain relievers, or might consult with their general practice physician to obtain something stronger. While such methods of addressing headache pain can certainly be helpful on the spot, they fail to provide any treatment for the root of the problem, and are ultimately unable to deliver the care that people with chronic headache pain need.

Physio treatment, on the other hand, is dedicated not only to pain relief, but to uncovering the habits that can lead to headache pain and assessing the body for any damages related to injury or accident. When chronic headache problems are present, there are several potential factors to consider, including personal diet and exercise regimens, possible accidents, poor sleeping habits, and an overabundance of stress. Physiotherapy can quickly and accurately help clients identify the source of the pain, in addition to providing relieving treatment.

A headache treatment with a qualified, caring physiotherapist can address chronic tension headache pain, develop pain management strategies for migraine issues, and can also work with back and neck pain, which are often related to chronic headaches. Rather than focusing on invasive surgeries or trusting the power of pharmaceutical drug cocktails to cover the symptoms of headache pain, physiotherapy reaches deep into the ways in which people can cause chronic headaches without even knowing it, and is also adept at providing physical therapy treatments and methods for altering these behaviors and promoting better health.

Those who suffer from migraines and other headache pain on a regular basis are well aware that sometimes, a headache isn’t simply an annoyance that’s best addressed with a quick pill and a cup of tea. Understanding why headaches arise, how they operate, and how they can be eradicated are essential components of physiotherapy for headache pain, and those who seek the knowledge and the treatment of this rapidly growing medical field are sure to experience how carefree and enjoyable life can be without headaches.

There has always been an element of stress experienced by individuals during the course of their day to day work.  In years gone by many workers have performed jobs that have been carried out in dangerous conditions, with no technology available  to assist with or in some cases, thought given by the employer to the safety of their employees.  Consider the young children not so many years ago, crawling through tunnels underground during mining operations, cold, wet, hungry and in the pitch black with only a small candle to guide their way.  Imagine the fear and stress suffered by those children during these times and the psycholgical affect this must have had on them, to say nothing of the anxiety experienced by the children’s parents, who relied on the pittance they earned to feed the family.    Fortunately in this day and age, many of the difficult and dangerous occupations and situations have been eliminated by technology, or where total elimination  is not possible the best possible health and safety measures have been introduced to lower the risk to those undertaking the tasks.

The threat to an individual’s safety at work has always been a primary cause of stress, but dangerous conditions are  not the only cause.   There are other threats ever present among the workplaces of today’s world:

• the threat of dismissal from employment;
• the threat of discrimination: the threat of the rate of change within the workplace and the uncertainty associated with that change;
• the threat of harassment from fellow workers and bosses;
• the worry that you are not properly trained and equipped to do the job that you have been asked to do
• time constraints

to name but a few.

Each of these threats exerts pressure on an individual and how we react to this pressure will be different from person to person.    It is sometimes difficult for us to know how to respond to these pressures and as a result we hold the stress inside us, resulting in negative side affects.

Some obvious physical signs of stress are tiredness, headaches, weight gain or loss, increase in blood pressure, stomach ulcers and digestive problems like indigestion or constipation.  We start displaying changes in behaviour  like having difficulty sleeping, drinking too much alcohol or taking to drugs, being aggressive or in some cases becoming very passive in our behaviour.

These signs are not always obvious at our workplace, but there are a couple of signs that manifest themselves at work that we should all be aware of.

Workplace conflict can begin to rear its head during times of stress.  Obviously there can be situations where large groups of people can be under stress from lets say the threat of work place closure and at this time management and co-workers alike need to take care of each other and consider the pressures being placed upon everyone.  However should an individual begin to display conflicting behaviour and they have not done so before this could be a good indication that things are not ok with that person.  This isn’t  to say that the stress that may be causing the behaviour is coming from the workplace of course, but that this individual is suffering some form of distress which is manifesting itself in behaviour which is out of character.

Another good indicator is when someone begins having frequent periods of absence from work – sick days.  Not wanting to go to work because a situation is getting you down there is a natural reaction, I am sure we have all experienced this feeling at some time.  Employers should always consider that work place stress may be causing absenteeism and it is their legal obligation to try eliminate the cause of the problem.  So if you are a manager or supervisor of employees who are possibly displaying signs of workplace stress, do not hide from it, take the situation full on and try to work with the individual and other forces causing the problem to eliminate them.  Good Health & Safety Policies will have guidelines how to deal with this type of  situation.

If you are suffering from workplace stress, what do you do.  Firstly talk to someone about it, your manager or supervisor is the best person, but if you don’t feel that you can approach them, then consider the Workplace Health & Safety Officer, the Human Resource Manager, the Workplace Nurse or Doctor.    Consult your doctor or health practitioner, talk to a stress management consultant.  But above all things don’t do nothing.  There are people out there to help, and you owe it to yourself to find that help.

Your health is yours alone to manage and experience, and stres if  it severe enough and over a long enough period may have detrimental effects on your overall health and well being, so look after yourself and if you find yourself in difficulty at work.  Seek help, it is out there.