HealthyLife Articles

Category: Success Over Stress

Get Social For Stress Relief

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

Talking to others is a great way to cope with stress. On the flip side, feeling isolated or alone can increase stress levels. Seek out social support to help you deal with life’s challenges. If you’re not sure where to start, try these tips:

*Reach out to others.Make an effort to connect with people. Say “yes” when you get invited to a social gathering. Offer to help someone when they need it. Over time, you may find that your social connections have greatly increased because of your efforts.

*Find value in lots of people.You may find that neighbors, co-workers and family members all have positive roles to play in your life. You can have multiple friends who all have different things to offer.

*Get face to face when you can.It’s good to find time to sit down with friends and family. Talking to someone in person may help you feel more calm and connected.

*Get involved.Find a class or group that offers things you enjoy. This is a great way to connect with people who share the same interests.

Aiming for a stress-free life?

Trying to achieve a life without any stress isn’t realistic. It may even make you more stressed when you don’t succeed! Instead, look for healthy ways to cope with challenges.

Meditation, prayer, deep breathing and exercise can help you change how you react to stress. This can have a positive effect on your physical and mental health. Not all stress is bad for you if you know how to deal with it. In fact, learning to cope with stress can make you a healthier person.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Push Negative Thoughts Away

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

The brain is a busy organ. It helps to regulate the body’s functions, and it helps you manage your thoughts and emotions. Whether you’re concentrating on a project, recalling a past event, or focusing on what to do next, your mind has a powerful influence on how you feel about yourself.

Negative thoughts in your head can have a dramatic impact on your life. Thoughts like “I can’t do this” or “I’m stupid” can affect your self-esteem and increase stress levels.

Thankfully, you can re-train yourself to ignore negative thoughts and start thinking more positively. The American Heart Association says this can help you cope with difficulties and stressful situations as they arise.

Here’s how to do it:

* Practice positive self-talk every day. It may feel awkward at first, but over time, it will become more natural.

* When you make a mistake, don’t think, “I’m a failure” or “I’m not good enough.” Tell yourself, “It’s okay. We all make mistakes. I can learn from this.”

* When you’re having a bad day, don’t think, “Everything is going wrong. I can’t handle it.” Tell yourself, “I can do this. I’ll take it one step at a time.”

* Replace more negative thoughts with positive ones each day, and you may start to feel less stress overall.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
988 Crisis Lifeline

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

In response to the changing mental health climate, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act designated 988 as the new crisis and suicide hotline. This important step forward makes help available 24/7 to anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, or a substance use crisis.

* You can call or text 988 anytime day or night and reach a live person.

* If you have access to a computer, a live chat service is available at988lifeline.org/chat

* Anyone can call 988, whether you are experiencing a crisis yourself or you call on behalf of a loved one.

* 988 connects you with a trained counselor at a local call center who can listen, understand, and provide immediate support.

* A 988-trained counselor can recommend additional local resources for ongoing support.

* Dialing 988 is free and confidential. You do not have to provide any personal information.

* Spanish language service and interpreting services for an additional 250 languages are available.

* Veterans who call 988 can press 1 to be connected to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
4 Ways To Beat Stress – Fast

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

Whether it’s work, family matters or another issue, it can be hard to relax and wind down when stress hits. Our body has a physical response when we feel stressed or upset. Most people will find that their muscles tense, their breathing gets faster, blood pressure may rise and they may even feel ill. Fortunately, there are some quick ways to help stop this physical response, which will help you feel better mentally, too. Try these simple steps to start feeling better right now:

1. Take slow, deep breaths

Deep breathing is great for the mind and body. It doesn’t take any special equipment, and you can do it anywhere. Put a hand on your belly so you can feel it rise and fall as you breathe. Then, take a slow deep breath in through your nose. Feel the belly push out as you do this. Next, slowly breathe out through your mouth, pursing your lips like you’re whistling. You should feel the belly push back in as you exhale. Repeat this at least 3 times, or more if needed. Slow, deep breathing helps calm the body’s stress response.

2. Put down the technology

It can be tempting to keep scrolling through your phone or zone out in front of the TV when you’re feeling overwhelmed or tense. But this may make your stress feel worse. Some research suggests that getting outside and enjoying nature can make you feel better mentally. If you can, take a walk outside in a natural area like a park. Or, sit under a favorite tree or in a hammock with a book or magazine.

3. Get up and move

Whether it’s walking, jogging, swimming, kickboxing or another exercise, get your body moving. Exercise releases feel-good brain chemicals and has been shown to help lower stress and anxiety. But, don’t wait until you’re stressed to exercise! Get into a daily habit to help with everyday stress before it happens.

4. Talk to someone

If you have a trusted friend or family member to turn to, call them on the phone if you can. Better yet, step outside and enjoy nature while you talk to them. If you can’t reach anyone, pick up some paper and write down your thoughts and feelings. Getting your feelings out with words can help you feel some relief.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Go On An Email Diet

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

Each day, 55 billion emails are written. How many of those do you receive? Email can be extremely useful for work and socializing but managing the never-ending electronic stream can cause anxiety and even legal problems and financial risk. “It has taken over our professional lives in many ways,” said Marty Siegel, associate dean of the Indiana University School of Informatics and author of The E-Mail Diet Book. “That’s really the danger, that we’re spending so much time just reacting to the next email message rather than focusing on what’s most important to do to move our work goals forward.”

Siegel offers these tips to help you shed unwanted emails and take control of your emailing habits:

* Don’t respond to everything right away. Allocate certain times during the day to look at email and stick with the plan. “Some people think it’s only polite to respond to email immediately, or they need to instantly respond to appear on top of things,” Siegel said. “This is where the addiction begins.”

* Use spam filters. Spam filters come with most email programs and services. If used, they can help prevent unwanted emails and potentially dangerous phishing attempts from clogging inboxes and claiming our attention.

* Have at least two email accounts. He recommends having one email account for work and another for personal use. This will help reduce spam on the work account if this account is never disclosed during online shopping or in other instances when email addresses are requested.

* Read it or move it. “There’s something incredibly powerful about getting down to the point where you have no messages in your inbox,” Siegel said. He suggests creating an “unread messages” folder in your email program. Move most of your email into it. Then, go through the remaining emails in the inbox and respond or delete them.

* No “thanks.” Don’t send needless email responses. Like just saying “thanks” for an email. It just adds to other people’s email problems.

* Never send email when angry. “That’s the worst thing you can do,” Siegel said. Email sent in anger can be misread, sound sarcastic or rude and might be intentionally mean. This can create bigger problems by providing something in writing that can be recorded and end up in court. If you have to respond, suggest a live meeting so nothing is in writing, or send yourself a draft of the email first and then read it 24 hours later. “Often when you look at these, you think, ‘this is so silly,’ and you delete it,” Siegel said.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Recognize And Treat Early Signs Of Burnout

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

Burnout isn’t something that happens overnight. It occurs over time from repeated and unresolved frustration or constant pressure to perform or achieve. With burnout, you feel exhausted, worn out, and detached from others. You feel as if you have nothing more to give and simply do not care about anything. Burnout puts your job, your relationships and your health in jeopardy.

Signs on the road to burnout

* Too much work, not enough relaxation

* Feeling as if you have no control over your job

* Anger

* Fatigue

* Sleep problems

* Escaping through alcohol, drugs, TV, eating or gambling

* Avoiding making decisions

* Negative view of yourself and the world

Also, some traits increase the risk for burnout. These include the need to be in control, wanting everything to be perfect and being a workaholic.

Ten tips to prevent burnout

1. Set career and personal goals that can be achieved.

2. Follow healthy eating and sleeping habits.

3. Exercise daily – At least 30 minutes most days of the week.

4. Try not to spread yourself too thin. Delegate tasks at work and at home.

5. Reduce long work or study hours, if you can. The more you do and the less you rest, the more likely burnout will occur.

6. Take regular five to 10 minute relaxation breaks. Take mental breaks from stressful situations, too.

7. Make time for leisure activities that you enjoy and look forward to.

8. Get creative with a hobby or activity that has nothing to do with work.

9. Manage stress through meditation, yoga, or therapy.

10. Plan a vacation one or more times a year. Leave your work at home!

Discuss feelings and problems you are having with your family, friends, and coworkers. Talking helps ease feelings of frustration that can feed burnout. It things do not get better seek professional help.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Art Therapy: Effective Stress Buster

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

Engaging in activities that relax the mind and body is an essential tool for stress management. For many people, creative expression provides the perfect outlet to release stress.

Art therapy is a relatively recent addition to the field of stress management and mental health treatment. A professional art therapist uses the creative process to build resilience and encourage self-expression and awareness.

Your doctor or mental health team may recommend art therapy to manage stress, anxiety, or depression. You can also enjoy some of the benefits by creating your own opportunities to express yourself creatively.

* Pick up an artistic hobby such as drawing, painting, or pottery

* Take an art class

* Try coloring

* Get into nature and draw or take photos

* Write a story

* Play an instrument or sing

* Turn on some music and dance

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
5 Simple Ways To Deal With Feeling Crazed

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

When it comes to dealing with deep inner emotions, there is a method you can really use to change, according to Dr. Claudia Sheftel-Luiz, a psychoanalyst and author of Where’s My Sanity? Stories that Help. It starts with 5 simple steps.

1. Look inward.

You don’t have to get stranded in a no-man’s land, replete with endless complaining that alienates everyone around you, if you look inward. Nor do you have to get trapped thinking, over and over, about how bad you feel or how hard and tough life is. Looking inward means trusting that there’s something about yourself that you don’t know yet.

2. Stick with it.

Don’t just take a quick peek inside yourself, freak out, and leave. You have to hang out with your own thoughts for a while, in search of something you don’t yet know about yourself. Simply put, there is just no way that you can know everything that’s going on in your own mind at any one time. If you’ve ever scratched your head and wondered why you can’t change, that’s why: you don’t know your whole story yet.

3. Find someone to listen.

A good sounding board keeps you moving forward, looking for the thoughts, ideas, and feelings inside yourself that you don’t know yet. Some people find that they can use a yoga mat, open valley or solitary journey to open up to themselves in a new way. But better yet, find a real live person to talk to. Someone who won’t judge you, who can tolerate everything you feel, and who can ask you questions. Someone to hear you.

4. Find strength in being heard.

Thoughts and feelings that are hidden from our conscious day-to-day life are generally strange. Our hidden stories keep us from moving forward, and they stay hidden because they are so quirky, irrational, negative, and strange. So keep working on being heard, and deeply understood, and the rest should follow.

5. Don’t bring your family into this.

As much as your partner, you parents, and your best friend (who is like family) love you and want the best for you, they are probably the worst people to listen to your emotions. Find a clergyperson, a new best friend, or a therapist who knows how to ask really good questions. This is not about more solving. It’s about evolving.

Inward journeys, where we connect to unseen parts of ourselves and seek to be heard rather than improved, are deeply rich and unforgettable. Those emotional “aha” moments, when we finally land on what has been holding us back from changing a small habit or realizing a large dream, change us naturally and eternally.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Helping Others Makes You Happy

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

It’s commonly believed that when we feel down, we should do something good for ourselves. But research suggests the opposite: you should do something good for someone else.

Research shows that helping others may decrease depression. People who help others regularly may live longer, healthier lives. Studies have shown the following effects of helping others:

* Doing five acts of kindness a day can make you feel happier.

* Supporting others may lower stress levels in older people.

* Donating money to charity boosts a feel-good part of the brain.

Acts of kindness can make you feel connected to other people. It can also make you feel needed and generous. This may distract you from your own stress and worries. It can also make you feel that your life has more purpose and meaning.

Source: Mental Health America

Simple ways to help

There are a number of ways you can help others. Try one of these ideas.

Small acts of kindness (try to do more than one each day):

* Call a friend or neighbor who lives alone or could use some company.

* Let someone go in front of you in line.

* Hold the elevator open for someone.

* Smile at people you meet and ask how they’re doing. The store cashier or receptionist at the doctor’s office may appreciate your kindness.

Volunteer ideas:

* Outdoor work: parks and highways often need people to help clean up. Local garden clubs often need people to weed and plant.

* Offer to make fundraising calls for your favorite charity.

* Help with coaching a kids’ sports team.

* Volunteer at your local hospital. Most have a variety of ways you can help.

* Libraries often use volunteers to help organize materials and help patrons.

To find local volunteer opportunities, visitwww.volunteermatch.org.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Relaxed Muscles = Calmer Mind And Body

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

It can be difficult to stay calm and avoid stress with today’s jam-packed lives. The World Health Organization says stress is a significant problem for both physical and mental health.

However, there is good news. Some stress management skills have been proven to work. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is an effective way to manage stress. It can lower cortisol which is a stress hormone. This can help lower blood pressure and heart rate when stress levels are high. And, almost anyone can learn how to do it with some practice.

What is PMR?

PMR is a technique of tensing and then relaxing muscles. Dr. Edmund Jacobson developed the technique early in the 20th century. He found that muscle tension and anxiety often go hand in hand. But, when you focus only on your muscles and your breathing, this helps to relax your mind. As a result, learning to reduce muscle tension can help a person cope with anxiety and stressful situations.

How do I do PMR?

Find a quiet place where you can lie down undisturbed. You may find doing this before bed is an ideal time, as it can also help you fall asleep. Until you become very familiar with the technique, you may wish to use an audio recording or an app to guide you through the process, though this is not necessary.

The muscle tensing and relaxing typically starts at the very lowest point of the body: your toes. You’ll gradually work your way up to your face.

* Breathe in and clench the toes firmly. Don’t do it to the point of pain or cramping. Hold the tension for about 5 to 10 seconds.

* Breathe out, and completely relax the toes quickly.

* Relax for 10 to 20 seconds, and continue to breathe slowly.

* Begin with the next muscle group (usually the calves). Repeat the process by pointing the feet down and feeling the tension in the legs. Next, do the exercise on the buttocks, abdomen, shoulders, neck and face.

With practice, this teaches the body to relax the muscles more often. This means the muscle tension you normally experience during stress is reduced.

Relaxation methods like PMR can help you cope with stress in a more positive way. This, in turn, could improve your overall health. Take some time for yourself to try a relaxation method. It only costs you a little bit of your time and may pay off with big physical and mental health benefits.

Sources: Health Science Journal, International Journal on the Biology of Stress

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026