Did you know that one of the biggest stressors in the world that I've come across during 15+ years of coaching individuals, groups and couples is the stress that happens in relationships.

From broken hearts and homes to not wanting to go to work just to avoid facing that person whom you'd rather choke than work things out with learning simple stress management skills is vital if you want to stay happy, healthy and productive.

Healthy relationships begin and end with you setting the ground rules for how others treat you. Here are some handy stress management tips to get you started: 

Set Boundaries.

Many people will walk all over you if you let them. Setting boundaries means deciding what’s ok and what’s not ok when it comes to how people treat you.One of the easiest ways to do this is to practice using the word ‘no’.  All too often we say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’. Just by letting others know that you have limitations on what’s ok or not ok will send them a powerful message that you are in control of your life. 

Take Back Your Power.

You are either in control of your life or you’re not, there is no in-between. This means that no-one has the power to make your life a misery unless you allow them to.  Start taking back your power today by affirming to yourself in the mirror each morning upon awakening and each night before retiring to bed, “I love and approve of myself”. Just this action alone will make a huge difference. More on Stress Management Techniques for Healthy Relationships

With so many different methods of Natural Stress Relief available, why does meditation stand out from the crowd? 

Still incredibly underutilized, Meditation is an excellent stress management technique for centering your mind and body.  It helps reduce high blood pressure, anxiety attacks, Stress Levels, Hypertension and in some cases is an excellent source of preventative medicine.

So what is Meditation?  The short version of a potentially really long explanation would be to say – it is a mind body practice using breathing and focusing techniques to create a ‘Relaxation Response”. 

If used appropriately and frequently meditation is an excellent way of reducing your stress levels.  Using a guided meditation in the form of a Stress Relief CD can help improve the focus and benefits of the meditation.  Many Stress based meditations lead you through a series of relaxation breathing techniques and include some handy tips for relaxation techniques for anxiety. 

How often should you meditate?  There are a few factors that determine how often you should meditate; the level of pressure in your job, how often you use other methods to release built up tension, your level of health and the amount of time you have available.  If you feel as if your life is out of control, or you’re under massive amounts of pressure, I find taking out about 30mins a day for at least a month to assist in the refocusing of the mind.

There are many Stress Management Articles available to provide you with more information and benefits of meditation on the Internet.  I recommend using a type of relaxation program to guide you through a set process of Stress Relief.

Easy Stress Management for Couples 

Imagine how your life might be if you knew how to finally stop the stress in relationships that saps your strength, drains your energy and ruins your productivity! 

Until you have released the need for judgment, you will always have it reflected back to you in your relationships. This is one of the main causes of stress. All too often we assume that we know what others mean by what they say or do without bothering to gain a clear understanding of what’s really going on. Inevitably this leads to a breakdown in communication and conflict.  

Stress management techniques for relationships 

The biggest secret to stress free relationships is to master the skill of being agreeable! If you think about it just for a moment this makes a lot of sense. How did you feel the last time someone disagreed with what you though, said or did?  

Did you thank them, give them a big hug and then ask for more disapproval? Probably not! The bottom line is that people don’t like being disagreed with. This is what leads to arguments and conflict.  

You have a choice every time you relate with another person. You can either be agreeable in nature or you can be disagreeable. The first choice will cause people to be more relaxed and enjoy your company. The second creates stress and frustration.  

It costs nothing to agree with someone else’s point of view even if you think it’s ridiculous. Who are we to judge how another person views their life and the world around them. Conflict always arises from disagreement’s which then leads to power struggles.  

This means that either one or all parties are trying to prove that they are right and someone else is wrong. This is a no win scenario because if one person is made wrong, then the outcome is tension and resentment.  

So what do you do if you disagree with what someone is saying? Ask if it’s ok to share your opinion. If the answer is no then to keep your relationships stress free keep your mouth shut. Changes topics if you need to or go do something fun together but let it go and move on.  

The next secret to effective stress management in relationships is to master the skill of understanding. 

The key here is to learn to be a good listener. Can you remember a time recently when you were talking with someone and they either interrupted you before you finished talking and started talking about themselves or completely ignored what you said and talked about something totally unrelated?  

I know that’s happened to me thousands of times. Well guess what, if you didn’t like it I can guarantee you that others won’t like it if you do it to them. 

By listening attentively to what others say and not interrupting you will prevent the possibility of causing stress and tension in your relationships because the people you are communicating with will feel seen and heard.  

This builds trust and respect which are two of the most important ingredients of a happy, healthy and productive relationship.  

Here are 4 stress management tips to master the skill of understanding: 

1.       Don’t interrupt unless you have something urgent to attend to. Then excuse yourself politely and make a time to meet with them that you can give your undivided attention. 

2.       Look them in the eye and keep your body language open 

3.       Only ask questions that are relevant to the topic. This lets the person who is talking know that you are really listening to them. 

4.       Never assume you know what someone means, always ask for clarity before sharing you’re opinion. Don’t be afraid to keep asking questions until you are 100% sure about what is being said.  

The best time to seek to be understood is only after you have taken the time to first understand them. Then they are more receptive to what you have to say.  

This skill is one of the most important in building good bonds between people that are stress free. There is nothing more powerful than letting others know that they matter.  

Happy, healthy and stress free relationships are no accident they are skillfully developed over time by people who care about people.  

These stress management tips will only work if you apply them. The more you apply them, the less stress you’ll have in relationships. I know this for a fact because they have been working for me for more than 15 years. 

To Your Great Life and Health,

The weekend is a time of recovery and relaxation. It is the time where you should rebuild your energy in waiting for what the next week will bring.  With that in mind here are 7 quick Stress Relief techniques to ensure you have a great weekend.  All of these techniques are forms of natural stress relief and can be used and time and any where.  So here they are:

1.      Use breathing exercises – When you’re feeling stressed it’s important to stop for a minute and take a breath.  Effective Relaxation Breathing Techniques have proven to promote relaxation and stress relief.

2.                  Physical Exercise – What better way to release built up tension than to sweat it out.  This Natural Stress Relief technique is a great way to use physical activity to express any frustration you may have experienced during the week. 

3.                  Yoga – A controlled meditative method, Yoga and Stress Relief have always been closely linked.  Yoga is also a really good way of improving your general health with other valuable benefits.

4.                  Stress Management Articles – You can always learn new valuable information from articles, e-zines and magazines specifically related to stress relief.  Always keep an open mind and understand you only need to learn one new tip for the whole article to be beneficial.

5.                  Socialize with Friends – It is very important to have friends and people you can relax with and just talk.  There is no better way to relief stress than to sit and chat about your week and listen to your friends talk about their week.

6.                  Learn new Relaxation Techniques – New stress relaxation techniques are an excellent way to discover new methods to experience Stress Relief.  There are always new methods bought to light and the discovery of old proven methods.  Always keep an eye out for a new technique that could make the world of difference.

7.                  Stress Relief CD / Relaxation CD – Experiencing a guided relaxation can help to release built up tension and repair any previous damage done by stressful situations in the past.

Whatever relaxation technique you use make sure you invest the time to relax over your weekend.  If you haven’t taken a break in a while, then do it this weekend.  I have always found I am more focussed after I take a break.

The first question so many people have when they read this title is … What’s a Jelly Head, and how can it possibly be related to Stress Management? Well the Jelly Head is lingo that has been around for as long as I have been alive and it usually is the result of years of built up pressure and stress. At some point if a person takes on too much pressure without ever using any Stress Management Activities they will eventually go … SNAP!

I’m, not talking death or serious physical injury, it’s that point when they just can’t handle stressful situations anymore. It takes a different period of time for different people to experience Jelly Head, but eventually when it does happen they find it hard to handle situations that would normally be a breeze.

The down side is this type of person is normally swept under the rug and tried to be forgotten about. So what can you do to stop yourself or someone you know from becoming a Jelly Head? The first step would be to explore different types of Stress Management Techniques.

You can do this by reading Stress Management Articles or by finding a Stress Management Program. There are many Stress Management Programs available ranging from face-to-face, by DVDs, audios, or following a step by step self paced program. Even it means leaving early once a week and going for a long walk in the forest.

What ever method you choose the most important thing if you are feeling stresses is to do something about it before it’s too late and you become a Jelly Head.

Now that’s one bold statement. Stress Management and Funky are rarely shared in the same sentence together. But why not? Stress is really uncool. It’s like a relative that keeps visiting when your busy … You want them to leave, but they just keep hangin around. Enter Exhibit A – Stress Management Techniques.

These little creatures will successfully ward off the Stress Intruder, and if used effectively, will keep it away forever.

Now here’s an added (and unexpected) bonus. By using Stress Management Techniques you’ll develop new Stress Management Skills you can share with others. You’ll be fully blinged with your new skills, walkin around, sharing your Stress Management Tips with all your friends.

You’ll gain new respect, writing Stress Management Articles, Stress Management Books. The world will be your oyster. It is yours for the taking.

All you need to do is Chill, get control of that Stress, and you will be a Relaxation Superstar!

Many people that experience stress everyday are really unsure how to handle it. One of the secrets to handling stress is through understanding what stress is and how you are experiencing it.

By reading Stress Management Articles you will begin to gain an insight on stress and may even discover a few Stress Management Activities. Quite a few Stress Management Techniques are readily available if you are prepared to put in the necessary work to understanding your own unique situation. In reality, Stress Management skills are learnt over time and once applied make a massive difference on your out look to life and relaxation. One of the key ways I began to understand Stress Management was by reading books, articles and trying what they suggested. The main Stress Management Technique I use is focussed breathing, where you focus on a point and control the speed and depth of your breathing. I am aware a lot of other people have also had success with this method. Overall, look for many different types of Stress Management Tips and find the one that works best for you.