Читать книгу Personal Finance After 50 For Dummies - Eric Tyson - Страница 53

Stress does horrible things to your body. You can’t eliminate all stress, of course (and, besides, doing so would make life dull). However, you can do plenty to minimize it and turn it to your advantage. You can make the following health-conscious choices to keep stress under control:

 Identify the sources of your stress. You can’t manage stress if you’re not clear on the real sources.

 Focus on the moment. Spend time every day thinking about the here and now and not brooding over yesterday or worrying about tomorrow. Also, notice the things that most people tend to ignore — like breathing, bodily sensations, and emotions.

 Take good care of your health. Make sure you have the other aspects of your life in order, such as getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising. When you don’t, you’re more vulnerable to the stress.

 Get moving. Exercise is one of the best stress (and depression) busters ever invented. See the earlier section “Exercise (and sweat)!” for more information.

 Do the opposite. Whenever people feel negative emotions, such as fear or anxiety, they tend to avoid them and withdraw. If you try experiencing the opposite emotions, you can start to feel better. So, for example, if you’re upset with someone, try to be empathetic instead of lashing out.

 Focus on and relax your muscles. Tense and then relax the muscles in one part of your body (such as your legs, your arms, your face, and so on) at a time. Doing so reduces stress that you’re storing in your body.

 Take some deep breaths. Take ten deep breaths in the morning and another ten at night — and as many as needed in between for stress relief. Find a position that helps you relax. For example, lie on the floor, flat on your back, with one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Breathe in deeply and slowly, picturing your lungs filling with air. When your lungs feel full, slowly breathe out.