Self-Improvement

jacobandreae.com

(Haven’t posted here since February?!?)

I’m sorry.

I’ve been on a self-improvement kick lately, reading self-help blogs and purchasing a few books on everything from career to life in general. It’s an exciting time for me!

One of the biggest hurdles in my life is my inability to handle stress, and be anxious and worried (I talked about this once or twice on the blog). My therapist has helped me compile a list of ways to handle these, and I coupled that with the book Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a worrier like me, and/or has anxiety. Whenever I feel anxious, I pick up the book, flip to one of the many tags I placed on its pages, and try a strategy. Examples are meditation, deep breathing, and distracting yourself.

I’ve also been reading the blog zen habits.

What are some self-help books/blogs that you recommend? And have you put any of the teachings into practice? Did you notice a difference in your life?

Managing Stress

familydoctor.org

Stress.

It’s an element of my life that I never was able to combat. I remember when I was in high school, I went to the doctor and she asked, “What are you stressed out about?” To this day I don’t remember why I was there, but I remember that I wasn’t exactly relaxed about…something.

So, throughout the years I thought that I was “managing” stress by writing to-do lists (which helped, somewhat), and doing my favorite activity, listening to music. However, 80% of the time I felt alert and anxiously waiting for the next stressor. This was especially true in college. Exams, papers, presentations…ugh! (Glad I’m done with that).

But, it wasn’t until I began therapy for OCD did I learn one way to truly relax, and it helped a lot. The technique? Diaphragmatic breathing. Once I learned how to do it, I used it all the time: at work, and whenever I needed to refocus and felt scattered.

But, that wasn’t enough. After I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) a month or so ago, one of the ways to manage the disease was to reduce stress. So, I found an article with suggestions.

In addition to my diapragmatic breathing, I now do yoga, and get out in nature (code for “more exercise”). Norah Jones, who I love, has become a prominent fixture on my iTunes when I need to relax–in addition to my other favorites–and write in my journal. And I talk about my problems instead of keeping it all in. Same goes for my emotions.

Also, getting a grip on my OCD is a stress reliever. Not having to worry about certain things takes a load off my mind.

I’m open to other stress busting techniques, though! So, how do you manage stress?