BREAD

Bread is great. You can toast it, make it a sandwhich, or even dip it. Plus who doesn't love a carb? But  bread is great in another way too, bread can also be an acronym to help combat stress. I've posted ta picture to help exaplain it, so check it out and stay stress free:)

Keeping a Clear Mind

It's harder then it sounds. When something's bothering you, it's hard to keep yourself from not constantly thinking about and agonizing over the issue. This happened to me this week. My boyfriend and I got into a huge fight and for the past three days all I've wanted to do is analyze the problem nine ways till sunday. "Why did he do that?  What should I do, try to make it work or break up?" And so forth until my mind was about ready to explode. So, as a way to cope myself and to help the others of your out there, I decided to do some research on how to keep a clear mind. Here's what I found: (Check out the full site for even more ideas)
1. Massage your earlobes. Doing so moves the tentorium membrane which helps relieve stress
2.If you're like me and can't say no, try this great advice I found. Don't say no, say I'll do it later and don't give a time frame. Then hours, days or even months later, ask if the person if they still need help. Chances are they won't and they'll remember your response in the further and be less likely to ask you for help again.
3. Tell yourself how you want to feel. "I am relaxed, I am worth it."
4. Accept that somethings can't be changed. Imagined what life would be like if the issue didn't happen, and just continue about as so.
5. Make a list of your problems and a plan of action for each.
6.  Look for the shades of gray in the situation. Life isn't black and white. People make mistakes. Learn to accept that and see an issue from all sides.
7. Day dream. Think of something positive that makes you happy and focus on it.
8. Work it out and listen to some empowering tunes.
9. Make yourself laugh. If you're like me and stressing over an argument, imagine the other person in their underwear while you re-envision the fight.
10. Draw with color. The color will brighten your mood and help express your emotions.
Mostly, don't just sit there. Do something, go out, do homework, talk to someone you trust, count the spackle marks on the ceiling, whatever it takes to take your mind off things.
So for all of you out there fighting with a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a parent, co-worker, or just wanting to avoid another one of life's stressful issues, this is for you. Hang in there and stay stress-free :)

The Dreaded AA

We've all been there. You're surrounded by  so much stress that the next thing you know you've got a knot in your stomach, a pounding heart, and worst of all, you can't seem to calm yourself down; you're having an anxiety attack. The pain of anxiety attacks are the worst. You feel helpless and lost, and no one needs to feel that way. So this week I found this amazing blog post (click here!) about how to cope with anxiety attacks. Instead of summing up the post like I normally do, you really should check it out and give this girl some credit. I thought that the post was extremely helpful and well done.  So hope it helps and stay stress free :)

Healthy Stress: Can It Really Exist?

As a blog about stress, I feel like I constantly focus on the harm of stress. But just as stress can be harmful, it can be healthy too! Now I'm not talking about the loads of stress you feel over family or finances, but the little stress we feel that gets us motivated. As long as the stress isn't chronic and doesn't linger then it could actually be helping you. Recent research from Stanford's School of Medicine reveal that short bursts of stress can actually improve your immune system and help prevent tumor growth later in life. Research also shows that, at a certain level, stress not only motivates us to accomplish certain tasks, but helps one perform at optimal alertness and performance. Interesting that something so harmful can actually be helpful in small doses. Something to think about at the least :)

Grief and Stress

At some point in life, probably even a few times, everyone must face something that causes them grief. Recently, I've been dealing with the grief of a loved one passing and it has been one of the hardest and most stressful things I have yet to face. Not only have I felt pain and emotional stress from just dealing with thee loss of my loved one, but I've also felt stress because of how I'm grieving. I know its normal for everyone to grief differently, but at times it feels as though I've barely grieved at a lot l. I feel like I'm more in denial then anything else, which makes it even harder because then I get stressed thinking about how I need to make myself grieve. I see my other family members crying or lashing out, but I have yet to experience either. I know it takes time and I'll make it through, but I just wanted to write this post as a reminder to myself and anyone else out there dealing with this issue that grieving takes time and truly is different for everyone.

Laughter's the Best Medicine

Sometimes, laughter really is the best medicine, so this week I thought I'd share a funny post, The 25 Most Ridiculous Stress Relief Products. The article shares everything from Adult Milk, endless bubble wrap, a hand pillow and a robot chicken. Its a great source for some stress-free giggles, so check it out! See you in the New Year!

The Christmas Season of Stress

Schools off, the weathers cold, and trees are up. It's almost Christmas!
If you're like me, Christmas is your favorite holiday; the yummy treats, the family, the lights, the presents, what's not to like? But as great as Christmas is, like any holiday, it can be extremely stressful. But not to worry, cause luckily there are lots of things you can do to limit stress. You can sit by a fire and drink egg nog, or you can bake cookies and roll out all your tension. However, one area that never ceases to stress people out during the holidays are gifts. People stress about finding the perfect gifts, how much to spend, if they can find it in time, and so forth. So for my post for Christmas, I wanted to address this issue.  Starting with price: People always stress about how much to spend, but from personal experience I can tell you price doesn't matter. One of my favorite gifts I've ever received were hand made letters from my best friend. She probably made them for under 10 dollars, but they still hang on my wall today. How much you spend doesn't matter, its just the thought that you were on someone's mind during this season that counts.  Second, don't worry about finding the perfect gift. Yes, we'd all love to find that one magical gift that someone absolutely adores. But, most be are just as happy to receive a gift card or something else that they know they will actually use. And lastly, if you're on a time crunch for finding a gift, I like to suggest to easy and fail prove methods: Go DIY or a theme. With little time left, home made cookies are always a great gift. They're easy, cheap, and fast, but also meaningful. For a more craftier person, checkout Pinterest for some great ideas. You can do DIY letters, hand soap, PJ pants, all sorts of cute things that are super quick to make at the last minute. If your not so crafty, but your still on a time crunch, go for a theme. If someone likes makeup, do a cute makeup gift basket, throw in some gloss, polish, blush, and your done. If they like a good spa day, get them a mask, some bath salts, a good book, and a candle. For the handy man, a basket of tools. For the sweet tooth, a basket of candy. The options are endless and best of all its quick and easy.
Hope everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!