Stress Management Secrets for Relationships

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. This inevitably leads to a breakdown in communication and conflict.

Stress Management Technique 1

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 and in communication 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.

More Stress Management Tips

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.

Stress Management Tecchnique 2 - 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 Managment Skills to master the art of listening with the intent to understand...

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 only time to try and get others to understand you is after you have understood 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.

The final word on stress relief in relationships

Happy, healthy and stress free relationships are no accident. They are skillfully developed over time by people who care about people. These secrets will only work if you apply them.

The more you apply them, the less stress you will have in your 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...

By Michael Atma

Stress Management: Find Your Own Relief!

Would you believe that one of the biggest contributors to your state of health is how stress free your home environment is? Those who live in stressful conditions in home or at work are much more likely to have accidents or become ill when compared to those who consider themselves to be in a non-stressful work or home environment.

Unfortunately, the modern world has created situations in both home and work that are at a higher level of stress than those of past generations. The world today runs at a much faster pace then the world even ten or twenty years ago. And it is speeding up if anything. The demands we make on ourselves are increasing, as are the expectations we have of our relationships and ourselves. Is it any surprise that Heart Attacks are a leading cause of death in the United States? What can be done to fix this?

First consider that you will actually spend more working hours at work than you will at home. Given that consider how stressful your job is and what about it makes it stressful. Once you pinpoint the causes see if you can find a way to reduce the stress level or delegate the responsibility of certain tasks that are particularly troublesome.

Stressful activities are not the only employee problem though. The fact is many feel stress simply because they do not like the job as a whole. If you do not like your job then you owe it to yourself to go about seeking other employment rather than staying at the risk of long-term health problems. Sometimes the simple act of even exploring other opportunities lessens the stress in your life. So even if you only look it is probably more beneficial to you than continuing to endure a job that you do not enjoy.

Second, consider the town or city that you live in. Is this the ideal place for you? Life is too short to live in a where you are unhappy. Yet, we all know many people who complain day in and day out about the place they live and yet they don't do anything about it. Often we make compromises about living preferences to be close to family and these are not bad decisions. The support and foundation that extended family provides is very important for our overall health and well being. However, if that is not a consideration then there is no reason one should not make a move to a happier and healthier environment.

The perfect environment for one person is not necessarily the perfect environment for another though. For some, being beside the ocean is the ultimate in tranquility while for others it is a stressful nightmare because of the hurricane risk. Make a decision that is right for you in terms of where you choose to live.

Third, consider your actual home in terms of the actual physical environment itself and also the emotional environment created by the members living within the home. Ideally both of these should be healing, peaceful and stress free.

It is always easier to fix the physical environment first. Decide to build a sanctuary in your home. A sanctuary is a place you can retreat to that resonates with positive energy. What is needed in that place depends on your own personal taste. Some may want to make it a religious sanctuary or sacred space while for others it may simply be a quiet place in nature. And do not underestimate the effect of plants and landscaping on your own individual health. Healthy plants reflect a healthy life.

Lastly, think about the emotional environment created by those who live in your home. Is it healthy, peaceful and supportive? What underlying conflicts disrupt the harmony in the home? Go about seeing that these are settled for the best interest of all.

Create an environment that you are happy with both in your personal life and in your professional life and you will appreciate the long-term benefits that result.

By Ray Kelly