1. The Keys to Stress Management Top Ten Coping Skills

2. Manifesting Your Highest and Greatest Good  The following Top Ten Coping Skills are proven, effective strategies to better manage the stresses of your life. The goal is to respond creatively to life’s circumstances and manifest balance in body- mind-spirit.

3. Key #1: Focus on what you can control  This means accepting personal responsibility for how you think, feel and what you do. Understand that you cannot always control the circumstance and situations of you life but you can always control how you react to the stress of the circumstances and situations. Train yourself to ask the following questions: what do I really think about the situation, what are my truest feelings, what is the hardest part of the situation, and how can I manifest my high good in this situation.

4. Key #2: Let go of catastrophic thinking  Catastrophic think is creating the worse case scenario in your mind. What if this happens, what if that happens.  Ask yourself what is the worse thing that could happen and how would you be affected by it.  Then ask how would you cope with it.

5. Key #3: Breathing is the communication between body and mind  When confronted with stressful situations, your body experiences physiological changes. There is a change in breathing patterns and a secretion of hormones and enzymes that prepare you for the flight or fight response. Shallow breathing is a message from the body to the brain to prepare for stress. Conversely, deep breathing is a message from the body that it is ok to relax. What this means is you must train yourself to be aware of your breathing patterns and practice deep breathing techniques when you are not in stressful situations.

6. Key #4: Get Physical Engage in aerobic activity. 45 to 60 minutes aerobic activity has far reaching benefits.  Increases dopamine levels  Releases toxic chemicals in the body  Improves sleep patterns  Reduces blood pressure  Helps manage weight  Enhances your sense of well-being

7. Key #5: Journal  Spend 15 minutes, 3 or 4 times week writing down your thoughts and feelings. Research has shown that functioning of the immune system is enhanced by this activity.

8. Key #6: Talk it over  Talk to trusted friends. Friends serve has sounding boards. Venting the stress you feel is a good thing. You release the inner pressures and tensions and clear your mind for discovering your plan of action.

9. Key #7: Pray and meditate  Prayer is talking to God;  Meditation is listening to God.  Tune into that small, still voice within that guides you to your highest good.

10. Key #8 Pamper yourself  Take a hot bubble bath with a glass of your favorite wine.  There’s nothing like a full body massage.  My wife loves a pedicure and manicure.

11. Key #9: Live in the moment  Live one day at a time, expect the unexpected, and trust that because you are a grounded, centered person, you will be able to cope with what ever life gives you. Allow yourself to be filled with the joy of anticipation of what may happen next.

12. Key 10: Yoga  The benefits of yoga include:  Increased flexibility  Increased stamina and strength  Increased balance  Relaxation of the autonomic nervous system  An enhanced sense of well being.

13. peakperformanceonline.org John R. Mein, Ph.D. Foggy Bottom Cove, Virginia El Paso, Texas