Stress – Page 3 – Vibrant Life

01 SEP

Healthy Economy

Unemployment. Foreclosure. Recession. Bankruptcy. Credit crunch. Stock loss. Depression. Bank failure. In recent months, the negative reports about the economy have poured down on us like a torrential downpour. And when we’re drowning financially, it affects all aspects of life, including our health and relationships.

Millions of Americans feel anxious about current financial uncertainties. Fortunately, no matter your circumstances, it is possible to find your bearings financially. There’s hope, and it starts with reexamining your attitudes and values about financial security and success.
Read more about Healthy Economy …

01 JUL

Help for Overcoming Habits, Hurts and Hang-ups

Do you sometimes feel your habits and choices control you, rather than the other way around? Is there something about yourself you’ve tried to change, but you just can’t seem to experience a breakthrough? Does fear hold you back from getting the help you need?

The truth is we all suffer from circumstances, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors that can cause disruption in our lives. Often we feel like we just have to live with it, but there is hope for change. Twelve-step programs can be of assistance to you or loved ones.

The 12-steps are spiritual—not religious—tools that can be applied to any issue in life. The steps have been proven to help countless people work through unhealthy life issues that separate them from God and other people, thus freeing them up to healthy relationships in the environment in which they work and live.

01 JUL

Five Stories of Overcoming Hurts, Habits, and Hangups

The 12 steps aren’t just for Alcoholics Anonymous. They can change your life in ways you can never imagine. Just listed to how the steps changed the lives of these five people.

Overcoming Perfectionism and Workaholism

Work and worry were the watchwords in my early environment.

Family life centered around church, where I gathered many positive messages. But for some reason, my brain fastened on the negative. I heard subtle mandates in scripture, sermon, and song that drove me to obsessive/compulsive behavior: “We’ll work ‘til Jesus comes.” “Work for the night is coming.” “Be vigilant, lest you be caught unawares.” “Are you ready for Jesus to come?”

Studiously obeying these “commandments,” I became a world-class workaholic/ perfectionist, driving myself mercilessly for the next 40 years. The social and emotional consequences of my excessive behavior were enormous. When I finally accepted the fact that I was a workaholic and that this addiction was killing me, I went into a treatment center for addictive disorders. There, most of my peers were alcoholics. I could see that I was no different from them. Subsequently, I have found in twelve-step groups the guidance and support I needed to change long-standing, deep-seated, self-abusive habits into balanced, moderate, healthy living.

10 OCT

Dealing with the Stress of a Newborn

I’m going to be honest with you; this week I’m at a loss for words. And if you knew me you would know that never happens. I usually always have something to say; just ask my husband! I think I’ve just been a little stressed-out taking care of the baby, the toddler, the husband, the house . . . you get the point, right? Then to add to it, I started back to my part-time job working at the pediatricians’ office last week. I thought it would be a stress reliever to get out amongst the living, but it’s actually more stressful because I leave my set of screaming kids to deal with other peoples screaming kids.

09 JUL

Just a Little R and R

Everyone needs a little rest and relaxation. A time to de-stress and decompress from the daily rat race in which we live. I would say for most people summer vacation is the perfect time to do just that. We plan most of the year for those precious few weeks when we are free from the […]

18 JUN

My Date with Stress

Have you ever had one of those pull-your-hair-out, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs kind of days? One where all you want to do is just go to your room, close the door, crawl into bed and pull the covers up over your head, and hope that when you emerge it will be a new day. And maybe––just maybe––when you decide to re-enter the world it will be a “Mary Poppins” sort of day!

That is what I wished for every moment of the day I lived today. Let me share with you why I classified today as one of those stressful situation days. No matter where I turned there was another stressful situation just waiting for me. So picture this: I am now 8 months pregnant (aka: big, cranky, and tired) and I have a sick 18-month-old (aka: crabby, clingy, and whinny). My husband has planned a 60-mile “joy ride” on his road bike with some friends who share his mutual passion for the sport. Up until now my daughter had only had a fever and a stuffy nose. No big deal; “mommy nurse” can handle that with no problem! My husband said goodbye to us, and no sooner had he closed the front door when my daughter started vomiting. Oh, yuck! Then the diarrhea began! I knew I was in for it!