All of us have our lives affected by numerous forms of stress. The amount of information that we receive is constantly increasing, added to this, are the many forms of communication we all now use. The media does a good job of portraying uncertain times with lots to fear. People from all walks of life are suffering from stress, this includes children.

Stress is one of the main contributing factors in the development of disease and ill health. The changes in chemistry that result from stress affect most bodily systems adversely. Consistent exposure to the biochemistry of stress compromises our immune systems. Over 75 % of visits to the doctor in America are due to a stress related condition, stress has the effect of aging people prematurely.

There is good news however, using simple techniques on a daily basis, we are able to reduce our stress levels and bring balance to the system. The secret is learning to access the opposite branch of the nervous system in order to trigger the relaxation response. After regular practice these techniques can be used to reduce stress and calm the system at any time. We have the built-in ability to heal ourselves and this works most efficiently when we are free of stress.

A very healthy habit to form is the deep relaxation of mind and body, sometimes known as meditation. The current research into relaxation/meditation shows that regular practice causes positive changes within the brain and genes. This is a different form of rest than we receive when we sleep. There are different techniques that can be learned and used. Some people find that in the early stages a guided relaxation recording can be helpful.

Another way of triggering the relaxation response is through the use of breathing techniques. For thousands of years the practices of Yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Gong have all included breathing exercises. The many physiological benefits of focused breathing techniques have been confirmed by Western medical research. It appears that we can directly influence the nervous system through the use of breathing techniques.

Acupuncture has proven itself to be an excellent approach at stress relief. Acupressure has shown to be even more effective than the use of needles for the relief of stress and anxiety according to some research. For the reduction of stress, self-applied forms of acupressure can easily be learnt and used. Acupressure can be applied as tapping techniques which are easy to master. The results are felt straight away from this quick and convenient technique.

A large amount of stress can be caused by dwelling on the past or fearing future events. The perfect antidote to this form of stress is bringing yourself back into the present moment consistently. There are different ways to do this and in time, with practice, it becomes easier. Spending time in nature and using your senses is a simple technique which is highly effective. During a walk either in a park or in the countryside allow yourself to experience it using your senses, try seeing, touching, smelling and hearing all that you are experiencing.

Stress is unavoidable and is likely to be a part of all of our lives. The key is, making time in our busy schedules to practice calming the system and relaxing, even if it is just for a few moments. With regular practice, the effects of these techniques improve. Activation of the relaxation response, in time, becomes more natural and easier to achieve. The evidence of positive health benefits from reducing stress is growing all the time, So it makes good sense to work harder at doing less.

Asking yourself the question ‘why am I always pulling my hair out?’ is more common than you might think. You might pull this hair from your head, from your eyelashes, eybrows or anywhere else in the body – and you might think you’re the only one. Is it just you? And is it weird?

The truth is that YES you are a lot more normal than you recognise! There are so many people who are constantly asking the question ‘why am I always pulling my hair out?’, just like you, and the answer is that it is because of a disorder called ‘trichotillomania’.

What Is Trichotillomania?

I suffer from this disorder myself, and had never heard to word trichotillomania for years. It sounds scary, but all it really means is that you pull out your hair compulsively. This means that it is almost like a habit, but you will also do it at times without realising, making it very hard to stop.

What Causes People to Pull Out Their Hair?

There are so many potential causes, and nobody has a definitive answer. In my case I always had something inside of me that made me want to twiddle with my hair, which later developed into pulling around the age of 10. This is different for everyone.

Some of the other causes of hair pulling include: your diet, OCD, childhood trauma, ADHD, maybe even genetics!

If you pull out your hair then you may never know exactly what it was that caused the condition. It also takes a long time to come to terms with it, and you may not be ready just yet to understand why you still do it and why you can’t stop.

Getting Support

It might be the case that you need to give yourself a little time before you seek support. When I was ready, I started to chat with people in online forums, and even started writing about how I felt in a blog. I can’t tell you how much this has helped me – though I’m still not ready to talk to people about it in real life.

Always just do what feels right in a way that helps you accept pulling out hair as a part of who you are.

The Most Significant Thing to Take Away from all this? You are not weird! There are so many people who ask themselves ‘why am I always pulling my hair out?!’ – and you can find comfort in connecting with them when you are ready.

You are one very lucky person, if you have never been stressed in your life. Please let me know if that is you, as I?d love to learn stress tips from you! I have to a certain extent learnt how to deal with stress, but only when it starts to well up and rear its ugly head from within. So here are the 7 stress tips that keep me sane!

Try giving yourself enough time to do what you need to do, for example if you have a deadline, then make sure you plan out the work, whilst leaving enough time for mistakes and other eventualities. If you need to get somewhere, give yourself an extra 10-20 minutes traveling time, you might get stuck in traffic or your train could be late and there is no point stressing about it, because there is nothing you can do.

Another great tip on how to deal with stress is to take fifteen minutes out to meditate. This can be done by going into a quiet room, sitting alone in the toilet at work for fifteen minutes to de-stress, or my favorite way, which is listening to relaxing music combined with binaural beats to train my brain to relax on my MP3 player, wherever I am.

How about subliminal messages that pop-up on your computer screen, they do not affect your work, because they are too quick for you to really notice. What they do though, is sort of like the binaural beats and meditating – they help you relieve stress, relax and all sorts of others. Give them a try and if they work for you, stick with it.

Taking some time out the day to be nice to someone is perhaps one of the best stress tips I can give you. Forget about your stress for one moment, connect with someone by helping them, and your mood will be elevated instantly and everything will seem better.

Getting more physically exercise will also help with stress relief, as well as getting you fit in the long run. Whether it be jogging, battering a punch bag or just going for a walk, you will be surprised at how good it makes you feel to expel that excess energy.

Changing your diet, although not a quick fix, will definitely help your stress levels. Antioxidants from fruit and vegetables, which we should all have everyday anyway help boost your immune system, which in turn keeps down your stress levels low.

Out of all these stress tips, this is the one that helps keep me the sanest, and that is to remember to laugh! You know the saying ?Laughter is the best medicine?, well it’s true in the case of stress. When you feel yourself getting stressed, trying to inject some humor into the situation and laugh, it will make you feel better. After all, most things we get stressed about are not life and death situations, yet a lot of us are guilty of treating them like they are.

If you already have your own way of how to deal with stress, then that’s great, but if not then try one of these and see how it goes. You never know, using these few stress tips may surprise you and improve your life a bit at the same time.