NEW STRESS RELIEF TECHNIQUES

              

 Answers or Escape?

                               

What do you do 

when you are feeling 

down or insecure?

*“I hate my job. This day was a waste of my time. My wife nags me, and I have bills to pay. I need a scotch.”

*“The Orient is messing up our order. That client is not paying. I’m getting fat. My kids don’t respect me. I’m ready for that joint.”

* “I need to look powerful; like I can buy anything I want and prove that I can do anything I want. My friends are getting high. Whatever, I’ll join them.”

*“Everyone knows that these shoes are from last year. I think those girls are talking about me.  I look bad in this dress. I’ll going to have a drink to take the edge off.”

DO YOU turn to Vodka, marijuana, coke, pills, etc., to temporarily whisk your insecurity and worries away? If so, you probably know that those substances do nothing to resolve problems, may lead to addiction, and will not help you create a life of which you could be proud. Think of a board game that sends you back six spaces, when you pick the wrong card: when you get wasted, your productivity is set off for the next day at least. Naturally, with this stop-and-start procession, it will take longer for you to achieve your goals. So, rather than drinking, smoking, or pill- popping your life into oblivion, here are some effective stress relievers that can lead you upward and onto a happier, more productive path.

Usually, we are told to seek healthy stress-relief by getting a massage, going for a jog, finding a scenic spot to relax, but here are some other SAFE suggestions:

*Take time to define your objectives by using a Goal Journal. Here’s how to make one: Take a piece of paper and list all of your long term aspirations. Fold this paper vertically, and use it as a bookmark in an empty notebook. Whenever you can, read your bookmark wish-list and then write down what you did lately to get closer to achieving your goals.

*Take a piece of paper that you will be destroying and discarding. On this page, write about the things that are upsetting you. This type of honest journal-ing will make you feel that you have less to hide, thereby relieving some inner angst. The writing will be liberating and relaxing.  It will also help you to define what it is that you want to change about your life to create a better one.

*Find a therapist to speak to. In some communities, there is more shame in seeking help for problems than there is for getting smashed. But truth be told; it is time for those who seek help for their problems to lift their chins and be VERY proud that they are working toward solutions. If you are human, you are not immune to difficulty. There is nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, know that you are among the brave when you exert to improve.

*Talk to someone who cares - a rabbi, a parent, your sister, brother, cousin, friend. They are all around us, and the older ones have wisdom.

Think of a computer game (back to the games) that challenges you to save innocents from hideous creatures, stop meteors from crashing into buildings… Problems in life are your opponents. If you stay alert and sincerely try, you will win a very fulfilling future!

This article was written by staff at The SAFE Foundation.

A version of this article was published in Image Magazine 

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