How often have you avoided a topic of conversation with one of the following remarks:

• "It makes me so mad I can't even THINK about it!"
• "Don't get me started - I don't want to go there!"
• "I don't want to hear anything about it I get so stressed out!"

Sound familiar? You may feel like you're protecting yourself and your health by turning your back on what bothers you. But ignoring what causes you stress doesn't make your stress go away - it magnifies it and makes things far worse. Refusing to face your stressors can interfere with your optimum functionality and happiness. It puts you into a state of continuous anxiety that can even "eat up your insides!"

"Headaches by the Number, Stressors by the Score"

Next time you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or held back by fear or worry, GRAB A PEN and paper and jot down everything that irritates you in your life right now.

Here's my quick list:

• Relationships - not happy with how I behaved toward my husband this morning
• Work - encountering one obstacle after another in converting my book to an eBook
• House Clutter - overwhelmed with too many clothes in my closet
• Political Situation - scared to death about the direction of our country
• Financial - worried about losing my retirement savings
• Health - toothache, swollen ankles
• Overloaded Schedule - run out of time before I get to do the fun stuff

And this was just for starters!

If You Don't Like Something - DO SOMETHING!

If something stresses you out, don't ignore it, don't stew over it - ACT NOW to make it better.

HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED

I'm going to go down my list to see what I can do to make it better, with the hope that this will help you take charge of your own list.

• Relationships - Apologize to my husband for not being my best "me" in relating to him.

• Work - Be realistic about my plan of action and expect to make adjustments in my time schedule. When I'm working with others, be patient while they do their part and respond promptly when the ball is back in my court.

• House Clutter - Clear out the clothes I don't wear and then organize the clothes I do wear. Put outfits together ahead of time so I can "grab and go."

• Political Situation - Refuse to be a helpless bystander. Educate myself, keep informed, and get involved in some (small, medium, or big) way.

• Financial - Learn basic economics, adopt healthy money habits, talk with friends who are successful money-managers, and consult with reliable tax advisors, financial counselors, bank representatives, and/or insurance agents. Make a "Plan A" based on my best understanding and follow through. Have a Plan B and Plan C for supporting myself if Plan A falls through.

• Health - Go to my dentist and my doctor to address my health problems.

• Overloaded Schedule - Plan my day to include time for the most important things I want to do that day - and be sure to include some of my personal fun things on that schedule!  Develop a routine for the everyday things I want to do, and spread the other important things throughout the week. A cluttered schedule immobilizes me - so just schedule one or two non-routine important things for each day.

You will discover that when you take simple steps to do something constructive about your stressors, you can vastly reduce or eliminate your stress!  This way, you can transform your stressors into friendly guides to ACTION - so you can love living your life!

I'd love to hear how these steps work for you -- feel free to email me at Terry@YourRecipeForLivingCoach.com, or post a comment on my Break Free Blog at www.YourRecipeForLivingCoach.com. Please know that you are welcome to share this BREAK FREE TIP by forwarding this message to a friend or colleague.