• Do you feel stressed most of the time?
• Are you less productive in your work?
• Are you having difficulty sleeping and waking up tired?

Who are stress-prone persons?   Basically, we're driven, competitive, work-oriented individuals who feel rushed much of the time and have a strong need to prove ourselves.   We carry much internal conflict which often creates physical and emotional problems and seldom allows contentment and peacefulness.   We're reluctant to make changes; however, even though we may not feel good much of the time we desire to live a more balanced lifestyle. The conflict arises when today's society encourages and rewards us for being high-achieving, competitive and results-oriented people.

Consider the following more in-depth profile and use it as a guide. It should give you clues as to why you often feel stressed.   You may not have excessive tendencies in every category, but probably exhibit intense behavior in one or more categories.

Stress-prone people:

Desire accomplishment and achievement

Our strong need to achieve drives us to excel.   We become involved in many projects and deadlines and have a tendency to overextend ourselves.   Our strong need for accomplishment compels us to volunteer for many charitable and civic activities. Unfortunately, we direct our energy in several directions with fragmented results.

Are highly competitive and need to win

Because we're highly competitive, if we don't win in business or social activities, we become agitated and unhappy.  Winning often becomes an end in itself, and it goes beyond healthy competition to compulsivity.   Almost everything becomes a challenge or a competitive match.   On the inside though we constantly compare ourselves with others, which creates a sense of restlessness and discontentment.

Lead rushed lives

We feel there is an urgency about life and there is never enough time to get everything done.  We have a tendency to over-plan days with activities and self imposed deadlines.   We try to accomplish more in less time.   Our intense inner drive leaves little time for family or friends.   We dislike delays and interruptions and hate to wait in line.   While driving a car we become impatient and very frustrated if the car in front of us is moving too slowly.   We might even tailgate while pressuring the driver to go faster!

Are work-obsessed

Workaholic is the term often used to describe us.   We work long hours.   A sixty hour work week is not unusual.   We push ourselves hard to get things done and it makes us feel good to have others see how hard we work.   We constantly focus on thinking and talking about our work or things that interest us.  We often take work home, and there is little or no time in our life for anything else.

Desire possessions and recognition

We constantly desire to be recognized and much of our motivation for getting involved with work related projects is to receive recognition.   Feeling good is based on outward achievements rather than from feeling good inside about ourselves. W  hen we don't receive adequate acknowledgement for our efforts, we can become hurt, even hostile and angry.   We show a strong need to acquire material wealth and possessions as proof of success.   We judge our self worth by our net worth.

Appear competent and confident

On the outside we usually appear calm and seem to "have it all together".  We look confident and self assured, but inside we often feel tense and insecure.   We may be well organized and in control, but frequently overreact to change because it makes us feel out of control.

Set high standards for ourselves

We set high standards for ourselves that are not always reasonable.   We can be overly critical of ourselves and others. Prevalent feelings may be we are never good enough or can never measure up to how "we" feel we should be.   When things don't go well we become very stressed and are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.

Have difficulty enjoying life

We find it difficult to relax without feeling guilty.   Getting things done is more important.   We can neglect our own personal needs, such as eating properly, getting adequate exercise and sleep and taking time for fun and recreation.   We have few hobbies and rarely spend time doing something purely for enjoyment. We wouldn't know how to relax!   We may have difficulty with relationships, because we're so task oriented we don't know how to relate well with others.

After reading this profile, do you consider yourself a stress-prone person?   Do you see yourself in any of the categories?  Which ones?   If you do see categories where you exhibit excessive tendencies, are you willing to make changes?   Could your life be happier and more satisfying?  Is the choice to change worth it to you and others?   Who are you hurting if you don't make changes? You truly have to want to make lifestyle changes to lower your stress levels.   We know that pills won't solve the problem.

• Slow down and take time to relax; it's important for your health.   Your body is not designed to be in high gear all the time.
• Spend some time thinking how you can improve your life and make it more satisfying.   Start out with a simple plan noting areas where you can make changes.
• Work fewer hours, if possible.   When you leave the office, leave your work and office problems behind.
• Spend more time with family and friends.   Be open to new friendships.   Positive relationships are important support systems for you.
• Exercise regularly, even if is just taking a daily 20 minute walk.   Exercise is an important stress reducer.   Not only does it help you feel better physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.
• Strive to be more self accepting and accepting of others. Realize none of us is perfect.
• Read a good book about sleep, if sleep is a problem.
• Take time to wind down and be quiet before you go to bed. Don't work in bed.   Rather than being work-involved, you need to be relaxed when it's bedtime.
• Identify what may be worrying you and write about it in a journal before you go to bed.
• Cut down on cigarettes and the amount of caffeine you drink.   Both are stimulants.   Caffeine is found not only in coffee, but in tea, colas and chocolate.
• Try our Gift of Sleep CD program if your sleep problems persist.   It's specifically designed to help conquer stress related insomnia.   It's comforting and simple; it works!
• Make an effort to put more fun your life.   Find things to do that you enjoy.   When we can laugh and have fun our whole outlook about life improves.