If you are feeling stressed, then you may be having trouble with sleeping and concentrating, and with being positive and hopeful. Your body may be trying to get you to recognise that it is feeling stressed by giving you headaches, making you feel sick, giving you indigestion, a fluttery feeling in the tummy, or any one of a number of other signs that are trying to show you that you need to relax

Recognise your signs of stress

Think of a time that was stressful for you - it might have been an exam or a disagreement with a friend, or maybe you needed to tell someone something really important and didn't know how they'd react.
Try to remember how your body felt

* Did you have butterflies in the tummy before the exam?
* Did you get a headache when arguing?
* Did you find it hard to sleep before telling that person the news?

Stop now and have a think about how it felt for you. Perhaps you could write those signs down so you'll remember later.

Dealing with stress (your reactions)

• How did you deal with the stress in the situation you thought about before? Was it helpful?
• Was there another situation where you dealt with stress really well?

Perhaps you could write those strategies down to remember for times you need them. There are many choices in the way that you can deal with stress. Talk to friends about good ways they use to deal with stress to increase your choices.

Positive self-talk

Positive self-talk helps you tap into your inner strengths. We all have inner strengths. Positive self-talk is about using your mind in the way you want, to help yourself. It helps us to decide how we'll react to stress. When we do the opposite (negative thinking) we create more stress for ourselves. Here are some ways to use Positive self-talk.

• Tell yourself positive statements every day (examples: "I am good at ….", "I have inner strength", "I have true beauty within", "All is well", "I feel peaceful now").
• Picture seeing yourself in a positive situation - one that you want to move towards (eg. see yourself doing that school test and being relaxed about it, and doing well. Picture the teacher reading your test and being impressed on how well you did).
• Remind yourself of things you've done well in the past ("I did well on that school project last year – this means I can do it again").
• Look at the big picture - will it really matter in 5 years? Will the world stop turning if it does or doesn't happen?
• Work on what you can control, accept the rest and let it go.
• You can even make a tape of your own voice saying positive, relaxing, supportive things.

Relaxation

What do you find relaxing?

• Is it dancing, art, meditation, fishing, going for a walk with friends, reading a book, listening to music, shopping, a gym work-out, talking to a friend or playing sport?

Think about things you can do that relax you, and find ways to build them into your weekly routine. These are ways both to prevent stress and to deal with stress.
There are other ways to relax and unwind.

• How about a massage? You could give a friend a neck and shoulder massage or a hand massage and ask for one back.
• Perhaps a yoga or tai chi class is for you.
• Herbal teas like chamomile may help and so can a warm bath or aromatherapy oils like lavender oil.

There are quick relaxation techniques that take just a few minutes. You can use these in many places. For example take a few minutes to relax in the middle of an exam if you find yourself getting stressed and not thinking clearly.

• Deep breathing - breathe in through the nose and let the air fill the bottom of your lungs first, breathe right down to your stomach, then breathe out slowly, concentrating on letting the muscles of your body relax.
• Focused breathing - breathe in through the nose and as you breathe out say a positive statement to yourself like relax or calm down.
• Stretching - stretch out muscles, reach the arms above the head and stretch, or just stretch whatever part of the body you feel needs it.
• Visualisation - this is where you picture a pleasant place and use slow breathing through the nose - you can make the place anywhere you want to and you can change anything in the picture to see, feel, sound or smell just as you wish.

Exercise

Many people find physical activity helps burn up some of that stress. It can be fun too.

hope it will help you...

What is an alcohol problem?

People have different ideas about what 'problem drinking' or an 'alcohol problem' is – but most would agree that it involves a level of alcohol use which causes ongoing troubles in the lives of the alcohol users and of their families and friends.
Some of the problems could be:

* drinking leading to arguments and fights
* problems at work, like being late, not turning up for work, causing accidents at work because of being drunk or hung-over
* problems at school, TAFE, Uni like being late, taking days off, not getting work done or in on time
* being in road accidents because of being drunk or hung-over
* money worries because all the money is spent on alcohol
* being arrested for drink-driving, having drink-driving fines to pay, loss of driver's licence, or going to jail
* health problems - alcohol can be pretty rough on the body
* becoming dependent on alcohol (sometimes called alcoholism)
* drinking more and more alcohol to feel the effects.
http://www.cyh.com/

what is sodium (salt)?

• Sodium an element which is part of common salt.

What does it do?

• A small amount of sodium is needed for normal body functioning. It is involved in many cell processes.

Where is it found?

• Sodium is found in table salt, baking soda, and MSG (monosodium glutamate). It is also present in many foods, especially processed ones.

What happens if we don't get enough?

• This would be rare, as sodium is hard to avoid, and most of us have far more than we need. A lot is lost from the body with excessive sweating or diarrhoea, so more may be needed in these cases.

What happens if we get too much?

• Some people are more likely to get high blood pressure if there is a lot of salt in their diet. It is wise to avoid salty foods as much as possible.
• The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has made some recommendations for sodium intakes for Australians
• Babies 0 to 6 months 120 mg per day
• Babies 7 to 12 months 170 mg per day
• Children 1 to 3 years recommended 200-400 mg per day, upper limit 1,000 mg per day
• Children 4 to 8 years recommended 300-600 mg per day, upper limit 1,400 mg per day
• Children 9 to 13 years recommended 400-800 mg per day, upper limit 2,000 mg per day
• Young people 14 to 18 years recommended 460 to 920 mg per day, upper limit 2,300 mg per day
• Adults 460-920 mg per day, upper limit 2,300 mg per day

http://www.cyh.com/