Erratum: Life is like a rose, thorny but still fragrant and beautiful..

Last year i lost my grandad and a week after that my dad follow unexpectedly. I was so grief stricken at that time, but being alone; far away from my family i have to pull myself out or else i'll bury myself in deep depression. I start to cultivate the strength that i have have from within and make sure that my faith in God will never waver. It's very difficult but i pray everytime that faith starts to waver. Everytime i go to work i always pray that the Lord be with me and that the light of the Lord shine through me. And through that I became a positive inspiration to my patients who are suffering and to their family who are losing hope. God helped me redirected my grief into a positive energy so that i can be a pillar of hope to others. Right now i still miss my Grandad and Dad, cry once in awhile but i know that every trials and tribulations that comes in our way, has a purpose. We are molded through the fire so that we become more strong and more sharp in dealing with "Life". And i leave you with this: " Life is like a rose thorny but still fragrant beautiful !!"

it is easy just to be unstressed all the time!

I have found that 'turning down the volume' has helped significantly...no TV, turn off the phone, live for today, stop and smell the roses, be in touch with nature...and knowing who you are, inside and out...I know my triggers, and know what works for ME to keep my stress manageable...it took a while to learn how to set boundaries and so no, but it sure works! Have a great today!

I become a "hermit" every Sunday. It's my day of rest. Too much interpersonal interaction jangles my nerves. I breathe deeply, exercise a little, catch up on little jobs and generally relax before going into the "marketplace." Unfortunately, friends and neighbors do not understand.

I place myself in a meditative state so I can pray. Sometimes my stress is so great that I yell at God and the Saints, but still I continue to pray. It calms me for the time-being.

Sometimes a combination of strategies works best in dealing with stress. First, while we cannot change the fact of stress, we can modify our response to it--and this is the key. Some ideas include aerobic exercise, listening to various types of music (Hawaiian ukelele, Appalachian banjo, e.g.), a warm bath, a cool shower, breathwork, a daily devotional routine, brisk walking, attending religious service of one's choice, gardening, volunteering at a food bank, taking a news fast, connecting with others, any activity that gives perspective to one's time and place. The idea is that there is no single answer that works for everyone everytime necessarily. Instead of trying to "manage" that which is beyond our control, we should practice managing what is under our conscious control, our reaction to stressors.

For myself, having a routine-daily exercise, set times to look forward to, etc...seem to destress my day. If it there is alot of stress, having something positive to look forward to helps. As for destressing for peaceful sleep, I have found that taking a warm shower with a eucalyptus-mint shower gel is very relaxing.

I've had good results using a hypnosis CD (I copied it to my MP3 player). It doesn't help me lose weight as it is supposed to, but the 'theta rhythm' sure sends me to sleep quick enough.

How do you handle anxiety insommnia without resorting to sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medication?