My life has been rather hectic lately. Perhaps you can relate to this scenario. My job has been more challenging than ever and I just can't seem to keep up with everything that needs to get done. Physically this can be exhausting and I do everything I can to ensure my body stays healthy. Mentally this can be stressful as well. In the midst of all this activity keeping my mind healthy and stress free is a priority and a necessity.

We hear a lot of talk about how to relieve stress on a physical level. You can take a hot tub or a long relaxing bath. You can exercise, eat right and get enough sleep. I advocate all of those things wholeheartedly. In fact, I have found that giving to the body when you are in the midst of a hectic lifestyle is a key to surviving it. However, what about your mind? How do you relieve stress on a mental level? We know how to keep our body healthy in the midst of stress, but how do we keep our mind healthy as well?

There is a well documented phenomenon called the 'zeigarnik effect'. The 'zeigarnik effect' is defined as the psychological tendency to remember an uncompleted task rather than a completed one. It further hypothesizes that needs cause tensions which persist until the needs are satisfied. What this means in terms of stress is that stress levels increase to the degree that a person has unfinished tasks, and conversely, stress decreases to the degree that a person completes tasks. Psychologically, we experience relief when we complete a task, no matter how small. For example, have you ever noticed how good you feel when you finally file your income taxes? Or perhaps you feel great once you get around to cleaning out that closet or the garage. One of the things that I have observed in my own life is that the thing that causes me the most stress is not that I have a big task to do, but that I have many small tasks on my list. Prioritizing and organizing the steps by which I will get each thing done is important.

The mind loves organization. If you are experiencing mental stress one of the first things you can do to begin relieving that stress is to put down on to paper a list of the tasks that you need to accomplish and then prioritize them in order of importance. I use lists all the time because I find that when I try to keep everything in my head that adds stress to an already overwhelming situation. There's something about seeing things on paper that helps to get everything out of your head so you can tackle it one by one. It also feels great when you can check things off your list.

Meditation is another great was to reduce mental stress. Meditation is not as difficult as you may have been led to believe. It means to simply still the mind for a few moments of all the thoughts and chatter that have been preoccupying it. I notice that when I take the time out to meditate, even is just for a brief time during the day, that it is like getting a fresh start on things. When I emerge from meditation my mind is clear and I am refreshed to tackle the tasks at hand. Many times I discover that some of the things that I was believing I had to take care of, drop away in meditation and when I emerge I realize that they are not my problem to deal with. If you are a sensitive individual then you are likely to carry around the problems of the world on your shoulders and this can cause much mental stress. Many times you will discover that some of the things you are running through your head, trying to accomplish, really aren't your problems. Through meditation you can learn to clear out the unnecessary energy so that you can focus your efforts on what really counts.

Hypnosis is another great way to relieve mental stress. One of the by-products of hypnotherapy is relaxation, both physically and mentally. Using hypnotherapy a person can go into their sub-conscious mind to clear out patterns that cause a person to become stressed in the first place. A person can also use hypnotherapy to train the subconscious mind to release stress easily and effortlessly. Many large corporations are using hypnosis today to help their employees remain stress free and productive, because they recognize the value of mental relaxation for success. You can experience the same by attending a stress management workshop or having a private hypnotherapy session. It's so important to take time out for yourself and to clear the mental chaos from your mind. I know that you are probably a very busy person and you may be saying right about now, "How can I take time out for myself when I have so much to do? I'll take time out once this is all done." Believe it or not, you will be better off if you take out some time in the middle of your day or in the middle of the week rather than push yourself to exhaustion. Using the suggestions given here can start you on the road to mental clarity and greater success. For more information on how you can learn meditation or to learn more about hypnotherapy, call 1-800-642-9355.