Stress Less Archives

If you want to stress less you need to learn how to manage distressing emotions – because that’s what stress really is. Your stress and the related problems it causes all stem from distressing emotions that are being ignored, denied or just poorly handled.

If you’re feeling stressed out, you’re not alone. But when you’re able to get a handle on your emotions, you can get a handle on your problems. Then you’ll find the stress relief you’ve been looking for.

The key to reducing stress is to figure out what you’re feeling. This means identifying the specific emotion that’s causing your stress—because unless you know what you’re feeling, you can’t change.

The next step to managing stress effectively is remembering that in stressful situations you have a choice about what to focus on and how to respond.

If you’re tired of being stressed out, Dr. Erin Olivo has curated a selection of blog posts for you with tips and insights on how to relieve your stress once and for all.

4 Simple Ways to Stress Less

Stressed out? You’re not alone.

Many of my patients come to see me because they’re feeling stressed out. Unfortunately, stress is a part of life and you can’t ever completely get rid of it—but you can transform your experience of it and learn to stress less.

The key to managing stress effectively is remembering that in stressful situations you have a choice about what to focus on and how to respond. You can either stress out about the long line for your morning latte, or take a mindful moment and breathe in and out slowly and deeply until it’s […]

2021-08-27T04:13:36+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living|Comments Off

How To Tell If You’re Stressed or Depressed

Feeling stressed out? You’re not alone. Seventy-two percent of adults surveyed by the American Psychological Association reported feeling stressed out at least some of the time during the past month.

Regardless of what you’re stressing about, stress can quickly turn into a problem when it builds and starts to cause wear and tear on your body—and your overall mental state. In fact, if left unmanaged stress can actually lead to depression.

Chronic stress leads to physical changes in your brain and body, changes in the way you’re thinking, and ultimately to changes in the way you’re behaving.

Stressed out people […]

2021-08-27T04:13:36+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Depression|Comments Off

How to Take Charge of Your Emotions to Reduce Stress

Are you tired of being stressed out all the time?

Do you want to change but aren’t sure what to do?

Well, you’re not alone and I’m here to help!

If you want to know how to reduce stress you need to figure out what you’re feeling. This means identifying the specific emotion that’s causing your stress—because unless you know what you’re feeling, you can’t change.

As I often say on the Wise Mind Living blog, your stress can always be boiled down to one of the big eight emotions. There are only eight emotion families to choose from […]

2021-08-27T04:13:37+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Managing Emotions|Comments Off

15 Common Ailments That Are Caused By Stress

Did you know that some of the most common ailments are really stress symptoms?

Do you get headaches in the late afternoon for seemingly unknown reasons? Maybe you suffer from insomnia or have a nagging stomachache that just won’t go away.

These are just a few of the common ailments that are caused by stress.

And the reason why your symptoms persist is because you’re not managing the distressing emotions that are the real cause of your stress.

There are many symptoms of stress that turn up as physical ailments and you might be experiencing more than […]

2021-08-27T04:13:37+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Anxiety Relief|Comments Off

Why Acceptance Helps You Deal With Stressful Situations

Wise Mind Living often comes down to knowing when and how to accept the situation you’re in—which isn’t always easy when you’re dealing with stressful situations.

Usually, the answer is when you can’t do anything to change the situation. As for how, read on.

Pop quiz:
You took the morning off work to wait for the cable guy and there’s only one more minute left in the two-hour window the company promised you. Your home internet access is at stake, not to mention the next episode of your favorite HBO show, so you have to get this repaired today. But you’re […]

2021-08-27T04:13:38+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Acceptance|Comments Off

The Real Reason Why You’re Stressed Out

If you’re a regular reader of the Wise Mind Living blog, you know that I believe most people who are stressed out have the wrong idea about what stress is. Which is why they aren’t very good at managing their stress.

What you need to do is learn how to manage your distressing emotions—because that’s what stress really is.

So where do these distressing emotions come from?

And if you don’t like these feelings, and they’re the reasons for stress, why do you have them, anyway?

The basic answer is that we have emotions because there’s a […]

2021-08-27T04:13:38+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living|Comments Off

What Is An Anxiety Attack?

Sometimes patients come to me because they want to know how to deal with an anxiety attack. However, the symptoms they’re describing are technically those of a panic attack—a burst of fear or worry with intense physical manifestations.

A panic attack hits you all of a sudden: one minute you’re fine and the next minute your heart is pounding, you can’t catch your breath, you’re sweating like crazy and you feel a bit dizzy.

It can feel so extreme that you think you’re dying – or going insane. Thoughts like that, of course, make the whole thing worse by providing […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Anxiety Relief|Comments Off

Four Tips to Overcome Social Anxiety

The holiday season is upon us and although it’s supposed to be festive and fun, it can also bring a lot of anxiety-producing social occasions.

Whether it’s due to an office party, a big gathering at your in-laws, or an open house in your new neighborhood, many people suffer from social anxiety and that can make you feel out-of-sync with the merry mood.

If you’re dealing with this problem, Wise Mind Living strategies can teach you how to overcome social anxiety.

My patient Angelina was having anxiety issues about her upcoming office holiday party and asked me […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Anxiety Relief|Comments Off

Why Spending Time In Nature is Key to Stress Reduction

Fall is officially in full swing! The lazy days of summer have been replaced with a hustle and bustle that coincided with the kids going back to school.

You can feel the energy in the air, and for me it’s even more intense this year for several good reasons.

In addition to prepping for the launch of my book and working with my patients, I just started writing for the Oz Blog! I’m very excited to be working with Dr. Oz again. You can read my first post here […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Anxiety Relief|Comments Off

5 Wise Mind Ways to Manage Holiday Stress

The holidays are supposed to be fun, right?

But most people experience some level of holiday stress . This can be caused by the demands of shopping for gifts, attending social gatherings, and coping with the inevitable memories that are brought up by the holiday season.

Here are a five Wise Mind Living tips to help you cope with stressful situations during the holidays.

1. Set realistic expectations and keep things in perspective.

Most of us find ourselves faced with too much to do, too much to buy and not enough time or money for everything we think we […]

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Forgiveness|Comments Off