Diana Fletcher

Coloring Your World–What’s Your Choice?

Posted on 22. Jul, 2010 by Diana in Coaching, Health, Life Choices, Stress Reducing

I have become very interested in the effect colors can have on us. I feel that paying attention to the color of our surroundings could impact whether we feel calm or experience stress reactions.

Look around you. Is there a room you feel very calm in?
Is there a room that you feel nervous about?
It could be the colors.
Some colors are very powerful and need to be used in small amounts.

Red is a very emotionally energetic color. It can increase respiration rate and can raise blood pressure. It can intensify your energy and can also stimulate quick decision making. If you have trouble sleeping, you will want to make sure you have no large splashes of red in your bedroom.

Yellow is associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy. It has a warming and cheerful effect, but too much can be disturbing.

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. Orange represents enthusiasm, happiness, creativity, determination and encouragement. It is also associated with healthy food. A nice addition to your kitchen is a bowl of oranges on the counter.

Green is your calming color. It is the most restful color for the human eye and symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness and fertility. This is often a nice color for the bedroom or a room you want to relax in.

Blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence and truth. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows metabolism and can also have a calming and peaceful effect.

Purple combines the steadfastness of blue and the energy of red. It symbolizes power and wealth. Dark purple can evoke gloom and sad feelings. A violet or light shade may make you drowsy.

White usually has a positive connotation of coolness and cleanliness. It may give some people a feeling of safety. Other people may feel is is too sterile and therefore, not comforting.

Black is a mysterious color but can feel very aggressive. It can denote strength and authority. It can also feel very heavy and contribute to depression if used too much.

These are just some little tidbits to make you think about the effect colors and your surroundings have on your moods and possibly your actions. There is a ton of information out there to tell you more about colors and their power.

If you can make small changes and play with the colors, give it a try. And always make sure you have something in your “favorite color” where you can enjoy it every day.

There are all sorts of ways to reduce your stress!

Be aware of stress to manage it BY Christy Strawser SPECIAL TO THE Detroit FREE PRESS

Posted on 21. Sep, 2009 by Diana in Uncategorized

Sandra Finkel has heard all the excuses for racing through life.  But she doesn’t buy them.

Finkel, who holds a master’s degree in public health and works as the manager of stress management services for the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, said one simple lesson can benefit nearly everyone: If you can’t control it, don’t get upset about it. “Shift focus, and be aware of how you’re reacting,” Finkel said. “Discern whether it is something within your control. That defuses a lot of stress.”

So, the first step toward conquering stress is awareness. Here are more tips: Set up a schedule. Create one that includes everything you need to do, but doesn’t leave time for anything unproductive. Include work, family time, whatever would lead to a more fulfilling life. Make it easier by putting weekly errands into one or two blocks of time and turning off the BlackBerry and television during set hours.

“A lot of superficial, time-wasting stuff doesn’t have room when your schedule is full of things you want to do,” Finkel said. Learn to say no. Make no excuses for being selfish with your time. Saying no to requests to organize a fund-raiser or bake five dozen cupcakes may seem selfish, but could pay off for your health.

“Stress has been shown to increase a lot of risk factors, cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation in the arteries, belly fat,” Finkel said. “What do people do behaviorally when they’re stressed? They overeat, drink or smoke.

” Quiet time. Diana Fletcher, a Pittsburgh author and life coach, advises that people spend 15 minutes a day sitting quietly. “The problem is that we never stop,” Fletcher said. “We are always so busy trying to keep up with this crazy world — but we just can’t.”

Be in the moment. Feeling scattered in different directions is one of the major reasons people feel stressed, so decide to focus on what’s in front of you. Finkel recommends meditation as a way to learn to live in the moment, which requires sitting still for a few moments and clearing your mind. Focusing on the present is an especially good tip for the legions of metro Detroiters who are out of work, Finkel said.

She said a recent study showed people experience more stress if they’re working and worried about losing their job than after they’ve been laid off, which means uncertainty is a bigger stress inducer than joblessness.

Exercise. When you feel overwhelmed, remember exercise is a wonderful stress reliever. Walking, riding a bike, swimming, dancing to the radio or skipping rope, even for just 15 minutes, releases feel-good endorphins. “It gives energy, it doesn’t sap it,” Finkel said.