Sow the Seeds for a Stress-Free Spring: Life Coach Millie Grenough Offers Simple Strategies and Solutions

STAMFORD, CT, March 18, 2011 (Press-News.org) Are you feeling sluggish from this year's brutal winter? Is your mind still partially buried in the mess of those mountains of snow? Are you dreaming of looking gorgeous in a bathing suit and feeling full of energy? According to life coach Millie Grenough, now is the perfect time to sow the seeds for a stress-free spring.

Grenough says each of one of us can do something simple that will put a new 'spring' in our steps. She also warns that we should beware of those "Flat abs in 24 hours" pitches. "Don't go for an emergency fix that will fall apart the next time you get stressed. You're worth more than that," encourages Grenough. She suggests going for something that will help you feel better now - and will have long-lasting effects - both for your good looks and for your health.

Now that spring is in the air, Grenough has a recipe for energizing yourself. She suggests visualizing the pure beauty of the season. "Do you see those daffodils that are beginning to flash their colors? Even when they're totally invisible, those daffodils 'know' what they are doing. Even when they're buried under two feet of snow, they're on course. They may look dead to us, but they are far from inert. They're storing up energy for bursting on to the spring scene. When the day comes, no stress, they simply do it and blossom and grow. And then we get to enjoy their glorious beauty. How about you?" comments Grenough.

Grenough has a practical planfor that Springtime stress-free energy boost. She suggests sowing the seeds in the following three steps:

1. Check out your personal garden:
Set aside a few minutes now, just for you. Get a paper and pencil. Imagine that you are "underground," maybe a bit like a funky-looking bulb, covered up and weighed down by should-do, must-do, wish-I-had-done, wish-I-could-do stresses.

Jot down three stressors that are weighing you down. Make them as specific as you can. Maybe it's I am ten pounds overweight or I never have energy to do what I need to do or I don't spend quality time with my family, my friends, or even myself.

Now visualize how you would like to look and feel as the new season emerges. Make it as personal as possible - I will walk down my stairs with ease, feeling lighter... My clothes will feel good on me... My mind will be so un-cluttered that I will actually notice the daffodils as I walk downtown...I'll do something enjoyable with my family at least 15 minutes a day on weekdays, and one hour over the weekend.

2. Choose one "bulb":
Now that you have surveyed your landscape, including your stressors and your desires, ask yourself: which one of those desires is most important to me? Is it losing weight? clearing my mind? spending quality time? Target one so you don't get lost in a sea of wannabes. Write down that target. How will you look and feel when you achieve that goal? Jot it down. Visualize yourself doing that....being that.

3. Plan your action:
Now is the time to make it real. What is one specific thing that you will do today to grow that target? Some tips on planning your action include:
- Make it do-able - 15 minutes a day five days a week is better than 2 hours every night.
- Make it specific - to control my craving for sweets, I will keep snacks of carrots, celery sticks and raisins handy.
- Make it enjoyable - or at least make it something that doesn't make you miserable. Find a way to "pleasure up" your goal. For example, make a plan to walk with a good friend, or include a funny quote in your healthy snackpack.

"With the first bulb in your garden chosen and planted, congratulations are in order. Celebrate it and nurture it with care. Get out your calendar: every day that you complete your action, give yourself a star. When you hit rough weather, practice changing your channel from This-is-too-difficult to I'm-going-to feel-so-much-better," concludes Grenough. "Remember that you are the CEO of your personal garden. You can rewire your brain away from stressful habits towards healthy patterns. Every time you switch your channel from Oh-this-is-too-much to Yes-I-can-do-this-little-bit-right-now, you are giving a good dose of Miracle-gro to your brain. Enjoy your blooms!"

Treat yourself to a Spring OASIS and sow your seeds for a stress-free you. Find more practical and simple strategies in Grenough's book OASIS in the Overwhelm, available at http://www.milliegrenough.com or http://www.amazon.com.

MILLIE GRENOUGH, coach, speaker, clinical instructor in psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, is the author of OASIS in the Overwhelm: 60-second strategies for balance in a busy world and OASIS in the Overwhelm 28 Day Guide: Rewire Your Brain from Chaos to Calm and OASIS: Como encontrar la paz en una vida agitada. More information about Millie Grenough: www.milliegrenough.com