Stress is common to everyone. Our bodies are designed to feel stress
and react to it. It keeps us alert and ready to avoid danger. It is not
always possible to avoid or change events that may cause stress. We can
feel trapped and unable to cope. When stress persists, the body begins
to break down and illnesses can occur. The key to coping with stress is
identifying stressors in your life and learning ways to direct and
reduce stress.

What is stress?

Stress is your reaction to any change that requires you to adjust or
respond. It"s important to remember that you can learn to control
stress, because stress comes from how you respond to stressful events.

What causes stress?

Stress can be caused by anything that requires you to adjust to a
change in your environment. Your body reacts to these changes with
physical, mental, and emotional responses. We all have our own ways of
coping with change, so the causes of stress can be different for each
person. Common causes include:

• Death
• Illnesses
• Accidents
• Marriage
• Pregnancy
• Divorce
• Job change
• Deadlines
• Moving
• Money problems
• Confrontations
• Crowds
• Heavy traffic
• Legal problems
• Retirement

When you are not sure of the exact cause of your stress, it may be
helpful for you to know the warning signs of stress. Once you can
identify these signs, you can learn how your body responds to stress.
Then you can take steps to reduce it.

What are the warning signs of stress?

Your body sends out physical, emotional, and behavioral warning signs of stress.

Emotional warning signs include:

• Anxiety
• Sleep disruption
• Anger
• Inability to concentrate
• Unproductive worry
• Sadness
• Frequent mood swings

Physical warning signs include:

• Stooped posture
• Sweaty palms
• Chronic fatigue
• Weight gain or loss
• Physical symptoms that your doctor cannot attribute to another condition

Behavioral warning signs include:

• Over-reacting
• Acting on impulse
• Using alcohol or drugs
• Withdrawing from relationships
• Changing jobs often
• Feeling agitated most of the time

What can I do to reduce stress?

• Keep a positive attitude.
• Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
• Be
  assertive instead of aggressive. "Assert" your feelings, opinions, or
  beliefs instead of becoming angry, combative, or passive.
• Learn to relax.
• Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.
• Eat well-balanced meals.
• Rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
• Don"t rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress.

How can I learn to relax?

There are a number of exercises that you can do to relax. These
exercises include breathing, muscle and mind relaxation, relaxation to
music, and biofeedback. A few that you can try are listed below. First,
be sure that you have:

• A quiet location that is free of distractions.
• A comfortable body position. Sit or recline on a chair or sofa.
• A good state of mind. Try to block out worries and distracting thoughts.

Relaxation exercises

2-minute relaxation-- Concentrate your thoughts on
yourself and your breathing. Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly.
Mentally scan your body. Notice areas that feel tense or cramped.
Quickly loosen up these areas. Let go of as much tension as you can.
Rotate your head in a smooth, circular motion once or twice. (Stop any
movements that cause pain.) Roll your shoulders forward and backward
several times. Let all of your muscles completely relax. Recall a
pleasant thought for a few seconds. Take another deep breath and exhale
slowly. You should feel more relaxed.

Mind relaxation-- Close your eyes. Breathe normally
through your nose. As you exhale, silently say to yourself the word
"one," a short word such as "peaceful" or a short phrase such as "I
feel quiet" or "I"m safe." Continue for 10 minutes. If your mind
wanders, gently remind yourself to think about your breathing and your
chosen word or phrase. Let your breathing become slow and steady.

Deep breathing relaxation- -Imagine a spot just
below your navel. Breath into that spot and fill your abdomen with air.
Let the air fill you from the abdomen up, then let it out, like
deflating a balloon. With every long, slow breath out, you should feel
more relaxed

Best wishes & good luck with the exams.

Renovating and decorating your house

Many people in the UK like renovating or "doing up" their houses to
keep up with fashions and trends. Here are some useful English words
and phrases to describe this

.

Decorating

give something a lick / a coat of paint = paint walls

hang / put up wallpaper = to attach new paper to the walls

fit / put up blinds or curtains
= cover the windows either with curtains (fabric hanging across the
window) or blinds (strips of plastic or fabric that cover the window)

throw out / replace the old light fittings = change the lights

go for a (name of fashion) effect = recreate a particular look

put the finishing touches to = complete the decoration with the final details

Renovation

have an extension = build on to the existing house to provide more rooms

put in a conservatory / a fitted kitchen / a new bathroom
= to install a conservatory (room between the back of the house and the
garden), a fitted kitchen (where the units are connected, rather than
being single pieces) or a new bathroom

convert the loft (have a loft conversion) = convert the attic into a liveable room

turn the dining room into a spare bedroom = convert a room into one with a different purpose

knock down a wall = demolish a wall

knock through from the kitchen = demolish the wall from the kitchen into another room

build a patio = build a paved area around part or the whole of the house

rewire the house = put in new electrical wiring

install central heating / solar panels = put in a new heating system

re-plaster the ceiling = take off the old plaster (covering the bricks) and replace it with new

re-tile the bathroom = put new tiles on the floor and walls

Other useful expressions

diy = Do it Yourself (doing maintenance and building works in your house)

be handy around the house = to be practical and able to do jobs in the house

draw up plans = to make technical plans before you do building or renovation work

get planning / building permission = to get authorisation from the town hall to do work on your house

با درود

عید نوروز باستانی رو به همه شما عزیزان تبریک میگم.

Happy new year

Best wishes,

Parvin.

بهار خوش اومدی