Feeling Stressed From Katrina? Read (And Listen) To This!
by Mary Foley

It seems like everyone, everywhere, online, or offline, has something to say or report about hurricane Katrina. And, understandably so. The devastation is enormous and rippling.

I have lived in the United States my entire life and other than 9/11, I haven't witnessed so much destruction to so many people in my home land.

Katrina didn't just happen to New Orleans, Mississippi, Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf Coast. It happened to all of us here in the States.

How has Katrina affected you? If you're like me you've experienced just about every emotion imaginable. Fear that the weather forecasters would be right. Deeply sorrowful for those who lost everything, EVERYTHING, and can't find their family and friends. Angry at those who shot at rescue helicopters, raped women, and beat up people.

Disgusted by the filth and human waste left by those at the Superdome. Compassion for the hundreds of thousands of lives that were turned upside down, sideways, and backwards. Inspired by the stories of people who survived and are helping others survive. Exhausted yet?

This past month in the Bodacious Women's Club we learned a lot about how to deal with stress by my friend and colleague Deb De Porter , a licensed stress consultant. Just three days after Katrina we had our final session of the "Stop Stress Now!" teleseminar series.

During the session, one woman asked about how to deal with the stress of Katrina. What Deb shared was powerful and wise. I wanted to share what she said with everyone.

#1 SEND THOUGHTS AND PRAYS OF LOVE AND COMPASSION

I'm sure you've thought "What can I do?" for those directly affected by Katrina. Beyond donating money, something we all can do is take a few minutes every day to quietly meditate, pray, or focus our thoughts and heart on those affected. In that way, we continually send our love and compassion.

I've personally found that when I focus my thoughts on a specific set of circumstances, the more I feel connected to it. So, one suggestion is to pick a news story in your local paper, TV news, or online and pray for that specific situation and the people involved.

#2 DON'T OVERLOAD YOURSELF WITH TOO MUCH NEGATIVE MEDIA

This is not a slam on the media, per se. This is simply to say that we can only effectively handle so much bad news at a time. Be mindful of spending too much time watching all the news reports on the situation or reading too much on/offline.

If you're full of too much negativity, you're not much good to anyone, including yourself. Manage your negativity build up. How? One way is to transform your sadness and anger by turning them into thoughts and prays of love and compassion.

We will all be dealing in our hearts with Katrina for a long time. As part of my way of helping your personal relief effort, I've made this last session of the "Stop Stress Now!" teleseminar series available online for you to hear for yourself. There's no charge, just click and listen.

This session is filled with more great questions and ideas about how to manage stress. I know that if you take some time to listen to it, you will benefit.

Here's the link for the online playback.

Peace to you and everyone directly affected by Katrina's fury.