Address Your Stress
We all have it! Some is positive stress, some negative. Where is your stress level at today? The demands of our chosen careers and our expectations at home, community and church can get increasingly overwhelming at times. It is imperative that we “address our stress”! Many of us just keep pushing ourselves and continue the cycle of going to bed late, thinking we can’t miss the late night news, or we just got home from a meeting and need time to unwind so we sit on the couch in front of the T.V. where we promptly fall asleep. We try to ignore the pile of paperwork, the overflowing desk, the mound of laundry, the never ending full dishwasher, the filthy car, the meeting minutes from two weeks ago that have not been sent to attendees, the dentist appointment for that broken tooth, and on and on.
In choosing to live a more balanced life I have found the following to be helpful.
Face my stress head on. By this I mean; do not avoid the things you need to do that will relieve your stress. For example; let’s tackle a few of the items mentioned.
• Go to bed early. Most of what you do after 9 p.m. is not that important. Establish a ritual of preparing for bed with soft music, warm bath and an earlier bedtime.
• Get up early. It is amazing what you can get done when everyone else is asleep. Take time to meditate, journal, read something inspirational (I read the Bible) and review your daily agenda.
• Keep stressful situations in check. Face the situation head on.
• Stay focused by setting achievable goals, connecting with positive people, making time for fun.
• Prioritise your world. In making decisions ask yourself: What will matter 20 years from now?
• Delegate, Delegate, Delegate. There are people around you that can help you. Don’t think you can or need to do it all.
I’ve added a list of stress relievers. Try a few and see what happens.
Stress Relievers
• Face it head on
• Talk to someone
• Delegate
• Journal
• Listen to music
• Hot bath
• Read something positive
• Exercise
• Go for counselling
• Hobbies
• Coffee with a friend
• Laugh until your sides hurt!
• Positive self talk
• Budget
• Be with positive people
• Plan something you can look forward to
• Early to bed early to rise
