We have all felt stressed out at times and we all need to learn to manage it. Small amounts of stress can be stimulating and keep us on our toes but stress overload can make us sick.
Stress affects your body by releasing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that can cause your heart rate and blood pressure to rise and your blood sugar level to increase. Not a healthy state to live in.
We can’t always control the things that come into our lives to cause stress but we can change how we deal with it and react to it.
We can ask ourselves, “am I being negative, critical of myself and others or do I have rigid thinking and unrealistic expectations?”
You made the rules and you can change them.
I have personal deadlines that I set up for myself of things I want to accomplish before I get to sleep. I can tell you that these are often completely illogical compared to the time and energy I have available. So I’ve learned to re-calculate that list everyday and move things to another day as planning less for myself doesn’t always work.
Physical activity: Oh that’s right, this is the one I keep moving to another day. Aerobic exercise like running, walking, bicycling, or swimming is good at reducing the harmful effects of stress.
Talk about your feelings: Speak with someone you trust about what’s going on for you and if you can find a way to create some humour around what’s making you anxious, even better. A year from now, much of what you are freaking out about won’t even matter.
Laughing: Yes, it is the best medicine. Catch a funny movie, get together with friends that make you laugh on a regular basis and just feel that tension leave your body.
Time management: Leave extra time to arrive at work or appointments so you aren’t rushing and losing your cool if you get caught in traffic and learn to say “no” to extra things you try to fit in just so you can please someone else.
The obvious ones…cut down on caffeine, eat healthy, google ‘meditation’ and fit it in, limit alcohol and trust me when I tell you that smoking is NOT relaxing you.
We’re here to experience life, joy and all that it offers not to keep pushing ourselves until we drop. So let’s listen to some music, stretch, breathe deeply and try not to take this all so seriously.
