Are You Stressed?

What is it that is stressing you? What do you do to reduce your stress level?
There are two types of levels that can stress you, world issues and personal issues. The world issues are things that happen all over the world, they can be war, devastation brought on by Mother Nature or economic issues. Personal issues are things that happen to you directly.
With so much going on in the world, it leaves you with a feeling of uncertainty. Things that happen in distant lands seem to shake the ground where you are standing. Look at the bank issues in Greece. It makes you look at the financial situation of other countries as well as where you live. That is just one example, with outbreaks of violence and Mother Nature’s fury unleashed; it leaves you with a feeling of uncertainty.
In your personal life you might be over-stressed with school starting soon. Yes, you do get a break from the kids, but it also brings about a very long list of items needed for the school year as well as homework and events that have to be attended. For many, this is a very stressful time. Your anxiety level might go up just thinking about how your child will cope with a new school, new friends, etc. You might feel stressed about car repairs, job searching, work deadlines, relationship issues or health issues.
When your anxiety level is high, how do you bring it down? Have you figured out what stresses you and what makes you happy? Do you remember the old saying, “Count to ten and then act?” Counting to ten gives you the ability to calm down and to think about the situation. It takes away the urgency to act right away.
For the stresses that life brings to you, you have to have a way to reduce them. You have to have some way to minimize the damage that the stress has on your mind and your body. So, no matter if you are stressing about your 2 year old over bed time or awaiting test results, here are a few suggestions that might help you.
1. Focus on only what is in your control. If it is in your control to change it, then focus on it. Do not worry about things you have no control over.
2. Don’t add extra added pressure on yourself. If your plate is full, you are going through a lot, don’t take on anymore stressors and don’t take on anyone else’s’ either.
3. Learn to say, NO! Sometimes people just ask too much of you or maybe you feel obligated to someone. You have to learn to say no to others, especially when you are over stressed.
4. Take some R & R time for yourself. Stop for a second and think of all the things that you do to keep your house in order, all the things you do with and for your children, all of the demands of your career and all the energy you put into your relationships. Don’t you think you deserve some R & R time after all of that? Take the time and don’t feel guilty about it. It is better to have a refreshed you rather than a grouchy you. Pick a few things that you like to do and do at least one of them daily. You might like to meditate, go for a walk, swim or exercise; I assure you that it will reduce the amount of stress that you carry around with you. It might not solve a problem but, it will leave you with a clearer mind and a better attitude about the situation.
5. Watch your health! Stress plays havoc on your body. Get a checkup from your doctor. If something is overstressing you, maybe it is time to change it. A new lifestyle, etc. For some it could mean high blood pressure, some tend to overeat or under eat when they are stressed, some people smoke, etc. Your health is everything!
6. Laughter is the best medicine! Sometimes when things are hard you just have to laugh at the situation and say, “really.” On top of everything else that is going on right now, my car decides to die out. You can’t change it, you can call a tow truck but you have to laugh at the inconvenience of it on an extremely busy day. As you vent on the tow truck driver it dawns on you that he hears this every single day and you just laugh about it because it is a small issue compared to such major issues that others might be dealing with, and then your issues don’t seem as bad. Meet with friends and have a good laugh!
If you are busy tending to others from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed, you are depriving yourself of some much needed time for yourself. It is easy to get carried away; sometimes it is hard to just take a bath without a knock on the door from someone needing something. Do what you can and always remember the impact that stress has on your body. Your health is everything!
We have become a very busy society; we have so many obligations that it is hard to grab time for ourselves. When we stress our body feels the impact of all that stress. Take time to do some of the things that you love to do. Also remember that children stress about things as well. Through you, they learn how to cope with stress.