Is stress wearing you down?
It’s that time of year again…the holidays are coming and year-end deadlines at work too. This is one of the most stressful times of year for most people because our plates are running over. We just have too much on our To-Do list and not enough time to do it all!
Here are a few suggestions for keeping it real.
- Manage your Mind: Analyze your stress—you can start by separating your stressors into 2 categories:
- Things you have control over
- Things you don’t have control over
If you can do something about it—then do it! If not—then accept it and move on. You will find giving yourself permission to move on can relieve a lot of the quiet, self-inflicted stress you are many times not even aware of that’s swimming around in your brain.
- Take a relaxation break—actually– take a few every day. Here are two you can do at your desk or in a quiet meeting room at work or on the floor at home after work.
- Take 5 minutes, stand-up and invert your head so that you are touching your toes (or as close as you can get) so the blood is going to your brain. Then stand up tall and reach for the ceiling. Roll your shoulders back over and over—wiggle your fingers, and shake out your arms. Repeat the cycle 2 more times. This is a good short break to do about every half hour if you are working on the computer.
- Lie in Savasana (corpse pose) once or twice a day for 5-10 minutes. It’s amazing how getting out of an upright position with all the weight of your body moving into a prone position on the floor can fully energize you. You can even meditate during this time by just practicing your focus on your breathing– in and out—in and out— during this time and emptying your mind of all thoughts. If you are able, without being too self-conscious— try saying the sound Ahhhhh from your throat a few times. This sound can truly calm you down in an instant.
- Make yourself a cup of tea. The British love their tea and use this relaxation method often…However, I’m suggesting a tea with no caffeine. There are many teas out there with names like, Relaxing Mind, Breathe, and Detox. Try one and see if an afternoon break with a cup of tea helps calm you down a bit. Tea bags are easily tucked in your computer bag or purse and can come in handy anywhere when you need them—just add hot water!
- Monitor your negative thinking. This is a big one! The amount of negative thoughts that cross our minds all day is astounding! Many of those thoughts are related to fears about the future—near-term and not so near. Observe your tendency to worry about the next moment, hour, day, or week’s activities. As Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book title says: Change your Thoughts- Change Your Life! When we change our attitude—we can relieve a lot of stress.
- Cultivate a mind that lives in the moment. Moving through your day in a state of mindfulness, living in the present moment—living in the NOW. As Eckhart Tolle describes in his book, The Power of Now allows us to be more connected to ourselves and those we are around. By staying in the present moment, you will be more inspired and you will fall in love with your life again.
