10 Tips for Dealing with Stress

There are very few people who haven’t experienced stress in some form or another during their lives. The project at work is due, the baby is sick, parent-teacher conferences are going on and you can’t figure out how you’ll have the time to fit everything in and keep everyone happy. Does this sound familiar?

When stress begins to build up, we begin to feel pushed and pressured, being pulled in so many directions we don’t know what to do first. We can become irritable, snap at someone who approaches, sometimes even our children and it can affect our relationships with our friends and family. But it’s not only our mood that is affected by stress. It is a well known fact that stress can cause problems with our mental, emotional and physical health. Our immune system suffers, our posture is jeopardized and we can get sick or suffer tension headaches.

And prolonged periods of stress can cause more serious damage to our bodies.

The best practice is taking care of stress on a regular basis. Dealing with small stresses routinely can prevent it building into something unmanageable and serious.

Here are ten things you can do to reduce stress in your life:

1. Learn to say “NO”. You may find yourself wanting to say, “Yes” to every invitation, request for assistance, lunch or dinner date, volunteer request because you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or you feel obligated to help. When this happens resentment can sneak in. Take care of yourself by answering truthfully when you receive a request or invitation and if you really feel you can’t push yourself any further, it’s ok to say, “No.”
2. Downsizing is sometimes a good thing. There are so many activities out there for kids these days that the opportunities are endless and sometimes you may find yourself signing your kids or yourself up for everything under the sun. It’s actually ok to have some free quiet time to just relax and spend time with family. Look at your activity list and see what can be taken away to free up some time.
3. Breathe. It may sound almost too simple but sometimes in all the stress, proper breathing is one of the things that can be disrupted. Take a moment each hour to breathe fully five or six times.
4. Take some time for you. The first person that becomes a target of the effects of stress is you. You get run down, leaving yourself open for illness and next thing you know you are spending a few days in bed while your to do list continues to grow. Get proper sleep, rest and enjoy yourself!
5. Take some time for your partner. The second person who suffers is your partner. You may find yourself loosing your temper or lashing out at them for no apparent reason. Take some time at the end of each day to share what your day was like and to support each other as much as possible.

6. Eat properly. When you are rushed you may not take time to stop and eat a proper nutritious meal, let alone make one. Take a break from your work to eat, take a walk or chat with a friend. You will feel more refreshed and be more productive when you return to work.
7. Accept some help from your partner. One of the hardest things to do is accept help from someone else. But it can lessen your load and it can be fun to do a project or even chores with your partner and it’s a great way to spend time together.
8. Be Aware. Try to be conscious of what you are feeling and what you need each moment of the day. It’s amazing how just being aware can shift an experience from stressful to joyful.
9. Accept what is. Sometimes things do not go the way you planned, or something happens that is unexpected that sets you off your rhythm. You can’t change what happened but you can change your reaction to it. Try to be as accepting as possible of what is happening right now. Sometimes just letting go of trying to change things reduces stress.
10. Feel the Joy!!! Feel the satisfaction of giving and receiving. Smile at strangers, perform a random act of kindness, take your kids to a special place to spend time with them. And most of all allow yourself to feel the joy that life can offer.