subject: TIPS TO LOWERING YOUR STRESS LEVELS [print this page] TIPS TO LOWERING YOUR STRESS LEVELS TIPS TO LOWERING YOUR STRESS LEVELS
LEARN TO PRIORITISE WHAT HAS TO BE DONE-
DECIDE WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
We people love to rush doing stuff, being busy means we're productive and makes us feel worthwhile and important.
If we don't, people will say we're lazy and underachievers.
Deadlines are important but they need to be realistic.
I was one of these people, stressed out trying to be Superwoman. But these days it's not just women,
it's everyone.
Especially if you have kids, they always need something no matter what age they are.
Then when they grow up you're still picking them up but at ungodly hours of the morning, their car breaks down so you're running them around, then there's all your stuff. Your work, the fitness and health (haha), grocery shoppping, bill paying. maybe you're trying to study, all the financial things, bill paying etc.
It truly never ends.
Now I'm certainly not advocating constant procrastination, that's a waste of energy.
the trick is to PLAN your day, as best as you can but always allow a 30-60min slot of time, just for you.
Go for walk or run, read something that you are interested in, phone a friend.
Make yourself a nice lunch and relax and enjoy it.
Or go to a cafe and get someone else to make
you a nice lunch.
When you think about it there is a lot of fun to be
had just planning your breaks for the week.
LEARN TO SAY NO ! NICELY-
BUT THINK ABOUT IT BEFORE YOU SAY YES.
How many times have you said yes to something and then within minutes, if not seconds have wished like hell that you hadn't.
We do it to be nice, people will like us, we're helpful and generous.
But we are also running ourselves into the ground.
How many times have you started off your day with a Plan, a To do List or just a knowing in your head of what your day is going to be like and the things you want to get done.
The phone rings, you say Yes, you talk to someone at work, you say Yes no problem, (but there is ). Your partner, child , parent whoever speaks to you and you say Yes. Within a short amount of time you have gone from being relaxed about your day to a level of stress that makes you uncomfortable. maybe you're also feeling a little resentful, perfectly normal under the circumstances.
Now I'm not saying that we should all be selfishly only thinking of ourselves but if we stop and think a bit about what we are saying yes to, maybe there is another way for the Whatever to get done.
Is it really important enough that it can't wait until tomorrow and the Asker can do it themselves ?
Is it really neccessary ?
TRY NEW THINGS
BEING ADVENTUROUS IS DE-STRESSING
We go through life saying `One day I'll try that ',
One day I'm going to have a go at that ' And do we ? Probably not.
A couple of weeks ago a had my first REIKI healing treatment.
It was amazing. It's not something you need to do often but I will go again in a few months.
I'm starting yoga in a few weeks, I am all booked in.
Swimming is another good relaxation activity, also good for muscle tone.
And then of course there is always a nice massage or Spa treatment.
It doesn't matter what you do, a nice hot bath, with or without bubbles and candles. Art class, bird watching, anything that you're interested in, that you can `lose yourself in' for an hour or so is brilliant.
But think about YOU, if you don't take care of you first and something happens to you, healthwise, because of stress, nothing else gets done anyway.
A little bit of spirituality can go a long way too, no doesn't have to be a Religion but if want to talk to God go ahead, whatever helps you to relieve the pressure.
Some time to reflect, learn about yourself, lift your awareness, discover ways to change something in your life that could be adding stress.
I hope these tips have been helpful. Really it's what we all know already but sometimes if someone else says it,
it sinks in a little more.
Meditation is also helpful, there are many ways to meditate, music while you work.
Just sit quietly for 15 minutes with your eyes closed and breathe deeply.
As I have recently discovered it's not as hard as we think. Even journaling our day, writing down how
we are feeling can release the pressure we put ourselves under.
Whatever works for you but stress in large doses is not the way to live our lives.
Just remember, our life on this beautiful planet is all too short. And while we do want to achieve a lot while we are here, do it in a relaxed fashion and take time to smell the roses.
