subject: Are You Stressed Out Because Your Plate Is Too Full? Learn How To Lighten Your Load [print this page] If you feel run down and ragged from all of the responsibilities that you are dealing with, the stress you feel if not dealt with will result in depression and even anxiety.
Millions of Americans suffer from unhealthy levels of stress at work. (A study several years ago estimated the number to be 11 million--given events since that time, this number has certainly more than tripled--studies in Sweden, Canada, and other Westernized countries show similar trends.)
And Tranquilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications account for one fourth of all prescriptions written in the U.S. each year.
We may find ourselves in a situation that is somewhat difficult to deal with from time to time. Most of us have many responsibilities in our lives that can range anywhere from our duties at home to obligations with friends or perhaps a lot of responsibilities at work. There's one thing that is certain with all of us, the world is not a very friendly place and it tends to burden us with a number of different problems without much chance of relief coming without some action on our part. If you feel that you are being loaded down and you're not quite sure what to do with it, perhaps it is time to look at your situation and see if you can unload some of your problems.
One of the first things that we should do is to make a list of all of the things that we consider to be a burden in our life or something that is causing undue stress. Some of these burdens will be ones that we can't do much about, such as dealing with marriage, which can be stressful from time to time.
Other burdens may be heaped upon us from outside sources, such as work and although we would like to be able to get rid of these causes of stress, it is not always going to be practical for us to do so. Still a third type of burden is one that we tend to put on ourselves, unnecessary pressure because of wanting to do something but not realizing that it was going to add so much stress to our lives.
By realizing what areas of our life is causing the most pressure we can better evaluate how to deal effectively with the stress it is causing. If you are working too many hours at work and feeling the pressure of it, try to balance your workload better. If your kids are running you ragged, figure out the problem areas and deal with them one at a time starting with the easiest problem to address.
The best way for you to be able to make these changes that are going to reduce your stress is to do so one at a time. Even though you may have the big picture in front of you, you still need to look at smaller pieces of the picture as to what you were going to change. With each burden that you remove from your life, you will feel a relief and will be much easier for you to tackle the next one that needs removed.
