It’s easy to focus on how awful something or someone is. It is difficult, but much more effective to focus on your own habits. These are your habits and you have complete control over them. They nurture you or stress you.
- What you eat and drink
- Who you hang out with
- How you spend your time
- What you read or watch on tv
- Your attitude
- Loving yourself
It’s hard to deal with anything when you’re tired, poorly nourished, haven’t had any fun, or when your soul is starved. Are you willing to look at your own habits AND change some behavior? How much do you want your stress level to change? You may have to force yourself at first. It isn’t going to happen by thinking or talking about it. Ten minutes of deep breathing before sleep could be one new thing to do that will help everything else.
It’s helpful to have some things to stop and some things to do. Examples:
- reduce reading the newspaper
- reduce violent tv and radio input
- reduce time with negative friends
- reduce food and drink with no nutrition
- eat fresh food as often as possible
- take a walk in the woods
- start a journal or write a letter about your life
- do some creative thing (music, sew, carve)
The key to handling stress better is to give your body the relaxation and nourishment it needs so that you can deal more effectively with the things you can’t change. You may not have control over:
- work or school
- other people
- family
- death
- politics (voting helps)
- genetics
De-stress yourself. Will you take ten minutes out of 24 hours? Use a timer. Some tools that are:
- Ten-minute deep breathing before you go to sleep or many times a day.
- Focus on breathing when you walk. Measure inhale/exhale with steps, i.e.; 4 steps in/4 out.
- Affirmation. What do you think to yourself when you feel stressed? Write an affirmation to bust it. Repeat the affirmation at least 10 x/day and put it on your bathroom mirror.
- Visualization—you in your favorite place with the sights, sounds, smells and feelings. Do it often enough so that you can go there whenever you please. Learn to focus on beauty.
Do what works best for you. Give to yourself generously.
Please don’t wait until someone dies or you have some disease before you take steps to live more fully. All of these things cost nothing, are easy, and feel good. Just do it. Good books (that are at the library) to help you are:
- Loving What is, Katie
- Conscious Breathing
- Speed Cleaning
- Invisible Acts of Power, Myss
- SARK books
- Creation of Health
- Doreen Virtue books
- Dr. Phil books
- Oprah magazines or books
Thanks for reducing your stress. It’ll make the world a better place and that means Indiana!
Feeling good may not come easy. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Good luck.