October’s Self-Management Tip… STRESS LESS

We can all agree that everyone has some degree of stress in their lives.  Stress can range from a little every now and again (acute/manageable) to a lot all the time (chronic/overwhelming).  When we’re stressed, it often makes it difficult to manage our thoughts, emotions, words, actions, and time.  In one word, stress can make it hard to manage ourselves.

There are also physical effects of stress such as chest pain, headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure and more.  So instead of having to deal with stress and all it can bring, let’s look at some tips that may help improve our self-management and ultimately help us to STRESS LESS.

1. Get enough sleep

It has been researched and said that most adults need on average 7-9 hours of sleep per night. However, you know the amount of sleep your body requires to wake feeling rested and recharged.  The proper amount of sleep helps our bodies to rejuvenate and our minds to rest.  Basically, we give ourselves a fresh start to the new day.  That’s what I call “beauty sleep”!

2. Eat healthy foods on a regular basis

Food is fuel for our bodies and minds.  Unhealthy food will satisfy and charge us for just a little while.  It can harm our bodies, dampen our mood, and even shorten our lives. When we’re hungry or feeding ourselves with poor nutrition, this adds to the stress on our bodies as well as our minds. On the contrary, eating healthy foods can help our systems function properly, giving us the energy and vitality we need to live stronger and longer lives. So, eat as healthy as possible as often as you can!

3. Exercise regularly

Almost every publication I read regarding exercise, express some consistent content. Exercising regularly for at least 30 minutes a day can help protect against high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and more.  It can also help improve our mood, better manage stress, and live longer, healthier lives.

4. Make lists

Having a number of things to handle everyday can be stressful; trying to remember them all can be close to impossible at times.  Making lists helps us to remember all we set out to do.  Being able to check things off our lists as we go can give us a sense of accomplishment. However, we must remember to “breathe” when the times come that we can’t get it all done!

5. Stay focused on the task at hand

We often find ourselves doing one thing while thinking of one or three others!  Operating in this manner can add stress to our lives. Try to stay focused on the task at hand; it gives all our attention to what’s in front of us, which just may help us do well with the current task.  All the other things will get our attention at their appointed time.

6. You don’t always have to say yes

Some people strive to please everyone all day every day.  Therefore, when asked to do something, their answer is always “yes”!  However, this can be exhausting and lead to much undue stress.  My husband says, “remember, the word no is a complete sentence all by itself”.  Making others happy is a wonderful thing; let’s just not forget ourselves in the process.  As hard as it may be, sometimes our answer must be no.  

7. Don’t worry about the things that are out of your control

There are so many things in our lives that we control; sometimes well and sometimes not so well, thus the rise in our stress levels.  Then there are things we cannot control.  Whether good or bad, some things are just not in our hands.  All we can do is what we can to best of our abilities.  We must know and release what is not in our control and move forward accordingly.

Take these self-management tips for LESS STRESS and apply them to your life as needed.  You will find that you have more time to think about and do more of the beautiful things life has to offer.