What most of us go through in a day is certainly a cause for stress: waking up at 7am (against our body’s wishes) and then fighting traffic to get to work on time, only to then discover that there is a 7 car pile up on the freeway so you will be late and won’t be in ‘til goodness-knows-when and you have a meeting at 9am that you will be late for and if you’re late you’ll be fired (or at least never get that promotion) and you will have to skip lunch to make up for lost time and you know that at 1pm there will be that lecture from your boss about you waking up to go to work 6 hours in case any odd circumstance arises and…
And this is JUST the first half of your day!
Stress seems to have come with the “opportunity” of living a certain type of lifestyle which most Western countries have become accustomed to. Stress is not necessarily unhealthy, but not being able to cope with it effectively and efficiently is. It is actually a contributor to a number of health issues we experience today. So how do we get rid of it?
Walk it Out
There is some strong evidence that “stress” is linked to our biological “fight or flight” reaction to situations, only in many circumstances today we cannot battle nor flee (if someone has figured out how to do this when in a traffic jam, let me know). Because of this, you must take it upon yourself to physical drain the stress from your body. Walking, running, bicycling, sports – whatever gets you moving will get that stress out of your body. As a bonus, you will enjoy a nice endorphin rush after a bit of exercise too!
NOTE: A lot of stress happens in a workplace situation, making exercise a bit harder to do. Get creative – walk up and down the stairs or squeeze a stress ball at your desk.
Talk it Out
Verbalizing any worries, concerns or problems to another person (even if they aren’t listening) can work wonders in reducing your stress. As a matter of fact, many studies have shown that those with a strong support group suffer from less stress than those who are more ostracized (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/social-support/SR00033).
“Mock” it Out
Having a sense of humor about life and not taking everything oh-so-seriously is a “thinking strategy” that many psychologists and therapists teach to their patients. In this fast paced environment we live in, it’s easy to become consumed by the smallest details and let them bring us down. Missed your bus? Someone stole your lunch at work? You forgot your umbrella in the midst of a torrential downpour? Whatever. You’ll live to see another day.
The biggest key to reducing stress is attempting to find a balance between work life, family life, and YOU-life. There is a time for work, a time to be with your husband, wife and kids, and then there is the much needed relaxation time where you can decompress on your own. This balance will change on an almost-daily basis for most of us and it ain’t easy, but making that time to grow with our families and ourselves is the only way we will truly be successful in life.
photo by Carl Dwyer
