Exercise. Amen for endorphins. Believe me, they've helped me many days
with my perspective. If you have to work out, then go take a brisk walk and get
that blood flowing. It isn't about working out to lose weight -- it's about
being healthy and staying sane.
Eat the real stuff.
Crappy food (fast, processed, and loaded with sugar) doesn't help your chemical
brain and body handle stress. Living food, real food, helps support your mind
and body while it's trying to deal with the million things coming its way.
Every time I reach for the chocolate, I'm looking to feel something from it.
Don't get me wrong -- if it's just a little here and there because I enjoy the
taste of it, great. But if I'm using it the minute I feel overwhelmed, then
that's when that food is no longer OK to eat. It doesn't make the problem go
away, and then I just feel bad about eating the food to pacify myself. Grab
green food instead. Put things in your mouth that are going to support your
immune function and keep you levelheaded.
Notice. Try not to let
the stress overtake you. Recognize the situations that cause the stress and
notice them coming your way. You have a better shot at fending off the full
effects of the stress when you can anticipate it.
Get it off your chest.
Talk to a friend or partner about the stress. Sometimes just getting it off
your chest can help unload some of the burden.
Keep your sense of humor.
If you do have the chance to talk about it, try to see the irony and humor in
the wacky bits. I think someone is dead in the water once they lose their sense
of humor.
Stay grateful. My
daughter has large lungs and verbal skills she likes to display. Just when I
start to wishfully think about her being quiet, I remind myself to be grateful
that she can talk to me at all. In almost all of our problems are boatloads of
blessings. "Oh, I don't feel like going to the gym." Well,
Amen that you have the means and the health to even be able to wrestle with the
idea of going to work out. Make a habit of saying thank you. You will notice
the sunny spots a lot more often, and not just the gray skies and storms.
Ask, "What's the
hurry?" Have some fun. We're always so busy going somewhere, we miss
just enjoying the moment. If an opportunity comes your way to do something fun,
take it.
Take a deep breath. When
you feel the stress getting to you, take a moment. Get away, even if it's just
for an hour, to be with yourself and your thoughts. Some people like to take a
walk, meditate, lock themselves away in a beautiful bath, or go to church. Find
the peace and the silence.
Keep it simple. Simplify
where you can. Does Junior really need to be in 78 activities at the age of 5?
Do you have to go to every little party or gathering you're invited to?
Turn of the TV. A lot of
it is bad news anyway, and it robs us of hours that we could use to be getting
other things done. Since everyone complains that they have no time, get some by
unplugging from the tube.
Sleep. If you're rested,
you have a better shot at handling things. Not to mention, you may not stress
out as easily if you have a chance to recover at night.
Drink water. I have said
it before: Americans consume 21 percent of their calories through liquid
consumption. Hydrate with water. Help you entire system function better just by
drinking enough water. Oh, and by the way, if you don't think that weight loss
and proper hydration have a relationship, think again. Shift the paradigm on
its side -- don't think about exercise and nutritional eating just as something
you have to suffer through to get into those jeans. Instead, think of them as
armor that will protect you in this crazy world, with all of the bazillion
details you deal with every day.
