This six-letter, four-letter word seems to be a common and central theme for so many people I talk with. And the effects of dealing with it day after day, with no end in sight can be devastating for our health and well-being. When the heck did we get the memo that we needed to do it all… and then some? Why is it so hard to say “no” even when we know it is the best choice for us? Where did we learn that asking for help was a sign of weakness?
Regardless of the (often) deeply rooted answers to these questions, the resulting stress is wreaking havoc on us. Stress initiates a hormone response in our bodies that is really helpful for getting us moving in-life threatening situations (like a bear attack). But these hormones, when maintained for long periods of time, can lead to all sorts of problems like anxiety, depression, headaches, weight gain, memory loss, sleep disturbance, digestive issues, high blood pressure and other heart disease… and that’s just to name a few! It basically has the potential to impact every aspect of our health and well-being. So what the heck to do we do about it?!
Here are some quick tips for putting the karate moves on stress in your life
Set boundaries for yourself and for your time. If you receive an invite or are asked to do something and your gut reaction is not, “hell yes!”, then it’s a no. And remember that “No” is a complete sentence. It does not require an apology tacked onto the beginning or the end. It just is. Give a reason (without apology) if you feel you need to. The people who love you will understand. The people who don’t understand aren’t your people, and that’s ok. We can’t please everyone… we aren’t tacos!
Schedule time to do things that bring you joy. I mean it. Put them on your calendar. Schedule them in and plan around them. Commit to them like you would commit to a promise you made to your best friend. Because ultimately we should be our own best friend and keep all the promises we make to ourselves on the regular… not tomorrow or Monday!
Move your body. Anyway, anyhow. It doesn’t have to be a brutal workout that takes an hour or more. It just needs to be something that gets you moving and preferably something you enjoy… so you can’t talk yourself out of it! Movement releases those happy-hormones that work to decrease stress and improve your sense of well-being. So if you decide to dance around the kitchen with a wooden spoon as your microphone, you are doing a literal happy dance!
Just Breathe. Close your eyes if you need to. Take a nice long inhale. Hold at the top. Then take an even longer exhale. And hold at the bottom. Repeat this as many time as necessary to feel calm. Our breath truly is our strongest ally. Don’t worry… no one is watching… go ahead and do it now!
Also, belly laughs… lots of belly laughs!
And puppies... all the puppies!
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