Stress is something that everyone experiences at one time or another. It can cause panic attacks, weight gain, health problems, relationship issues, and so on. Stress can be caused by your work, a new situation, or even family. You can typically deal with stress at work or at home, but when you have stress in both places, it can really reap havoc on your health. A friend of mine has had stress induced panic attacks and has suffered heart palpitations as a result of the stress. After being taken to the emergency room and examined, the doctors were convinced that her heart was fine and that she’d been having a panic attack.
How can you work on reducing your stress. Well, I’ll start by offering you some of the things I do to reduce stress in my life. The first thing I did was to give up caffeine. Let me tell you that was one of the hardest things I have done in my life, and I still miss it. I do feel much calmer since I stopped drinking anything with caffeine… but I do miss it sometimes.
Next, I limit the time I’m around negative people. I knew a lot of negative people at my job and yes, even some family members I limit contact with. I worked in a very bureaucratic organization and nothing was ever done efficiently. There were even a few that didn’t like working there, so negativity was rampant. I quickly realized that if I wanted to stop feeling so stressed out, I needed to hang around people who weren’t as negative. I also focused on as many positive things as I could during the day.
Then, I looked for a daily practice I could do in order to calm myself throughout the day. I tried yoga [at home as there are no studios around here], and I tried deep breathing exercises. I tried doing a lot of different things. The only thing that seems to consistently help me is guided meditation. I find that if I meditate in the morning, I feel much better in the morning, which means I get more things done. And then, a guided meditation after lunch get’s me through the rest of the day.
I also started exercising so I could decrease the stress in my life. It had to be simple and easy to do since I am working to get a business off the ground. I find walking in the evenings when I get home really helps. It’s something I can do with no special equipment and I enjoy the weather most of the time [it gets super hot here in the summer though].
In general, limit the time you are around negativity. Even if you aren’t aware, notice how your body feels when you’re around someone that complains all the time. Do you start to feel all tense or find yourself angry and becoming negative too? If you work in a very toxic environment and can’t find relief at home, start looking for another job, see a coach or counselor, and find some activities you can do that will reduce your stress levels. Reduce the caffeine, try guided meditation, and walk … it works wonders.
I know that I still have some work to do as I’m sure we all do, but since making the above changes I feel much better with my life. I know you will too.
