Stress is impossible to avoid, unless you live in a mountain cave, and even then, I think there is stress involved in that venue as well. As school starts this Fall, we happen to be approaching one of the most stressful times of year: the holidays. And I'm thinking about that. A lot.
When I mention how close the holidays are, do you feel dread and resignation? I hope not, but if you are one of the many people who doesn't like holidays, I have some tools to offer relief. Not just for the holidays, but for an overall stressful life or set of circumstances.
Moving as much as we do, raising my daughter, being an entrepreneur, dealing with ongoing low-level pain, and handling life in a chaotic foreign country has given me a very focused perspective on managing stress, illness and change. First, I think it's important to state upfront that only in very rare circumstances do I actually recommend that clients reduce stress (meaning removing the stressful element from life). I advise everyone to employ stress protection tools – ways to stay calm, focused, & happy under pressure. I view this as being a much more realistic strategy that makes room for real life.
Keeping that distinction in mind, here are my top three stress protection tools. These are the tools I use on a daily basis and the ones that I recommend to family, friends, and clients.
1. Do nothing for at least 10 minutes a day. Whatever you want to call this is okay with me. Meditation, visualization, doing nothing, whatever your particular form of doing nothing takes. The evidence is clear – spending time sitting or lying down with the intention of being still and present to your own experience is good medicine on many different levels. It reduces cortisol levels and engages the relaxation response, it teaches us to observe our thoughts (which helps with tool #2), and, best of all, by entering this altered state of mind, we protect ourselves from many types of illness. This is my number one, no excuses, go-to tool. 10 minutes a day is enough to see benefits. If you need a place to start, there are lots of great guided meditations available, I offer a 12-minute MP3 that you can check out here. If you can't stand to sit still, practice some gentle Yoga or stretching for 10 minutes, sans music or other distraction to get the same benefit.
2. Watch your thoughts. How we think about something is how we experience it, period. One person may find a situation totally fun and invigorating while someone else may find the same situation really difficult. In many (if not all) instances, this is caused by the way we talk to ourselves about the event or circumstance. The first step is noticing. Noticing how you talk to yourself about your life. Pay attention in particular to sentences with should, have to, need to, or can't. These words are stress creating words for our brains and directly impact our perceptions and experience of life. Doing nothing daily helps with this. Why? Because doing nothing encourages us to distance ourselves from our thinking as the ultimate master. We start to understand that we have a choice to focus on the negative or the positive in any given moment. For more on working with, and changing, thoughts, you can read this post.
3. Pay yourself first. I'm not talking about your paycheck. I'm talking about your physical well-being. I have children, I have a busy schedule and you know what? I pay myself first by taking care of my body. Put it on your schedule and make a choice to do it. It doesn't have to be 60 or 90 minutes – even 30 minutes is great and very achievable. We each have the same number of hours in the day and it's up to us to take excellent care of ourselves. No one else will do it for us. I'm certain you know the benefits of a regular exercise program, but for me, my family and my clients? It's about feeling good, having energy, and saying "Yes" to our bodies needs.
4. Conscious gratitude. This is a bonus tool!! Taking time to see and appreciate all the amazing elements of our lives is so critical. It supports us in changing our thoughts, it helps us slow down, and best of all, it makes us happy to focus on the good stuff. I am huge fan of gratitude and practice it with my family, encourage my clients to practice, and I invite you to participate here on the blog. I would love to have you join me.
Practicing each of these tools, every day, is an hour's worth of investment in your own sanity. Protection from stress is key in our fast-paced world. Choose well-being as a priority for a long, stress-protected, happy life.
Post, Twittified:
Stress-protection is a proof-positive strategy for staying relaxed and happy in our fast-paced world. There are lots of tools you can use. Pick ones you like and use them.
If you would like to go in-depth with the idea of stress-protection and creating a structure for your life that allows you to incorporate these tools, consider the four-week virtual retreat that I will be hosting in November so we can serve up serenity for the holidays!
Join me for this four-week tele-course as I draw on my
experience as a mind-body coach and yoga teacher to show you how
to create a stress-free, happy holiday season (and life)! At the end of this
virtual retreat, you will have a personal blueprint and lots of tools
for creating a holiday season filled with peace, joy, and harmony.
Course dates: Mondays– November 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd
Call times: 8:30 pm GMT +1 (Rome, Italy)
For more information you can visit my website for more information.
Course
size is limited to ensure plenty of attention for individual needs. It will be a fun, relaxing, course with lots of great information, tools and time for coaching. I hope you'll join me.
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