FRIDAY: BUST STRESS

Stress is a fact of life; it doesn’t have to be a way of life!

Stress is probably our greatest zapper of energy and vitality. Constant stress and pressure are exhausting both mentally and physically. (Remember your adrenal glands and how hard they work when you are stressed.)

Today, do your best to stay calm and peaceful. Watch carefully what you say to yourself as most of our stress comes from our words.

Listen carefully to your internal dialogue and challenge the truth of it. Events that happen are just events. They are neither good nor bad, but we perceive and judge them as good or bad. For example, if we see a strange look on our boss’ face, we suddenly fear we might have done something wrong, when really the boss may have just had a moment of indigestion!

If you worry a lot, think about the value of worrying. Will it change things? Probably not, but you will waste a lot of time. If you are concerned and take action to rectify the situation, you won’t waste time stewing in worry and not doing anything! Try saying, “Oh well…”! I have found many times that if I say, “Oh well…,” I breathe again and relax.

Which brings me to breathing: deep breathing–probably the greatest weapon against stress!

When we feel stressed, our breathing becomes shallow and rapid. There is less oxygen delivered to the brain and we stop thinking clearly.

Notice your breathing today and keep taking deep, long breaths in and out. It’s often the out breath that suffers when you are stressed. Breathe out all the bad stuff.

Can you make a commitment today to not rush anywhere? Sometimes we are so in the habit of rushing we have no idea why we are rushing around our house for no reason! Wake up earlier if you need more time to do what you need to do. Leave the house a little earlier so you are not driving like a crazy person—creating even more stress for yourself and others.

Breathe deeply, slow down, stop stress inducing self talk and you may be surprised at how calm you stay and how much more alive you feel at the end of the day.

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