When discussing self-care we often refer to the ‘Airplane
Analogy’- putting the oxygen mask on ‘you’
before the person next to you. In other words: ‘Take
Care of Yourself First’ so there is more of you to give
to everyone and everything else in your life that matters.
Managing stress begins with an awareness
of the external and internal stressors in our lives and ’
Taking Care of the Self’ is the most important ingredient
to managing stress effectively and gaining back a sense of
control over our everyday lives.
10 Tips for Managing Stress in Healthy Ways:
Practice relaxation techniques such as
deep breathing and meditation.
Look after your health: exercise, eat
healthy and get lots of sleep.
Engage in spirituality – connecting
with your spirituality or some higher belief system provides
many with a source of comfort.
Mind your Mind Attitude (Positive vs. Negative
Thoughts). There are certain things that you cannot
change - but by changing how you view things can make a
big difference: ‘choosing’ to be happy is about
how you ‘choose’ to arrange your mind!
Journaling—write down thoughts
stressful or otherwise/or each day complete the phrase ‘I
am Thankful For’ or ’I appreciate’.
Live in the ‘Now’.
Become ‘Clutter Free’.
Humour and having fun are great stress
relievers. Listen to music, read and participate in other
leisure time activities—sports, theatre, movies etc.
Take vacations, mini vacations or even
imagine yourself in a safe or peaceful place.
Learn to set priorities and clarify boundaries:
Take charge of your ‘choices’; try
saying ‘No’. When you say 'No',
you are actually saying ‘Yes’; to yourself.
Try to live life according to your values, priorities
and what matters most rather than the “have
to’s. It is helpful to use phrases like ‘Letting
yourself off the hook’, ’Giving Yourself
Permission To’, ’Surrendering To’;
and stop using phrases like ‘should’,
‘must’ and ‘have to’.
It is helpful to understand that Stress is individual
and therefore Stress Management is individual; there is no
one way or right way of managing stress; we have to find our
own unique way of managing the stresses in our lives.
It is also important to realize that Stress Management
is ‘WORK’ and it needs to constantly
be evaluated and reevaluated. However the good news is that
the ‘work’ is only to be done in ‘baby steps’
as small changes can lead to the bigger differences.
We always have ‘Choices’ in our lives
and stress management is about taking back control
over those choices each and every day in order to lead to
that healthier and more valued way of living.
‘Good Luck’ and ‘Good Choices’ as
you continue this endeavour to create difference in your lives
and to be the best stress managers you can be.
