Dealing with Stress
Stress.
What can I say, stress can contribute to a lot of problems in the body. You can go from being a healthy person to hospitalization in a couple months if you aren't careful and manage your everyday stress. This can come from not having a work life balance, a stressful job, relationship issues, family problems. The list goes on.
Regardless of the stress cause, it's bad for your body and left unchecked can cause major health issues. Finding the root cause of your stress and dealing with that can and will improve your health, I promise you. I am currently dealing with a 3 month long illness after not taking care of my stress, not taking the down time I need and not putting myself first. Here are some thing I wish i'd listened to a few months ago:
You only have one body. Take care of it. Some damage is not reversible.
If you do not take care of yourself, no one else will.
Be your own advocate, if you need something, you have to ask for it.
Know when to take yourself to the doctor
There is no pride in working yourself into a terrible sickness. It is nothing to be proud of and even though you may have worked hard, it doesn’t mean you’ve done it well.
Now that I've been to three different doctors, been put on 4 different types of medication, and am now faced with diminished lung capacity, I've learned my lesson. However for those of you that are not quite yet at this level, or those of you looking to find some great stress relievers, try a few of these:
At-Home Spa Hour
Start to Plan a Weekend Trip
Do a Quick Face Mask
Throw on a diffuser and do a 10 minute meditation
Put on a pot of tea, and sit by the window and people watch.
Say no to your evening plans and get into bed early with a good book.
These are just a few of my things that I do when I feel stressed. From a practical outlook; I also remember that what I am doing isn't life and death. I remember that I am the most important person to myself and my happiness should take first priority. I won't preach and say that I'm going to be self-centred or self-absorbed in my life, and that I'm going to do what I want without care to other people, or the way that an action might jeopardize opportunities in the future.
Grounding yourself in realism, and taking a look at the facts can help to reduce your anxiety and stress level.
What do you do to manage your stress level?
Lots of Love -E