It's week 8 and I have to admit I've had some stressful weeks during this program. This week's been particularly challenging because I've been working a wild schedule at work. Anchoring both morning and evening newscasts. It's amazing how a change in your schedule can have such an effect on all other aspects of your life, stress being one of them.
So, sometimes life can get stressful. What do you do? You destress.
There are several ways to do this, and most often - for me, anyway - it's forcing myself to slow down. Forcing myself to pick up a book and become emersed. Forcing myself not to fill my extra minutes with more chores.
Here are some suggestions from Week 8 of the Go Red, BetterU program for destressing:
Keep moving! Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to burn off stress. You will feel more confident and have more energy. Physical activity will also boost your body’s ability to meet the demands of your busy lifestyle.
Get plenty of sleep on a regular basis. If you're having trouble sleeping, make a conscious effort to get into a regular sleep routine. Don’t bring your stress into the bedroom. Set a curfew on computers, television, work and anything else that may interfere with sleep.
Practice deep breathing and relaxation exercises to keep your body from living in a constant state of alert. Take 2 minutes to slow down your breathing and unwind. Click here for more on daily relaxation.
Take small stretching breaks throughout the day to lengthen and relax tense muscles. Try combining slow stretches with deep breathing.
Keep a journal or appointment book to help you identify those tasks and daily demands that are sources of stress. Use problem solving to deal with stress more effectively. Keep a notepad beside your bed to jot down the worries that creep in as you try to sleep.
Unplug and take a break from technology. Turn off your phone, computer and television. Set aside time each day to focus your mind without distractions. Even a few minutes of quiet can make a big difference.
That last one... Yeah, that one resonated with me. The Blackberry can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. I find when I'm in the car, I'm trying to get caught up on returning phone calls. When I'm cooking, I'm checking email. When I'm waiting in a waiting room, I'm checking news alerts on the web. The advice to UNPLUG is advice I plan to take. Tomorrow.
And the advice to practice deep breathing and relaxation to keep the body from being in a constant state of alert. That phrase "constant state of alert" made me realize that's kind of how I go about my day. There's always something. Always. To find two minutes to sit...and slow my breathing...I think will help tremendously.
Deep breath...
Relax...
Breathe in..............
and out........
in........
and out......
Destress.
It's not too late to sign up for the free, online Go Red BetterU program. Just go to www.goredforwomen.org .
