De-stress Your Life
We all have stress in our lives, from work, children, family, household chores, etc., but sometimes we get so busy with structured events and activities that we actually lose ourselves and long for happiness. While most people can’t avoid stress entirely, there are ways to control it and make it less frequent.
I recently read the article, “Stress Queen,” found in the March 2007 issue of Body + Soul magazine, that shared the story of Kathleen Hall, a famed stress expert. She developed a “powerful but surprisingly simple mantra—SELF, an acronym for serenity, exercise, love, and food and started teaching it to others to great effect. These ‘four roots of happiness’ may seem almost too easy, but she insists they have a centering effect in even the worst of circumstances.” Making time for serenity helps us meditate and be in the moment and reduces stress. Exercise helps the mind, as well as the body. It helps release endorphins, which help us feel good. Love along with friendships nurture our soul and well being. Noursishing food sustains us. Food preparation can also be a means to share and gather with friends and family.
We will never be able to get rid of stress entirely from our lives, but we can certainly try to change the ways we react to it. How are you going to try to de-stress your life?
10 Secrets To A Stress-Free Life:
by: Kathleen Hall
- Write it out—Grab a pen and paper to write down your negative thoughts as a way of releasing them.
- Try a mini-meditation—Memorize a three to five word phrase, or mantra that you repeat when you are feeling stressed, or keep a peaceful image, or photo near by to reflect upon.
- Love your commute—Use your travel time to work on patience. Take deep calming breaths.
- Start small—Make small changes. The small changes will add up over time.
- Own the news—Get the facts, but don’t dwell on the negative. Send positive thoughts, or prayers out to those in need. Do your part to help where you can.
- Connect—Make love and friendship first in your life. Make it a habit to schedule time to spend with others. Feeling connected may help prevent health problems.
- Focus on now—Being mindful of what you are doing in the present moment helps avoid stressful situations.
- Walk Softly—When we are stressed, we tend to walk with firmer steps. By walking softly you can calm the mind.
- Take stock—Make a list of things that bring you joy. Make another list of things that drain your energy. Compare the two to see how your life matches up.
- Practice gratitude—Make it a practice to devote at least 5 minutes of your day to giving thanks for all of the gifts in your life.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Business on August 14th, 2007 by Barb | |
on August 14th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Great suggestions from Kathleen Hall! Thanks for sharing…
-Jason
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