Stress by Dave-F.
- Write it down. Acknowledging your worry takes away its obsessive power. So make a list of what’s bugging you.
- Say a prayer. Ask God for help, patience and the strength to get through your troubles.
- Do something. Clean out your closet, reorganize a room, write a letter or make a phone call you’ve been putting off. You’ll feel better just getting something done.
- Read. A book about someone else’s troubles (to take your mind off your own), something uplifting or funny, or even a self-help book for advice.
- Take a break. For 10-15 minutes, sit with your eyes closed in a quiet spot. Mentally make a list of blessings in your life; good health, plenty of food in the fridge, friends and family, nice weather, anything you can think of.
- Take a walk. Movement is action. With any luck the exercise will clear your mind and raise your endorphin levels at the same time. Getting out in the sun will lift your spirits too.
- Let it go. For a day or even just a few hours, do something you enjoy. Try to refresh your mind and see things in a new light. Don’t worry – your problems will still be there when you get back.
- Ask for help. Ask your spouse, friend, sibling or Internet buddy for ideas on how to get past the obstacles in your life. It’ll remind you that others have gotten through the same problems before and hopefully give you some useful advice.
This is a timely article for me, because I’ve had a lot of worries on my mind lately. This is no cure-all, but at the very least it should give you a little breathing room and enable you to step back from your problems so you don’t panic. When you’re ready, find a problem from your list and attack it. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel when just one annoying issue is gone.
Nice tips good advice.
I am all for giving the tough stuff over to God. Sometimes I have trouble letting go, but He almost always gives me the strength if I just let Him!
Nice list. It has a nice balance between taking action and reflection/taking a break/letting it go, etc.
Jean Browman
Cheerful Monk
Transforming Stress Into Personal Power
Love that you included asking for help on your list. I’m finding a near-epidemic in my workshops of people who CAN’T ask for help because they were raised to believe our cultural value that asking for help is a weakness.
Hope you’ll take a look at my book on the subject – Help Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Why Doing It All Is Doing You In, published by McGraw Hill. It’s got 3 chapters of solutions!!
Thanks,
Peggy Collins
http://www.helpisnotafourletterword.com
pjcollins@earthlink.net
Yes. I truly believe that happiness can be taught and that it’s something that you can get with Gratitude. Generating Gratitude Energy should be a habitual exercise. It’s a bit difficult at first, But once you get in the flow, many other benefits will follow. Not just contentment, but abundance as well.
May your days be filled with Gratitude Energy ;-D
-U
Nice guide, really removed my stress!