De-stressing in a Stressful World

It seems like the word “stress” is being used a lot in the blogging community lately. Whether it’s a tight work deadline, family or personal issues, or just having way too much on your plate, stress affects everyone.

I read Dr. Alan Zimmerman’s Tuesday Tips every Tuesday morning, and today he touched on some wonderful ways to de-stress when you live in a stressful world. Some of them really hit home for me, so I wanted to share them with you! After all, having too much stress in our lives doesn’t help us achieve that healthy balance we’re all striving to attain.

He talked about 50 ways to distress in his Tuesday Tip, which you can read more about his tips here, but I just wanted to focus on the ones that struck a chord with me and that I thought were most applicable to achieving balance in life. He focuses on several different aspects: your environment, body, happiness, actions/words, relationships, and spirit.

“Dr. Zimmerman’s…Ways to Get Unstressed in a Stressed-Out World”

• “Surround yourself with what you LOVE … whether it’s pets, plants, music, hobbies, or keepsakes. Make your home your refuge.”

• “Slow down. You’re never going to get it all done anyway.” – No one’s perfect, so we shouldn’t set the unnatainable goal of being perfect.

• “Spread big changes and difficult projects over time. Don’t lump all the hard things together.”

• “Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.”

• “Laugh. And then laugh some more — even if you have to fake it til you make it.”

• “Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county or a foreign country … but not to Guilt City.”

• “Keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.” – this one was my favorite! So cute, yet so clever.

• “Be kind to unkind people. They probably need it the most. And if you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.”

• “Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.” – Negative energy really is contageous, as is postive energy!

• “Write down every great thought that comes to you. Chances are you won’t remember them, and it may take you another 20 years to learn the lesson you just lost.” – I definitely need to work on this one!

• Write down one thing you’re grateful for. And then add one more thing to your list each and every day.

Action:

Circle three tips that you will focus on this week, and then consciously follow those tips for the next seven days. Let them become a habit in your life.

permission from Dr. Zimmerman’s “Tuesday Tip,” a weekly Internet newsletter. For your own personal subscription click here.

I hope this helps you see things in a different light like it did me!

What else do you do to de-stress in today’s stressed out world?

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Comments

therunningyogini says:

July 28, 2009 at 7:39 pm

Hi there! I loved your post today on OSG! I'm bookmarking your blog Have a great day!!!

Andrea says:

July 28, 2009 at 8:12 pm

Thanks for sharing the highlights of Dr. Zimmerman's list.

Laughter is definitely so important! Once you lose your sense of humor, whatever problems or stresses you're having get tougher.

Vanessa (Last Night's Leftovers) says:

July 28, 2009 at 9:40 pm

I love this list! What great advice

The Globetrotter says:

July 28, 2009 at 10:48 pm

Hi Paige! I found your blog via Oh She Glows and I just wanted to complement you on your guest post. It was amazing and such a problem in my daily life. I was actually just thinking about it and the STRESS it causes me. As a result… love this post as well

Peanut Butter Swirl says:

July 28, 2009 at 11:06 pm

to de stress I love to take a quick nap or read a great book to "escape" from the stress. haha

Paige@ Running Around Normal says:

July 29, 2009 at 12:00 am

PBS, those are great ideas, too! I love losing myself in a book to escape the world…

Mandy says:

July 29, 2009 at 12:16 am

Paige, this was perfect for me to see today!!! Thank you for posting it!!! Stress is a BIG thing for me!!!