Stress Awareness Expert Coping Tips
Did you know that prior to 1960 the term “stress” did not exist outside of architectural references (ie: stress on a building)? Now, it’s nearly impossible to get through a day without hearing the word stress, especially here at Glen Ivy where all of our guests are coming to de-stress!
At the Third Annual Women’s Conference held at Cal State Fullerton hosted by Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) in conjunction with California State University, Fullerton’s Women and Philanthropy Network, I attended a session about stress and achieving a work/life balance led by Kristin Welsh-Simpson, the Senior Employee Assistance Counselor with the U.S. House of Representatives Office of Employee Assistance. She gave great, sensible advice for women who have very busy lives and wish to have peace and balance in their daily life (isn’t that everyone?). Simpson, also a certified executive coach and a mom of three boys (this lady knows what she’s talking about!), is devoted to taking time out of her busy schedule to help women achieve this peace of mind.
I took a lot away from her practical and approachable talk and thought I should share some of her great ideas for erasing stress from our lives, as I believe many of her points are directly related to what we do here at Glen Ivy and how we serve our guests.
- Use positive self-talk. Avoid “should” and “if only” traps.
- Avoid the blame game – own it so you can control it.
- Shift focus forward and always try to have a plan B so you never feel trapped.
- Keep stress in perspective – are you having a bad day? If it’s only 11 am, you’re only having a bad morning! Don’t give up the rest of your day to negativity, there’s still plenty of time to make it a great day.
- Have realistic expectations
- Examine your belief systems
- Live in the present – you can’t do anything about the past and worry about the future keeps you from doing things today that can have a positive impact for your tomorrow.
- Improve time management – life is like a plate…don’t let the important stuff fall off and don’t let the unimportant stuff find its way to the center. Clear your plate and then decide what comes back on, where it goes, and how much room it takes up.
- Take time outs for leisure activities that you can enjoy guilt-free (doing laundry, running errands, and grocery shopping are not leisure activities)
- Deep breathing or meditation – concentrating on belly breathing helps to get the body and mind in sync. You can’t have a relaxed body with a stressed mind.
- Watch your diet and eliminate caffeine
- Relaxation exercises such as stretching and yoga help your body feel better and gives you time to clear your mind
- Sleep
- Vent to a friend or family member (but try not to spend too much time focusing on anything negative – vent and let it go!)
- Find humor in anything you can (for example, if you’re stuck in traffic, try to laugh at someone you catch singing in the car instead of filling up with frustration and road rage)
And finally, check this list of 3 things happy people have in common. Find yours and remind yourself daily!
- Something to DO
- Something to LOVE
- Something to LOOK FORWARD TO
What do you do to cope positively with stress?
Share your “de-stress secrets” with a comment here on the blog, or with our friends on Facebook.
See you at the Spa,
Jennifer
[...] I took a lot away from her practical and approachable talk and thought I should share some of her great ideas for erasing stress from our lives and achieving a better work/life balance. Check out my post with her tips here. [...]