How do you deal with stress? Or maybe a better question is, do you deal with stress?
Pretty much everyone I talk to these days is stressed out about something – mainly jobs, finances or relationship challenges. I have seen so many of my friends cry lately and it breaks my heart. In a rough economy everyone tells you to be happy you have a job, but it’s not always that easy. I have a lot of friends who are so stressed out at work right now that it’s ruining their personal lives as well. They’re not sleeping and they’re withdrawing from social activities. I have been there…stuck in a job where you feel completely exhausted, overworked, underpaid, under appreciated, taken advantage of, etc. It’s draining and hard to think “boy I’m lucky to have a job” during a time like that.
Same goes for financial trouble and relationship trouble. People can tell you to be thankful your situation is not worse. Sometimes that is so much easier said than done when bills are piling up or you’re fighting with your significant other every day.
Many people turn to unhealthy habits when they are stressed, whether it’s eating too much, eating too little, doing drugs, drinking alcohol or anything else along those lines. Some people don’t turn to anything (or anyone) at all and just completely shut out the world when they are feeling down. They decline invitations and do only what’s absolutely necessary while hibernating the rest of the time.
When I was in college and stressed out or upset about something I usually wanted to be alone. I knew it wasn’t healthy (especially when I was left alone with a bag of candy from the candy bins we had at both cafeterias at school ;-)). I knew that eating candy and being alone wasn’t going to make me feel better in the long run. I knew that I had friends who would listen to me if I only reached out. It didn’t matter what I knew…it mattered what I did and I didn’t always make the right choices then. Well, let’s face it, who makes a ton of great choices in college?
I’m always a work in progress, but I’m happy to say that I’ve come a long way from those days. I’m not saying that if we had bins of candy in our kitchen staring me in the face every day it would be a pretty sight, but I have learned a lot of ways to deal with stress that make me healthier all around.
I’m a huge believer that people who do not find ways to deal with stress end up getting sick way more often. Stress leads to restless nights of sleep. People skip workouts due to stress. They spend less time relaxing alone, with family and with friends when they are stressed. I truly believe if you let it, stress will suck the life right out of ya. I’m almost afraid to say it for fear of jinxing myself, but I very rarely get sick and I think it’s because I have made certain stress-busting activities a priority in my life, especially exercising, eating a balanced diet and spending time with loved ones. I know now that when I am stressed these things are even MORE important.
Ways that I relieve stress:
- Morning workouts. This is my number one way to relieve stress. I love starting the day with a fresh mind and feeling fit and strong! I’m sure you have heard the idea that if you don’t feel like working out, commit to 15 minutes. It’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll want to finish your workout after that and if you don’t, well it wasn’t meant to be that day. Try again the next day. 🙂
- Afternoon walks. I think I’ve mentioned before that my coworker and I act like ‘old ladies’ and we put on our sneakers with our work clothes and try to walk every day around 3pm. This is a huge stress-reliever for me. I am not great at sitting still (just ask my husband!) so it’s been a great habit to get into so that I get up and move for a decent amount of time at least once a day. So many people with desk jobs wake up, sit in the car, sit all day at work and then sit and watch TV at night. And we wonder why obesity is a problem?
- Date nights with hubby. It’s so important to take a time out and connect with each other. Sometimes our weeks and schedules are so busy that our time spent together consists of sitting in front of the TV and/or sleeping. It’s nice to put everything else aside and take some time for a meal and a good conversation with the man I love. I know this is going to be important once we have a baby too…a happy marriage is the foundation for a happy family.
- Dinner with friends. I try to have dinner with girlfriends several times a month (I know this is going to get harder with a baby, but will still be important to me!). It’s good to catch up with each other and I never want to take for granted the amazing friends I have in my life. Some of my best friends are girls that I grew up with and/or went to high school with. It’s so awesome to think about how long we have known each other and all of the life events we have been through together.
- Time with my parents. I know not everyone has parents that are alive or live close by. My parents are fun to be around, super supportive and incredibly generous. It’s nice to spend time with people you know are on your side no matter what. Side note: they are going to be awesome Grandparents to our son too!
- Cleaning. Cleaning for me is therapeutic. I love feeling like things are in order and it makes me happy to have a clean house. We have worked hard for what we have and I want to take care of it.
- Praying, going to church and listening to worship music. I struggled with religion and my spiritual life for a long time. Thanks to my husband I was introduced to an amazing church and community at New England Chapel. It’s a bit of a hike to get down there (it’s an hour from our house now) so honestly I don’t go as much as I would like to, but boy do I feel better when I get to church and make time to pray, both alone and with my husband. As a natural control freak, I need a constant reminder that God has a plan for my life.
How do you deal with stress?
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