Managing Stress: Part 1

A W A R E N E S S

Stress can become a positive opportunity to grow and develop.  Sometimes, however, we let stressful situations beat us up and drain our life force energy.  Instead, lets begins to energize the self by learning and practicing a new approach to everyday life.  

This four part series: Managing Stress, will break down how to manage stress with the four A's: Awareness, Acting, Adapting, and Accepting.   When life events happen that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way, instead of reacting, try to first practice awareness by being mindfulness of who you are inside.  This will help you better understand how to respond on the outside.  You can increase you awareness with these four tips: 

1. Learn your limits to what you can handle. 
• Practice saying “No” if you are overwhelmed.
• Know your stress limits and stick to them.
2. Notice the people who stress you out.
• Limit the amount of time you are around them.
• Create a positive response in dealing with them before hand. 
3. Observe how things in your environment affect you. 
• If the news stresses you out, turn it off. 
• If traffic stresses you out, take a different route. 
• If your teenager stresses you out, find a different inner response to him or her, so you stay calm and balanced. 
4. Avoid Hot-Topics 
• Religion, politics, etc.   Cut them out of your conversation when you are under stress.  
• Excuse yourself if it is brought up.

Many of these tips are simple and easy to understand, but it takes your willingness and application for them to work. The goal is to stay calm, relaxed and balanced, because when you are in that state you are more likely to meet challenges and turn them into opportunities.