7 Simple Ways to Handle Stress in Your Life - April is Stress Awareness Month

For Americans working hard to perform well at their jobs, the cost of success may come in the form of poor health, stress and burnout, an issue brought to awareness during National Stress Awareness this April.

Depending on which survey you reference, many people regularly engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as drinking, smoking and overeating as ways to deal with stress. All of those behaviors have long term health risks related to major causes of death (heart problems, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.) But even in the short term they only make the stress worse.

Though leaving stress behind may seem difficult, it only requires minor changes to your day-to-day habits to make a difference. There is no such thing as a stress free life, it is about keeping stress in control and making it productive, not inhibitive.

According to the American Psychological Association survey “Stress in America” and my own experience here are some simple ways to reduce stress in your life.

Move Your Body

More than half of Americans (53 percent) exercise or take part in physical activity to cope with stress, a significant increase compared to each of the past three years. This doesn’t mean you have to become an exercise fanatic, it just means moving…walking on a regular basis…getting up each hour to move instead of sitting all day.

Talk

Find someone to talk to about your stress, whether that is a friend, family member or a professional such as a therapist or a personal coach. Talking to others can give a different perspective on our experiences and our interpretation of the stress in one’s life.

Find Ways to Relax and Be Positive

Relaxation can take many forms including listening to music, meditation, or prayer. Find ways to re-center yourself and get your mind off the day to day continuous flow of problems. Think about all the positive things in your life, there are usually many more than we realize. Think about the best part of each day rather than focusing on the negatives or what wasn’t accomplished. Some encourage a “positive journal” that includes all the things we can be grateful for each day.

Ditch the Technology

Create “tech free time” for yourself each day and plan it into your day. It could be just before bed, or at dinner time, whenever. Perhaps you could read instead, or, heaven forbid, actually talk to family or friends about the best parts of their day instead of constantly checking email and social media.

Eat Better

You don’t need to totally change your diet, but you can improve it. Avoid highly processed food…those high in sugar and other processed carbohydrates. Try to each natural, whole foods whenever possible and drink plenty of water.

Sleep

More and more research is showing that many people are sleep deprived. It isn’t just about the hours of sleep, but about the quality of the sleep too. Avoiding technology just before bedtime can help one sleep much better. Going to bed and rising at a regular time each day can also help.

Finally, Small Steps

Don’t try to change everything at once! Start simply with one of these areas in your life and strive to make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. Once one area has become habitual, add another area. The worst thing you can do is set goals that you are unlikely to achieve. Making these small changes in your life, one at a time, can give you a greater sense of control and that by itself will help reduce the stress in your life.

Dr. Larry Pfaff helps a select few people live more productive, healthier, stress-free lives. He has worked with literally thousands of people from all walks of life in the areas of health, career and executive coaching. Contact him for more information or for personal coaching.