What to Do When Stress Accelerates
By Sandy Schroeder
Wherever you and your family are right now with health, wealth and life in general, finding ways to decompress can be crucial when everything seems to be going sideways.
Keeping your emotional balance can be the difference between calmness and chaos for you and your family. Stress is unavoidable as we worry about our family, health, finances and future in times of uncertainty. Finding ways to level out when the challenges just keep coming can be hard but there are steps that will help.
Harvard Health tells us the impact of stress does not have to be inevitable. Their doctors and scientists say the effects of stress on the body can be counteracted by relying on the body's ability to self-heal.
Ways to Roll Back Stress
Explore relaxation techniques - Deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga and guided imagery can all become simple ways to cope. When everything feels like it is just too much, step away, find a place to sit, close your eyes and just breathe. Or do a brief meditation morning and evening. Use yoga or tai chi to let go of the tension.
Make sleep a priority - Make your bedroom a sleep retreat minus the electronics and extra furniture. Add blackout drapes and an air filter to screen out noise. Create a quiet time in the evening before bedtime to wind down, take a warm bath or sit and read.
Reach out to connect - Stay in touch with calls, texts, emails and old fashioned cards to stay in touch with those around you. weaving a network of warmth and support. Get your kids involved creating cards or artwork to send to friends and relatives.
Practice good self-care - Set aside a little special time daily to do something for yourself. Do facial, hand or foot massages, and warm tub soaks. Make time to read or just sit and contemplate a sunrise or sunset.
Ask for help if you need it - If you just seem to be losing traction, you may want to talk with your doctor and see a therapist to talk through everything that is going on with you. Or perhaps someone in your family shows signs of agitation and ongoing stress which needs attention and the help of a therapist. Take steps to get help for them.
Pause to be grateful - No matter how crazy things seem right now, most of us do have things to be thankful for. Take a moment at the end of the day to list the blessings in your life and then tell those around you how lucky you are to have them.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Atlanta, Ga.