LIFESTYLE

GETTING A STRESS BUSTER

6:05 pm Unknown 2 Comments


December is a time of great activity. The mere sound of this month brings a lot of thoughts to one's mind. Asides from the fact that Christians celebrate Christmas at this time,it is also a time when organisations round up and take a break for the year. For many who live away from home,its a time to travel and get together with family members. For some, its a time to go out with friends to enjoyable places,for others its a time when they receive and entertain guests.


In my own case, I have been juggling  work with family obligations as well  as Christmas party preparations for the children church. I am out seven days a week, when I am not balancing books in the office,I am  either drawing out an extra budget for the party  or buying presents and sorting out payments. I also have  to spend time with God and  important people in my life. Don't forget that I also have to blog ( this should probably explain why I have not been blogging frequently as usual). Yesterday,I was so exhausted that I dozed off at my desk (shh! please, don't tell my boss.lol ). I think you now get to picture which I am trying to paint. Being constantly busy and active can leave us stressed out and exhausted, worse still it could lead to illness.

As a result of all this,I began to think of how to manage stress and that's how I came up with these simple tips.

TIP #1
Prioritize: I use this a lot in my financial planning and it works for me so I am confident it will work in this instance. I  make a list of the items I need and since I have limited resources, I decide which is more important and urgent. Having made this decision, I buy the important ones and leave the others till when I can afford them. By doing this, I can avoid the financial crises. So here is how we apply it to stress management, decide what's more important in your life and make it your  topmost priority,bearing in mind that if you don't get anything done,you must get that "important thing"  done.

TIP#2
Have a schedule: I also do this a lot to manage my work load and time. I make  my responsibilities  into a list ,then I arrange them in a order of priority. I schedule the time frame in which each task should be completed.  I place my devotion and prayer time as first to be done in the morning ( within a particular time frame). Then I schedule my work load ( each against a particular time frame).I try to get this stuffs done within the scheduled time frame except something urgent comes up. If I have to make some calls,I write it down so I  don't forget. I leave the least important things at the end of the list. If I can cover it that day, I carry it over to the next day.Don't overcrowd your schedule or to do list so as to make it achievable.

TIP#3
Learn to say no:  I like to help in every way I can but I am learning to say no. You should give your best in all you do, but when  too many demands are being placed on you,you must learn to withdraw politely else you might breakdown. People who genuinely love you will respect and understand your decisions.

TIP#4
Learn to delegate: You do not have to do it alone. Delegating makes the work faster and easier. Motivate people to share the vision which you are striving  to achieve,this way  they can help you with the workload.


TIP#5
Relax: You definitely need your physical body to work. This means you need to get enough rest to keep your system rejuvenated . Asides from getting a good night sleep,you should find time to relax during the day. Tune out every noise and stay calm for at least 30 mins, this will help soothe your body. You can also unwind by reading novels,watching  movies, listening to soft music or doing something outside your regular busy routine,this will really help you to relax.

TIP#6
Eat well: Your body needs nourishment to function well and this can be gotten through food . While I do not encourage under-eating,I also do not encourage over-eating . I advise that you eat healthy foods in moderate portions. While going about our busy schedule,pastries,sweets and candies might seem like a fast way out of hunger. This is not a good idea,too much of this(pastries and sweets) slows down your metabolism and increases body fat which you might not need. Eating fruits and nuts is a better option ( I am not saying you should eat this alone).
Drink water often as this flushes out toxins and keeps you hydrated,this is a healthier option than soda and other soft drinks.

TIP#7
Keep trying: With all these tips you might be tempted to think that I have got it all together. Sincerely, I haven't. There are days when I don't stick to my schedule and there are times I carry over a lot of work till the next day. At times I don't even eat healthy ( chocolates are so tempting! lol) . But you know what? I am not giving up. So,I keep trying and I am getting better. You should do the same.

TIP#8
Ask God for help: Right now, I know someone is thinking how can God help bust stress? Here is how,there are some unnecessary activities that stress us out,godly wisdom can point us to those areas so that we can make amendments. Godly wisdom can also help us to realize some habits that cause us undue stress. God can help us deal with stress in more ways than we can imagine. So take a kneel and ask him for help.



Share with us the ways in which you manage stress.I look forward to reading them.

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2 comments:

  1. These are really great tips. Thanks for sharing them. I hope to put these to good use this holiday season.

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    Replies
    1. Hey Nicole ,glad you find them helpful. Thanks for coming by. much love.

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