6 Stress relief tips

Written by Chipo Shambare

Tip #1 - Be aware of what is stressing you.

Evaluate one thing at a time to isolate the stressor. Do it mindfully, healthfully and heart fully. Don’t beat yourself up …be detached to the outcome. Awareness is the first step to creating better stress management and a healthy lifestyle. I use the five W's. and an H to help me be aware of what is happening in my life … good, bad or indifferent

• 5 W = who what when when and why
• 1 H = How
  

Tip # 2 - What are you going to do with this awareness?

Do one thing at a time and take one day at a time. Do it mindfully and heart fully. Do it to the best of your ability and enjoy your accomplishments. Then go on to the next thing. If you are a multi-tasker, do what you can without adding more of the thing you are working on relieving. You are human, so easy does it until you get the hang of it. Pushing yourself leads to careless mistakes, more stress and unreliable performance. You don’t want to do things over again. Give what you are doing your undivided attention… be present in the moment. Take the time to get it right and enjoy the experience.

Tip #3 - Cut down on your need to be right, first, good, the best …  whenever you find yourself competing with yourself or others.

Take these stress-relief strategies one day at a time, otherwise you will over do it. Make today the day that you will bring your awareness to when, how, and with whom your competitive muscles get into action.

This is very interesting-- I never considered myself competitive until I did this exercise and found that my exercise muscle was in contraction all the time. , to be first to own a new product, to get our kids signed up for programs, to get our viewpoints across, to be faster, smarter, richer, sexier. Our days are filled with stressful competitions. I see this kind of self-imposed stress absolutely as unnecessary and unhealthy. This is driven by our own insecurity, fear of being left behind, an ingrained need to always have more or be better than the next person. In our world today, we compete for everything and every where: we compete for the space around us mind and fun. If you feel the need to compete, do it but with yourself.

Tip #4 - De-clutter: throw away or give away something every day.

Our lives are FULL of stuff useful and not useful. What are we doing with all this stuff? Here is my short story about stuff. I was born in Africa (Zimbabwe) where I did not have stuff, growing up without a doll or any western toys to play with. BUT I learned to be creative. Here is the kicker though -- I always said “When I grow up I am going to have all the stuff I want especially books to read” Now I am grown up, living in the West, and guess what my clutter is about? PAPER in all its forms!

Is it clutter that’s weighing me down? I got obsessed with collecting and keeping stuff… just in case I might need it. Start over by going through and getting rid of what you don’t need or use. Toss what you haven’t used or don’t like. Choose a de-clutter day and time and work with a friend who also needs to de-clutter… help each other. Your friend is not attached to your stuff emotionally nor you not to hers or his.

Tip #5 - Eliminate working too hard; always strive for doing your best, and get rid of meaningless, controlling behaviour.

Why not create a hassle-free week or even a day when where you don’t put demands on yourself and others. Our life is full of harassing ourselves and unrealistic time restriction imposed by ourselves and others that serve only to make us more pressured, anxious, and stressed out. For what? Perhaps no worthwhile reason at all ! Avoid the trap of putting yourself into a time-schedule where everything has to be done in that particular time slot. Give yourself as long as it takes to do it. Save your nerves, your worry and your energy for the few real deadlines or emergencies you may face one day.

Tip #6 - Have fun and take yourself lightly; get more out of life by doing less.

All week we have been featuring stress-reduction strategies that I have found to be useful in my life. Are you fulfilling your life purpose, or are you merely cramming your life with "what else do I do next’? Like a friend once asked me: “Are you just busy putting out fires?” Know the difference between fulfilling your purpose and doing a job just because it pays the bills. Love what you do. There is a book called “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow ” by Marsha Sinetar. This is a great book that helps people look for the reason they are here on earth. We tend to push to do more and we don’t remember to realize that it's not the quantity of activities you engage in (or possessions you collect) that ultimately determines who you are or that gives you happiness.

Allowing one event to happen, as you take your time, things will start to naturally unfold… may even create an enriching experience that easily surpasses many rushed and distracted events.

Most of the population may be so chronically over-scheduled that they never give themselves a chance to enjoy anything to the fullest. Experimentation is a good policy — you may just surprise yourself. Choose an occasion and give it your complete, mindful and unhurried attention. Then imagine an entire life of such improvements from where you are now.

It's absolutely possible and I know you can do it — have a go!

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