The only things we can expect to remain the same are taxes and death!!! Everything else WILL change. And oh how hard we try to keep everything just so, to be packed into mental compartments or physical boxes. We FIGHT change All The Way and yet change usually happens in an instant. One moment you are trying to become pregnant and the instant your first morning wee hits the pregnancy test and the double line shows - things change. You arrive at work looking for calm and order after the morning battle of getting the kids ready and out the door on time. You walk into the Thursday morning meeting and in an instant you've been promoted to manager and your world shifts. Your phone rings and in that instant when your doctor confirms that your child has type 1 diabetes you're dealing with change. Change provides us with opportunities to learn, grow and reach our potential. An unplanned pregnancy might not feel or look like a growth point but the decision you make as a result will be different to if you weren't. A promotion will have you striving as you learn new skills to inspire, motivate and deal with people and hold them accountable as you are held accountable. If you have enough time to be worried then you have time to think of solutions. Nevertheless, stress, positive or negative can be overwelming. How we handle our beahviours in a stressful situation is the crux of the matter. How do you know you're under too much stress? You unconsciously hold your breath and breathe shallowly. When your breathing is shallow then adrenaline is released, your blood sugar levels rise, your major muscle groups tense up and you sweat more. Long term stress shows up as neck ache, back ache or head aches. A rash or tiredness or a sick feeling in your stomach are all signs of stress. And still you keep on going... Share with a Friend Forward to Your Bestie Emotionally your stress can show up as - * worry - * moodiness - * irratability - * lack of concentration - * bad dreams Your behaviour also changes under stress - * poor eating choices - - > fast, processed foods, sugary foods - * overeating - * more clumsy - * forgetful - * depressed - * anxious You can either hear the signals or ignore them. BUT the symptoms of your stress won't go away! They'll get louder until we do someting or our body breaks down. What can we do? Having the support of a friend or professional to help you work a plan with reasonable and realistic goals is a good idea. Taking care of yourself is what you need to do to reduce your stress. Two years ago if you had said to me that walking daily would help to reduce my stress I would have had serious objections! I thought I didn't have the time. I didn't want to have to go and exercise when I had so little time to myself. Yet for the past 7 months I have been out walking for 20 - 25 minutes at least 4 mornings out of 7. I feel better for it. I feel stronger. I feel like I am accomplishing something for myself. I am a role model to my boys that exercise is important. AND as a result I have More energy, my cholesterol levels are lower and my husband reckons my butt looks sexy!!! So the first way to reduce stress is to move your body. Two - SLEEP. It is not in our culture to nap or rest. That's only for babies and toddlers and the older person. But without enough rest and sleep your body doesn't have the time to heal and restore itself. Aim for 7 - 9 hours per night. There is sense in a routine and set bedtime for yourself each night. Mind is 9.30pm Keep a Journal - get it out of your head and onto paper. Write about what you're grateful for. Write about your hopes, your dreams, your fears. * Learn to breathe deeply. Say NO more often. Being busy is not only exhausting but it is not a sign that you've been productive.... * Spend more time with friends and family who lift you up. * Take a break from social media. If going without for a whole 24 hours seems too much, try switching off your phone at a set time each day or making a decision to only look at your social media between certain hours. Maybe 8am - 7pm? * Think about solutions not problems. Ask yourself what are 5 options to get over the problem. * Plans don't always go accordingly - know this and go wit the flow. * Reduce your driving speed by 10km/hour - genuine!!! * Make lists and feel more organised. Start with just one or two of these techniques
and notice how you begin to feel. Healing your body is 4-pronged -
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