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Brighten Your Future Coaching Cathy Obright – Stress Relief and Personal Coach If you are reading this you are probably either feeling “stressed” or “burned out” or you know someone who is. You are not alone. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation nearly a quarter (23%) of Canadians report a high degree of life stress. Stress is considered a risk factor for a number of life- threatening illnesses including heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. So what can you do about it? Here is a list of things you can do, both simple and more difficult, to control the stress in your life. Avoid caffeine and sugar. Both caffeine and sugar stimulate the nervous
system and, as a result, will heighten your stress level. Even just reducing the amount of caffeine and sugar you consume can make a big difference. Watch for “hidden” caffeine and sugar in foods, drinks, and even Find out what is truly important to you. What are your values and
priorities? What are your passions? Once you know, live by them. Take care of yourself. Flight attendants are right, you have to take care of
yourself first before you can be there for others. Make more healthy food
choices. Take a walk when you need a break. Get a good night’s sleep. Living a healthier lifestyle will help you to handle stress situations better. Build time for rest and relaxation into your day. Stress is cumulative.
We all have to give our body’s time to recover from stress and return to
normal balance. According to Anxietycentre.com, it takes the body 4 times the amount of time we experienced stress to recover from it. Take a break in the middle of your morning to listen to a short meditation exercise. Take your lunch break and go for a walk. Spend an hour or so before bed reading a good book instead of watching the evening news. Take time for yourself. Set aside time to work uninterrupted by people,
the phone or your email. Block off time to spend with your family and make
it sacrosanct. Take your vacations and time owing. It isn’t selfish to do this, it is good self-care. Set boundaries that work for you. Decide how you wish to be treated by
others and don’t accept anything less. Let others know what your boundaries
are and what the consequences are if they are overstepped. For example, you could set a boundary that you will not be available from 10 to 11 am each morning so that you can work uninterrupted (see tip #5). Let your colleagues know that you will be doing this and under what circumstances they can interrupt you. Then follow through. Take action. When you are stressed, it can often paralyze you and act as a
demotivator. Taking action on something, particularly something you have been putting off, will help give you the confidence, energy and motivation to continue to move forward. Success breeds success. Look at stress as a sign that something is wrong and needs to be
addressed. Feeling stressed is a warning that it is time to take a step back,
take a deep breath and look seriously at what is causing your stress. Putting
distance between you and the situation will give you the opportunity to look at it objectively and see possible solutions more clearly. Having a loving and caring support system is a must. Surround
yourself with loving, positive people whom you can trust. Don’t try and deal
with stress on your own. No person is an island. Zap the things that are draining your energy. Take care of those little
things like cleaning that closet or fixing that leaking faucet that you have been putting off. This will free up energy for the really important things. Take time each day to do nothing.daydream, sit and watch the clouds,
stop to smell the roses. Put up with boredom for awhile. Yes, it will mean
having to learn how to slow down, which in this day and age of hyperspeed is really difficult. But being bored isn’t life threatening. Life will wait a half Get rid of outdated beliefs. Where do your beliefs come from? As Dr.
Phil would say, “How is that working for ya?” If they aren’t, discover new beliefs that fit you and your life better. Get a handle on your worry habit. Worry is a major energy drainer and
source of stress. Limit your worrying to a specific time during the day. Then
write out your worries and look at the probability of them really happening. Think of possible things you can do to reduce that possibility. Then take Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Affirmations are a great
way to turn negative thinking around. Write some “I” statements that are the opposite of some of the negative things you routinely tell yourself. Then substitute them whenever that negative thought pops up. If you are feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope, it is OK to seek
professional help. Working with a counsellor, social worker, or a stress
relief coach is a sign of strength, not weakness. These professionals can help
you to look deeper into the causes of your stress. They can help you to put some of the techniques that are listed here into action and teach you others that can help you to gain control and get your life back. Sometimes we all need another perspective. Coaches and counsellors can do this, while, at the same time, providing you with unconditional support. For more information on Stress Relief coaching, go tor call 519-667-1485.

Source: http://www.brightenyourfuture.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Stress-Relief-Tips-for-a-Happier-and-Healthier-Life.pdf