All my life doctors have told me, "You need to lower your stress." I always answer, "Have you met my husband? He's the Eveready Energy Bunny and expects everyone around him to be like that too." So since lowering stress factors is very difficult (I love my husband and want to keep him), I have had to find ways to find "rest" in the midst of stress. That seems to be a lot like most Bible examples anyway. So what was I expecting? LOL!
Here are some things that have been true life savers for me.
Naturopathic herbs - The Hylands company has a Nerve Tonic that I like a lot. It's non-habit forming and doesn't make me sleepy or dopey. I just feel like I took a big breath, blew out the tension and can now handle things. They are tiny pills that melt under your tongue so can be taken anytime quickly and easily.
Nap - Grab a short nap or even a 3-5 minute time when you go somewhere quiet, deep breath, relax your muscles and force your mind to go silent. If you can't shut your mind off try using that time to speak out loud what you are thankful for. To those who love Jesus you will find this brings His presence close to you and He brings the peace. Psalm 22:3 "The Lord inhabits the praises of His people."
Night time sleep - Make a practice of hanging your worries from the day on a nearby tree before coming home from work. Don't bring them into the house. Or if the stress is in the house do this before going to sleep. I also have found that if I identify all of the emotions I'm feeling, give them as an exchange to Jesus then listen quietly for what He will give me in exchange I can handle huge stresses and not get fried. I also use Melatonin tablets and Nerve Tonic before sleep. Lew finds a product called Relaxium is helpful. You can also make a cup of Sleepytime Tea an hour before bed and I find that gives me a restful sleep so I am more able to handle stresses in the A.M.
Now that you are rested and thinking clearly, sit down with a notebook, tablet or phone Task app and write out everything that has to be done. Write beside it a due date. You can even write an "I'd like to" due date and an "I have to" due date. Now break each job into 1/2 hour segments and schedule those on days of a calendar. This way each day is planed for you and all you have to do is what's on the list today and not the rest. I find that lowers the feeling of being overwhelmed and the fear that you'll miss a deadline. We often procrastinate on a five hour job because we don't have five hours we can work on anything consecutively. But 1/2 hour segments, are easy to fit in. And if you, get a segment done before the 1/2 hour is up, you can do a quiet moment or short nap for the rest of the time. Also try going outside for a short walk in the fresh air for that last ten minutes. It works to lower the tension you're feeling.
Mothers with little children complain of constant interruptions and often end up going from room to room and job to job and accomplishing nothing except total exhaustion. So it's helpful to break your jobs into 5 minute segments. Meet the needs of the interruption BUT GO BACK to the original job and get it completed. As my mother used to say, "Don't dance in a butter tub!" That's where you slip and slide, expend a lot of energy but get nothing done. Completing a job will actually give you more energy from closure. Knowing that the other job you were tempted to start while meeting the interruption is on the list and planned and will get done eventually also helps to keep a mom focused on the first job. And again this lowers the feeling of being stressed and overwhelmed.
No stress is only found in death. So this is not to build a stress free life but a stress managed life that has times of peace and rest. That's healthier!
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