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I am writing this to the woman who wants it all. I am all about wanting it all. I dream big, I aim (really) high, I think whoever thinks I have delusions of grandeur apparently doesn’t know me well enough, and I sip from a glass that’s half-full.
It’s wonderful, really.
What ISN’T wonderful is the insane amount of stress that can come from having to multi-task and drudge through a way too busy day. Stress is like quicksand right at the very center of your dreams. You add to, tweak, or create new dreams and goals and while you are trying to move forward with all of your plans, the quicksand sucks you and your strength away as you try to forge on! The less strength you have, the less you are able to manage. Regardless of what success is for you, effort and energy is required to make the engine of your dreamboat purr. If you want to be super-mom, a straight-A student, a star at work, handy-sans-the-man, or (eek) everything at once–
You’re going to need a system.
If You Can’t Think Straight, Don’t.
Gifting yourself a few minutes in the midst of all the mind clutter can be the best thing you can do for your day. Sometimes all the external stimulation, rushing, and chronic anxiety undermines your efforts instead of contributing to your productivity. So, as a major fan of Me Time, I suggest that you take some to regroup and energize yourself. Find a quiet area away from all distractions (even if it’s a bathroom stall at work) and take five. Close your eyes and still the currents of thoughts in your mind. In this moment, your only job is to drain it all away. Relax every tense muscle in your body. Not only will catching your breath energize you, it will help bring clarity to your thoughts. That clarity will come a better ability to manage your tasks.
A Little (Prep) Goes a Long Way
Time- or the lack thereof- is often the culprit of fanning stress flames. Think about it. Running late, not meeting a deadline, 15+ lbs a week before a high school reunion…
Make a few small changes that will produce big results.
- Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
- Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
- Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc.
- Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.
Texas Women’s University
I know this all looks good on paper. But it’ll look great in real time if you notify that priority list of yours of the benefits. It might seem like extra work to, for example, implement #1 because any surplus of minutes in the morning in bed is less stressful to you than having to face the day right? I must remind you that the day will still be here 15 minutes later and the bad energy rippled throughout the entire day because you were late to work again is far worse than getting up a little earlier. And besides, you can always do things to amend your hatred for the morning. Wake up to your favorite music. Actually sit down and have delicious breakfast. Feel clever because this move gives you more than it takes. Even if you’re anti-schedules, you can find the perks in time management if you give a bit of it a chance.
Indulgence Is Critical to Your Health
…Well it is! Choose the activity that you will utilize to bring balance into your life, be it meditation, a massage, a long drive; dip yourself into it without the guilt and without the Blackberry. Don’t discount the magic of your favorite song. You’re looking to evoke feelings of happiness…something like poking some sunshine into your day. Indulge in your personal time. Respect its existence just as much as you respect a very important deadline.
Zen and Procrastination are Not the Same Thing
Seeking relief from stress through a time out is proactive. A better balanced you can produce premium grade results.
Seeking relief from stress through delaying the inevitable task is retroactive. A procrastinating you will produce even more stress.
Procrastination is tricky because if you can put off that stress-inducing task for another day, why wouldn’t you?
The good thing about it all is you have the ability to overcome your habit of putting things off. Most of the problem lies in the way you view the pending task. Whether it be with fear or with dread, your lack of desire can be emotionally rephrased to, well, desire.
- A huge task isn’t so huge when broken up into smaller tasks. Approach your project with a plan that consists of executing smaller portions of the entire job efficiently. Not only does regrouping the size help provide relief, it gives you a snapshot of how much time you need to get it all done because you actually surveyed the task at hand (and not stuff it without a real look into your desk/pocketbook/etc.)
- How about those personal expectations? Are you avoiding your task because you have an All-Or-Nothing mentality? I know that frame of thought very well. More than I care to admit, actually. But one lesson that I eventually learned and work to implement into my daily life is it’s alright to strive for the best. Aim high and do your best. However don’t set yourself up for fear & failure with unrealistic expectations. Often times we undermine our abilities by not accounting for the abilities that we DO have because we compare them to that elusive monster Wonder Woman in our minds. She’s a bigger monster than many of us acknowledge!
Have Heart
Emotionally speaking, giving and receiving love is quite the Rx. Kiss your special somebody. Cuddle with your pet. Laugh with your friends. Affection is a very powerful tool and it will soothe you if you allow it too.
Physically speaking, hoarding stress will do some serious damage to your health. The aches (like headaches) and pains (like tense muscle pain) is just the very beginning. You induce high blood pressure and risk granting yourself an actual heart attack which, then, forces you to slow down anyway.
So, you want it all? Have it all by remembering not to try to do it all at once, all the time. Inject balance in your life by reducing the stress and increasing your joy. That way, you will truly have it all and live to tell about it.
What are your favorite ways to cut down your stress?
Photos by: FredArmitage
There is some great advice here, as you say it looks good on paper. I can see implementing much of this in my life and the benefit of doing so. I am very much a creature of habit though, so doing so won’t be easy. But I will give some of them a try.
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@ Beauty Buzz: Being a creature of habit myself, I know how hard it is to implement solid advice that’s supposed to improve my life. It’s a matter of making a solid decision to make things easier for yourself and starting small. Work on one habit at a time.. you’ll be glad you did.
Wow, great suggestions, and I’m surprised that I follow most of them. I get up early, plan the night before, write down a list of things I need to get done during the day, and I definately plan ahead for appoints.
I still get stressed, but I’ve also discovered that if I dedicate the end of my day to a cup of tea and reading blogs, I relax and get a good night’s sleep.
@ IAAdmin: Planning the night before is one of those ways to have a perfect streamlined morning.. I myself am working on creating new habits that will make for a better morning .. better morning=better days=better me. Thanks for your inpu!
I do number two, oh wait, that doesn’t sound good. I prepare as much as I can the night before…like setting the table. Tonight, I’m kind of tired, so I should get off this computer.
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@ Natural Woman: Tip #2 can be insanely useful. It’s great that you use it. Thanks for your comment
Yes, I will try to follow many of those good advice. My aim is to be goal focused as I found this spare me from stress… Make no detour…
@ Focused Woman: I’m glad you found the info here useful
thanks for stopping by
That was really helpful, thank you!
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