Bronwen Sciortino: author & simplicity expert teaching easy ways to tailor-make healthy, happy & highly successful lives. sheIQ Life Pty Ltd
There are times in life when it seems like the pressure of everything that’s going on will crush us.
Life is busy. Your job is asking too much of you. Your friends and family need your help. The cost of everything is on the rise.
But there’s only one of you, when in reality you feel like you need three or even four “instances” of you to get everything done… and you’re left with your head spinning, dragging an exhausted body around with your stress levels through the roof.
When times get tough, there are really only three paths you can take.
Path #1 is to give up, throw everything away and curl into the smallest, tightest ball you can… and hope that no one sees you so that no one can ask anything more of you. Let’s be honest: This really only happens when you truly break and you’re left unable to do anything but look after yourself. It’s not generally an option that gets chosen.
Path #2 sucks you into being consumed by everything that’s going on. You become like a leaf that is blown around in the middle of a storm, shuffled and buffeted here and there, pushed this way and that, crashing from challenge to crisis to challenge. This path is often chosen unconsciously, and you accidentally end up being pushed and pulled at the whim of whatever is happening around you. Plus, you never really get anywhere or make any headway because you’re so focused on getting everything done.
Path #3 offers you the opportunity to create a refuge within the storm that rages around you. It allows you to take simple, small and easy steps that give you the opportunity to refuel your energy before tackling the next big thing that comes along. It provides space to support yourself through the stuff so that you’re okay when you come out the other end. This path is chosen by those who take the time to consciously decide what is in their best interests before taking on the tumultuous things that happen in tough times.
How do you choose when all paths are a legitimate option?
When reading about these paths, you might think that only one is really an option. But the truth is this: They’re all legitimate options that you can choose.
The key to choosing the path that’s right for you comes down to consciously making a choice, instead of waiting for it to be made for you (which often happens with Path #1) or accidentally finding yourself on a path because you’ve allowed autopilot to choose for you (which often happens with Path #2).
Ultimately, there’s another perspective you can take on all of the paths: that there is no right or wrong answer; there is simply where you are now, where you want to be and how you will let yourself get there.
It all comes down to spending some time making your life as easy as possible. The reality is that it is completely up to you how you experience your life.
How can you help reduce your stress in tough times?
The number one thing to remember is that it’s often the simplest things that create the biggest impact in life.
There are so many different things you can do and steps you can create to make things simpler for yourself, no matter what is going on around you. Here are five suggestions to get you started:
1. Hydration
Drinking water and/or herbal tea is a great way to help reduce stress. The more you hydrate your system, the more you can flush toxins out—which means your body isn’t retaining stressful compounds that can create havoc with your digestion and make you feel sluggish.
2. Meditation
The aim of meditation in this context is to give the mind a break and move the focus to the body. As little as five to 10 minutes of meditation a day can have a really powerful impact on your life. Plus, when it’s hard to shut the mind off, you can use a guided meditation sequence, which can make it easier to settle into the practice.
3. Gratitude
When life gets crazy and things feel like they’re out of control, it can be easy to forget all the good things that are happening at the same time. Deliberately and consciously remembering all the things you have, the things you get to do and the people who are precious to you can help you change your perspective and see the things that are happening around you in a different light.
4. Essential Oils
Aromatherapy can be a powerful ally in reducing stress. Essential oils can trigger messages to be sent to your brain’s limbic system, which then communicates to your body and mind that it is safe to relax. It’s as easy as putting a few drops in a diffuser, and you can have hours of stress reduction on hand.
5. Breathwork
Deep, abdominal breathing is one of the few scientifically proven ways to immediately move out of a stressed state and into a relaxed state. As few as five to six deep breaths can switch your system over and create some time and space where your body and mind get a mini break. Doing this three or four times a day can help significantly reduce your stress levels.
The best things about all of these practices are that they don’t take up much time, they’re easily accessible, you can easily fit them in and they can make a big difference to the way you experience your life.
You can really make them foolproof by taking the step to consciously schedule a time to make sure you do these things. Find 20 minutes each day and block that time out in your diary. Protect that time ferociously and make it non-negotiable so that nothing can take away that time from you.
Doing one, some or all of these things each day can help you regulate your stress.
The information provided here is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should consult with a qualified healthcare provider for advice concerning your specific situation.
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