Stress Less and Relax More

We all experience stress at one point or another.

I’d be surprised if you didn’t.

Between the growing daily demands of our work, careers or business, caring for our family, and the increasing need to stay connected all day, every day, most of us feel stressed out more often than we would like to admit.

When you add to this a chronic lack of sleep and exercise, then, you have a recipe for disaster.

Stress can significantly impact your life and business.

When I took a look at several definitions of stress, this one stood out:

Stress is the body's reaction to harmful situations -- whether they’re real or perceived.

When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in your body that allows you to act in a way to prevent injury (according to an article called “What is Stress” on WebMD on 8/21/19).

The article goes on to share that “what causes stress in one person may be of little concern to another. And, not all stress is bad. In small doses, stress can help you accomplish tasks and prevent you from getting hurt. But, we are not equipped to handle long-term, chronic stress without ill consequences.”

Let’s dive into some of the side effects of stress and what we can do to relax more and stress less.

Stress affects our blood pressure. You may experience this in a tense, anxious or uneasy situation. Feeling that way from time to time happens. The real danger is in the lower-level stress that can occur on a consistent, daily basis. It could lead to a higher risk of long-term suffering.

Next, let’s look at sleep. When you’re stressed, you don’t sleep well. You may even find it hard to sleep at all. Insomnia is a common side effect of living a stress-full life. It doesn’t take long before you start to feel the negative side effects of not getting quality sleep. You feel drained, unfocused, and things quickly spiral out of control. Your body can’t function well and recover without sufficient rest at night. For optimal well-being, plan and work toward having ample rest.

Since stress can be hard on the mind and body, what can we do about it?

Quite a bit, actually.

One solution is to identify the source of stress, then, transform it, remove it or reduce it from your life. Obviously, this might not be practical, or desirable when you’re constantly having to make adjustments emotionally, physically and financially. Instead, seek activities that help you to relax and destress when and where you can to counterbalance the unavoidable.

Here are practical actions that have personally worked for me (in times of chaos, confusion and conflict), that might be helpful to you:

Pause. Learn some breathing exercises to help calm yourself down whenever you feel particularly stressed. Deep breathing could make a big difference with a small amount of effort (provided you don’t have serious medical conditions associated with breathing). Consider ways to quiet your mind. (I have an amazing video on how to do it. Just hit reply and I'll send it to you).

Switch gears.

Move your body.

Change your mind.

Go for a walk outside.

Intense exercise.

Meditate.

Get plenty of quality sleep.

Maintain healthy eating habits.

Reduce intake of sugar and caffeine.

We’ll talk more about how you can stress less and liberate your life in future blog posts.

Being aware of stress and how it affects you is a great first step.

Now take a deep breath. Clear your mind or go for a walk. Then, notice how much better you’re feeling.

~Dena Patrice

Are you ready to relax more and stress less? Then, let's connect.

Dena Patrice has become a highly sought-after professional mentor and coach to admired business owners and leaders seeking private consultations to turn around exhaustion to ease. Visit DenaPatrice.com to learn more.