Category: Stress Management

Stress in America – Stress Tip #4 – Give Yourself Permission to…

One of the most frequently heard words in my office is “should.”  As in, “I know I should do yoga,” “I know I should spend more time with my in-laws,” “I know I shouldn’t TiVo Oprah everyday,” “I know I should be more _________ (confident, in shape, intimate, happy, outgoing, relaxed, grateful – you get the idea).

So, my stress tip for the day is: give yourself a break from the “shoulds” and give yourself permission to be what you are.  Maybe what you are is shy, chubby, or excitable.  Sure, there is room for all of us to make improvements, but there is also room for us to work on accepting ourselves for what we are, where we are.  Give it a shot: ban “should” from your vocabulary today and see if it makes a difference.


Stress in America – Stress Tip #3 – Try Something New

I recently wrote a post about the importance of hobbies in lowering stress.  Hobbies are awesome – they are just for fun, not related to work, and give us pleasure.  But if your old hobbies just aren’t doing the trick in lowering your stress levels, what can you do? Try something new!

Rock climbing, knitting, speed walking, baking, crossword puzzles – it can be just about anything – as long as it’s new to you.  The benefits of learning new skills can be many, including:

  • Distracting you from the stressors in your life.  I recently took up sewing and it takes so much concentration and mental effort that I don’t have the brain power to think about anything else.  It’s the perfect antidote to a tough day.
  • Keeping your brain healthy.  Want to keep your mind sharp and your memory intact?  Researchers and clinicians recommend staying mentally fit, and what better way to do that than learn something new?
  • Expanding your world.  I have a friend who recently started cross country skiing.  She has been amazed at the new experiences that have opened up to her since she started hitting the trails.  She has met new and different kinds of people, has subscribed to new magazines and blogs, and is now planning vacations around her new passion.   What could be better than that?

Stress in America – Stress Tip #2 – Do Nothing But Eat

As I mentioned yesterday, I am marking yesterday’s American Psychological Association release of their annual Stress in America survey with a week’s worth of easy, free, and do-able stress management tips.  We all may be able to come up with excuses for not going to yoga, writing in a gratitude journal, or meditating for 30 minutes before we leave for work – but my tips are so super easy, that I dare you to come up with a legitimate excuse not to give at least a couple of them a try!

Today’s Tip:

Do nothing but eat. A naturopathic physician friend of mine told me a few years ago that when I eat a meal, I should do nothing but eat.  No watching TV, checking email, flipping through a magazine, paying bills,  or driving.  I must have looked at her like she was speaking another language – the concept seemed so radical to me!  But in thinking about it more over the years, it makes so much sense to actually give ourselves a few minutes a few times a day to sit down, enjoy our food, and relax before we start our next task.  Of course we know that sharing a meal and conversation with family and friends is great, too; but for those meals you eat alone – give it a try.  Do you notice a difference in your stress level? The amount you enjoy your meal? A change in the quantity of what you eat?

Stress in America 2010 – Stress Tip #1

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The American Psychological Association released its annual Stress in America survey today.  There are lots of ways to look at the results but the long and short of it is that we Americans are stressed most of the time.  We’re worried about money, work, and how to support our families.  We’re suffering from chronic diseases that could be at least in part due to our high stress levels, and most certainly contribute to those high levels of stress.

The study finds that most of us know what we should be doing to manage our stress better, but often fall short in our goals to actually make those good behaviors happen.  Even though I spend a good part of each day helping people manage the stress and worries in their lives, I have yet to become an expert myself.  I can stress out, freak out, and lose it with the best of them.  But in the spirit of better mental health, I am going to spend the next 7 days offering up some easy, free, and completely do-able stress management tips – for all of us to try.

Tip #1

Breathe. There is a fantastic physician down the street from my office who tells all her patients to take 5 deep breaths 2 times per day.  I love this tip.  It is so easy, but amazingly effective.  Set your watch, computer, or phone to go off  a couple of times throughout the day, stop what you are doing and take 5 deep breaths.  When I teach kids to do this I tell them to pretend they are blowing on a dandelion that has gone to seed – use all your power and see how far you can make those seeds go!

Stress Management: The Importance of Hobbies

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I spend a large percentage of time helping people manage their stress more effectively.  And when I talk to the media, one of the first questions they typically ask is “What are some good ways to manage stress?”  My answer: Anything that’s healthy and works.  Sure, yoga’s great but so is just breathing, sitting quietly, reading, and walking.  I’ve admitted to reporters (I always let my guard down when they get me talking!) that some of my favorite stress management strategies include: watching House Hunters and tweeting John Mayer.  Embarrassing – yes, but also effective.  Given that @johncmayer no longer exists, I’m glad I have a few other stress management tools up my sleeve.

In our fast-paced, productive-every-moment, never-relax world, I think many of us have forgotten the importance of hobbies.  I had a supervisor on my internship in graduate school who told everyone who walked in his office that they should be spending more time on their “avocations,” i.e. hobbies.  I’m not sure I would go that far, but I do think the pleasure, stress relief, and change of pace that hobbies afford us are quite valuable.

One of my favorite hobbies? Baking.  Not only is it fun, your friends and family will likely encourage you to spend time doing it – the rewards are just too sweet to pass up!

Halloween cupcakes - Yum!