Living a Healthy, Stress Filled Life

My little cuddlebug cat Max gets easily spooked when he’s sleeping or dozing off. About a week ago, I made the mistake of snuggling with him while we were both still waking up in the morning. He of course got spooked (I probably twitched or something) and he bit my hand pretty dang hard. This resulted in a visit to the doctor a couple days later for some much needed antibiotics.

After the usual “check in” routine of weight, temperature and blood pressure, I was left to stare at the posters on the wall until the Doctor made his way to my room. For the first time in my life, I noticed the blood pressure chart that tells you what’s healthy and what’s not. Having just received an “Oh wow” after taking mine, I was suddenly aware of how GREAT my blood pressure is. And while I hadn’t previously known what the numbers meant, I do know that my numbers have been very close for the last several years (also known as some seriously stressful years of my life).

I’ve always been worried about my stress levels and the damage I might be doing to my body. But the more I thought about my numbers and my stress, the more I realized that I manage it extremely well. Here’s a breakdown of how I keep my stress levels in check, despite having plenty of reasons to have a breakdown at times!

Don’t Let Things Fester

When I’m upset or stressed out about something, I can usually only sit with it for a short period of time. MAYBE a day max, but for the most part, I can’t go but a few hours before processing and extracting it from my body in some way. Here’s how I do that:

Write in My Journal: This is almost always where I start. If I even have a hint of a nagging feeling or frustration around something, I know I need to sit down with my journal and just write. I write what comes to mind and before I know it, clarity around what’s eating at me pours out. One thing I love about morning pages and journals is that everything you write down gets resolved or dealt with in some way during your day.

Email my Bestie: My best friend is the most awesome gal in the world. Almost every morning we write each other a pretty lengthy email about the happenings in our lives… and sometimes, those emails turn into much needed vent sessions. There’s nothing like spilling your feelings, fears, stresses and frustrations to someone you can trust with every word. Someone you can also trust to give you honest feedback about your situation.

Address the Problem Head On: Sometimes people stress me out and other times it’s situations. Once I take the time to process what I’m feeling on paper or with my Bestie, I move on to addressing the problem head on. I talk to the person who is frustrating me. I deal with the project or task that’s causing me stress. I take action towards resolving the situation. I never process these things and then leave it at at that. If you don’t deal with what’s stressing you out, it’s only going to happen again and again.

Cry if You Need to Cry: Sometimes I find myself so overwhelmed with stress that I burst into tears and cry my eyes out. I cry HARD. Deep sobbing, puffy eyes and sometimes I think I might hyperventilate. Just as quickly as it starts, it’s over. And suddenly, the very thing that pushed me over the edge (along with everything else) seems totally manageable. I feel refreshed and capable of moving on with my life.

Do What’s Good for the Soul

There are some days that I’m just too stressed out and overwhelmed to focus. This only causes more stress because I have so much to do and I can’t seem to get anything done. This is when I make it a point to walk away from my to do list and whatever it is I’m working on. I do something that’s good for my soul and will recharge and refresh me so that I’m able to tackle my workload. Some of my favorite things to do include:

Sitting on the Beach: I grab my latest book, my ipod, a snack, my gear and head on down to the nearest beach for some serious sittin’ time. I give myself AT LEAST an hour of just sitting there, soaking up the sun, swimming in the ocean or reading a good book with some great tunes. I don’t check my email and I DON’T think about the work that I bailed on. Taking this kind of break will help me be more productive and efficient when I return.

Thrifting at Goodwill: When your stress is caused by money, I can’t tell you how perfect of a solution Goodwill can be. I love to pick through the clothes rack looking for that OMG-Awesome-99-cent-piece or carefully reading every title on the shelves looking for a new and exciting book to add to my ridiculous collection. I love looking at the random trinkets and junk and letting my inspiration run wild with the fun crafty things I could create! I give myself a budget depending on finances. Sometimes I say $10, most times I say $5. Sometimes I buy nothing. It’s the act of zoning out, getting inspired and just looking at different, interesting things that soothes my soul.

Fresh Air and Sunshine: Whether it’s the beach, taking a hike or just going for a walk, fresh air and sunshine can make an enormous difference on how I’m feeling. When you’re working hard, overwhelmed and out of sorts, getting out into nature is refreshing on so many levels.

Get Over It

You heard me. GET. OVER. IT. I’ve had some pretty crappy things pulled on me in my life and I don’t have one tiny ounce of resentment towards those people. I don’t hold grudges and have no ill-will towards anyone in my life. I certainly don’t always forget, but I absolutely get over it and move on with my life. I can’t tell you what a powerful feeling it is to truly get over something. To not have any of your emotions or energy invested in someone or something negative. There’s no good that can come from grudges and resentment. And besides, these things are ALWAYS in the past and that’s where your associated emotions need to stay.

Move and Nourish Your Body

On top of managing your stress, you need to take great care of your body. For every six minutes you experience a high state of negative stress it takes your immune system six hours to recover. That’s not healthy.

Get in a Great Workout: Run, lift some weights, take a walk or hike, do some yoga. When you’re stress is so high that you can feel it running through your veins, burn it off with a blood pumping workout! Personally, I love to run as it’s the only workout that “clears the stress congestion” that I feel in my chest.

Get Enough Sleep: Stress wears you down and you need to make sure that you’re giving your body the proper amount of sleep that it needs. When I’m stressed, I’ve got to have at least 9 hours of sleep. You better believe that I take it, because if I don’t, I will end up sick and really exhausted.

Eat Healthy, Nourishing Foods: I like to snack when I’m stressed… particularly on chips. Things I can crunch, crunch, crunch! But those chips leave me feeling bleh, which never makes the situation better. When I eat clean and healthy foods, I have more energy, my mood improves and I don’t feel icky on top of feeling stressed.

None of this is to say that living a high-stress life is okay, but the fact is, we all experience stress from time to time. If you’re an entrepreneur, those times can be a lot more frequent and that’s just the nature of the beast. So take some time to think about the things that nourish your soul, relieve the tension and make your body feel it’s best. More importantly, USE THOSE THINGS when you find yourself stressed or overwhelmed.

How do you deal with your stress and overwhelm?

Be the Best, Healthiest and Happiest You™