Choose a stressless lifestyle!

Choose a stressless lifestyle? That's very easy to say. Yet it is so important. Our health should be our # 1 priority. We all know that, and still we keep hearing about yet another work mate who is now on the sick-list for several weeks to come.

The book stores are filled with books on stress management. But, should we manage stress or reduce it? Stress and burnout are two very common signs of a lifestyle that needs to be changed. The changes must take place on three levels:

1. Our society
2. Our place of work
3. Our personal life

The third level, our private life, is the one that we can change most easily. But we must also make efforts to bring about changes on our job/school and keep claiming that society takes its responsibility for our health. Of course, there are no easy solutions.

Back to our question: Should we manage or reduce stress? Personally I do not like the word "manage". It doesn't have a good ring to it. To me, manage sounds like trying to handle a situation by working very hard. I close my eyes and see this tired out woman carrying heavy shopping bags up the stairs. "I'll manage", she says as her heart pounds heavily. I don't want to be that woman. And maybe that is not at all what the stress experts mean when they use the word "manage". But, still, I prefer the word "reduce".

On the personal level we can do a lot to reduce stress. There is also stress that cannot be totally reduced. Then we need to learn how to manage it. But watch out, because your boss might prefer that you manage when you could reduce! It has become a virtue to manage stress in our modern society. Don't try to be the perfect employee, the perfect partner or the perfect parent. When you can reduce, don't manage. Start with reducing the unnecessary stress, then learn to manage the necessary in a way that is good for your general health.

Stress management

I do believe that society and employers must take their responsibility to reduce stress. People need time and energy for more than just their duties at work. Life is much more than a career. We must never stop demanding better working conditions. However, that's a topic that would fill a whole book in itself. Let's focus on what we can do on the individual level:

" Say no
" Exercise on a regular basis
" Eat healthily
" Sleep well and enough
" Take a break often
" Learn to relax
" Delegate (Are you really irreplaceable?)
" Lower your demands
" Be good to yourself
" Laugh! Have fun!
" Try to get away and get some time to yourself now and then

Breathe!
To conquer stress, and for your general well-being, I would advise you to learn to use your full capacity of breathing. Did you know that 70% of our body's waste products are eliminated through breathing? 20% leave the body through our skin, and only 10% through faeces and urine. Most people are unaware of how much it means to have a healthy breathing.

Sleep!
Sleep tight! The most common reason for sleeping problems is lack of exercise. My best tip for better sleeping habits is a short walk before bedtime. Other tips: Don't eat a full meal close to sleeping time. Let at least one hour pass after eating the last meal of the evening. Let some fresh air into the bedroom before you go to bed. Avoid pondering about difficult problems and worries close to bedtime.

Laugh!
Laughter and humour are important factors in creating health.

Love,

Ingela Berger
Lifestyle Plans