5 Tips to Handle Life When Life Gets Stressful
When life is stressful you have to figure out how you are going to handle situations. This means thinking in a different way, choosing different options and making sure that you know where (and what) makes you happy – and then doing it!
When March rolled around and virtually every life in American changed, we had 2 choices: become depressed and anxious and let the events rule our life OR switch our mindset to what we can control and change.
What we can control and change is ourselves; our attitude; our outlook and our mindset.
This all takes me back to the years when we lived back in Camp LeJeune, NC. We had 3 small kids (ages 1, 2 and 5). We didn’t have a lot of money. My husband deployed frequently (one time for 8 months). I had 2 in diapers at the same time (cloth diapers because we couldn’t afford the disposable kind). We didn’t have a lot…and we were happy!
Our fun included taking the kids down to the inter-coastal waterway and putting a hot dog or a chicken leg on a string and watch the crabs walk up to the meat. The kids would pull the string up and we put the crab into a bucket for dinner! Talk about fresh crabs!
We would get all of the housecleaning done on a Saturday morning and have the entire afternoon to spend time together.
There were no tablets, laptops or electronic devices to distract everyone. (I think there was nintendo back then but we didn’t own one).
Today, it just seems that life is so stressful. And the world events have multiplied that feeling over and over. Being stuck at home has made us realize that home is not so much of a happy place. There is too much clutter and it is overwhelming. Maybe less is really more!
When life gets stressful try these 5 tips to get you through the day:
- Be thankful for everything – and I really mean everything. I started using an app called Diarium to jot down my thoughts about the day (or during the day) to remind myself why I should be thankful.
- Don’t worry about everything being perfect. Be ok with a little mess around the house. (This may sound weird coming from an Organizer). But if keeping everything perfect causes you stress, it is also causing additional stress for the rest of the family.
- Schedule time with a friend (or 2) to get together. If you have to do it through “social distancing”, do it! We need to remember that our friends haven’t left us just because the rules have changed. Or, meet virtually if you still have to. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just do it!
- Get outside and enjoy nature! I talk to my 83 year old mom and suggest that she get outside on the front porch and “swing” every day. Do it before it gets too hot, of course, but the time spent outside will rejuvenate you!
- Start accomplishing your goals. We all have goals that we have put off because we “didn’t have enough time”. Well, now that you may have more time on your hands, work through those projects and check them off of your list. Maybe it is to declutter a closet; finish a project that you started 3, 6, 9 months ago or more; grow some plants or flowers; anything that you can do to keep your mind active and celebrate your success.
Let’s face it, we can always find something to stress about (if we look hard enough). We all have a lot going on in our lives. It’s time to take the time to enjoy life a little more, enjoy family, enjoy mother nature and each other.
Decluttering and eliminating items is one of the best ways to remove stress. The physical activity of doing it can create happiness!
Call if you need help getting motivated. Our goal is to help you through the process.
Here’s to your successful Stress Free life.
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