Category: How can I deal with Stress?

Roatan Time.

Our luggage managed to get to Roatan a day after we did, and we were told that the luggage would be delivered at 2:30pm. 2:30 came and went, and at 5 we decided we should do something. A quick drive to the airport, and there was our luggage sitting in the office. They had intended to deliver it the next morning at 10:30! I guess Roatan time is different than what we are used to. Everything here can happen, manana (tomorrow, or the next day…) The point is, there is no rushing on this island. Where we are from, time is money and there is always a rush to get things done. We rely on things being on time so that we can get everything we need to done. Rush, rush. Stay on time!

It is interesting to have the pace of your life slowed down to the crawl of a hermit crab. Certainly not what we are used to, but it is a change that I could get used to.

Ryan and I are trading off sleep in days on our vacation, and this morning was my turn. I had the best sleep, and I woke up feeling refreshed. The sun was shining when I got up, and the kids were already in the pool. It felt like it was at least 11 am. To my surprise, when I looked at the clock it was 8:00 am! Poor Ryan… the girls were up at 6 am with the sun! But time is all relative, and it is a matter of perspective. It really didn’t matter what time it was, I felt great.

And waking up on a Monday morning without the rush of my usual busy lifestyle feels amazing.

Take some time, even if it is 5 minutes, to refresh yourself and your body. Stop the hustle bustle in your own body by savoring 5 minutes of calm and peace. Rushing all the time in your life causing an increase in adrenaline, which is a fight or flight response. This can make you feel more stressed all the time, even when you’re not! Take a break, breathe, relax and refresh. Namaste!

Why I love Sundays.

Oh Sunday! How do I love you? Let me count the ways.

Once we had children, “sleeping in” or reading a book on the weekend seemed to disappear. But we were missing it!  Thankfully, my cousin Julie taught me the value of sharing the weekend days with your spouse in order to garner some time to yourself.

Essentially, you take turns having a “sleep in” day.  When it is your sleep in day, you are allowed to stay in your bedroom until 10:30 or 11 without any interruptions to do as you please (sleep, read, do yoga).  The following day, it would be your responsibility to get up and take care of your home life.  Saturday is now Ryan’s sleep in day, and Sunday is mine.

Find more time for you.  You’re worth it.

Together we are strong.

Last week, my oldest daughter Trinity came home from school with an interesting story.  It was cold outside, around -5 degrees celcius (23 degrees farenheit) and the fire alarm went off.  This was not a planned fired drill, so  everyone in the school was evacuated, from grade 1 to grade 8!

No one had jackets on, and some kids didn’t even have their shoes on! Trinity told me that they all had to share socks with a boy in their class who had no shoes on when the fire alarm went off.  Trinity is in grade 2, and she told me that lots of kids in her class were crying and were really scared.

So, what did this group do to survive and stay calm and warm? They huddled.  The grade 1’s class was the first to gather in the center, and then the grade 2’s surrounded them.  The grade 8’s were on the outside of the huddle, giving their strength and experience to the group.  Just the thought of this reminds me of how penguins survive the winter!

Imagining this group of students huddling together warmed my heart, and reminded me that together we can overcome anything.

As it turned out, the fire alarm was pulled by a grade 1 boy who will forever be remembered for it.  And Trinity was excited because she got to see the firemen (that’s my girl!), and her classmate got to give one of the fireman a high five.  There’s always a bright side if you keep things in perspective.  Namaste.

Don’t Back Down!

Tom Petty Sang it Best…

“Well I know what’s right, I got just one life
in a world that keeps on pushin me around
but I’ll stand my ground
…and I won’t back down”

This is your life, and you have control over it. When things stand in your way, don’t back down! Stand your ground! Keep trying, keep doing, keep moving! There is always a way around every obstacle… around it, through it, over it, or taking a detour away from it. Don’t get discouraged. Things may not always go the way you thought they would, but if you keep focused on the end goal, you’ll get there no matter what route you take. Namaste.

Spend it wisely.

“Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.”
Adam Hochschild

When you do have time off, be careful how you spend it.  You cannot get the time that passes back, and you do not want to regret anything.  Focus on the things in your life that you care about most, and give those things as much time as you can by scheduling them first.  And do your best to not get distracted.  Do something fun today… it is Friday!  Namaste.

A thought on Christmas.

Christmas is the time of year that everyone starts feeling overwhelmed and stressed out! Cookies to bake, cards to send, houses to decorate, shopping, parties, kids concerts….Whew! I am exhausted just thinking about it! My advice today is to stop! Christmas is being marketed to you as a consumer, and you do not have to buy into it! If you can do all of the things you feel you have to for Christmas, without feeling stressed, perfect. But if you are already anxious about it, let it go. Christmas will come and go whether you get everything you feel pressured to get done or not. And why not rethink Christmas? For me, the best part about Christmas is that my husband gets a week off because his work closes. And our kids are also off school. So, we get a whole week to spend together as a family. Our focus is on sharing this time with our family, eating, drinking and being merry! Let the stress of Christmas go, and just enjoy it. No one is judging you on your efforts this Christmas, so put some focus back on your family and friends. Namaste.

Don’t do too much.

Feeling stressed and overworked? Not able to take a sick day? Assess what you are doing with your time.  You may have to let something go.  You do not have to do it all, you just have to do what you need to get the results you want.  And if what you are doing causes more stress for you than the benefits, let it go.  Namaste.

Make to do lists. And do them.

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”
Bruce Lee

Make time in your life by being more efficient.  Make your “to do” lists the night before so that your brain can subconsciously work on getting it all done while you are sleeping. You will sleep better knowing what to expect from your day, and you will wake up feeling ready to take on the world! Your “to do” list should be detailed and include everything that will need to be done for the one day. Schedule your time everyday, and be sure to include work, personal, school and family stuff all on one calendar that you can keep with you at all times.  Use a daily calendar that has time slots on it so that you can see just how much time you have to get things done.   There is only so much time in the day, so make good use of every minute.  Be sure to schedule in some time just for you… you deserve it.

Plan to do things, and then do them.  This is the secret to success.  Namaste.

 

Get Christmas Started.

It is almost that time of year again.  Be prepared for Christmas this year, and start something small today.  Make a list of all of the people that you will want to buy gifts for.  If you can think of any ideas for gifts, write them beside that person’s name.  Don’t worry about gift ideas if you don’t have them right now, just the names are important.  This task should only take 5 minutes, but it will do a lot to get you in the right frame of mind.  Writing things down really has an amazing impact, and suddenly the right gifts for the right people will start showing up for you as if by magic.  Be ready to be prepared this year! Namaste.