Reduce Your Stress on Purpose

By Dave Balch Blogger

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On a recent flight home from a speaking engagement, I was on a very small plane that had only one flight attendant. He was bored, and you could tell. Everything he said came out in a monotonous string of syllables that all ran together in a monotone. “Pleasemakesurethatyourseatbacksandtraytables
areintheirfulluprightandlockedpositionswewill
beonthegroundshortlythankyouforflyingwithustdoay.”
I wanted to scream out, “BREATHE!”

It would have been funny if it hadn’t been so sad. He probably hated his job and was was just “coasting;” he was there in body but not in spirit. Like most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it: if you want to succeed, you have to work at it. In his case, I would be willing to bet if he put a little more enthusiasm into his voice he would enjoy himself a lot more and do a better job as well. (On the other hand, I wouldn’t have been able to write this article!)

The same is true in managing our stress; you have to work at it. If you are stressed and don’t take positive action, you won’t get any relief. You can’t just sit around and feel sorry for yourself – DO SOMETHING!

In each of my articles I try to present one idea to help you do just that, but it occurred to me that my ideas won’t help you if they are simply read but not applied. Sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it?

Sometimes the obvious isn’t really obvious until you point out that it’s obvious!

Be proactive and take some positive action to help yourself. Even if you try something and it doesn’t work, you’ll feel empowered simply because you tried.

This article is one in a series on coping strategies for patients and caregivers alike. For more thoughts on caregiving, coping strategies, and just plain fun subscribe to my free monthly newsletter at www.CaringAndCoping.com Need a speaker for an upcoming event? I have a program that will knock your socks off! www.ThePPP.org/speaking/#handle

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.