The dreaded word STRESS, but do we realize how much we have to do to the contribution of our own stress, believe it or not, the answer to this is a great deal, we produce most of our own stress, if we knew how to stop part of this, we could reduce or even eliminate our stress levels. Would you do this ? of course we would, we all want to be happy, don’t we? Some people, however, have great problems with this, some feel that they could not live without stress, it’s part of their lives, the continual treadmill keeps them on that high-stress level, how many people actually are aware that they have high-stress levels, you need to be able to identify your stress this has to be the first step, you may only suffer from partial stress at certain times of the year, for example, Christmas time or your annual holiday, this for some can be a very critical time and it’s probably just around the corner, this is not something that you can take out of your calendar, however, in this case, you can prepare yourself and identify the high-stress points, this way you can approach them in a different way and maybe count on the help of your other family members who will be sharing this time with you, this is helpful to you and them.

For some it is extremley stressfull when a family comes together for more than a weekend….. your normal routine of going of to work,maybe doing the school run, couples meet up again in the evening, some see their children others don’t, depending on the hours they work, so all of a sudden you may feel kind of trapped on a 24/7 basis, this may sound harsh, as we all love our families, but it is a change that some people find hard to adapt to. If you are lucky and have none demanding children who are happy to play on the beach and swim (if your on a beach holiday) it may be a little easier for you to adjust, to embrace this time without a watch situation, it at best takes a few days to wind down, however if you have children that demand your attention, because you are there, it would be easier to go through this adapting period with a previous plan of a program, not to  intense, remember you are on holiday, but if you have a program of activities it allows you to adapt easier, many couples make the mistake of using this time to find fault one with the other,(this could be,why more divorce proceedures start after the summer period) this is where the word respect has to be high on your list, everyone does there part, and apart they probaly all do a fabulous job, so it is important that this continues when everyone is together, if you holiday with parents or friends who are not used to being around children as much as you, encourage them to do activites and to take time out without you and then meet up later, this will avoid comments that no parents like to hear, everyone I know who don’t have children are all experts regarding how children should behave when and how…………and as for grandparents we all know that they have a set of rules for there children and another for there grandchildren,(not in all cases) and comments from grandparents are usually not welcome especially in front of the child in question. 

If your stress is on a daily basis due to work, home, traffic, whatever the cause the secret is to try and adjust or eliminate as much as possible, this is not as easy as it sounds, I understand that, but, there is a lot that we can change to reduce this factor, maybe you need more time in the morning, an answer to this would be to raise a little earlier, I know this may be a sacrifice but a worthy one if it relieves you of a day starting with stress, there is nothing worse than accumulating stress from the moment you get out of bed, at least give it a try, I assure you it’s well worth sacrifice. Once you identify your stress factors you can start to build the solution, if you have a disorganization problem in your life, but that right immediately, keep yourself and your life organized, life becomes much easier, if you live in chaos you will be the same, identify and eliminate. The word organization must not be confused with control, if you are a control freak, and imagine (note the imagine) that all you do is the right way and close to perfect then stop right away, to want to control everything around you will only increase your stress levels, control and organization are totally different, you should allow yourself the pleasure of organizing certain tasks to others and not controlling everything alone, multitasking can also fall into this category, not everyone can multitask, if this is your case, concentrate on one thing at a time, do it well and take the stress away. Procrastination is also a great stress factor, this is where we can apply my make a list theory if you leave things on the back stove for weeks and weeks, you will feel this and this will create a high-stress factor, make your list for the day, the week or even the month and work your way through it, you will feel the benefits and avoid the stress affecting you, you have eliminated this feeling. Avoid the people that give you stress to the minimum, if it’s your boss this could be hard, but if this is your case, maybe you should consider changing your job, I know this sounds drastic with the climate the way it is, but your health is more important, without health, you have no stress no nothing. However, if it is not your boss, try to keep it to a minimum the contact with this person or persons, this you do have control of and can organize these meetings to your choice. The big secret here is to simplify your life as much as you can within your own lifestyle and possibility the only person that can do this is you, your stress levels are in your hands, slow down, give yourself that extra time if that is what you need,try to do a job you enjoy, eat healthy try to exercise a little this is a great stress reliever, even if its a stroll around a park or wherever you have at hand, and learn how to relax in the little time you have and last but not least be thankful and grateful for everything you have, enjoy your life it’s yours.

Brooke Universal Life Coach

theutopiauniverse.com

Theutopiauniverse@gmail.com

http://www.facebookcom/brookesmitham

http://www.m.facebook.com/EducationalLOA