Living Stress Free

These days there are a lot of things we allow to bother us and they can interfere with the life we want live, from the exposure of mainly negative topics in the media, to financial problems, to relationships that don't seem to be going anywhere. When there are so many distractions in life, it can be difficult to focus on our priorities as well as our mental and physical health. After all, we weren't created to be perfect and to "fix" everything we encounter in life that's not the way we would have it be. If you seem to be overwhelmed by the fast paced lifestyle that is imposed on us, there are a few things you can do to try and create room for the things that are actually important in your life.

Get in touch with who you are and what you really want in your life, whether it be certain qualities that you would like to express more (like kindness), relationships that are healthy and supportive, career goals that you may want to achieve, leisure time, or better health. Once you have clearly identified the different qualities of life you would like to enhance, either get rid of, avoid, or accept the things that seem to be a burden to managing your new lifestyle. Here are some ways of pin-pointing the "plugs to pull" to get rid of stagnant, wasted time in your life.

1. Turn off the t.v. and read something or do some exercise instead. When we watch t.v., we focus all of our attention on what ever may be on and we leave out a lot of conscious decision making that we could otherwise be doing. Have you ever watched t.v. for an hour or two and turned it off feeling like your mind is cloudy and you find it hard to focus on your daily priorities? Always try to pay attention to the things that will truly benefit your new lifestyle, such as learning new things (like reading unique books), your health, relationships with loved ones, or anything else that will help you stay on track and you will be using your energy in a way that will bring you a healthy and a more fulfilling lifestyle.

2. Get rid of destructive relationships that have accumulated over time. Think about the people that you care about the most and realize that they are going to benefit from you more if you are not spending a lot of time with the people that are not really supporting the new lifestyle you are trying to have. Sometimes it seems like we are helping people when we really aren't and that's when we can get distracted from our top priorities. If you have any relationships with people that involve a lot of complaining or arguing, get rid of them. If you can't seem to get rid of them, let them know how you feel about what the two of you are actually accomplishing when talking. That will leave them with the choice to either respect your boundaries and give you your space, or to come to a mutual agreement that the two of you could be more productive in the relationship. Letting people know how you feel will create clear communication between the two of you.

3. Give yourself a little room to procrastinate. Sometimes we beat ourselves up over little things that we didn't get done and we forget about all of the things that we did get done. There is no perfect way that we are supposed to live each day of our lives and when we accept that we did the best we could at the time, we get some mental clarity to realize all of the things we've accomplished. It's O.K. if you don't get everything done that you had planned.

4. Think about the things that you spend money on and whether or not you really need them. Do you have to go out to eat tonight? Does the name brand mayonnaise really taste that much better than the cheaper brand? The money that we spend habitually on things that we don't really need can stay well hidden for years, so this may take a little time to adjust to. Anytime you feel like you have to buy something, ask yourself if there are any alternatives. When buying something, I firmly believe that if it seems like it costs too much, you can probably find it cheaper somewhere else.

5. Your diet. Are you getting the right nutrients in your meals or snacks? Make sure you are eating the right foods for your physical and mental health. You may want to talk to a physician about your diet. How much coffee are you drinking every day? Try to keep the daily cups of coffee to a minimum to prevent irritability. Are you drinking enough water? Sometimes we may not realize how much essential water intake we are lacking each day. Water vitalizes and cleanses our bodies and enables it to re-pare itself by re-newing cells.

6. When you find yourself worrying over trivial things, ask yourself "What would happen if I just dropped everything I'm doing?" Take some time for yourself to just relax and be able to breathe a little deeper. Life is full of so much beauty and magic. Take a walk outside and look around at all the trees, buildings, people, dogs, the sky. There is a majestic quality to nature itself that can make any worries that you may have disappear in the moment. One of the best ways of bringing more quality into your life is to spend some time with yourself.

May you find peace of mind with your new lifestyle. Also, if you find it difficult to drop your worries for a moment to figure out the real person you would like to be, you may find meditation or yoga to be helpful, as I did.