Have you noticed that some people are always stressed, even over the simplest things, while others go through life carefree? Is it that some people have more bad things happen to them to cause the stress? Do the carefree people have a perfect life?
These statements are far from true. We have more of an impact on our own stress levels than we think. I have talked in the past about our attitudes and the impact that they can have on our stress levels. Some of us stress over things that we cannot control. I do not know why? If we have no control over the situation, how can added stress help it?
There are things that we do have control over that cause us stress. If we can be more aware of these. Time management plays a big factor in our stress levels. Some of us try to fit too much into our days. This maybe spending time with friends during the day and then rushing to get home and get ready for a second shift job. If you do not allow enough time for the transition, you will stress over being late for work because of a couple of traffic lights along the way.
Too often, we consider time management as something that we do at work and not at home. Take a look at your personal life. How do you manage your time? Are you late to social functions? Do you overlap commitments with different people to get the most out of your free time and then have to back out of one of the commitments because the other one lasted too long?
People are creatures of habit. Typically the way we are at work is the way we are during our non-working hours of the week. Make sure that you schedule some “down time”. This is time just for yourself. It could be time for reading a book, going for a walk or watching a movie. I call it my “me” time. It is a great stress relief. Currently, I have been using my “me” time on the greenway in Nashville going for walks and runs.
What have you done lately to reduce the stress in your life? Remember that you have more control over it than you think. Plot your own course.
