Stress is a part of daily life. A certain amount of stress is not necessarily a bad thing. It means we are alive and motivated to do things.

Too much (unnecessary) stress, wrecks havoc on our nervous system, peace of mind, and sleep at night. If we can become more aware of the things that regularly produce stress for us, we can be in a better position to react to them in a more positive way or prevent the levels of stress in the first place.

Today I invite you think about or write down a list in your journal of things that really stress you out currently.

For example, my list today would look something like this:

Things that currently stress me out are:

1. Spending money when I don’t really want to (like when my daughter wants something or an unexpected bill comes up).

2. Loud noise close to me.

3. When I feel hurried

4. When I don’t get my quiet alone time

5. The few extra pounds that have crept up on me this past year since I got married

6. Clutter

I will stop there.

Now, I don’t intend for this to be just a gripe session. We will be empowered if we now look at these sources of stress and think of something positive we can do to minimize or eliminate them.

For example,

I could:

1. Say no to my daughter when she comes to me with another request for something to buy and she hasn’t earned it, or I can bless the bill that showed up in the mail and pay it happily knowing I have everything I need.

2. I can’t always control my environment or how loud it is. I can either have ear plugs close by or breathe deeply when a loud noise disturbs me. I can choose to not let it bother me.

3. I can slow down. The world won’t stop if I take things at my-ease. What’s the hurry anyway?

4. Schedule time into my day for this important me-time. I like to set my alarm a little earlier than the other household members so that I can have this quiet time. I also take time in the early evening for myself before it is time to start cooking dinner. My family knows to leave me alone during that time.

5. I have started a no flour and no sugar diet. It is simple and I am excited about doing something about cleaning up my diet and the extra weight I am carrying. I am only on my third day but I already feel better (I may not have lost much weight yet, but just doing something about it makes me feel much better).

6. I can clean dishes right away and put clean laundry away right away as soon as it is out of the dryer. I can tidy up my magazines and books or get rid of ones that I no longer need.

This exercise is enormously powerful and provides a lot of relief for stress and anxiety.

I encourage you to try it!

In Peace,

Debra

Related Posts:

• How to Release Anxiety and Stress throughout the Day to Get a Good Night’s Sleep. A guest blog post by The English Sisters
• Release: Letting it go for peace
• Ten things to do when I am stressed and feeling anxious
• 12 Ways to reduce anxiety, The Mew Way
• Give it the boot!