Bust the Stress!!

While I was at the grocery store, on Thursday, waiting in line to be checked out, there was a problem. The lady who was at the very front of the line checking out wrote a check and it required a manager, the family in front of mine, became very upset. The mother started yelling at her child, she grabbed his arm and said to him, “You’re really starting to make me get upset, and you better stop acting like this.” Then, She looked at me and said, "I am just so stressed out with these kids, I wish they would just stop, you know?." She looked to me for comfort all I could offer was, "You need to relax, relieve some of that stress." I saw myself for a short moment and snapped back into reality and said to myself, “I needed to relax myself”.

As a full-time student and a single parent, I have a lot going on, I have two kids and five classes, a total of thirteen credit hours. Let’s just say tired, is a word I use to describe myself often, it might not help that I refer to myself as super woman. Sometimes, I get so busy and weighed down with all that I have to do, I forget to eat, and sleep. I forget to call people to notify them that, “Yes, I am still breathing and “NO, I haven’t forgotten you”. Drowning under all the papers that I have to write, exams that I have to pass and the closer the due date, the more I panic. When I go home my job, as a mom, isn’t done, it’s endless. I am a chef, housekeeper, financial planner, judge, jury, activities coordinator, and a teacher. Those are just to name a few; I don’t want to overload you while you’re reading this.

At the end of my day, I ask myself, what else do I need to do? What am I forgetting? Will I have time tomorrow? Yes, I am serious, still after all that I have done, because I know there is more for me to do, and I know I’m not done. The bottom line here is: I am stressed! I am overworked and under”rest” compensated. Are you stressed? Do you feel the same way I do? Are you drowning in high levels of “stuff to do?”

So I found some ways to help me relax, they might help you as well, at the World of Psychology! They have 10 Stress Busters that will help you bust the stress; I summarized them below, Some of these things helped me they might help you.

1.Simplify: Cut down your to-do-list! Ask yourself: Can this wait until tomorrow? I haven't tried this but it worth it.
2. Prioritize: Put things in order from1-10, 10 being "life threatening" to 1 being"stupid things I sign up for." I have to do this all the time.
3. Use Pencil, Not Pen: If you rely on your to-do-list use pencil instead of pen so you can erase things . Things change by the minute.
4. Give away your Cape: You aren't a super hero, I am not superwoman, take it off!
5. Collaborate and Cooperate: Share some of your work load and work together.
6. Laugh: Humor can heal! Need, I say more?
7. Exercise: A quick stroll around a few blocks won't hurt you, but stress can damage you.
8. Stop Juggling: Some multi-tasking is OK but not all the time.
9. Build Boundaries for yourself so you don't go overboard, stop breaking the rules.
10. Think Globally: Don't sweat the small stuff, and most of its small stuff. We have all heard this before but sometimes hearing it again helps.

Although, I know I'm not superwoman, I must admit I do try sometimes. But I am tired so I am going to take off my ridiculous cape, set some boundaries, stop juggling everything and collaborate and cooperate so I can bust some stress. I laugh, prioritize and exercise everyday, with my kids and my schedule you have to do that. So if your stressed you might want to consider some of these solutions to find mental peace.