Reclaiming Your Time…

Tips To Manage Your Stress
Before It Manages You

Allynn Taylor is a life coach and founder of Sip of Positivitea.
She is sharing her tips on managing stress with us and offering a
free workshop to learn more next week!
Link after the blog.

The Facts:

According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress is linked to anxiety, heart disease, depression and other illnesses. While it is safe to say that everyone experiences stress, it is important we do not allow ourselves to let it consume us. 

Ammunition for stress:

I want to give a few coaching tools and techniques my clients as well as myself use for managing our stress and reducing its effects. First, I always recommend during a stressful moment to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is simply living in the present moment. I always tell my clients and workshop attendees that being in the present moment is the only place where peace can reside. We cannot control the future (unless you are a genie) and we most certainly cannot control the past because it has already happened. Literally the only place we can control is the now which is this very moment. The only way you will not be is if you catapult yourself into the future or think about something in the past, that has caused you stress.

“In todays rush, we all think too much- seek too much- want too much-
and forget about the joy of just being.”
-Eckhart Tolle

Mindfulness practices:

Now that we know mindfulness helps to decrease our stress there are a few ways to practice it. One of the simplest yet EFFECTIVE acts of mindfulness is simply focusing on your breath. Right now pay attention to your breathing. Are you inhaling and exhaling short and fast breaths? Or are your breaths deep and slow? The body always signals when we are stressed so it is important to pay attention (mindfulness) to how your body flows throughout the day. Another practice of mindfulness is exuding the act of gratitude. When you feel stressed, simply write out (strongly preferred) or think about things you are grateful for. This practice allows you to be in the moment and think about all of the good things you have going on in your life which in turn decreases your stress and attracts more blessings because you are grateful for what you have now.

I am grateful for:
Vision
The ability for walk with ease
Clarity
Forgiving myself for past mistakes
Choices

@SIPOFPOSITIVITEA

Get clear on your stress:

Once you bring yourself to the present moment by practicing mindfulness, you now have space to get clear on what is causing your stress. There are three different types of stressors. 

1. Requires Action - Example: If I need gas for my car I don’t need clarity and it doesn’t require a new attitude. I need to take action and get gas.

2. Requires Clarity - Example: If I am thinking about leaving my job and need to know what is next I need to gain clarity and then take action. 

3. Requires New Attitude - If you are stressed out about something out of your control and requires you to see it from a different perspective. Or change of attitude. 

Make your stress work for you:

From the three options listed above write out three things that are currently stressing you out. Now identify the type of stressor. Will it require action, clarity, new attitude or all three? 

Commitment/ Obstacles/ Recourses:

Once you identify the stressor ask yourself and write out what commitment could you make to get this off your plate? How will you do it and by when? Next, list obstacles that may present themselves and list the recourses you have to overcome them. Recourses include allies, professional help, research, etc. 

Example: 

Problem: Want to change career.

Stressor: Clarity and action 

Commitment: Identify and get clarity on what I want to do next. Research career options I’ve been thinking about, seek a career coach for more exploration. When clear make a choice and apply for those positions. 

Bye stress:

Stress will happen, but now you have simple, yet, effective tools to help you overcome them. Remember mindfulness is key in every day life. Namaste.

Want more stress management skills to help you overcome life’s obstacles?
Download my FREE 5-step checklist to decrease your stress right now! Click here.

Free Workshop, Wednesday, May 26th from 2pm-3pm EST. Click here to register!
Add “Birch” after your name when registering.