Whimsical Wednesday

STRESS PART II + THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I posted about stress in my Mental Health MON entry (4/22). It's still on my mind, so & offer these "Fight Stress with Healthy Habits" guidelines, courtesy of the American Heart Association.

1. "Slow down. Plan ahead & allow enough time to get the most important things done w/o having to rush.
2. Snooze more. Try to get 6-8 hours of sleep each night. To fight insomnia, add mindfulness & activity.
3. Let worry go. The world won't end if a few things fall off of your plate. Give yourself a break & just breathe.
4. Laugh it up. Laughter makes us feel good. Do't be afraid to laugh out loud, even when you're alone.
5. Get connected. A daily dose of friendship is great medicine. Make time to call friends or family so you can catch up.
6. Get organized. Use 'to do' lists to help you focus on your most important tasks, & take big projects one step at a time.
7. Practice giving back. Volunteer your time or spend time helping out a friend. Helping others helps you.
8. Be active every day. Exercise can relieve mental & physical tension. Find something you think is fun & stick with it.
9. Give up the bad habits. Too much alcohol, tobacco or caffeine can increase blood pressure. Cut back or quit to decrease activity.
10. Lean into things you can change. Make time to learn a new skill, work toward a goal, or to love & help others.

COMMENTS:

• Getting enough sleep is paramount. I can always tell when I'm struggling with lack of sleep. It contributes to a depressive mood. So what to do about it? I've read in more than one source that "screen time" prior to bed time contributes to sleeplessness. I try to stick to my ever-present, hard copy book to help me get to sleep. I'm currently working my way through the Longmire series by Craig Johnson.
• Laughing it up? I enjoy humorous stories. I enjoy sharing humor with my readers.
• Staying connected is a challenge when depression leads to a feeling of just wanting to be alone.
• To Do lists are great when they don't become an OCD behavior & multiply into hopelessly long lists.
• It was very rewarding when I was spending time doing volunteer work with Birthright & the Norfolk Rescue Mission. Volunteer work helps us focus on others instead of ourselves. Such work is its own reward. I had to give up both of those volunteer "jobs," so I'm casting about for a new source of volunteer labor.
• Coffee is my nemesis. Time to cut back from 4-6 to 2-3 cup per day.
• Learning a new skill? I wonder how hard it would be to learn to play the ukelele?

THOUGHT FOR TODAY:  Personal Choices

“You are the light of the world.”  Matt. 5:14

“In the pressure & tension of life’s crossroads, it is especially important to examine the leading of our hearts & ask ourselves if our hearts are leading us to walk in the light of God instead of walking in darkness.” At the Crossroads: Devotions for Lent, by David Kehret, Creative Communications for the Parish, 2016.