Happy Stress Awareness Day
Did you know it is beleived that stress costs the economy billions of dollars a year? Recent estimates in Australia suggest AUD$15-billion as a benchmark, the United States US$300-billion and the United Kingdom £6.5-billion... *
I know there are so many ‘designated days’ for something in a year, that it can be rather stressful trying to keep up but today is one worth noting: STRESS AWARENESS DAY
How to Celebrate Stress Awareness Day
The best way to celebrate Stress Awareness Day is to take the opportunity to remove the stress from your life for the day. Take the time to examine your life and find out where all the stressors lie, and start looking into taking steps to remove them or find ways to mitigate them.
I know removing stress from your life can start off as a stressful experience, so it can help to here are some ways to start:
Write a list of all the crap that is getting you down and work out what you can tick off first in relation to getting rid of the angst.
Take a moment to step back and take a few deep breaths, but then have a laugh.
Go for a dance and shake that body.
Meditate, yes, I know we all say it, but it does work so get off to a coach and learn how to do it better and get them to help you integrate practical mediation into your daily life.
Have a good shag – we all need one every now and then!
Find a friend for a 3-breath hug.
Reach out and connect with people who can help you make sense of the feelings.
Exercise, whatever it might be you like, but do something that brings joyful movement into your day.
Take a yoga, qi gong or tai chi class.
Watch a funny clip online.
Tell someone how you feel.
Find a good coach and therapist – these people play an amazingly powerful role in society to help keep us all on track (yes, I know I’m pushing my own profession, but ones gotta drum up business for the team).
Go for a massage – even if it is just a 15 or 30-minute quickie the power of touch with stress relief is phenomenal!
Crank up the tunes, listen to music and let it carry your pain away.
Bake a cake and share it with people you like.
Find something to be grateful about and really spend a moment just feeling how good that is.
Download a mindfulness app and let it take you into the moment.
Whatever you choose to do, take the risk to find something that works for you in the moment; but also find some time to take a day off and let yourself have a day of freedom. Moments of self-indulgence are necessary acts of self-care, but a day of just you is integral to survive the modern world…
Stress can be a killer, don’t let it take one more day from your life, act now and start living a stress-free life!
* Figures are estimates sourced from Australian, US and UK Governement documents.
SOURCE: This article first appeared on Shane Warren Coaching & Counselling Services My Rambles page
