Simple Stress Buster Strategies

As pandemic-checkered lives become smaller, not larger, the following article has relevance for simple stress management: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-workout-for-your-mental-health-11610917200.

Tip #1, Elizabeth Bernstein, writer for the Wall Street Journal, suggests Making Sleep A Priority. Target a specific sleep time and a consistent wake-up time. Create a routine to relax into slumber—a warm bath, dim the lights, shut-off technology, set the thermostat to 65-68 degrees—much easier to sleep in a cooler room than one that feels like a sauna—and read a book. By the way, reading can reduce stress by as much as 68%. Better to turn away from troubles by lounging in a canoe on a sunny spring day, with a well-told story, than to stew. Think there’s no time in your day to read? Think again. Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, Mark Cuban and Elon Musk find the time, a couple of hours every day, according to Michael Simmons who penned an article on the subject: https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-warren-buffet-and-oprah-all-use-the-5-hour-rule-2017-7#1-read-1. Speaking of books, I’ve decided to slash the price for my Best-Selling Multi-Award-Winning novel, Beautiful Evil Winter, from $4.99 to .99 cents until Sunday, May 24^th, night CST. 

Tip #2 – Establish a Morning Ritual—a cup of coffee, eat a bagel, a brisk walk or reading the morning paper. Create a 5-star day at sunrise.

Tip #3 – Calibrate for Calm by meditating. Oprah tries to meditate for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes for the evening.

Tip #4 – Compassion as in Self-Compassion. People who display self-compassion reap rewards: happiness, motivation and resilience. Can anyone have too much?

Tip #5 – Physical Activity. Put the body into gear. One of my favorite quotes, “Into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” ~ John Muir   Yes, it works even for a short 10-minute break.

#stress #stressmanagement