How to Manage Stress- When Everything Feels So Much Harder…
Everyone’s had one of THOSE days.
The sort of day where you question if you should have stayed in bed. Where meeting the demands of the day feels like it’s just too great of a burden to bear.
Having “off” days is a consequence of living a human existence. You live through them willing things to go back to “normal” the next day.
But what happens when:
One day turns into one week, then into one month, then into one year?
Life becomes an exercise in checking boxes instead of living?
Everything feels so much harder than it should be?
If you’re answering yes to any of those questions, you aren’t alone.
I know it might feel as though everyone around you is managing just fine. That your peers are handling the demands and burdens of life better than you are.
They probably aren’t.
Or the opposite might be true, you’re life is full of people competing over who’s more taxed who proudly wear their exhaustion as a badge of honor.
One you don’t want.
If you’re battling overload and overwhelm, it might seem like you only have two options, grin and bear it or check out of life for a while.
And that’s because as a culture we really suck at doing the things that ensure one day doesn’t turn into one year.
But there is another way.
Start looking out for #1. (i.e. forget about your to do list and start paying attention to nourishing yourself)
This means making basics like rest and sleep absolutes every single day.
As much as you’d like to believe it’s not true – life’s harder when you aren’t taking care of yourself. When you aren’t making sure that your body and soul are nourished and rested, your resiliency to the everyday downers of life is weakened, and your enjoyment in the wonderful parts of life is lessened.
If you want to live an easier, more enjoyable, and productive life, you have to sleep.
But if you’re like most of my clients, finding extra hours for sleep feels as challenging as everyday life has become.
So here are a few ways to get started….
Make a commitment
Life everything else, in order to achieve something you have to know what you are trying to achieve and make a commitment to attaining it. Set a goal, somewhere between 7 and 9 hours a night, and then make a real commitment to yourself to fit it in.
Let it go
To honor your commitment, you’re most likely going to have to not do something else. Right now your day is full of non-value-add activities, and prioritizing them oversleep is contributing to your suffering. Start small, and pick a handful of things that in the long run just aren’t as important as your happiness – then get rid of them.
Enlist support
Ask your loved ones to step in and support your commitment to getting more sleep. Having trouble sleeping? There are tons of natural remedies to manage stress that are proven to help you catch your ZZZs (hot baths, valerian root, conscious relaxation, meditation, conscious relaxation, lavender essential oils, creating a dark space free of technology blue light, etc).
Track and adjust
There are a ton of free and cheap ways to monitor how you’re sleeping. Learning how and when you sleep will give you invaluable information.