3 Ways to Reduce Stress, Anxiety & Depression
August 30, 2010
Many work at home moms suffer from some form of stress, anxiety or depression. It’s both common and natural to experience these on some level, at some point in time. Whether you deal with it periodically or on a day-to-day basis, there are things you can do to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Below we’re going to look at three in specific.
Move Around! As a work at home mom, you are probably up and down more than what you would be working in an office. However, it is also likely that you are still spending a lot of time in a stationary position. This is not what your body was designed to do. It was designed to move!
Your body is designed to release various hormones when you are in a state of motion. These hormones help you release stress and anxiety because they work to keep you physically and emotionally healthy. Think of it like this, those hormones help reduce and eliminate stress, anxiety and depression like the way Vitamin C and Zinc help reduce and eliminate the symptoms of the common cold.
There are several ways you can move more. For example, you can walk, dance, swim, run, take a yoga class or just stretch for a few minutes each day. I am not suggesting that you go out and start a hard core exercise regime, but I am suggesting that you incorporate moderate exercise into your daily routine. For instance, you can wear a pedometer and increase the amount of steps you take each day until you reach 10,000 steps a day – or you can go for a 30 minute walk. The point is that you move around more than you do now.
Eat Better! While movement is important for reducing stress, anxiety and depression, so is eating healthy. To function properly, your body has to be energized and the way it gets its energy is through the foods you put into it. Foods and drinks containing things like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and high amounts of sugar do nothing for your body. Instead, they help increase the amount of stress on it.
Therefore, you need to reduce your daily intake of sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Replace these things with healthy alternatives such as fruit, veggies and water. You will feel so much better when you make simple changes such as those. It is also a good idea to start taking a multi-vitamin, if you aren’t already, to ensure that your body is getting the right amount of nutrients it needs each day.
Be Quiet! The world is full of hustle and bustle and you are still subject to it even if you are a work at home mom. This makes it a necessity that you establish a quiet time for yourself. Meditation has been proven to help alleviate stress, anxiety and depression – especially when it is done on a daily basis.
The point is that you give yourself time away from the busyness of the world and quiet your mind. To successfully quiet your mind, you must learn to clear out all unconscious thoughts. This will change your mindset and help you react better to stress and anxiety – which will essentially help you reduce the stress and anxiety altogether.
The great thing about meditation is that there isn’t a wrong way to do it. People do it in different ways. Some meditate while they walk and others do it while sitting or laying down. It is simply up to you – you have to find whatever works best for you. It is recommended that you start out by doing it for 5 minutes a day. Then, once you get the hang of it, you can increase your time. It can be done at the beginning or end of the day.
Experts say that it takes roughly three weeks to successfully adopt a new habit. The three lifestyle changes suggested above will help you reduce and manage your stress, anxiety and depression once they become a habit. While it may be hard sticking to the changes for the first three weeks, the good news is after that it’s easy sailing! Also, take comfort in knowing the suggestions above are pretty simple changes to incorporate into your daily schedule. You can do it!
If you’re struggling with stress or anxiety and would like someone to talk to who can really help, contact me for your 20 minute free consultation. I would love to talk with you about how I can help you overcome stress and anxiety in your life and in your business.
How to Deal with Stress and Anxiety
August 25, 2010
Stress comes in many different forms, and there is no way to completely avoid them all. Many people search for how to deal with stress and anxiety and I hope this message helps you. Some stress is bad, some is good and some is fun. I know we don’t usually think of stress as “fun,” but you put yourself through some stress when you are skiing down a mountain or when you are whipping around on a roller coaster. No matter how you look at it, stress is just a part of life – especially for the work at home mom. However, it’s important that you don’t dismiss stress just because it’s a part of life. Large amounts of stress can be bad for your health. This is especially true for those that suffer from anxiety attacks as stress can cause these attacks. In addition to anxiety attacks, there are several other stress-related problems that you should know about.
Stress-Related Problems
As mentioned above, too much stress can be bad for your health. This is because your body works harder when it is under stress – both physically and mentally. Stress drains your body of energy and over time it can cause the following problems:
Basically, what happens when your body is subjected to long periods of stress is that your body is overworked and has a lack of energy. This can cause your muscles, immune system, metabolism and other systems to weaken and improperly function – which can make you feel as if you’re falling apart. This is the last thing work at home moms need!
Your body is designed so that when one part, or system, isn’t functioning properly, another part tries to take up the slack. This sounds great, but it actually causes your body to exert more energy. This can lead to hormonal imbalance and mess up your brain chemistry. When this happens, anxiety and depression can be right around the corner. Therefore, we can conclude that too much stress can cause anxiety and many other problems.
What is Too Much Stress?
This is a tough question to answer because although you are a work at home mom, you are still and individual, and every individual handles stress differently. However, a there are a few warning signs for too much stress. They are:
While it is possible for all of these symptoms to be present at once, that is normally not the case. Therefore, you need to pay close attention to yourself and take action if you notice any of these symptoms occurring on a regular basis. Taking action means that you will need to learn how to reduce stress and relax by making small lifestyle changes.
Dealing With Sress an Anxiety
You may not realize it, but your body is an amazing thing as it is capable of recharging and healing itself. As a work at home mom, it’s no secret that you are subject to tremendous amounts of stress. However, the damage sustained by your body from this stress can still be fixed! The action steps below will help you reduce your stress, and essentially reverse its negative effects on your body.
Meditate: Meditation has been proven to improve longevity and quality of life. Therefore, teach yourself how to completely let your mind and body relax for a few minutes on a daily basis.
Diet and Exercise: It has been proven that both exercise and eating a healthy diet help improve your outlook on life, as well as, your physical well-being. Both of these combined will provide you with more energy and help you reduce stress as well as repair any damage it has caused.
Sleep: Sometimes sleep really is the best medicine. This is because your body recharges itself while you are sleeping. Sleep is a necessity for your body to function properly. If you aren’t able to get a good night’s sleep, then you should consult a doctor. It’s amazing the difference sleep will make for your stress-ridden body.
While stress has been shown to cause a variety of health problems, it is a key component to anxiety disorders. To be a successful work at home mom, you need to make sure you don’t take on so much that you cause yourself too much stress. Therefore, it is important that you are aware of the warning signs of too much stress and take action when they are present. Treat your body well and it will return the favor!
If you’re struggling with how to deal with stress and anxiety and would like someone to talk to who can really help, contact me for your 20 minute free consultation. I would love to talk with you about how I can help you overcome stress and anxiety in your life and in your business.
Organizing Tips for Work at Home Moms
August 12, 2010
Being a work at home mom is great in many ways. You can set your own hours, work when you want to, be with the kids more, and you are your own boss. The perks are wonderful. But having a home business can also become overwhelming quickly when it comes to balancing work and caring for the home and family.
It’s important for a WAHM to be organized so that the home business and the home and family are taken care of. Being organized doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Enlist the rest of the family to help out.
Instead of trying to run your home business and do everything around the house that needs to be done, delegate chores out to the rest of the family. This can either be done on a rotating basis where the chores change each week, or you can assign certain chores to family members that they will be responsible for on a daily or weekly basis. Almost everyone can do something.
In assigning chores to be done, it’s helpful to remember that the kids and hubby will no doubt not do things the way you do them. Unless something is really needing taken care of better or in a different manner, don’t go behind them and redo it or complain to them. The idea is to get help so that you can work. If you go behind them, you’re not getting work done.
Kids are very capable of helping with day to day chores around the house. Have them clean their own rooms and do their own laundry and take turns doing the dishes. Those that are old enough can also take turns, along with the hubby, in cooking dinner. Even young kids can help fold clothes and put them away, plus vacuum and take out the trash.
Work at home moms absolutely need a work schedule. Organizing your time helps you to work more efficiently. Your work schedule doesn’t have to be the same time every day. Schedule around events such as school and after school activities or homeschooling, shopping, going out, family time, etc. A day planner is very helpful for keeping up with important dates and events so that you can schedule work time around things you want to do.
Your work time should be just that, work time. Once you have an established schedule, family and friends need to know that this is your work time. Let the answering machine pick up phone messages unless it’s business.
Have ready made and easy to prepare snacks for the kids.
Being a WAHM can easily become overwhelming without being organized. To prevent yourself from burning out with a work at home business, get the entire family involved in helping to care for the home. Your home will be organized, and your business will likely be more successful when you aren’t stressed out in trying to do it all.
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Achieving Work and Life Balance
August 9, 2010
Tired of teetering out of control? Do you feel overwhelmed by your work, home and family responsibilities? Are you frequently stressed because you can’t get everything done? If your life seems like a circus …juggling work, home and family responsibilities – you’re not alone. Many people just like you feel like their life is leading them, instead of them leading a purpose driven life and choosing where they spend their time. So, who’s running the show? Is it your Crackberry, your laptop, your boss – or you? If your answer is something else than you it’s time to get back in the driver’s seat!
Work and Life balance is a buzzword these days for good reason. It’s a chronic issue that comes up in conversation because quite simply, life has become harder to manage. With email, Crackberry’s and everything else demanding our attention it’s no wonder we get bogged down in to-do lists and wonder at the end of the day where the time went. We’re expected to work faster and more efficiently, plus we’re more accessible than ever because of new technology that allows us to work or communicate from anywhere. Information comes at us faster than ever. And this trend shows no sign of stopping.
The problem with your life being out of balance is…
-You’re not focusing your attention and time where you want to, and not living the life you want to live.
-It feels like your life is on autopilot, like someone else is driving the bus and you are not in control.
-When you feel pressured to handle so many tasks and have so many demands on your time, you lose creative thinking and effectiveness – not to mention becoming physically exhausted.
On the flip side of this issue is we all want greater fulfillment in our lives and careers than ever before. It’s no longer acceptable to punch a time clock at the same job for our whole lives and wait until retirement to have fun. We want fulfillment and balance now. I’ve noticed through my career coaching practice that while people are craving greater balance they are having more trouble achieving it.
Work and Life Balance Tips
Step One: Make a list of the different areas of your life where you’re not spending as much time and energy as you’d like. For example, if you’ve lost touch with friends and family or aren’t connecting with them as frequently as you want to, put that down. Come up with at least 3 areas that need work in terms of your time and attention.
a. In each of these 3 areas, identify one action step you can take in the next week to improve upon that area. Will you make a commitment to call one friend in the next week, or spend time with at least one family member? Make the action step simple, realistic and give yourself a deadline. Taking one step in each of these areas will create greater balance in your life. Continue to do this every week until you develop a habit of attending to the areas of your life that are important to you.
Step Two: Learn to Balance Work and Personal Time. If work is one of those areas that’s taking over your life, try some of these techniques to better manage your work time and attention.
a. Turn off your blackberry, phone and/or email when you need focused time to work on a project.
b. Set your email to only check emails when you press send/receive, not every time an email comes through. Having the email buzz at you whenever you receive a new message is incredibly distracting.
c. Turn off your voicemail or email chime on your phone. Make a commitment to only check your voicemail and email twice a day at certain times.
d. Prioritize your tasks on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Consciously choose where you focus your time and energy.
e. Plan ahead. When you know a big project is coming up plan for how you need to spend your time and delegate other tasks as necessary. Don’t wait for crunch time to re-arrange your priorities.
f. Set boundaries.
i. Decide how late you are willing to stay at work each night – 6:00, 7:00 pm? And how frequently this will happen.
ii. Before you dive into a task, determine how much time you can and will spend on that task. Set a goal for yourself, you’ll be more likely to achieve it.
Make it Simple
Your action steps don’t have to be complicated; they simply require time for self-reflection and a true commitment to implement. When you create greater balance in your life you will experience: greater fulfillment, effectiveness, and productivity. You will be less stressed and won’t get sick as often. And most importantly you’ll be leading the life you want to lead!
If you’re having difficulty achieving work and life balance, contact me for a free 20 minute coaching consultation or simply sign up now one of our affordable coaching packages and allow me to help you gain more balance.
The “Super-Mom” Syndrome
August 1, 2010
Society is full of women that seem to be, quite literally, “super-moms”. They are the ones that can work seventy hours a week, cook at least twice a day for their families and still make it to every PTA meeting and after-school program. With the right kind of schedule juggling, “super-moms” can even manage to squeeze in class parties and other events that take place during the school day. All of this with full-makeup, a manicure and perfectly styled hair and clothes. Whew! With this kind of bar being set by these multi-tasking mamas, it can be quite overwhelming to the “regular” moms. Confidence can easily become an issue when a mother just does not feel like she can keep up with the rest of the world.
The normal mommies of the world do not have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on their to-do list. It does not matter whether they are working moms or not, it still takes all of their efforts just to get their kids off to school on time each day. When the fates put a “super-mom” in close proximity, it is easy for other moms to constantly compare themselves. They almost always end up feeling inferior.
Trying to match the pace of a “super-mom” is not a goal that a normal mom needs to have. She has to remember that she is doing the best she can, by her own standards, and what works for some might not work for others.
The Truth About Super Moms
The truth of the matter is, if a regular mom were to ask a “super-mom” what her secret was, she would most likely get an answer that surprised her. Those other moms might seem like they have super powers, but they are only human. They are likely to be running the risk of mental and physical exhaustion. They probably do not get to take time for walks in the park or play dates. Time for themselves is non-existent and they might not be able to remember the last time they slept in and watched cartoons with the kids on a Saturday morning. Those feelings of envy work both ways.
Moms have to remember that the ability to be a mother is not based on how many chores can be done in one day or how much money can be earned in combination with raising a family. Some of the hardest working moms do not even have an outside of the home job. The ability to be a mom is based on the quality of life that the children have. As long as the children are happy and feel loved, then the mother is doing her job. The most important thing that a mother can remember when she is feeling less than adequate is that she loves her kids. That, alone, makes her a good mom. She needs to take the time each day to pat herself on the back for raising kids that will look back on their childhood with fondness. The rest – the dishes, the laundry, the missing homework assignments, the funny smell coming from underneath the couch – that will all wait until tomorrow. Memories are made today.
If you are stuck in the “super-mom” trap and need help getting out, click here.
