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.
See how real life coaching can help you further succeed in your online business with a free 20 minute, no strings attached, consultation.
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.
Become a Leader
July 28, 2010
A leader is not born.
A leader is created and the whole process starts inside the most dangerous place you’ll ever encounter – your own mind.
How can you become a leader who inspires others, drives people toward excellence, holds people accountable, and instills a sense of trust? Learning what makes a great leader is your first step.
What You Can Do
1. Control yourself. Every great leader in history has had to become a master of self-discipline and willpower in order to stay focused on the big picture. If you don’t have a goal or the drive to achieve it, you can’t lead others to attain theirs.
* Follow through in everything you do. As challenging as it may be, you need to be disciplined enough to be where you need to be, when you need to be there, whether you want to or not. By being strong in your resolve and resisting temptation to give up, you are setting an example for others to live up to.
* Choose your emotional response to a situation carefully. Sometimes you’ll need to practice the art of silencing your inner thoughts when they’re not appropriate in order to set a positive example.
2. Project your goals. If the people you’re leading don’t completely understand the deeper meaning in their work, they won’t share your vision or work ethic. Every step of the way, communicate with your team to make sure they’re on the same wavelength and know what you expect of them.
* Get your team involved in the planning process and the implementation of your ideas. This gives everyone a greater sense of ownership toward the end result.
3. Praise highly and criticize constructively. The way you praise and criticize others can make all the difference in being able to lead effectively.
* Make sure you publicly praise the people who do excellent work for you. You’ll give the person a sense of accomplishment and the drive to do even better.
* When someone does something wrong, offer constructive criticism and do it privately. Suggest solutions on how they can improve and take the time to answer any questions. They’ll accept your input more willingly if they know it’s done to help and not to harm.
4. Know your people. You can’t truly lead a group of people unless you truly understand their hopes, dreams, struggles, pains, and goals. All the good intentions in the world mean nothing unless you have a true sense of the people you’re working with.
* Talk to your team and get to know them. Getting to know each other on a personal level will strengthen the bond between you. They’ll want to do better for you because you’re more than just a “boss.”?
* Be their leader, first, and their friend second. You’re their leader and that means that you have to make difficult decisions from time to time. These decisions cannot be affected by personal relationships.
5. Make the hard call. There are times when you have to bite the bullet and make some unpleasant decisions. Firing, demoting, and holding people accountable for their actions can be very hard at times. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to handle these matters.
Regardless of where your leadership role takes you, believe that you can be a strong leader. Remember that in order to lead others, you must be disciplined yourself. After all, your actions will speak louder than anything you can say.
In order to gain the respect of others, strive to lead by example in every area of your life.
Take advantage of our free 20 minute, no strings attached, consultation and contact us today!
Positve Self Talk
July 26, 2010
Do you feel like you are always talking yourself out of success? As soon as you start to set goals for yourself, do you suddenly have nagging thoughts about how you aren’t up to the task or how you simply aren’t qualified to carry it through?
If you have ever experienced either situation, you need to change the way you respond to your inner dialogue. Instead of obeying your negative commands, you can use positive self talk to counter the negativity and overcome nearly all anxious thoughts.
Positive Self Talk & Your Goals
Are you initially filled with excitement when you first set goals for yourself? Are these thoughts then followed by self-doubt and self-defeating thoughts that stop you in your tracks before you even get started?
It can be difficult to make the most of your life when you are constantly talking yourself out of being a success. It can be frustrating and discouraging to have these thoughts constantly plaguing you. Many of us, in fact, don’t even realize we have them! All we know is that we don’t have the confidence to stick to our plans and reach our goals.
But there’s another way!
Positive self talk is an effective way to set goals and ensure that you stick to them, even if you have never been able to do this before. The way this works is that you decide what goal is important to you, and then you plan the logistics of how you are going to attain this goal. When self-doubt starts kicking in, you will respond with affirmations that prove your success without surrendering to the negative pressure. Since you’re reading this article, it’s clear that you’re no quitter and you’re certainly not a failure, so start believing in yourself!
Re-Programming Your Mind
Affirmations are essentially positive statements that re-program your mind for the positive. The moment you have a self-defeating thought you’d be able to counter the negative with a motivating statement. An example of a positive affirmation is: “I am worthy of great success,” or “I see myself in the winner’s circle.” What this does is replace negativity with thoughts that will help you move toward your goals instead of further away from them.
Positive self talk is easier to implement than you might think. You may not be aware of the severity of the negative dialogue currently within your mind. However, once you begin with positive self-talk, you will suddenly realize that you are self-sabotaging the goals you set for yourself from the minute that you make them. This process can open your eyes to exactly how much this inner conversation has been interfering with your life. You’ll feel hopeful that you can now set goals and surpass them.
If you’re having difficulty cutting the negative self talk, contact me for a free 20 minute consultation. I want to help you set and achieve your goals and see your dreams come true.
Ask For Help
July 22, 2010
Have you ever watched a child struggle with something? Say for instance you see a child sitting on the floor struggling to tie his or her shoe. Most adults would bend down and offer to help and you may be surprised when you are greeted with a “I can do it myself” when asked if they need help. Many children want to “go at it alone” and so do many adults but that doesn’t mean that it is always the smart thing to do.
My business revolves around helping moms. Whether its helping them to gain tools to lower their stress, helping them to gain life balance or helping them follow their true passion, I am always helping people. The key here is that these people want the help, admit to themselves that something is “missing” in order to seek out that help, then they have to ask for help.
If Asking For Help is Wrong I Don’t Wanna be Right
There is nothing wrong with asking for and seeking help. As a matter of fact, it’s the smartest move you can make when you feel stuck or uncertain with a particular task at hand. When you sit back and think about it… there is so much that we try to accomplish during the course of each day frankly, sometimes those things can become overwhelming. Getting help is often the solution but asking for help can be difficult for some people.
I think that the number one reason people don’t ask for help is simply rooted in fear. Fear that people will judge them or fear that others will see them as weak. These are the same fears that hold many people back in life. Many people feel embarrassed to admit that they don’t have all the answers while others feel shy or awkward. The important thing is to take the pressure off of yourself and just do it (kind of like Nike). You will save yourself time and frustration and hey, you will learn something in the process.
Believe it or not, I used to have this problem. I was the one that would get frustrated trying to figure something out and kept the questions bottled up inside of me fearing that asking the questions would make me look….well.. dumb! I always felt that if I asked for help people would then wonder how is it that I can help them when I can’t even help myself. What I slowly began to realize is that if wanted to become successful then I had to ask for help. I am living proof that knowing your strengths as well as your weaknesses is important and learning how to delegate and ask for help is equally important. My new motto soon became “When the going gets tough, the tough ask for help”!
I will leave you with 2 questions:
- What is it that holds you back from asking for the help that you need?
- What have you been afraid to ask for help with?
Are you ready to get the help that you deserve? Take advantage of our free 20 minute, no strings attached, consultation and contact us today!
Overcoming Procrastination
July 18, 2010
Do you frequently find yourself putting essential tasks off until tomorrow, later, or never instead of doing them today? If procrastination has worked its way into your life, it may be time to change the way you think about your tasks and goals and begin to utilize better ways of tackling those things you’ve been procrastinating on.
As you can imagine and probably know from personal experience, when you procrastinate it not only affects the task but it can also affect you emotionally and bring on feelings such as guilt, inadequacy and stress.
There are many reasons that you may procrastinate. Poor time management, anxiety about a certain task and being bored by a certain task are just a few of the reasons that people procrastinate. In the end, procrastination usually leads to more stress.
Overcoming procrastination … Here’s How
Can you approach the task differently? Always be mindful of how you approach tasks. Ask yourself: Do I need to use a different technique? Will a new way of approaching this task make me feel better? How can I get some JOY out of starting this project? We all work in different ways and are inspired by different things. Find what works well for you and go with it.
Be sure you have what you need: Make certain that you have the right information, equipment and energy level to enable you to complete the task.
Plan, plan, plan: Did I say Plan? The time we spend in preparation and planning to see a task to completion is imperative. Set a time limit for yourself. Put a deadline on your tasks and work to reach that deadline.
Break it down: Big projects can feel overwhelming. Break them down into the smaller subparts. You’ll get more done if you can do it piece by piece. Even the most dreadful tasks can be done in small increments.
Boost yourself up: Give your own motivation a good boost. Trust in your strengths. Take a moment to reflect upon other tasks that you have accomplished and feel good about! Keep reminding yourself that you can be successful!
Reward yourself: Celebrate and let yourself enjoy the completion of your tasks (large or small). It is important to never minimize your accomplishments.
Overcoming procrastination can be done and it usually involves both better organizational and time-management. You can start overcoming procrastination now and in the process, feel much better about yourself. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be surprised at how much joy, exhilaration and sense of accomplishment is on the other side of procrastination.
If you’re having difficulty overcoming procrastination, contact me for a free 20 minute consultation. I want to help you set and achieve your goals and see your dreams come true.
Sharing Some Exciting News
July 14, 2010
I have some really exciting news that I wanted to share with you.
I posted a bit about this a few weeks ago and hopefully you caught it but just in case you didn’t you can click here and read about how I was contacted by a newspaper reporter here in Washington, DC who wanted to interview me for an article. Well, I did the interview and the article was published and hit the news-stands here in DC and soon after that hit the internet.
Here is the link to the article which actually was turned into a “special feature” (smile).
I wanted to share this with you, my readers; because I appreciate your support, I am so passionate about helping others and I think that this feature really put into words how I feel about you and how I see my business.
Thank you for all of your support!
P.S. There really is nothing like coaching. The best way to learn about it is to experience it for yourself! Grab your free consultation here.
