Coping with Stress
Kristi Hudson
Life is a series of events, some good, some bad, most unremarkable. For most of us, the recent developments of a worldwide pandemic, something that seemed unfathomable a year ago, instantly threw our lives into chaos, uncertainty, and the realization the most of us are entirely unprepared for life as we know it to shut down.
The majority of us cycled through feelings of sadness, desperation, anger, confusion, and fear. With a significant disruption of day-to-day life, these feelings are normal. For the first week of home quarantine, I found myself not sleeping adequately, reaching for snacks frequently, skipping exercise, and stressing with each new update on the state of our country. All of this happened while I wastryingto homeschool my teenage son, praying that my youngest two would still be able to attend daycare, feeling massive amounts of guilt over that, and trying to work around the clock to help those depending on me. After a week of living in this destructive cycle, I woke up and decided to get to the heart of what was bothering me and establish ways I could combat the stress weighing on my heart and bearing down on my shoulders.
I was living in a state of chaos and realized the first step was to take a few minutes each day to breathe. Each morning, I started waking up at my usual hour (5:00 am) and spent 30 minutes meditating. I would focus on my day and envision myself completing each task. Each morning I would tell myself, "Today is going to be a good day." Each day became less stressful, and even with the occasional hiccup, my thoughts and feelings each night were positive. (Good Therapy, 2018)
I strive to work out for a minimum of 30 minutes each day, five days a week. Some weeks I hit the gym every day and others... not so much. Even when social distancing meant that gyms were no longer open, or hours were limited and inconvenient, that didn't mean that my family could skip exercise altogether, though most of us did. Taking a 30-minute walk through your neighborhood can clear your mind, reduce stress hormones, and alleviate mild depression. Even when the world stops for a minute, we must be diligent in not letting it stop us from getting the blood pumping and sweating a little. (Huffington Post, 2013)
We all knowthe benefits of eating healthy. Proper diet can help counterbalance the impact of stress by strengthening the immune system, stabilizing mood, and reducing blood pressure. (Wongvibulsin, 2014) That doesn't mean that preparing healthy options has to be complicated or expensive. Thanks to modern technology, there are tons of recipes for fast, easy, inexpensive, healthy choices for even the pickiest eater in your family. Start by implementing one healthy meal in place of a non-healthy meal every day for a week and build from there.
I'm not a frequent news watcher, but during the COVID-19 crisis, I watched every news conference and update and scoured the internet for more information until I realized that it was wearing me down. In retrospect, I find it interesting that I was so drawn to the media when I genuinely don't watch or care for TV. I am not a "Netflix and chill" kind of girl. I began spending my time reading actual books, holding them in my hand, and getting lost in the words on the page. Because my life is moving non-stop, I had switched to audiobooks years ago. I forgot just how much I truly love the feel of a book in my hand. Taking a breakfrom mindless social media and constant news reports gave me time to relax.
Earlier today, a friend said, "Mother Nature doesn't need us, but we need Mother Nature. She is telling all of us that it is time to slow down." His words rang true as I realized that the chaos and stress that I had been feeling were mostly self-inflicted. Every day someone in the world experiences a disruption from unexpected job loss, a natural disaster, or as we all experienced earlierthisyear, a global pandemic.The unexpected is always around the corner, and today is the day we should all take steps to slow down, smell the roses, focus on our families, focus on our well-being, and prepare for those disruptions. We can't stop them from coming, but we can control how we respond to them.
Kristi Hudson is a certified professional compliance officer (CPCO). She serves as the Director of Business Relationships for ChiroHealthUSA where she has helped to educate DCs and CAs on establishing simple and compliant financial policies. You can contact Kristi at 888-719-9990 or [email protected], or you can visit the ChiroHealthUSA website at www.chirohealthusa.com.
