“It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.”
– Bruce Lee
How did it get so late so soon? That has been a question I always seem to find myself asking every single day for the past five months. I find myself always checking the time and thinking at a high speed. Every second counts when I am juggling school, work and personal responsibilities. I do not know if it is possible to say this, but I feel too grown up and cannot afford to waste any time. If I spend too long on irrelevant things, I end up paying for it.
Already time has flown to the fifth month of the year, which means the first quarter is over and a new one has begun. I went through my quarterly goals and realised I was slacking a bit. Among other things, my health goals are suffering and my spiritual commitments are far behind. My stress level has increased and sleeping has become next to impossible. The height was when I missed a team meeting at work just because I slept off due to tiredness. Some days ago, I decided to stop, take a seat and do an evaluation.
IT IS TIME TO STEP UP
In diagnosing myself, I realised my initial problem is stress. Stress is when the body is beginning to react to challenges and demands. The cause of the stress is not managing my time well, which is a factor of not having a work-life balance. To prevent my stress level from getting higher by the day, I have decided it is time to put an end to this. I am breaking up with stress. Here are some tips I found to help keep stress levels in check:
1. Relaxation
Deep breathing is a technique mentioned in one of the analysis of business problems classes. The facilitator recommended it as a way to reduce anxiety and tension. Exercise and muscle relaxation are also good means of reducing stress. They all control the body’s reaction to a perceived threat. Meditation is also a good way to do this. I intend to meditate using the word of God. For my plans to maintain my spirituality, I get to kill two birds with one stone through meditation.
2. Food as medicine
Not eating appropriately damages the health and ruins the proper functioning of activities. To stay healthy, one needs to eat healthy. Boosting a daily diet with vitamins A, B complex, C, Iron and other minerals, multivitamins and food nutrients helps your body manage stress.
3. Time management
Time management is life management. Stress can come from feelings of anxiety, which leads to depression. Anxiety comes from the pressure of having a lot of work to do with little time. Then depression sets in when the work goal is not achieved. One way to fight this is by managing time effectively and efficiently. A daily planner is a good way to manage time.
4. Learn to rest
A little rest and relaxation never hurt anyone. Our body is our precise jewel. So, it needs to be taken care of. The routine of taking a break and resting in between tasks is necessary. Whatever one feels is the best way to relax. A short nap is a good way to start. Reading or playing a game is one I will opt for. There is so much one can do for rest. The most important thing is to feel relaxed and settled.
My New Quote
“Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.”
– Bill Phillips
It takes a Village – Part 2