What helps YOU live with less stress?

My life has been crazy these last few months, and because of that, I did nothing over the 4th of July holiday. Nothing. I slept late, took naps, cooked a little, cleaned a little, watched TV a little, and opened my computer once to play Myjongg.net. It was awesome.

I can’t help but ask myself, “Why in the world don’t I do that more often? Why do I have to be on my last nerve and near exhaustion to say, ‘Halt—Uncle?’”

The way we run around and put pressure on ourselves makes me think of an old expression: “Looks like a chicken with its head cut off.” Now, if you’ve seen a chicken in that state, you know what I mean. It is not a pleasant sight, and neither is personal chaos.

We don’t have total control of what fills our days, but we have more than we practice. We do have the ability to say, “No.” It’s only two letters: N like Nancy and O like Oliver. How hard can that be? We don’t need an excuse to say, “No.” We don’t need to lie. We don’t have to make excuses. We can be honest, “I don’t want to get out tonight.” “I don’t have the energy to go.” “I promised myself I would not leave the house today,” or, “My bucket is empty, and I need to watch a movie in my jammies and get to bed early.”

Retirement is far different than having a nine to five, but it seems I am as busy and hurried as when I was a working mom, had a boss telling me what they expected, or when I was boss and had clients every day. What’s the deal? I try to believe I am wiser than that.

Stress has many negative consequences. When life throws us an excess, stress is an enemy. It can make us sick and cause us to be unsafe because our heads disconnect when we expect too much from ourselves. It is pressure to have too many obligations such as going there, doing that, or fixing this. Add to that a car that won’t start, wifi down, dropping your phone in the toilet, and hail storms during harvest—life.

I don’t have magic answers, but since most of us want to live versus the alternative, practicing whatever stress management works for you is an excellent idea. What works for me might not help you at all, but I find slowing down, being selective in how I fill my days, and saying, “No,” to what empties my bucket or adds to my to-do list helps me keep stress at a healthier level.

What helps YOU live with less stress?

Until the next time: Live while you live.