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MidLife Maze – Manage Your Stress- Daily Coaching Practices
There’s a lot written about managing stress today, as many people are living in a state of chronic stress. One of the very best ways to lower our stress level is to simplify our lives. We can’t do it all at once unless we just walk away from our lives, and most of us aren’t willing to do that. But we can do it turtle step by turtle step. 
For example some people simplify their work by moving closer to their job, or visa versa. They buy themselves a lot of time that way. Often they’re then able to walk to work, which ‘feeds two birds with one hand’. Many of us are now have businesses that are based right in our home, a pretty short commute! Some women shorten their hours or number of days worked. Yes, this usually means a cut in pay, but they find the reduced stress and slower pace of their life is more than worth it.
In our coaching sessions, we often examine and dissect our daily activities. This helps us get to the root of what is stressing us and causing us unhappiness.
Try this exercise & you may be surprised:
- Quickly make a list of everything you do.
- Your list can cover one week or one day, or be a general list of overall duties, whatever feels right to you.
- Go through your list very quickly – and put a big red X next to the things you don’t want to do for any reason.
- Just reading the ones you’ve market with the X’s is usually quite enlightening.
- Now, take each X’d item and choose to either: Scrap it altogether; Spend less time on it, or Do it less often
- The easiest way to do this is to take 1 item per day – turtle steps remember!
This exercise has been adapted from one of Martha Beck’s. Try it; it really works!
Third Age Blog has some great material on simplifying life. Check it out.
I am so thankful to have found you. Reeling from dx of aggressive brain cancer with my Mom, early dementia simultaneously uncovered with my Dad all at once in Dec, several other major losses last year. I can actually breathe more easily after reading the things you’ve written. I look forward to receiving your emails.
Carol: I am very glad my stress coaching article has helped you. There are other articles about caregiving & grief on my blog. Also you may want to check out the Open to Hope website & the Healing the Grieving Heart radio show (Drs. Gloria & Heidi Horsely). Here’s a link to the show I was on in September:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=40888
If I can be of any help in other ways, please let me know.
Warm regards
Ellen
Thank you very much for your thoughts and recommendation. He’s definitely up my alley, spiritual orientation and heritage-wise, both musically and personally. …but had not delved into his writings! Appreciate it so, blessings to you.
You’re very welcome Carol. I just had a sense John O’Donohue would be up your alley!
Warm thoughts from Ellen