I had a leisure morning on Monday. Did 4.5 miles recovery run and came back just before girls got up. Made their breakfast, packed their lunch for their camp, and hang out with them while they had breakfast. Loved the not rushed Monday morning.
Yet, the rest of the day went south. Nothing bad happen, but witnessing something about to happen, something I don’t like to see, I have no control over, about to happen. That was a powerless feeling that made me sad.
I ate dinner alone, with Cookie, while waiting for the family to come back from swimming.
I was glad I have the family to ground me, to let me see the sun coming through a dark sky.
I tried what is in my power to prevent a “car crush” but it is going to happen, because of the incentives system built in the organization. Sigh…
I finished the 5 resets last night and find it useful. While most of tactics discussed I know already, I still learned for insights.
The last 6 weeks or so has been stressful at work and I think I could have manage it better to prevent it getting to me physically (acid reflex, getting sick). So I will introduce few things the next two months.
- Take 5 min of break for every 55 min of work. Do stretching, walk, breath, just check with my body how I am feeling.
- Stop checking work email before 8am unless there’s an emergency or meeting. I used to be better at this but lately I’ve been opening work email before 6am and then my mind started to worry/work up.
- Put away phone once I get home from work, unless the family is not at home. To be less distracted, to focus on my loved ones.
Other tactics discussed in the book include: healthy eating, exercise, prioritize sleep, minimize media consumption, do something for myself like a hobby. These are things that I am already doing which are very important.
Q: What do you do to actively manage stress?
Our New Journey 
I haven’t heard of that book but it sounds good. Even if it’s things we’ve heard before, it can be helpful to be reminded. Sounds like you’re doing everything possible to reduce your stress. Leaving work behind at the end of the day (as much as possible) is really important. I know that’s not possible with all jobs though.
I hope you feel a little better today!
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I think those three things are so smart to introduce into your day. Breathing and mindfulness are great too – even just thirty seconds of sitting quietly with eyes closed, listening to your breathing, can help with the reset.
I hope you feel better! I think putting the phone away and not checking the phone until 8 are just good for everyone!
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I have stopped checking my email until I get into the office on the days I go in. There is no benefit to reading about what is going on and I would rather read them at my desk where I can address whatever has come up. I also try not to check email after 6pm but sometimes I am not good about doing that.
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I love this strategy. I need to do the same. Why do I even bother reading my email at 7PM when I am at the house and cannot do ANYTHING about it anyway. It’s just taking away my peace of mind. Thanks for the reminder.
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I heard of the book on a podcast, but didn’t want to buy it off Amazon. Then I forgot about it.
Stress… Sometimes I manage it well, sometimes I don’t.
I can so relate to the three new strategies you will be doing- boundaries. I need boundaries with my work email and phone, too. I deleted Feedly off my phone this past week, and right away, saw that the device lost some of its’ luster. I love the break every 55 minutes strategy, too.
For me, as a recovering people pleaser, boundaries are essential. I will even remind myself “don’t be a people pleaser, you can’t make everyone happy; you know you are a good [ insert teacher/mother/friend/etc]. So, I guess those are affirmations?
Also… Walking bare feet on grass. meditation. Deep breathing. Naps when possible. Writing by hand. Music. Talking to myself in my car. Wiggling my arms and legs. If extremely stressed: I make a bowl with water and ice cubes, and put my face into it – works like magic for vagus nerve.
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Mediation and Yoga are really big for me. It forces you to slow down and just “be” in the moment. It’s hard to focus sometimes but you get better with practice.
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