Make It Easy
Make It Easy
YOU ARE STRESSED. It isn't often I say that with certainty to my audience. In the past week, most of us were too numb to do anything but watch TV and shake our heads. Those with East Coast ties were on phones and e-mail searching for answers and hoping for a friendly, live voice. Regain balance in your
life to reduce stressSo, now what? We cannot stay healthy at this level of stress. Being out of balance causes problems in every area of our lives and, as the president says, "it's time to get back to work." The sooner we focus on bringing balance back into the workplace and our home life, the better off we will be.
It is helpful to understand what upsets you. Give a name to your fears: financial uncertainty, safety concerns, travel concerns, your own mortality, loss of loved ones, fear of the future. These all tap dance at the back of our minds. Which are foremost for you?
Once you know what upsets you, determine which things you can control and focus your energy there.
Here are a few coping strategies:
>> Connect: Renew friendships, go to association meetings, contact loved ones at a distance.
>> Talk it out: An effective way to find solutions is hearing yourself describe your frustrations and fears.
>> Work it out: Frustration and anxiety can build if you don't find some way to let it blow off. So get exercise. Take an aerobics class. Walk.
>> Turn off the news for awhile: You didn't watch it 24 hours a day before. Go back to your regular schedule. You won't miss much, they have been repeating the same footage and interviews for days.
>> Meditate and pray: Allow silent time to digest all that has happened. Get centered and focus on positive outcomes.
>> Get creative: Creation is an antidote to destruction. Work in the garden; plant flowers in memory of those who have gone. Bake bread. Make a quilt or a collage commemorating the event. Write a prayer or a poem.
Our lives have changed forever. How you react to this is your choice. Choose life.
Beth Terry is president of Pacific Rim Seminars.
This column is excerpted from her upcoming book,
101 Ways to Make Your Life Easier. Send questions
on management, customer service and other issues
to beth@bethterry.com.
