STRESS!!

It's National Stress Awareness Day, a day to identify and reduce the stressors in your life. Stress: We all have it. We all try our best to manage it, but why is this so hard? Check out my 4 B's of stress management!

1. BASICS-exercise, sleep, healthy eating, drinking water. We all know this is crucial to managing stress, but implementing new routines is HARD! Start with small manageable/attainable goals that are actually motivating. Don't lose sight of the big picture-no one loses 50 lbs overnight. Small incremental changes create overall progress!

2. BALANCE-Find way to invest in something you love and purposefully schedule downtown. Figure out what works for you right now, which may look different during a different phase of life. Make sure you leave space in your schedule to balance work, family, and "me time".

3. BLOG (aka Track Stressors)- Okay, the "B" is a stretch here, but the point is that assessing our triggers for stress can help us get a handle on it by developing proactive strategies to address stress before it gets worse. Identify how you felt, what you did, and the end result and look for patterns.

4. BOUNDARIES-Learn not to over-schedule or over-commit. It is okay to SAY NO sometimes! Trusting your gut, learning from past decisions, and learning to tolerate other's reactions can make setting good boundaries so much easier. We can't do it all and we can't please everyone. Think quality versus quantity here and lose the guilt.

With the holidays upon us, we are entering one of the most stressful seasons of the year. Incorporating a few small steps to manage stress can go a long way!