The little things are big!
April is Stress Awareness Month and the theme for 2024 is “Little By Little”, recognising that sometimes the best way of managing stress is to do something small, with small consistent daily actions cumulating to contribute to overall wellbeing and reducing stress.
Some of the small things I do each day are:
Meditate
Notice my breath at different times
Notice sensations of my feet as I walk
Stroke my dog
Gratitude journal
Stress isn’t always a problem, it can be motivating and lead to the action needed to meet a deadline or deal with a challenging situation. Stress might peak and fall away once the issue is resolved.
That doesn’t always happen. The feelings of stress can linger, and we can live in a heightened state of stress. This might happen simply because life generally is hard (financial worries, lack of sleep, illness, juggling too many things etc), and so stress levels stay high and then are elevated even further when that deadline looms. Over time it can mean we are suffering from increasing levels of stress.
I’ve struggled with managing stress in the past and mindfulness has made a big difference because I notice when I'm feeling stressed now and I can respond with care and kindness. Some of the things I do when I’m feeling stressed are:
Talk things through with someone I trust
Walk in nature
Place my hand gently on my chest for a few breaths
Focus on what’s needed now
In work, the times when I’ve felt the most stressed are when I’ve felt overwhelmed by everything I need to do over the next few weeks. Those are times where I’ve struggled to catch my breath, let alone be aware of it. I’m living the future weeks and all that they hold in a single moment, it’s no wonder that makes me feel overwhelmed.
Refocusing on the present moment and on what’s needed now is a practical way to step out of the overwhelm. Sometimes what’s needed now isn’t always obvious, it might be difficult to prioritise, and when that’s the case I use Stephen Covey’s urgent/important matrix. If everything is being assigned ‘urgent and important’ then I speak to someone to help me.
A simple way to manage stress in daily life is to reflect on what you already do to care for yourself, and then remind yourself to do these things every day.
Sometimes there are new ways to care for yourself that you haven’t discovered yet. Not everything is for everyone but it’s good to talk to others about what they do, there just might be something new you haven’t tried that would help you.
Focus on something small that’s achievable and realistic. Little by little that small action will accumulate and help your wellbeing and reduce your stress.
