Life can get really busy where it seems like there isn’t a moment to slow down and catch a breath. The hectic busyness leaves you breathless, creating an experience where you don’t know if you are coming or going. It can create a lot of intense internal negative energy and agitation. Quickly, it leads to a state of overwhelm and emotional fatigue.
Often, we experience stressful periods that seem to go on forever. Days turns into weeks, than months and before you know it, it is years of overwhelming stress. We are not met to keep up such a hectic pace.
When experiencing stress, we must intentionally create some stress-free, pleasant moments – that fuels us and creates some calm.
Stress-free pleasant moments are choosing to engage in activities that creates joy and pleasure. Whatever you choose to do, it leaves you feeling good. Most importantly, the activities offer a boost of positivity and can help you be in a better place to manage unexpected life challenges. Who wouldn’t want that?
Sometimes, we tell ourselves we cannot do so because there are other ‘more important’ things that must get done, and there just isn’t any time to do anything else. The thought of squeezing one more thing in the already tight schedule seems like an impossible feat. We don’t bother to attempt doing so, because we are controlled by misleading and negative thoughts like “I won’t have enough time to do it.”
You may ask yourself, “why should I bother?” It is quite simple. It is better to spend 5 minutes engaging in some form of pleasant activity, versus not at all. Every moment engaging in a pleasant activity creates positive energy that can neutralize the negative agitation that is due to the stress – positive energy that can fuel you and help you successfully navigate the stress. Such moments can build on itself and it gives greater degree of positive energy and calm. Ultimately, it is energizing and it will help you successfully manage whatever stressful period you are navigating.
Let’s imagine you are a person who enjoys leisure walks around the neighborhood but haven’t done so for some time. For months, haven’t had the full amount of time you’re used to for walking around the neighborhood. Let’s say you’re used to devoting at least 30 minutes for walking, but due to other obligations, you have not had that time and so was telling yourself, ‘why bother?’ Completely refraining from engaging in your pleasant activity will harm your ability to effectively manage stress. It isn’t your usual 30 minutes, but 15 minutes engaging in it is better than nothing. The personal positive impact of the 15 minutes is just as valuable as the 30 minutes, because of the positive affects from doing so, and will fuel you. In doing so, you will be in a better positioned to handle added stress.
Over time, you will gain greater ability with decreasing the amount of stress you experience and not letting it control how you experience life. You will have greater control – where you are the driver of how you are experiencing life.
STRESS + PLEASANT ACTIVITIES = GREATER STRESS MANAGEMENT
It starts with you. If you do not purposefully set the goal to incorporate pockets of pleasant activity in your routine, it will not happen.
4 Simple Steps To Create Your Personalized Effective Stress Management Through Pleasant Activities Plan:
1. Take a quiet moment and use pen and paper to brainstorm, and create your personal list of pleasant activities
2. Set the intention to schedule pleasant activities in your daily and weekly routine, even if it is for a few minutes at a given time, and follow through with doing it
3. Set the intention to purposefully incorporate a few minutes of pleasant activity in your routine – Repeat the reasons WHY it is important and must be your priority
4. Actually do it! – And acknowledge what you have done; applauding yourself will give you some extra feel good emotions
Suggestions Of Pleasant Activities For Stress Management:
- Listening to music
- Going for a quick run
- Writing
- Reading from a favorite book
- Talking with a friend who can make you laugh
- Watching a favorite television show
- Taking a power nap
- Indulging in a favorite dessert treat
- Dancing while listening to your favorite music
- Watching comedy
- Watching favorite movies
- Working out physically
- Going on a scenic drive
- Complete an experience from your bucket list
It is one thing to have a list of options of what to do to help manage stress, but it is much more important to actually do them. We all have been there, done that, at some point. Knowing what must be done, but choosing not to it. We hide behind a long list of excuses why it did not happen, or cannot happen. We have to do things differently when it comes to effectively managing stress – following through with action steps brings it down, even a little at a time. Every small moment will add up and make a difference.
So, ask yourself:
What do I do to manage stress?
What are some of my fun activities?
How can I consistently incorporate these activities in my life?
What will I say to myself to make sure I follow through?
Consciously choose to Discover ~ Connect ~ Live
