1.       Description

There’s no doubt about it, life is stressful. It seems like no matter who I’m talking to, a common theme of stress emerges its way into conversation. We as a society are on survival mode, stressed out to the max and living for the weekend. The bounds of stress know no end. Many live each day trying to cope with a disastrous cocktail of stress made up of but not limited to, work stress, financial stress, relationship stress, parenting stress, and then there’s the stress surrounding safety and health. The list can go on and on. Life, compounded of so many stressors, loses its mystic and beauty. We become distracted, numb, separated from our soul, leaving us anxious, depressed, and without the energy to thrive. Learning how to prevent stress from visiting us, versus learning how to cope with the stress that’s already moved in, is a proactive shift we can all make to create and maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Below I am going to discuss three techniques that when practiced regularly will limit the amount of stress that you allow into your life.

1.1   Set Boundaries and Stick to Them

Boundaries are essential to a balanced and healthy life. Unfortunately, it is a skill that many of us do not learn [1]. Having healthy boundaries requires self-love and an understanding of one’s own limits. The first step to successfully setting and sticking to your boundaries is identifying your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual limits. Once you know what you can tolerate and accept, you can become comfortable gracefully saying, “No” to anything or anyone that robs you from your joy. Setting healthy boundaries invites self-care into our life, freeing up our time and energy to engage in the relationships, activities, and interest that fuels our soul.

1.2   Live Within Your Means

There is a great deal of freedom associated with a debt free life, and a great deal of confidence associated with having a full savings account. When you live within your means you have the freedom to work less and you can retire while you’re still young [2]. You will experience much less financial stress and liberty from that pesky need to keep up with the Jones. Those who live within their means practice self-control by sticking to their financial budget and waiting to make purchases until they have the cash rather than charging a credit card (2016). They understand that buying “stuff” is not the key to happiness. Living debt free allows you to work less so you can spend your time in ways in which you enjoy. And when you are out and about following your joy, you are vibrating high energetically and inviting more bliss into your future.

1.3   Limit Your Social Media Intake

The number of people using social media is increasing alongside the amount of time each user is spending per day scrolling through their multiple accounts [3]. The average internet user is now on social media services over 2 hours per day and research shows that this figure is rising with each passing year (2017).This copious amount of mindless scrolling is over stimulating and can lead to unwanted stress. We begin comparing ourselves to others and occupying our minds with unproductive thoughts about our own or other’s posts.  Image how much lighter and stress-free each day would feel if those two hours of social media use were replaced with meditation, reading, connecting with a loved one, accomplishing items on that never-ending to-do list, or even taking a nap. If you want to limit the amount of negative and fear based messages unconsciously absorbed through media channels, I strongly suggest regulating the amount of time you mindlessly scroll each day to 15 minutes or less. While the urge to open that media app will be strong at first, taking three deep breaths before proceeding will help you to regain control and shut the door on unwanted stress.

Do not wait until physical symptoms force you to consider how your lifestyle is affecting your well-being. Be proactive and take responsibility for the amount of stress that you allow into your life. Adopting the aforementioned stress reduction techniques will serve as barriers to unwanted stress, making room for much more pleasurable experiences, balance, and an overall healthy lifestyle. 

1.       Tartakovsky M. (2016) 10 Ways to Build and Preserve Better Boundaries. Psych Central.

2.       Bauer D.  (2016) Five Ways Your Life Will Improve If You Live A Debt-Free Life. National Debt Relief.

3.       Mander J. (2017) Daily time spent on social networks rises. Global Web Index.