How do you manage the stress in your life? I’ve come up with a few strategies over the years, with varying levels of success. Crying and getting depressed did not work out well. Then I hit on a great idea – rather than joining the endless line of traffic to go home after work, I started going to a golf course near the office. Thwacking a big bucket of golf balls as hard as I could was a great stress-buster! As a bonus, I was still getting home at roughly the same time as I would have after sitting in traffic.
But how was I getting stressed out to begin with? Like so many others, I was taking on other people’s problems, and I was trying to do too much. Have you noticed on airplanes that we are all told to put on our own oxygen mask first, before helping those around us? Of course! If we are unconscious, we are of no help to anyone. Same thing applies with taking care of our own needs first. It is not selfish – it is how we keep ourselves strong and mentally peaceful so that we can help take care of those we care about.
I bet you guessed that each one of the golf balls I smacked represented someone who really needed to be, ummm, re-aligned to reality. This post is not meant to condone violence in any way! Some stress can be avoided by not taking on so much responsibility, but other stressors just have to be managed. How do you beat stress in your life? Post your ideas!
getfitwithgail 
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