Hi Friends,

I hope this holiday season will be a special one for you. While this time of year promises to be filled with joy and excitement, it can also be stressful for many.

If there is one element of life that can lead to both physical and emotional challenges, it is stress. And we as a society are in the depths of a stress pandemic.

• Medical research estimates as much as 90% of illness and disease is stress-related.
• Over 70% of American adults report moderate to significant stress in their lives.
• Over half of those who report feeling stressed also report feeling symptoms of depression. Over 60% report feeling anxious or symptoms of anxiety.

With the holidays in full swing, managing our stress is paramount. We can’t wait for society to become less stressful – world conflicts, feeling unsafe in our communities, economic worries, political strife, and other contributors remain a constant part of life.

We must learn how to best deal with life’s stressors in a more healthy and sustaining way. The good news is there are tools and techniques we can do today, at home and at work, to help manage the stress in our lives. Let’s discuss how.

To start, let’s take a step back and look at our daily “norm.” What today may feel like a normal response to life’s events may be very different than what we previously considered to be a healthy response years ago.

What has changed? We may feel more easily burnt out, continually frustrated with the same buttons that others push, with the perceived lack of listening by a co-worker, friend, or significant other. We may also feel that no matter how hard we work, we can’t seem to get out from under the weight of financial worry.

We are exposed to arguing, fighting, conflict, and people not feeling safe. It can seem constricting, even suffocating.

Over time, we become shorter, more guarded, and less tolerant. It becomes our new norm, when deep down we know it is anything but. We long for a simpler, happier, lighter life.

But how do we get there?

Here Are Key Ways to Reduce Stress That You Can Implement Today

1. Overcome the poison of anger, fear, and guilt. They eat away at your energy, vitality, and indeed your soul. They can cause hypertension, lethargy, and even lead to heart disease.

Anger is rampant in society, and it can damage relationships in addition to your inner joy. To extinguish a flame, you have to remove one of the essential elements needed for combustion. To release yourself from anger, recognize there are triggers that are causing your anger.

Things that can make you angry may never go away; it is how you choose to assess and resolve them that is needed. If someone cuts you off in traffic, practice reminding yourself they might be in a hurry, may not have recognized the abruptness of what they did, or

be having a bad day. It is entirely up to us how to respond. Next time this happens, practice being calm, understanding, and letting it go as quickly as it came on. Think about how that keeps your good energy flowing and doesn’t get you mired in negativity.

Remind yourself that getting irritated will certainly have no positive effect on the situation, and could likely make any outcome worse. Now take that approach to all the other things that can cause you anger. Let them dissipate quickly, and enjoy the result of feeling less irritation, less stress, and the ability to maintain a consistent, positive attitude. In short, practice being less irritable until it becomes your new norm.

Fear and guilt can suck the life out of you. They can become a way of life.  “What if I get sick?” “What if my car breaks down?” “What if I lose my job?” “What if they won’t forgive me?” “I should have done more for them before they passed.”

There are an infinite number of things we can worry and feel guilty about. It can become a full-time endeavor. But to what end? Yes, there are things that can be worrisome, but remind yourself to be aware of the things you can control. The goal is to proactively address and deal with challenges in a positive, productive way.

Live in the present, and combine gratitude and graciousness with the occasional need to address the challenges and worries that life can present. It doesn’t mean to be pollyannish and believe everything is perfect; it means to appreciate your blessings, invest in healthy relationships, put down the angry news feeds, and live a healthy mix of fun activities while dealing with the actual challenges you face.

If you are in a challenging relationship, have financial stress, or are in a medical rut, look for ways to improve each. It may take a while. They may never fully resolve. But leaning in and living in the present, working to make things better, is a much more pleasant and productive way to live versus sitting back, being reactive, and bemoaning “woe is me” because life seems to be dealing you a deuce at every turn.

See the joy in seeking solutions. Help others, be kind, say thank you, I’m sorry, and excuse me. Then watch how the worries, fears, and anger in life slowly get squeezed out by goodness and positivity. Practice it.

2. Live more simply, more organized, more healthy. We clutter our lives. We are oversaturated with news, social media, streaming services, texts, calls, events, work commitments, and more.

We are the most stressed generation ever, yet we have more access to things and information than ever. Do you have too many things, too much stuff, too many perceived obligations in your life?

Take out a pen and paper (yes, you can still write down on a notepad!), and write down things you can get rid of to declutter. Clothes, old stuff in the basement, the membership to the 3rd gym, and the magazines and 17 apps on your phone you never use. Write them down.

Then write down the things that pull energy from you, or cause you to get agitated or anxious. Perhaps it is the relationship with your co-worker which always makes you uncomfortable, or watching the late night commentators talking over each other on the national news program, or the tree that has grown over your back porch, making it unusable. If they sap enjoyment and energy from you, write them down. Because they’re likely going away for your new “norm.”

Now, write down your fitness level on a scale of 1 to 10. Your diet from 1 to 10. Your sleep quality from 1 to 10. If any of them are below 8, resolve to get them to 8+. Fitness is a mindset. Of course you’re busy. Everyone is. But when you watch a bit less news, and scroll a bit less on TikTok and Instagram, there’s your 30 extra minutes a few times a week to sweat, work with some weights, and be active.

If you are eating more than 25 grams of sugar a day, look for ways to reduce it. Are you eating fresh vegetables and fruits every day? If not, start today. Don’t drink coffee after 3pm (ideally not after noon), reduce or eliminate alcohol. Don’t eat after 8pm. Give your liver and kidneys a full 12 hours to detox your body every night before your morning meal.

If you aren’t sleeping well, you’re robbing yourself of energy, enjoyment, and being your best self. That leads to stress and irritability. Get a great mattress and pillow. Yes, it is an investment. Create a quiet, cool, dark sleep environment. Go to bed at the same time, and do not scroll on your phone or watch tv in bed. If you need sleep support, consider a natural herbal supplement like Redd Remedies’ At Ease PM. Get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. More if you can.