People usually feel stress as tension, fear, or pressure. Physically, stress causes your heart to race and your muscles to tighten. While this is a useful response during an emergency, if it happens while you’re stuck in traffic, sitting in a meeting, or lying in bed trying to sleep, it can cause your body and mind to race needlessly.
Our bodies were not built to tolerate high levels of stress for long periods of time. You’ll end up feeling burned out and more vulnerable to illness.
Try a few of these ideas to help manage your everyday stress:
- Sleep well (Target is 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep)
- Move more (Get at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly)
- Eat well (Balanced diet; control portion size)
- Cut back on caffeine (When stressed, drink water)
- Relax your body and your mind (15 to 20 minutes a day; meditate, daydream, or listen to music)
Join us for next week’s edition of “From the Trenches” for a look at how to better manage stress while at work.
About the author: Tammy Spring serves as Digital Works’ Operations Manager. She oversees the program nationally, assisting students, graduates, and program facilitators across the country. If you’d like to contact Tammy, e-mail her at tspring@connectednation.org or call her at (740) 603-7323.