July 13, 2023 in Blog by Dee

How Stress Management Can Benefit Your Physical and Mental Health

By: Centerstone

There are a multitude of reasons that people find themselves stressed in their daily life. Some points of stress are situational, or they can be more general—like family, work, school, and personal relationships. Stress can be overwhelming to endure alone, and without helpful ways of managing it, it can create havoc in the mind and body.

Stress is a biochemical reaction to something that creates tension—whether that is emotional or physical. When we experience stress, our brain goes on “high alert” as it prepares our body to respond to whatever situation is at hand. In these moments, our body begins a complex process, part of which is to release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, essentially preparing the body to fight, flee, or freeze. While this process can be lifesaving in truly dangerous situations, experiencing this stress reaction on an ongoing basis can have detrimental health consequences.

The responses caused by stress are normal and can be very useful. Stress helps us do well on tests or perform well at work. Stress helps us slam on the brakes when a car in front of us stops suddenly. However, stress can also cause physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral difficulties including nausea, racing thoughts, inconsistent sleep, anxiety, panic attacks, and difficulty concentrating.

If stress goes unaddressed it can lead to serious health issues like obesity, substance use disorder, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It is extremely important to monitor the responses you are having to stress and find ways to better manage them. If you are experiencing symptoms of stress, try using these practices to help:

• Setting boundaries. Create reasonable boundaries to help with self-preservation. Say “no” when you feel overwhelmed. Keep your mental health in mind, and open up conversations with family, friends, and even coworkers about what you can or can’t manage.
• Practicing mindfulness. Be present in your surroundings. Be aware and know what makes you happy. Do something for the sake of making you happy that has no other purpose involved. Read the novel, play the videogame, and watch the TV show—make yourself feel comfortable and at ease.
• Choose your environment. Connect with people—be intentional with your environment. Have people around that can make you feel capable of doing anything! Encouragement is a great tool for dealing with stress.
• Be kind to yourself. Remember that you are a human, and there is only so much you can do. Give yourself grace and your brain a break. Understand that there are many people in similarly stressful situations.

Once you begin to eliminate some of the stressors in your life and learn to be patient with your process, then you can begin to manage your stress in more healthy ways. Take the time to connect with others, and understand that the process of eliminating stress is not always easy. If you have tried to better manage your stress, but find you are still struggling, it may be time to reach out to a mental health professional.  They can provide more tools on how to manage your stress and healthy tips for coping.

July 13, 2023 in Blog by Dee

Five Principles of Productive People

By: Centerstone

Do you feel like you are always busy but never get anything done? Many of us lead hectic and often stressful lives. There is always something to accomplish. Some days we are ready to complete a long to-do list. Other days we would rather spend hours on the couch.

Productivity takes effort, and it is well worth it in the long run. Follow these tips to simplify your life while improving productivity.

Be Aware: Busy Does Not Equal Productive

Sometimes multitasking can destroy productivity. Being busy, or trying to maintain an appearance of being busy, has nothing to do with productivity or authentic accomplishment. Just because you’re getting something done doesn’t mean it matters. Focus on the purpose of your tasks, one task at a time. Productivity is about meeting your goals, not just scratching things off your to-do list.

We often believe that completing tasks will make us happy, but the constant desire to finish things can actually produce feelings of anxiety. Remember that life is about the journey. Enjoy the challenge of the path. Break the multitasking habit by practicing mindfulness.

Be Specific: Identify Goals vs. Tasks  

It’s easy to confuse goals and tasks, and that confusion can lead to feelings of overwhelming pressure. It is vital to have a doable to-do list. It’s easy to get stuck if everything on your to-do list seems daunting. The purpose of a list is to capture actionable items or pre-defined tasks you will accomplish. Tasks are small steps that lead you closer to meeting your goals.

Perhaps your goal is to lose two pounds this week. Tasks will help you achieve that goal. Developing a meal plan, visiting the grocery store, and exercising each day are all tasks that will help you accomplish your objective. Break down large problems by focusing on small steps to help you reach your goal. Focus on tasks that give you the most return on your time investment and you will become more productive. Goals are very important, but having too many may cause you to lose focus, and you’ll end up not accomplishing any of them.

Be Smart: Organize and Prioritize

To be organized you must be aware of where your time is going. Create a time log and use it to analyze and summarize all your daily activities for a given week. Once you know the gaps in your productivity, you can build a new daily routine.

Categorize and prioritize your tasks. List your pre-planned activities in order of importance. These are the tasks you would complete in a day without interruptions. Next, list all unplanned tasks. This list includes incoming calls, instant messages, and requests from others. Unplanned tasks are usually part of most days and need to be processed continuously.

Be Intentional: Procrastination Robs Your Power

What tasks are you thinking of putting off until tomorrow? What projects have you started but can’t seem to finish? Are there items on your to-do list that roll over week after week? Procrastination is one of our biggest energy drainers. It’s easy to convince ourselves that life is more pleasant when we avoid things we don’t want to do. But instead, it adds stress, disorganization, failure, and guilt.

Procrastination can also cause missed deadlines, lost opportunities, tardiness, unnecessary expenses, and even health and medical problems. By overcoming procrastination habits you’ll gain a sense of energy and enthusiasm triggered by completing tasks.

Be Truthful: Admit Your Excuses

Evaluate what else is wasting your time. Self-generated time-wasters include disorganization, the inability to say no, gossiping, perfectionism, lack of delegation, and what is commonly known as the “paralysis of analysis.”

Sometimes we think too much about the same issue. Progress is delayed because we are thinking about the same thing over and over again. There are better ways to use your energy. Don’t waste time and energy repetitively thinking about something without finding a real solution.

Lastly, there can be such a thing as too much time management. Like laundry, a to-do list will never be completely done. The key is to be satisfied by your accomplishments of the day, even though you will never fully complete your to-do lists.