During times of stress and overwhelm, your body and mind go into survival mode - you forget about everything else but “getting the job done.” That means diet, health, relationships, spiritual well-being, etc are all compromised - they all go out the window. When I used to work 10 or more hours in day, I neglected my health and instead focused on the project at hand. I wouldn’t exercise, I ate out at “fast food” places a lot more and I wasn’t getting enough rest. I was causing further stress to my body with a poor diet!

However, this is the best time to practice self-care. By taking time out to do something for yourself, one is able to re-focus, re-align and re-balance. Once we get into the habit of self-care, our bodies and minds are better prepared for these stressful times and we’re less likely to get out of balance. Now when I know I’m going to be working on a big project or I know that I will be working more, I make sure to schedule in a workout and eat in a more balanced way - I find I have more energy to get the job done quicker and better!

The Body’s Reaction To Stress
One way of explaining this reaction is through the “fight or flight” response theory. When an organism experiences stress, it will usually release hormones to help it survive. These hormones aid in survival by enabling people to run faster, fight harder, they increase heart rate and blood pressure to deliver more oxygen and sugar to the muscles, and they focus our attention to the specific threat. However, these hormones can also make people excitable, anxious, jumpy, and irritable.

What Leads To Burnout
In the modern world, usually the stresses people face come from work, home, relationships - non-physical threats. So, if you take out the physical “survival” skills of elevated muscle efficiency, running faster, and fighting harder, you’re left with an excitable, anxious, jumpy, irritable human with increased heart rate and high blood pressure. This pattern goes on and on until a wall is hit and there’s burnout.

When we are able to control this “fight or flight” response to stress and balance our lives so that we do not get into survival mode, we can be more effective at our jobs. In the long term, we will avoid problems of poor health and mental burnout.

FREE and Easy Self Improvement

Self-Care Tip: Create Some Wonderful Daily Habits for Your Self

These daily habits are things that are fun, easy and just for you. These are things that will revitalize you or just make you go “ahhh!”

Some examples might be:

• Use a great smelling shampoo
• Put fresh cut flowers on your desk
• Take a 5 minute walk
• Stretch

Everyone is different and no one has to know what your daily habits are - they are for YOU.

1. Start by making a list of 10-15 things you’d like to do for yourself.
2. Then work at least 2-3 into your daily routine - notice how it makes you feel when you do something for yourself.
3. After you do 10 things for yourself in one day, do it again and again for a week, for a month!
4. Really “get” that these daily habits are for your self-care.

In time, you’ll notice a balance and may find a shift in dealing with stress.

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