Introduction


Are you living with too much stress?



Do you feel so overwhelmed you don't know what to do most of the time? Are your days out of control?



Are you spending more time screaming... crying.... pacing the floor... pulling your hair out. .. or lying awake at night worrying?



We all have at some time.



As moms we tend to have more than our share of stress. Our kids are screaming, bosses or clients can be demanding, your hubby is always ignoring what's going on around him. Grandma is constantly arriving unannounced. Phone's ringing, bills are overdue, customer packages are lost in the chaos of the place you call “home-office”.


It makes us want to run away. To crawl back under the covers. To run screaming through the house. To lash out at the very ones we are trying to please.


Whatever happened to quiet nights, romantic dinners, a clean house and good friends?


One of the reasons women fail to manage stress is our need to nurture everyone. We feel taking time out for ourselves might make us less loved, not a good mom, or we'll be viewed as having selfish behavior. It's our hard work and responsibility that makes us feel we have to do it all. We're willing to go the distance and make our child as well adjusted and happy as possible. To make our business a success. To please every one, every day no matter what. This can be frustrating and can be difficult to make happen.


We forget that by taking care of ourselves we make better moms and business owners.



Nothing is permanent in this wicked world – not even our troubles.

Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)




It is easy for a mom to get overwhelmed by all the problems that can happen while raising a child and working from home. Some moms may start to resent their child because of the sacrifices that they have made for them. They become short tempered with friends and loved ones. Clients get pushed away, causing more stress. When this starts to happen, it can bring stress between mom and her child, her other half and her work.


The attack can be felt as you clench your teeth, your voice rises, and sometimes, you may feel your heart race.


Facing your problems head on will help lessen stress right away.


Let's look at an example mom's stress moment.


Your five year old spills his milk, the two year is throwing a tantrum and the phone is ringing. To reduce the stress, take a deep breath, let the machine get the phone, take the two year old to her room and let her scream and have the five year help you clean up his mess, laughing that spilled milk does no harm. More than likely the caller will call back if it is important and your two year old will likely have forgotten why she was screaming.


By letting the children know you are in charge, you are teaching them an important lesson on dealing with life's little things. By laughing, you are putting stress behind you.


While these situations may seem a bit silly, they can actually be quite aggravating on your stress level and your health. It is vital to remember that by being in control of a situation, you are going to feel less stress about any situation involving your child and your day to day life.


Keep yourself under control and don't lose your temper. You can be in control by taking a deep breath and doing something about those things in life that are causing you stress! Remember there will always be a bill due, a messy house, dirty laundry piling up, kids demanding attention and the phone will always ring at the wrong time. How you deal with these situations can change the way your whole day turns out.


No matter the situation, to keep calm, you have a few alternatives. You can make a joke about it, you can breathe deeply or you can walk away. The seriousness of the situation will determine just what you are going to do at the moment when you feel the stress attack coming.


Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency.

Nothing is that important.

Natalie Goldberg.





So Who Am I and How Can I Help You?



I am a work at home mom of three, a grandmother and a caregiver to my disabled mom. I have lived with  financial, emotional and physical stress symptoms for many years. I let my stress escalate so much my health was affected. I gained over 50 pounds, which led to high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I was very emotional, one minute happy, the next angry. My memory was poor. And many days, I just wanted to sleep all the time.

It was important for me to seek ways to help relieve my stress and to get it under control before my health deteriorated more. I learned to reduce the effects stress  had on me. I have studied yoga, meditation and used prayer to reduce stress. Taking classes on organization and management has helped me create a more balanced life.

I wanted to help other moms learn to control their stress situations better. Therefore I created this short guide to help you find ways to relieve your stress in just minutes a day. Later in Take Action: Reduce Stress I will help you identify what is causing you stress and ways to manage and reduce future stress.







What is Stress?


Stress is defined as any physical or emotional demand that you feel unable to handle. These demands include every little hassle you experience every day, from the moment you get up to the moment you finally get your children to bed at night.






What is causing you stress?


There are many things and situations that can be causing stress. To learn to reduce your stress, first you'll need to find out what's causing it.


Is it actually the kids screaming or is there an underlying reason such as financial stress or relationship problems?


If you can identify your biggest stress try to find a way to change it. Is it financial? Is there a way you can make more or spend less? Is it a relationship? Get some professional help to guide you through the rough time.



Keep a Stress Log


When you commit to keeping a Stress Log, you'll begin to see how you react to stress. This lets you change your reaction channel to an action you choose and not as the result of the unidentified stress that has a taken over your life.

Your log can be a written journal or a recording if you're a verbal person.

Write down everything that bothers you in a week's time. It could include:

family

annoying neighbors

overbearing boss

debt

work

clutter

too much noise

whenever you feel out of sorts, write it down.


Break the situations into categories such as people, finances, job, home and include times of day and your emotions. Make a simple chart to determine what bothers you most.



Start by recording, each day, information about the stresses you are experiencing. Your goal will be to analyze these stresses and then better manage them.

Here is an example of a day one entry: