In today’s world being overly busy and stressed has become a badge of honor. If we are not stressed, we aren’t working hard enough. It is possible to be productive and minimize your stress. They key is learning how to identify and manage our individual stressors. There are many options for managing stress. One option is to eliminate what is causing the stress. Ha! That was a joke. Most of us don’t have the option to just eliminate work, family or responsibilities. Therefore we must identify options for what we can incorporate into our lives to manage our stress.
There are many options for stress management including yoga, meditation, creative visualization, autogenics, exercise, breathing, creative expression and much more. The common thread of each of these is mindfulness. The trick is finding which technique works for you and is able to hold your attention. The next hurdle is incorporating the technique into your busy lifestyle in such a way that it becomes a habit. It is possible. Occupational therapists are skilled at identifying life patterns and habits and working with people to incorporate positive change. Change is difficult but it is possible to make it less challenging with some well thought out strategies.