The Toolbox at LisaKiftTherapy.com

Today’s 21st century woman is under a lot of pressure. These days, women have MANY roles and responsibilities. We are moms, corporate employees, business owners, wives, girlfriends, scout troop leaders, PTA members, cheerleading coaches, dog walkers, and a whole lot of other things. We cook breakfasts, lunches and dinners. We delegate tasks, sit in traffic; attend meetings, give presentations, check homework and pay bills. We launder clothing, clean kitchens and bathrooms, throw parties, plan vacations… the list just doesn’t end. Underneath the many hats we don each day, we are still women… wanting to be loved, wanting to give back to the world, wanting to live a fulfilling and happy life. Keeping fit, having hobbies and interests, engaging in active social lives… these, too, are important to us. Mash it all together, and pretty soon we’re up to our ears in tasks and obligations– and that most certainly leads to STRESS. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, women are more likely than men to have an anxiety disorder, and anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depressive disorders, eating disorders, or substance abuse. How do you manage your stress? How much stress are you under? Here are a few questions to ask yourself, from my “What’s Your Stress Level” quiz: How often do you feel unable to control the important things in your life? How often do you feel unable to control how you spend your time? How much of the time do you feel anxious and maxed out?

Here are some stress management solutions for today’s busy woman:

Get clear on what you want. The best thing you can do for yourself, starting immediately, is to make a list of what’s really important to you. What do you value most? What do you wish to focus on? Order your list from first to last priority. Then, work on making the most of each of those things, while politely declining the rest.

Learn to Say No, and then Let Go. It’s hard to let people down when they ask for help, isn’t it? But the fact is… Saying No and then Letting Go actually does the asker a huge favor. It gives them enough notice to go find reasonable solutions to their problems. And it gives you back the time and energy that you need to focus your life!

Strive for quality, not quantity. When we overload and overbook, we lose something so important: quality of our life’s experiences. You don’t want to be that mom looking down at her checkbook as her child scores the winning goal. Work on becoming mindful of the small but meaningful moments in your life. Breathe deeply as you take in your surroundings. Practice “listening” with all of your senses engaged. All of these are ways to invite quality experiences into your life.

Burn stress in healthy ways. Mental overload gives us a surplus of anxious energy that needs release. If we don’t find ways to burn this energy, it will take its toll on our bodies. Stress leads to illness such as high blood pressure, immune disorders, hormonal imbalance and a whole host of other problems. So commit to exercising at least 3 days per week. Cardio is great, even walking is better than nothing.

Remember that you have a right to be healthy, happy and satisfied. Take good care of yourself. Heed that inner voice that will tell you what’s important, and when you’ve had enough. Your body, mind and soul will thank you for it! Life

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Coach Susan Liddy, MA, PCC, CPCC is the founder and CEO of AspireLifeCoaching.org, a life coaching company on a mission to empower women globally. Susan is the author of the “Secrets to Ultimate Living; What you wish you knew when you were 20!” and an active contributor to many blogs, including her own blog, SecretsToUltimateLiving.com.  See the full version of the above mentioned stress quiz at  http://www.secretstoultimateliving.com/stressquiz/.

Click here to get FREE access to Susan’s Passages to Empowerment video series: 

http://www.secretstoultimateliving.com/coaching-products/power-pack/

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Lisa Brookes Kift is a psychotherapist and creator of The Toolbox at LisaKiftTherapy.com.  See emotional/mental health articles by Lisa and other professionals.

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