:Making Diamonds: — Love Nothing More

How to Deal with Stress

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Ok, real talk for a minute. This week has been a thing. Work is a pressure cooker but I’m trying to remind myself and my team to hang in there. We’re just making diamonds right now.

Some ways I deal with stress:

Spend time with Stella. There is literally nothing better. Whether she’s dishing out affection or cracking a joke or making up a story for a new comic, her presence always gives me perspective.
Yoga. I post about this on IG a lot but it’s really just because yoga has made such a huge difference for me. I’ve taken yoga classes for years but I didn’t ever commit to a regular practice. Once I did, I started hearing the teacher more than concentrating on the positions and a whole new comfort with fear and discomfort came to me. Do I like stress? No. But I’m not scared of it anymore.
Talk to a friend in person. Yeah, I know. Duh, Terra. But I think it’s way too easy to push time with our friends down on the priority list. We forget to slow down a little just to reconnect with a friend. To hear other people’s stories. To talk through challenges with someone you trust and who won’t judge. I went to lunch with a friend today and it hit me as we were coming back how much calmer I felt. This one SHOULD go without saying but I know too many people, including myself, who let it slip.
Go to bed. It’s really uncool to hit the sack early but when I’m not rested, my tolerance drops. If my mind won’t stop running, I write a to-do list or jot down the things tumbling around in my head. It’s like taking the thoughts out of my head and putting them in a safe place where I can get to them later. This relaxes me and lets me drift to sleep better.
Understand my limits. This one is a constant work in progress for me. My favorite quote is from Mary Kate Olsen. When she was asked, to give her best advice for women entrepreneurs in five words or less, she responded, “‘No’ is a full sentence.” I apply this in lots of ways, usually when I’m balancing what I commit myself to against time with my family. Yeah, I want to do all of the things. But I can’t. I have to be picky. And I should feel comfortable just saying no without feeling compelled to provide some sort of semi-legit reason. The reason is No. C’est tout.