Stress Relief: Creating a Balanced Life in a Fast Paced World

Feeling overwhelmed and stretched to the max is normal for too many people. It's time to take the pressure off and reduce daily demands to ease stress and create balance.

Many believe that the rise in technology has been a blessing and a curse. Faxes, emails, pagers and cell phones have made communication much easier, yet added to the stress and pressure in people's lives with so many more messages to return. The expansion of possibilities in the world has been liberating, yet demanding as there are so many more options to choose from and activities to be involved in.

To truly achieve freedom, people need to have choices, but they must also have boundaries. To be balanced and peaceful people need to take time away from all the external distractions and turn inward to rejuvenate.

Take Time to Rejuvenate and Create Balance

The world is full of many wonders and opportunities that inspire, excite, and inform as well as overwhelm, pressure and stress the average person. In order to create balance, people need to take time away from all of the activities and busyness and recharge their batteries with silence, stillness and peacefulness. Here are some suggestions for doing that on a regular basis.

• Give to self first. Before the busyness of daily demands takes over, it's extremely helpful to take time to set a peaceful tone for the day. This may mean starting the morning with 20 minutes of meditation, a half hour of yoga, or just five minutes of inner silence.

• Give to self at the end of the day. After all the tasks of the day have been completed, a wonderful way to wind down involves a soothing activity like taking a bubble bath, listening to inspirational music, or going for a relaxing walk.

• Do nothing one day a week. To fully rejuvenate at the end of each week it's important to have a whole day where there is nothing to do - no scheduled activities, no tasks or chores, no shopping or errands, no responsibilities – just lounging, relaxing and simply being.

• Take breaks throughout the day. Some people believe that taking breaks may interrupt the momentum of their work. Often, taking a short break to switch from a mental activity to a physical activity or vice versa, eat a snack, or get out into nature, refreshes the mind and body allowing information to assimilate and new inspirations to arise. This enhances productivity while creating balance at the same time.

• Breathe and center. When daily demands and life pressure become so overwhelming that it's hard to focus or make decisions, spending a few minutes taking several full breaths and centering within can restore calm and balance.

• Move into the present moment. It's easy to get lost in the past or future or to scatter one's energy in several activities at once, even though this often leaves people feeling overwhelmed and stressed. To instantly feel more peaceful, move back into the present moment. Notice your surroundings, connect with feelings and sensations in the body, and bring full awareness to the current activity.

Incorporating these activities into daily life will decrease stress and restore peacefulness. But to reduce overall life pressure, new priorities and boundaries will need to be established.

Reduce Life Pressure with Priorities and Boundaries

Consciously choosing where, what and who to spend time and energy on is the best way to create balance in life. Here are some suggestions for choosing priorities and setting boundaries.

• Choose relationships. Some relationships are nourishing while others can be draining. Reduce time spent with the energy drainers and increase time spent with supportive, uplifting people.

• Choose activities wisely. There are so many interesting projects, events, courses and hobbies to choose from that many people over book themselves, wanting to take it all in. This leads to burnout instead of enjoyment so make choices that support a balanced life instead of a pressured one.

• Schedule communications. Instead of responding to every call and email as soon as they arrive, let calls go to voice mail and decide what time of the day works best to return messages and respond to emails.

• Write down tasks and ideas. Rather than jumping to do every task that comes to mind, thereby interrupting current activities, write them down on a sheet of paper and prioritize them in terms of importance and urgency.

• Make life simple. Find ways to reduce clutter, buy less, and have less responsibility as a way to simplify your life and have more time and energy for yourself.

Choosing to take time for self and prioritize the many activities and demands in life will reduce pressure and stress while allowing more room for ease and joy.