Panic, Frenzy & Stress — Oh My!

February 13, 2010

The alarm goes off, you jump out of bed ~ a true morning warrior. Hustling and bustling about to not only get yourself out the door to start your day but the family too. And of course you can’t forget to feed the dog and let him out as he playfully reminds you at your heels.

While juggling breakfast, lunch money (whoever invented cafeteria lunches is a hero!), mediating arguments over who’s next in the bathroom, grabbing your lost shoe from under your bed, you’re already stressing over the traffic jam you are ready to drive into within minutes and the meeting that will start sharply at 9am. Then you hear, “Mom, don’t forget the game starts at 4.”

Within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning you are a basket case ~ and it’s only Monday. This is a common scenario of every day life in America. Raising a family, working, managing a household all on a time clock can be extremely stressful. It’s no wonder we all run to the refrigerator for comfort — food is our friend, we can carry it with us, eat on the go, eat at work, it makes us happy when the world around us is pulling in all directions. Food smells good, looks good, tastes good — food is our best friend, always there in good times and bad times.

So now we are feeding our stress which opens up a pandora’s box of other health issues just waiting around the corner. Well, the last thing you need is poor health.

If you stop for a moment and jot down all of the small demands placed on you throughout the day, I bet you’ll find a list within minutes. Each of the items on the list shares a part of where it fits into your demanding schedule.

Go through the list and see what you can actually CROSS OFF. Sometimes we create extra burden that we really wouldn’t miss if we removed it altogether.

Secondly, run through your list and see if any of the items can be delegated to other family members or coworkers. Letting go of one or two items can really make a difference. Perhaps one of the younger kids would enjoy feeding the dog, and one of the older kids would love to play banker with the lunch money distribution.

The remaining items on the list will be a little trickier since they may require some creative reorganization skills. For instance, that pot of coffee you make in the morning, think about investing in a self-timed coffee pot and get it ready the night before. With so many healthy breakfast options you may want to rethink the morning ritual. Healthy fruit and juice with whole grain bagels or yogurt are easy and kid’s love continental breakfast. The frantic shoe search may be avoided by placing a laundry basket or box at your bedroom door so if you’re too tired at the end of the day to put things in their place, throw them into the box. Create a list and post it on the bathroom door to eliminate the morning mediation -

Sara 7:00 – 7:20; Matt 7:25 – 7:45 (eventually they’ll get it)

It’s important to start your day on a happy note. The tone you set in the morning can make or break your entire day. This may require a short family meeting ~ if you make it fun and explain how the family can work together as a team and each member is an important part (including the dog), you’ll get buy-in. Create weekend reward incentives (not bribery).

Some small changes can make a significant difference in your daily life, reduce stress and contribute to overall better eating habits and improved quality of life.

~ Admin