Pandemic Stress Relief for Minnesota: Mayo Clinic’s Four A’s
Yesterday I wrote about Charlies Pub and Eatery having a "Die Covid-19 Die" game, a fun way to relieve some stress during this pandemic.
Anyway, Mike, a patron near me, said he thought it was pretty cool, "You know, it's messed up our lives, its killing people, I think a lot of people miss on purpose just to hear it WHACK against Covid-19." (SEE THE GAME HERE)
On Facebook I asked, "How do you relieve stress"? And someone commented, "No." What'd they mean?
I'm not sure that'll work for everyone, so I checked out Mayo Clinic and how they suggest relieving stress, the 4 A Way.
Avoid
Believe it or not, you can simply avoid a lot of stress. Plan ahead, rearrange your surroundings and reap the benefits of a lighter load. (more)
So, find ways to avoid the stuff that really gets to you. For instance, if the whole morning routine stresses you out, get up 1/2 hour earlier and you may find the world working way more at your pace then.
Also, it's OK to NOT see the people that stress you out (if you can manage it work-wise) and it's OK to say NO when you're either at your limit or even before. It is OK to NOT have something to do.
Alter
One of the most helpful things you can do during times of stress is to take inventory, then attempt to change your situation for the better.
t can be something as simple as a joke your friend makes ALL the time, but it's about you and it didn't hurt your feelings at first, but now it does. It is 100% OK to talk to 'em and say, "Hey, it hurts my feelings when you make that joke." It's simple communication, really, but when you can't avoid the situation, trying to alter the situation with a conversation can make a HUGE difference.
If it's not people, but things stressing you out, could you deal with 'em for 1/2 hour? Set up 1/2 timer, and attack those things like a kid after an ice cream cone. OK, maybe less joy, but "I will spend just 30 minutes paying bills and cleaning out the junk drawer." (or whatever).
PS - You can do the same thing with work / church / daily life people that just want to talk and talk. Tell 'em at the start you only have 5 minutes and then stick to it. I'm sorry, my time is up, I gotta go...I'll call you back." Then call back with the extra time you have left after paying your bills. Because you will.
And sometimes, the things that suck are just gonna suck and you gotta deal.
Accept
Sometimes we may have no choice but to accept things the way they are.
If you have friends that can listen, awesome. Talk to 'em. When you don't have a friend handy, try what I do...shoot a quick video with your phone. Unload. Then, of course, delete the video. It's amazing the power of saying things out loud.
I also SUPER recommend talking to a counselor. Click here to see a bunch of ways to reach out for help. It doesn't need to be a lifetime commitment. Counselors are really good at giving you tools to deal with t
Adapt
Thinking you can't cope is one of the greatest stressors. That's why adapting — which often involves changing your standards or expectations — can be most helpful in dealing with stress.
Sometimes our standards cannot change, they shouldn't change, and no one would recommend changing them. Some, tho...well, do you really need to dust three times a week, make a brand new recipe three nights a week, and arrange your underwear drawer so everything coordinates?
If the answer is "not really" to some of those, that's the kind of adapting being talked about here. It may take a while to get used to NOT washing towels every single day, so prepare to forgive yourself for not living up to your former standards...but you're working on something bigger.