Stress Management Practices, Part 1: Commute

Managing stress does not remove the stressful situation. Stress management decreases the impact of stress on the body, mind and spirit. I am beginning a month of focusing on stress and how to find ways to manage it.

Reframe your perspective and see new ways to deal with what is actually happening. We often go into situations, over and over, and still let it bother us. Traffic is a good example. You know what kind of commute you have and where along the route there is almost always a back up. If this causes you to stress out something needs to change. Many people change their hours, change the route they take or use mass transit.

If none of these are options work for you, try changing your perspective. Remind yourself of why you chose to live where you live. Do you have more land and open space for you to plant a garden? Maybe it is better schools for your children, or simply the cost. You keep this job because it pays your rent and/or it is a good opportunity for you. If you know your ‘why,’ you can decide to make some changes or realize this is how things need to be for now. Keep in mind that your time is valuable so the money you save in housing you may be paying for with your time. Once you know what is and is not an option for you, you have the opportunity to change the impact of this stress.

Make peace with the choice you made. More importantly, don’t let the stress create more of a burden on your systems than it already is. Take deep breaths, set your goal to get home or to work in a realistic amount of time. Keep in mind encountering slow drivers, backups and more than your share of red lights. If you get home earlier take that as a victory and if it takes you the time you expected it is still a victory. Do not set yourself up for failure.

Use the time you are in the car in slow traffic to good use. Avoid adding to your stress by doing business phone calls and do something to put yourself in a good place. A mix of your favorite music can set your mood. You can vary music depending upon what is happening in your day. If you want to nail a presentation put on music that makes you feel strong and empowered. If you have a lot of desk work to do pick something that settles you down but keeps you feeling alert. A podcast you download or stream can be good. Other options are audio books, nothing too intense. Choose something light to divert you from the commute and not distract you while driving.

Simple breathing practices are good at any time during the day. Try a practice when you are stuck in traffic or at a stop light. Here are a few simple choices:

Purse Lipped breath: Inhale normally and exhale with lips together like you are blowing on hot soup on a spoon.
Belly Breath: Bringing the breath down to the very base of your lungs and focus on expanding the lower ribs. Feel the abdomen move as the breath fills the lungs.
Three Part breath: Filling lungs from the base of lungs to the rib cage and into the chest. Exhale out from chest to the rib cage to the abdomen.

No, this will not make your commute shorter or make the stop light change, but it does something more important. It starts, in small ways, to increase your tolerance to stress. Use coping techniques for smaller stresses. Use your favorite technique and then apply them to more difficult situations.

There are many benefits of stress reduction in the short term. You will find you may be happier and that you treat those around you better. Long term benefits are important for your health. It has been proven that, over time, stress can impact your heart, your digestion, and your brain. The stress reaction also lingers longer when you age. Just as every system of the body slows down so does the stress reaction. Hormones and chemicals are released in response to stress. They get processed and then leave the body. As you get older the process slows down and maintain their effects longer. Stress impacts the circulatory system, digestive system, and the clarity of your mind. In stress you are more single minded on the stressor. Your ability to consider options, make decisions, and recall information are compromised. When you learn to decrease or mitigate stress you DEAL with it in a way that does not cause harm.

How do you deal with stress now? What new things can you do to help keep stress in perspective?