“Negativity” makes me crazy. At a networking event, I was speaking to another entrepreneur about the merits of social media. He felt that social media was a waste of time and anyone who used it was making a big mistake. Then he quickly changed the subject and told me about the terrible selection of breakfast food being served. I felt my stress level rising as I don’t feel comfortable with negative people. My first reaction was to tell him about the benefits of being positive. Instead, I just smiled and remained quiet.

Later, while driving home, I was angry at myself for not saying anything. I thought of ways in which I could have responded, especially about social media. I could have told him how social media has helped my blog to grow and allowed me to read posts from my grandchildren and learn about friend’s happy occasions. I promised myself that next time, I will share my thoughts instead of smiling and remaining quiet. Let’s take bets it will never happen.

Whenever I am overwhelmed – with answering too many emails, going out every night of the week, doing taxes, or cooking meals – I start shoving food into my mouth. Start with crackers, peanut butter from the jar, ice cream, and anything else that is crunchy or sweet, and always end the binge with fruit.

In order to control these bingeing tactics, I could meditate, take long walks, or call a friend to vent and find solutions. Recently, I have been trying these techniques and sometimes they work. I need to practice more. In some ways stress can be healthy, as it helps me cope with demanding situations.

Life can be very stressful at times. Especially during the pandemic and winter storms, being home can become  quite taxing. How much Netflix or Amazon Prime can you watch? I limit myself to watching television after 6:00pm, starting with the news channel. I just become depressed after listening to news about shootings, fires, what is happening with Russia, etc.

Thankfully I facilitate discussion groups on Zoom. Every Tuesday morning at 10:30, a group of between 15 and 20 people meet on Zoom to watch a TED Talk (Technology, Entertainment, and Design). The presentations are usually 10 minutes long, discussing topics from climate change and creating a healthy lifestyle to starting businesses in third world countries – and the list goes on. I also facilitate a book group, in which we read and discuss books on self-development or famous women. In the comment section below, let me know if you are interested in joining one of the groups and I can forward you the information.  

After I finish writing my blog post for the week, I am going to take a long walk: the temperature is close to 70 degrees, many people are out walking, and it gives me an opportunity to see some of my neighbors after the winter storms.

What have you been doing to reduce your stress levels? Let’s start a community by sharing our ideas and helping one another to live a more peaceful life. Click on the button below and leave your ideas. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Helen