Stressed Out to the MAX? Use These 10 Essential Strategies For Your Best Self-Care

I did a thing.

The other day, I took an unusual action for me. I cut out the emblem of my Harvard sweatshirt, which was given to me as a gift by someone extraordinary. I don’t believe Harvard is extraordinary anymore.

There are days that I don’t know whether I will burst into tears, yell and scream, or get physically sick from what I see in the news. Does this sound familiar?

Each day, I see more and more posts from people who share that they are concerned about their “mental health.” And the people talking about this do not typically post this information in “public.”

Stress levels are off the charts because of the national and world events. With the unprovoked attack on Israel on October 7th by terrorist Hamas, the hostages still in captivity, the loss of life each day, the rise of antisemitism worldwide, the horrific acts of Jewish hate on school campuses, and the list goes on and on. Also, many of us have friends or family in Israel, which raises our stress levels even higher.

One of the saddest things is discovering who will and won’t support us during this dark time.

The truth is we are grieving for all of the losses we are currently experiencing. Most are happening outside of our control.

You probably need to pay more attention to your stress level, which is rising. Your work performance may suffer and your positivity is dropping daily. As a result, you could end up with health issues, as 90% of all chronic illness is related to stress. That’s not good for you and it’s not good for me.

None of us are superheroes, as much as we want to be. We’re not machines and we get depleted. When I was a senior flight attendant, we’d tell the passengers to put the oxygen mask on themselves first. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t help others.

When the pandemic was at its height, I offered stress reduction workshops to help the doctors, nurses, techs, and admins, as each day was a challenge dealing with more unknowns.

Here are essential mindset and neuroscience strategies that you need to put in place now:

-Set Boundaries. Put limits on what you’re willing to do. This may be less than before October 7th, and that’s okay. Your energy is depleted and you need to care for yourself and focus on what’s important.

-Limit Your Time On Social Media. Social media is addictive, and as a result, it raises our levels of dopamine, leaving us always wanting more. We could scroll on a feed from now until forever (which is what the social media companies want us to do). If you have time read “Stolen Focus,” this will explain how social media controls our minds. Lastly, protect your energy before reading any traumatic posts.

-Happy Activities. Make sure you include daily activities that make you happy. Whether it’s playing with your pet, family time, date night, sports activities, reading a book, or whatever you enjoy. Get or give a hug. Pet your dog. Listen to your cat purr. Your brain needs this as it will release serotonin and dopamine to help lift your mood. I recently learned MahJongg, which gives me time for fun, connection, and relaxation.

-Sleep. Are you getting eight hours of sound sleep each night? I’ll bet most of you aren’t and there may be a lot of tossing and turning. If you do nothing else, a whole night’s sleep will give you the energy and brain power to go through the day. Also, make an extra effort to eat healthy and watch your sugar intake.

-Support. Get support from a coach (me), support group, family member, or friends. Have a safe place where you can share your feelings and learn to feel in control by taking your power back instead of feeling powerless.

-Breathe. When we’re stressed, we tend only to take shallow breaths. Practice taking deep breaths and slowing down your central nervous system. Breathe through your nose, hold it briefly, and breathe out.

-Take Time For You. We need to allow ourselves time to process what is going on. This doesn’t mean taking a vacation (unless you want to). You need to give yourself time to just “be, ” whether short breaks throughout the day or time for a walk to clear your head. Treat yourself to something special that gives you pleasure, such as a massage.

-Show Appreciation. With all the craziness, your brain must know that good is also happening. Each day, list three things you are appreciative of. Better yet, share those things with others.

-Respond Instead Of React. Slow down. Take a few breaths or walk away before taking action. If you can, sleep on it. With high emotions, you want time to think about your decisions instead of going into “fight or flight” mode. One of the best modalities I use (and I happen to be a leading expert in) is “EFT/tapping“.

Don’t Take Things Personally. Most people who hate don’t even know why they hate. It’s learned behavior, as we’re not born with it. There’s more on this subject here.

Bonus Strategy:

Take action and give back.
Donate your time or money to an organization that supports your belief.
Reach out to someone feeling alone and isolated during this time. When you give back, it raises your endorphins, which makes you feel better and lowers your stress.

I could give you at least one hundred more amazing, powerful, and proven strategies. Start with one or two and then add on.

Take time to take care of yourself.

None of this will change past events. We will never forget the atrocities that have happened to Israel or widespreading antisemitism against Jewish people. Hopefully, however, it will allow you to go through your days with a bit more ease than you’ve been experiencing since October 7th.

If you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into this subject through a workshop or presentation for your company/organization or executive coaching for personalized work, please get in touch with my team for more information.

Be Brilliant,