5 Ways To Reduce Stress

I don’t know about you, but if there is one thing I need less of in my life it’s stress.  Our families may have many differences but one thing I am sure we would all agree on is our families need more calm and less stress! 

The unbelievable pace we try to live at in our culture is becoming more and more destructive for families.  But we are not prisoners to this breakneck pace.  There is something that can be done about the stress you and your family experiences.

 

 

A lot of stress can be reduced and even removed if you are willing to make some tough choices, and take control over your schedule.

Here are 5 choices that your family can make to reduce your day to day stress.

 

1.      Tame Your Environment.

Make your home a safe, calm refuge from the madness going on in the outside world.  Don’t allow your home environment to grow wild, instead tame it.  Don’t overreact to circumstances of daily home life.  Of course, many issues at home need to be addressed, but when you get angry or frustrated, it’s easy to overreact.  Make the hard choice to cool down in a frustrating situation.  Let the stress levels fall and then deal with the issues at hand.  You will come to find that when you everyone in your family chooses to cool off, most issues aren’t really issues at all.

 

2.      Get Spiritual. 

It may seem like no-brainer.  But when our schedules get busy and things feel out of control the first thing we usually cut is our time with God.  We may think that Sunday Sermons are enough.  But when we cut God out of our daily routine we are making a decision to allow chaos to take over.  Instead of letting time with God slip – set aside time to “get spiritual”.  Make time for God everyday your number one priority.   Set this example and expectation for your family.  When you see things daily from God’s perspective you will focus on what matters and not stress out about what doesn’t.

 

3.      Sweat it Out. 

It’s a scientific fact that people who regularly exercise and eat a balanced diet have less stress than those that don’t.  Make the decision to reduce stress by finding a normal exercise routine.  Join a gym, go to Zumba, play basketball with your kids a couple times a week.  Make the decision to ensure that everyone in your family gets plenty of rest, exercise, and a healthy diet.

 

4.      Be Intentional About Relationships.

 

In our crazy world we are told that things are more important than people.  But the reality is the most important things in this world are the things you carry with you, but the people that carry you through this life.  None are more important than your immediate family. Our families give us with relational connections that will get us through both good times and bad. You know it’s true that when your relationships at home are stressed or strained, everything else in your world is out of alignment.   Set aside time to have meaningful discussions.  Don’t avoid conflict; instead find a healthy way to resolve the issues in your family.

 

5.      Be Flexible. 

The reality is that no family is exempt from hard times in life. Some families experience brief “moments” or hardship while others endure “seasons.”  How we choose to respond to the hard times is what determines if stress will do lasting damage on our family.  Stay flexible when the tough times – do your best to navigate uncharted waters together. 

  

 

In the end, your family’s stress levels have a lot to do with your own choices. You can choose to let busyness, over-commitment, and hard times take their toll on your family, or you can proactively make choices to reduce and eliminate the stress your family experiences. Make the choice today to be more intentional about how you direct your family in this often chaotic world we live in.  Make the choice today to be different and reduce the str