Stress reduction

Stress is part of our world. There has always been stress and, I suspect, it will continue to be part of our lives.

The "Work-Life Balance" in today's Globe is titled "Stress belongs in one place: back at the office". Although I believe that there are stresses in our home life, problems are often created at home by the stresses that come from our work. The eight suggestions are very worthwhile remembering and incorporating into our daily routine. They relate to providing that buffer between home and work—on the commute, working at home, being a focused not distracted parent.

There are times when I take the bus home. Often one of my neighbours is on the bus but does not always get off at our common stop. He, in fact, gets off a few stops ahead and walks along a foot path for a few blocks. I suspected what he was doing but one day I asked him. He has three young children and on particularly stressful days he isn't quite ready to see them. Although his commute provides him with that buffer, sometimes it needs to be a little longer.

One friend often said she needs and enjoys a longer commute. Fortunately when she is working, she has a good lengthy drive. I remmeber she referred to it as her time to unwind from the stresses of the day. One of the suggestions is to "treat your commute as a positive time to wind down and start the process of relaxation."

Many years ago, a friend related to me how his father would come in the front door. If he had been a little stressed and entered in a bad mood, he would often turn around and literally say "Let me try this again." And it worked both ways as sometimes there might have been some squabbling going on in the house which wasn't a particularly pleasant greeting in which case he'd turn and leave the house to return moments later hoping the situation had improved. This leads to the 3rd point was that if you need to rant and vent do it on your way home (silently) to yourself..."don't walk in the door at home and rant—nobody deserves such a greeting".

To be mindful of our stresses and to keep them in their rightful place again mentors certain behaviours to our children. Sometimes the stress is so large that we need to let our loved ones know it was a bad day and we need some time and space. But don't use that one too often. It's best to take these suggestions to heart and put our best foot forward.