If you love what you do and do what you love, you may be so into your job that it is slowly killing you. Take a moment to prioritize what’s important in life and evaluate if the stress you feel now will be worth the payoff in the long run. Are you working toward a retirement of relaxation, or does the intensity of life feel like it might never end? Stress can wreak havoc on the human body; physically, it can raise blood pressure and cholesterolâ€"leading to heart diseaseâ€"cause migraines, generate anxiety, and fuel an addictionâ€"be it cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, or eating. Don’t be a victim of your own success: be proactive and work every day to fight the harmful effects of stress. This is, of course, easier said than done, but you can easily make today the first day of the rest of your life. Here are few tips to point you down the right path: Baby Steps Rome wasn’t built in a day. Don’t try and turn your whole life around in a day or even a month. Set attainable goals for yourself so when you achieve them you feel a sense of accomplishment. Don’t try to quit smoking the day a big project is due at work, and a brand new 30-minute exercise regimen shouldn’t be started a week before your first child is due. For instance, if losing weight is something that you feel a lot of anxiety about, don’t set out to lose 150 pounds. Set out to lose 5 pounds and see how it feels and how much work it takes to get there. If you lose 5 pounds in one week, don’t double it the next week thinking you’ll work twice as hard. Instead, try to lose 5 pounds againâ€"two weeks in a row. Consistency and quality are better than quantity. Make Permanent Changes While taking baby steps, take them towards things that you can change easily and won’t be as inclined to relapse on. You might eventually be able to quit eating fatty foods and snacks altogether, but at first try to eat less of them in a sitting. Changing part of a habit is much easier than changing a whole habit. And, speaking of habits, try to replace bad habits with good ones. A major complaint of people trying to quit smoking is that they don’t know what to do with their time. Instead of smoking a cigarette, go for a walkâ€"find something you enjoy to fill that time and you’ll have an easier time quitting. It’s way easier to wean yourself off walks than it is cigarettes. Find Time for Yourself Our lives in this day and age are packed to the max with responsibilities and obligations. However, in order to reduce stress and stay healthy, it is important to find time for yourself somewhere in the mix. Make at least one hour a week for doing an activity you enjoy, preferably some sort of exercise. Studies show time and again that exercise is the number one thing you can do to preserve the length and quality of your life. Adhere to the Five Factors Research has shown that the top five factors influencing happiness are: Having high self-esteem †Having a positive self-image is important. Worrying about yourself less is less worrying altogether. Don’t forget to take pride in the hard work you do and try to enjoy the fruits of your labor whenever possible. If your body or something about you is a source of stress, do whatever it takes to feel most like yourself. Be optimistic and outgoing †It’s not only important to have a positive image of yourself, but also of the world. Make a habit of finding the positive in even the most difficult situations and you will naturally endure less stress when facing the harshest realities of everyday life. Have Close Friendships and/or a Satisfying Marriage †Feeling connected to creates empathy and trust within you and in others. Biologically, the feeling of connectedness creates an increase in the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin, a chemical largely connected with mood. Furthermore, having good relationships creates a situation in which you are eager to do good for others, something that will improve your self-image. Have Work or Leisure that Engage Your Skills †If you feel underappreciated or underused at your job you probably experience high levels of stress. It is important to feel meaningful in your work, and to have activities outside of your work that you come away from with a sense of success. Having a Meaning †While you don’t necessarily have to be religious, having some sort of faith and something to believe in is pivotal part of healthy living. It’s not only important to feel connected to people, but also feel a connection with the world which you are a part of. Sleep Well and Exercise †This is the big one. A real workaholic could be backed up years on sleepâ€"years he’ll never get back. Furthermore, because stress can make us feel tired and fatigued, exercise is, more often than not, tossed to the wind. The other reason people neglect to exercise is because they feel intimidated by it. In either case, the best exercise is exercise that happens naturally. It’s not necessary to run 6 miles every day. A man in his fifties that wants to reduce stress can improve his health just by taking a walk around his apartment complex once every couple days.
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