{Got Stress}

(image found on the web using the image search "stress")

My friend Carol was inspired to write the poem below "Get Taped" while trying to find some ways to help relieve stress via the internet. She found the article entitled "Five Ways to Reduce Stress" in the LDS magazine "Liahona" and was inspired to write her poem. She shared it with her friends on facebook and I am so glad she did because it's a great poem and full of useful information to help relieve stress. I am always looking for ways to relieve stress.

I know I have stressers in my own life and it's always a great to have many ways to help relieve stress and this is a good reminder of how to relieve the many stresses in our lives.

Enjoy!

Get Taped

Carol Louise © 2010

When life just gets you down

And you don't know what to do

Here's something that I've found

To help you make it through

This tip will help you mend

The stress to have escaped

And put your woes to end

It is simple...Just get TAPED

T- Take a break

A - Aske for help

P - Prioritize

E - Eliminate nonessential

D - Do it: just do what needs to be done and do it

These are but just five ways

To help you with your stress

T'will lighten up your days

And help clean up your mess

and onto the article that inspired the poem:

Five ways to Reduce Stress

by Paula J. Lewis

article found in the Sept. 2000 Liahona

Feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges? Ask our Father in Heaven for help, and consider these approaches to reducing stress.

1. Prioritize. If you feel you are trying to do too much, examine what you are doing. Some activities are less important than others and require less time and attention. Decide what is best for you to do, then focus on those priorities. Separate the essential from the nonessential. Essentials include rest, nutritious food, prayer, exercise, Church callings and attendance, and scripture study. Other priorities depend on your own circumstances.

2. Take a break. Another way to relieve stress is to take a break from your normal routine. Such a break could be a half-hour nap, a walk, or a family activity.

3. Ask for help. If you need help from others, ask for it. One overburdened mother prayed for guidance, discussed her feelings with her husband, and then presented her concerns during a family council. The family decided to divide up many of the evening chores. As they worked together, the mother began to feel better and the family grew closer.

In another family, the birth of a disabled baby quickly overwhelmed the parents’ resources. But with the daily help of Relief Society sisters, the parents were able to manage their responsibilities.

4. Eliminate nonessentials. Another way to deal with stress is to eliminate some items from your to-do list. One year our local school could not find enough volunteers to

hold an elaborate holiday carnival. When the event had to be canceled, parents planned small, manageable parties instead.

5. Do it. There will be times when, through prayer, we realize the best option is just to do what needs to be done. At such times, we need to remember that those who “put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions” (Alma 36:3).

As we attempt to do what is best, always praying for confirmation, Heavenly Father will help us resolve our concerns. With His help, we can use our time and talents wisely, bring balance into our lives, and find joy in the many tasks before us.