Simple Stress Management For Busy Women Wearing Different Hats

Well hello dear readers! How was your week? Mine was busy as usual. If you don't know it yet, I work full-time in Makati (aargh, everyday traffic), plus I blog, plus I am preparing for our upcoming wedding. So just imagine how insane I could get at times especially when I realize that I haven't done or asked our home angels to do the pamamalengke! Nakakaloka actually.

We do all have duties and responsibilities at home and work, and if like me you have extra-curricular activities that you pursue because of your passion for that/those crafts.. then, chances are, you too get stressed out with expectations and deadlines to meet. Waaahh! So, if not the pamamalengke schedule ang task that you forgot to do, then it should be something else.. like the laundry?

My weekends are limited until the BIG day comes. So most of the weekends lately are spent going to the prospective wedding venue or suppliers to finally nail down the major wedding details. If not for the wedding, we could be spending it more going out with the family or maybe attending my son's first day in his voice training (which I sadly missed) or sending the prizes to my giveaway winners or yun nga doing the pamamalengke and cooking more at home.

Buti na lang, I have my hubby who understands the demands from different activities pulling me from one end to the other, the pressures at work, and who simply makes me laugh out loud to release the anxieties I may feel. I have my kids to hug, kiss, and play with. I have my friends to help me take a breather during breaks in the office. There are salons where I could spend my-me-time and feel beautiful kahit stressed. Lastly, I can take a solo moment to be still and just pray.

STRESS by definition is a noun which means pressure or tension exerted on a material object or a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances (source: Google).

As a woman, naniniwala akong we all have these daily pressures from the different roles that we portray each day. With the different roles, of course we all have different responsibilities and tasks to complete which give us pressure right? Here are mine:

As a Wife - I have to give love and support to hubby all the time. Be an active listener and conversationalist while he shares how his day went. Be able to take care of him and feed him too.
As a Mom - I have to ensure I prepare all their daily needs and school needs. I have to make sure they eat nutritious food, their personal and school needs are complete, their extra-curricular activities or play schedules are met, that I drop everything when I get home to bond with them during dinner while sharing how work or school for the day was, and that I teach house chores or life lessons/principles/values or discipline them when needed. In short, full attention, love, affection and all out mommyhood as much as possible.
As a Career Woman - I have to meet deadlines for multiple projects happening at the same time. I have to hit volume targets, manage budgets, keep good rapport with teammates and meet my KPIs and team's KRAs.
As a Blogger - There are times I also have to meet deadlines from clients and readers (in fact, I have four right now from clients and my super duper delayed prize shipment to my giveaway winners) and also personal content which I want to share on the blog but find it challenging to find time (such as my exciting and informative wedding preps, my dining experiences in restos, life events, mommy life hacks, and practical tips and tricks too!).

So how do I ~~still~~ manage all these pressures and stresses? I'm not going to say it's simple because it isn't really. I'm also not an expert at it but I manage to still be sane, still laugh, still be a crazy friends, still have fun, still meet blog assignments, still play with the kids, and still have me-time. It's an intentional activity, actually, everything naman in my life right now is intentional and simplified. Yes, simplified not complicated. I guess that's one of the keys why even if I have different pressures from different strings, it's not as stressful as it could have been before, because I learned how to simplify my life.

Here are some Simple Stress Management Tips for Busy Women:

Source

List down tasks - Although I know you could rely on your mental list, it's still better to back it up with written or digital lists. Segregate tasks for home, for office, for your personal hobbies or passions (in my case it's blogging), and for your me-time! For these lists, also mark which are your priorities. When you finish task after task, cross it out. Ahh, believe me, it's therapeutic to crossing out accomplished tasks on your list! :)
Manage your time - We have deadlines because time is of element right? That's what's giving us stress sometimes, deadlines. We tend to rush or cram because we weren't able to schedule tasks correctly. At work I list down all tasks and do a Gantt Chart to plot the time of the week or the month to complete my tasks. I don't do the timeline charts at home, but I do have a calendar where I list all my personal meetings, events, birthdays, and schedule. It helps organize my busy schedule.
Ask help - At work, I call it delegation. At home I call it distribution of chores, in blogging, I call it consultation. Asking help doesn't make you less of a person or doesn't mean you're incompetent or clueless of your tasks. Having an extra hand could make life easier, finish tasks faster and efficient.
Take a break - When things are not going your way or you missed a deadline or an important event or you're just simply challenged, it helps to take a break. In the office, walk to the pantry, have coffee, drink water, or simply look away from the computer and stretch. At home, take a break by taking a nap or watching #AlDub or any funny movie or series. Taking your mind off from the frustrating tasks gives you a fresh perspective and outlook therefore you come back to accomplishing your tasks with a clearer mind.
Laugh Out Loud - They say, laughter is the best medicine, yes that's true for me! It's not easy to shift from one grueling moment to laughing. But simply talk to a spouse or a best friend and laugh at yourselves or past events para good vibes. Laughing replaces your stress easily and lightens the mood. Laughter also strengthens immunity, reduces blood pressure and stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline), releases happy hormones called endorphins, improves alertness and creativity, and could be a great ab workout! Want a six pack abs? Laugh more often! :)
Accept that nobody's perfect - Yes that's right! No matter how we put standards on our own, accept that there will be countless times that we don't meet our own expectations for ourselves. So if we fail our own standards, don't pull your hair or bang your head on the wall, you can always re-calibrate your own expectations.
Never compare yourself to others - We all know how cynical and competitive others could be whether at work at matters of household management, parenting, and in my case, blogging, but always remember, it stresses you more if you live up to other people's expectations. My personal matra is to do my best all the time. To better my already best and keep on improving! It's not impressing others, it's doing things heartfully for myself, for the people I love, and for the Big Guy up there!

I am a work in progress, these are things I intentionally do to de-stress. But of course I'm only human, sometimes I lose it but what keeps myself together is also breathing deeply in and out, keeping my focus on the most important things in life, knowing my purpose for doing or accomplishing tasks, and simplifying everything. The less complicated processes and personal matters are, the better. The more simple and intentional life we live, the more happiness it will bring to us. Living simply makes us see the people and things which are more important in life: God, spouse, kids, our blessings, love from family and friends, and happiness.

Have a stress-free weeks ahead loves!

RELEVANT ARTICLES ON STRESS MANAGEMENT:

How To Deal With Stress

~Do you have any more tips to add on my list? Do share below!~

Louise Antonette

Hi, I'm Louise Fandiño Santos, a wife, a mom of all boys and a campaigns strategist by profession. My family, singing, flowers, chocolates, coffee, and traveling make me happy. I passionately blog about pretty and practical things and choices concerning motherhood, relationships, food, travel, events, and shopping. MORE?