Seven Steps to Zero Stress

You don't get ulcers from what you eat. You get them from what's eating you.

We all know Stress is bad for us...I am sure a lot of us struggle to find our Qi in this busy maze of life. I have been working on myself to see how I could reduce stress in my life and here are the  7 things that work for me right now ( I am sure it will change over time but definitely works right now...)

1. Establish a Routine: When you establish a routine, the difficult becomes routine. If I took all the things on my plate in its entirety, I get stressed. Instead when there is a routine things fall into place and things look more manageable
2. Give Yourself Time to Grieve: Whether it is a picture, talking to my mother, just listening to a song or even browsing the internet, I think of my father at least twice in an hour.I don't try to dodge the grief and let the emptiness take over for a little while, then I hit the gym and the endorphins banish the grief ( there is the knowledge that it will come back but I am ok with it)...there is the knowledge that sad and happy can coexist.
3. Make a Grateful List : This was the last piece of advice I got from my father and internalized ( I blogged it)...I  make a grateful list every night and I keep this list simple and handwritten.
4. Don't Try to Be Perfect : I have always struggled to keep the house clean, the pantry organized, all the  bills paid up, with healthy meals on the table, have all my work checklists checked. The feeling of guilt when we eat out is acute...however, what I have realized is it's not ok to stress - the laundry will wait a day or two, we can eat out or outsource the food making, I don't have to dust and mop and clean everyday, and sometimes me not getting a to-do item done at work is not the end of the world, it will hold till tomorrow...as my Dad says it...All is Well!
5. Focus on the success inherent in failure : I have learnt from my successes and failures...I have watched Bapa find positivity in adversity and what that has taught me is that Failure is a great teacher...it teaches you patience, acceptance, humor and humility...more often than not it makes you appreciate the folks who are less fortunate and it makes any sense of entitlement I feel disappear...so what if I have a full time job and have to juggle that with home stuff...the lady who cleans my house goes to adult school (to learn English) every night, she is 3 months pregnant, there is a 18 month old at home, she cleans homes 50 hours a week and she doesn't have a husband home to help her financially or with her child...
6. Take K2 to the Farmer's Market : Need I say more ;)
7. Focus on the now

Things are a little full at work this week (fiscal year end)...K2 has 2 weeks of 1st Grade left and his play "Hansel & Gretel Eat Right" happens this week...he is the Raccoon...How is your week looking? What's cooking in your kitchen? There is some chatpata chaat in our future this week :)