Decom-Stress Your Life

By Debora M. Coty–

Women are like little pots of oatmeal. Well, maybe not quite as gray and squishy, but humor me here for a moment.

At the beginning of the day we simmer – little manageable bubbles of stress rise to the surface and dissipate as they harmlessly pop. But as the day progresses, the heat escalates and the oatmeal boils higher and wilder and meaner until it finally overflows and spoils everything around it with a sticky, ugly, nasty mess.

That would be you, at about 4 p.m. Am I right? My BOOP theory (Boiling Oatmeal Overflow Phenomenon) most certainly describes me on any given day when stress threatens a frustration boil over. The trick, I’ve found, is to know when – and how – to remove the pot from the burner before the combustion.

By the way, we over 50 gals know that BOOP has a way of volcanically erupting in the wee hours of the night too, right? (It must have been a woman who coined that phrase on a 2 a.m. potty run.) I asked Papa God for more hours in the day to get things done and He sent me menopause. Now I have half the stinkin’ night too.

In honor of the recent release of my Too Blessed to be Stressed Journal (Woohoo! My first book in Cracker Barrel!), I’d like to share a few tips from my book, Too Blessed to be Stressed, about how to avoid BOOP and enjoy living decom-stressed.

• Physically remove yourself from the stress source. Even if it means just stepping outside for a few minutes or locking yourself in your closet for a mommy time out. Air out your brain. Take deep breaths to release muscle tension. Ask Papa God for His peace. Regroup.

• Give your constipated calendar an activities enema. Eliminate the nonessentials. Determine the top 3 priorities that Papa God has assigned to you at this season of your life. Sit down with your calendar and red pen; slash everything non-conducive to those priorities. Ruthlessly trim the fat. You’ll reduce stress at the same ratio you reduce black letters on your calendar. Find some white space in each day.

• Take power naps. Scientific evidence proves that napping improves health, boosts creativity, and increases memory. Napping is stress-unloading at its finest. And it it’s great for family dynamics because when we women miss our nappy, ain’t nobody happy.

• Communicate with Papa God every day. Pray as if your life depends on it … because it does! Read life’s instruction manual – make a plan and stick to it in immersing yourself in the Word daily. Be refreshed by Papa God’s presence. This is how we replenish our depleted reserves. Trust me, girlfriend – it’s better than Calgon!

• Ask for help. Delegate responsibilities and chores. Hire help if you can afford it; if you can’t, beg. Give up perfectionism. Nobody’s perfect but Jesus, and you’re not him.

• Take laugh breaks. Lighten up! Remember: The joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh. 8:10). Some say Christians should be sober and serious and silent as the grave, but I say Jesus came out of the grave and that’s the best reason in the world to celebrate!

Sister, my heart’s with you as you begin to decom-stress your life. Check out my 2-Minute Stress Buster videos at www.DeboraCoty.com, (the blooper’s great for a belly laugh). And may your blessings outweigh your stressings!

Debora Coty is a humorist, popular speaker and award-winning author of numerous women’s inspirational books, including Too Blessed to be Stressed, Fear, Faith, and a Fistful of Chocolate and Too Loved to be Lost. Deb lives, loves, and laughs in central Florida with her long suffering husband, Chuck, and desperately wicked pooch, Fenway. Visit with Deb at www.DeboraCoty.com.