Here are 10 ways to beat stress as you get over your divorce:
1. Start the day right. Wake to music on a favorite tape or radio station. Allow yourself a minute or two to open your eyes, breathe deeply, and adjust to being awake. Take a precious 10 minutes for quiet meditation or prayer; this can save you an enormous amount of frustration later in the day.
2. Breathe away your stress. Several times a day, slowly inhale through your nose, feel the air pass deep into your diaphragm, let your abdomen expand to greet it, and feel the invigoration of that fresh breath. Exhale slowly through your mouth and imagine that you are breathing out your stress. Many experts feel the practice of deep breathing (greatly simplified here) is the basis of the relaxation response. There are many tapes and videos that train you to breathe healthfully.
3. Hang on to your humor. What you are going through now may not seem funny, but that's no reason to let your sense of humor wilt. This is the time to maintain a sane perspective, and exploring what you find funny will help. Look for the ridiculous and incongruous rather than the tragic in the news and in your own life. Share your humor with others and revive their sense of fun. Can you laugh at yourself?
4. Keep in touch with those you care about. Pick up the phone and chat with a congenial friend or relative: suddenly you're not isolated with your problems any longer. Send an e-mail or fax to a forgotten friend. Use cheap evening or weekend rates and feel virtuous.
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