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Coping 101 - Part two

© Sandra Nasser

Hey everyone, What a great day this is going to be! Positive! We are thinking positive right? If you've read my article "Coping- part one," I hope it has helped thus far. Part two is the continuation and addresses more information on coping positively. Such topics will include Eating healthy, managing time to plan days and controlling feelings. All contribute to a more positve and healthy way of caring for a child or adult with a disability.

There is nothing more important in life than eating healthy, exercising, and getting plenty of rest. Its's imperative for full function of physical and mental health. Number one, start by being aware of how much your eating and what your eating. Remember healthy food is energy food. Limit sugars, fat and salt. Eating a well balanced diet in moderation filled with, meat and fish, whole grains and lots of fruit and vegetables. Begin an exercising program, start slow, put 10 minutes aside and take a brisk walk, And make sure, very important, at least 8 hours of sleep a night. A Promise and a fact, stress levels will absolutely decrease.

Balancing your time is like balancing a checkbook. Time is quite precious to all. You have heard yourself say, "There is not enough time in the day or I'm always running. We think we are superman or superwoman and suddenly become overwhelmed.. So now go to the stationary store and invest in a date book or desk calender. What ever suits you. Before you go to bed ( this works for me) or before your day begins, write everything down that needs to done. Make sure you enter that ten minutes for yourself. Next, prioritize number each activity from most important to least important. Allow yourself sufficient time for each activity. If you need to write an approximate time next to each activity, do so. Ok let's try, take a deep breath, exhale, and begin your day. Remember, whatever doesn't get done today there is always tomorrow.

Now that we are in control of our diets and daily activities this is the beginning to will help control those out-of-control feelings felt at times. Being overwhelmed provokes mood elevations. The majority of people when stressed out this is when negative thoughts emerge. Don't let them get the best of you. The key terms, "Be positive" surpass the negative thought with positive ones. Never use the statement, "I'll never", instead use "I will or "I can do this." You'll see your energy and confidence come back. Learning to recognize your moods when they're about to arise will help you gain control of your behavior. An exercise to do when your feeling negative thoughts or frustrated would be to take that deep breath and count to ten. It's simple, however it really works.

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