Managing Stress With a Busy Schedule

It's the middle of summer and your kids' sports and activities are in full swing. Add in work and running errands, you might not have much time to sit and relax. Sara Van’t Hul, Behavioral Health Outpatient Manager with Avera, has a few tips to reduce daily stress.

We have a lot of stressors in our life. We get overwhelmed with all the extra activities on top of daily needs. The more honest that you can be with yourself and what level of stress you have, the easier you can manage it.

Get Active

We can all reduce stress by being active. It releases endorphins and helps us with our mental health as well as our physical health. Do whatever works for you – walk, run, swim, play with the kids, go camping or biking.

Get Enough Sleep

Make sure you’re getting good sleep and keep a schedule as much as you possibly can. It’s so easy to let the kids stay up or to be up later because we don’t have to be up so early in the morning. Keeping that strict schedule can help decrease some of that stress. Then you know, this is the time that you go to bed, and you feel so much better when you do have stress.

Be Mindful and Relax

Find ways to connect with others, whether it's through camping or hanging out with the other baseball moms. Be mindful of that time. Be present and don't worry about what your next to-do is. Apply some laughter to reduce stress. It's proven to release happy chemicals in your brain.

Ask for Help

Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Communicate with those around you who can be that support. You can also call to talk with a behavioral health provider for added support.