I walked into the kitchen one day and waded into a sea of suds. I looked up from my suds soaked toes – shocked to see that my dishwasher had exploded. Freeze frame. Just a few days earlier the top of my head would have flown off. But at this moment I was proud of my reaction. The top of my head remained intact as I am learning to check my stress at the door.

I have admitted in the past, that I am addicted to stress. No – let me do this the correct way. Hi, my name is Michelle and I am a stress addict. Now in unison – “Hi Michelle”. When it comes to stress I am like the crack addict who hates the pipe but takes puff after puff.

Well that is all different now. I think less stress makes me a better Mom. Why? Dah!!! Stressed out Moms yell (and sometimes much worse). I am taking steps to leave my very loud past behind me.

I recently saw a list of 100 things you can do to alleviate stress. Here is my interpretation of the best ones. Jot down a few – they could considerably reduce the decibel level in your house too.

1. Be grateful for life- it isn’t perfect but it is precious. That ought to make you smile.
2. Get off the “what if” rollercoaster – it is an endless ride.
3. The one with the most tasks DOESN’T win. Multi-tasking lowers productivity and multiplies stress. (Imagine that – doing one thing at a time is the best way to get things done. Who knew?)
4. Stress is more about perception than reality. Yes I know some situations are just bad, but your attitude still plays a key role in how you navigate that challenge.
5. Kill stress with positive words and actions. Some experts say it takes two positive words to counter every negative word (others say that positive to negative ratio is as high as five to one).
6. Learn to let others lend a helping hand to you. Givers-like me have a hard time receiving, but I keep telling myself that others enjoy giving as much as I do.
7. Don’t sweat the small stuff. And there is more small stuff than you think.
8. Swapping sleep for work is only a band-aid solution to your problems. You may be able to cross a few things off the list in the short term but you get less done in the long term.
9. Don’t get so emotional about every little thing. I think that is directly related to your level of sleep deprivation. When I am overly tired, I am a big cry baby.
10. Forgive yourself and others for mistakes along this journey. The reward of letting go of the past is peace.

So with mop in hand, I soaked up my troubles and stress – along with the bubbles. My daughter and I bonded over a sudsy kitchen floor. I hope that she learns to model my new found behavior. Don’t let stress stick around long enough to become distress. Plenty of things will happen that you can’t control –that is not important. What is more important is your attitude and reaction to what life throws at you. A good attitude is part of the inheritance I hope to leave for my little girl.

Editor’s Note: Michelle Harris is a freelance writer, living in Columbia, SC. She spends most of her time acting as chauffer and chief financial backer to her 20 year-old daughter Melanie. Professionally, she is a communications professional and media personality. She also owns her own media and marketing firm, Connectix Media and Marketing and is pursuing a Master’s degree. According to Michelle, she has decided to postpone any hope of sleeping until she graduates in Jan. 2016.

  Healthy Cities, Mental Health