Take a deep breath

It’s over! For those of us at the Utah Association of Special Districts and our members, the Utah State Legislature’s general session represents a spirited six weeks that can leave you exhausted by the final roll-call.

Some feel like climbing into bed for a week or heading out of town for a quick change of pace. Others find themselves battling illnesses.

It’s not your imagination. A 2015 study in Taiwan found that most trips to the emergency room happen on weekends. When the stress of work is over, the let-down effect kicks in. Another study, conducted in 2014 at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, found chronic conditions tend to flare up during that same let-down period.

So what can you do to de-stress and put your health back in sync? Here are a few tips.

• Make time to exercise, sleep and relax, even when you’re working on a big project. (We know it’s a little late for this now.) That’s easier said than done, of course, but it will save you a lot of grief in the long run.
• Afterward, try to work in some moderate exercise. Give yourself a little mental stimulation as well, whether you play a computer game or challenge your kids to a game of chess. Don’t forget to eat right and to cut back on the caffeine and sugar. It makes a difference.
• Take a deep breath. When we give in to stress, we tend to take shallower breaths, which in turn don’t give our bodies what they need to fight back. Take it a step further and try some yoga or even a few minutes of meditation. It works!
• During stressful work periods and afterward, find a quiet place where you can escape.

Before you know it, you’ll be ready to take on the world again.