Your mind is racing. You can’t get your blood pressure down. You’re sick. You’re tired. You have more illnesses and aches and pains than you can count. A good day is you managed to get up and actually eat breakfast. You yelled at other drivers on your way into work. The kids got snapped at and you just wanted to ask your spouse ‘now what do you want?’
You’re letting life stress you out!
Yes, you read that correctly. You’re LETTING life stress you out.
Stop, take a moment and take three deep breaths. Just allow yourself to breathe in and up….out and down. Repeat. And, repeat again. This is one of the fastest ways I know to decrease the immediate stress your body and mind are under. (It even works with toddlers throwing temper tantrums.)
Learning to let go and relax is not something most of us are taught, well, not unless you have some very open minded parents. Many of us use ‘bad’ ways to de-stress: drinking, smoking, eating, and anything else we can think of to do in excess to punish our bodies rather than nourish them.
- Learn to Breathe. Just take a few moments a day to breathe in and up, out and down. Try it three times and then see how you feel.
- Eat Better. You’ll feel lighter, healthier and happier. AND, you won’t get that mid-afternoon lull.
- Drink More Water. We’re constantly dehydrated. Just do it!
- Exercise. If you’ve been inactive, other than your brain, for most of the day, it’s time to get up and get moving!
- Sleep. Most of us are also sleep deprived. Staying up late to study or work? Getting a good night sleep will allow you to be far more productive tomorrow.
- Learn the art of saying ‘NO’. Yes, I’ll take that project. Sure I can bake cookies. Oh, I can be there. Learn to pick and choose where you’re spending the time. Sometimes, it’s just best to stay no, I can’t do that.
- Listen to Yourself. If you’re tired, sleep. If you need a break, take one. If you need a kick in the butt, call up a friend or a coach. But learn to listen.
- 7.5 Create a Ritual. Create a ritual (a healthy one, eating an entire pizza to de-stress is NOT a healthy ritual!).
It’s about learning to manage our fight or flight response. Don’t let others stress you out unnecessarily. Learning to combat can bring an amazing sense of calm to your life and leave you open to health and well-being, and a lot more energy to get things done!
Namaste
~Stacia