In this day and age it is almost impossible to not deal with a certain amount of stress. It is a nast bugger of a thing that can compromise your immune system, cause digestional upset, affect your sleep, the quality of your skin, as well as your blood pressure and other cardiac problems. Stress is a serious issue, so here are a few ways I use to help melt the stress off of me.
- Exercise
I know this one can be a pain in the butt. And in particular if you don’t have time/motivation to do cardio some simple stretches focused mostly on your shoulders can be extremely therapeutic.
2. Taking a hot bath OR shower
While a bath is best for the even distribution of heat, sometimes you just don’t have time. If this is the case you can take a few drops of essential oils, like lavender, and put them in the bottom of the shower. I also like to add drops to the top of the shower head so the heat with pitch the lovely smells all around you. I also like to shut off the lights, light a few candles and do some breathing exercises while I imagine physically letting go of whatever problems are plaguing me.
3. GABA
GABA is a lozenge I take when I am driving, its purpose is to relieve anxiety, giving an overall sense of well-being. After I had a child my anxiety went from being something average, to something I have seriously questioned seeing a doctor about. But after introducing GABA to my routine things like my eye twitch have stopped and my anxiety is back to a manageable level. This is not a claim made by manufactures but I notice a significant difference in my memory when I am taking it as well.
4. Meditation
I know this is yet another tedious activity and the inability to adequately meditate can even sometimes add to the stress you are trying to get rid of. I think this is because meditation is something people over think. Yes it is about training your brain to be quiet, but this comes in so many more forms than just sitting on the floor with your hands in your lap saying “om”. I do most of my serious meditation while I am looking in a mirror, or sitting in the bottom of the shower because the hissing water is easy to listen to. You just have to find the practice that best allows you to release the tension: Look at a fire, look at a candle, watch the sky day or night, lay on the floor and listen to music(You can find instrumental versions of your favorite songs even! unless thinking of the lyrics distracts you then other sounds may be more beneficial).
5. A creative outlet
This one is a struggle for me, because I am interested in so many things! I have a blog, a vlog here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZMdWGuI-O8qCKPxypR7Pg?view_as=subscriber countless art projects and business ideas that I just haven’t had time to get around to but the constant flow of ideas is extremely therapeutic.
The moral of this post was to hopefully give some advice, and for you to take any of these ideas and put your own personal spin on it. You should constantly be checking in with yourself and participating in self care at least once a week! Its mostly just that you need to do things that make YOU feel better. But I would suggest not letting TV be your destress. Our brains go into observer mode when we watch tv so it is not actually working through its current problems. If you have any questions please feel free to message me I want to hear from you!
Lyfe of Laci 