As we move on from the holiday season, I know many of us hold hopes of less stress. To much of my dismay it appears that 2021 is going to start much like 2020. We are still in the thick of an unprecedented time. This has caused stress in so many ways; from being at home and out of our daily routines, to not being able to see loved ones. This week I would like to address the stress and provide some tips and tricks to help cope in hopes to get on track for 2021.
Stress comes with a whole gamut of physical and emotional symptoms. It also can be a major roadblock when it comes to reaching your goals. I will provide you with some tips and also give you an idea of some of the things I do to help cope with daily stress.
To address stress my most common tip is to write down three or four things you truly enjoy doing. It can be cuddling with your dog, reading a book, writing in a journal, going for a walk. Make it a point to do at least one of those things every single day.
If you are a list maker, planner, write everything down, my challenge to you is to as Elsa would say “ let it go.” Working with moms is so important to me because life is so much different once you have kids. You are in the endless cycle of laundry, dishes and cooking. Do yourself a favor and do not over plan your days. My advice is to only write down the essentials in your day. The things you HAVE to get done. Laundry, dishes, cooking unfortunately are not going anywhere and will still be there tomorrow.
If you are not a planner and often forget important things in your day. My challenge to you is to write it down. Find a place to post it so you see it often, this will relieve the stress caused by not completing something.
As you work through the stress, I want you to take time to write down the situations that cause you the most stress. For example, I hate being late and having three kids all in carseats I often felt overwhelmed when trying to get everyone in the car. Knowing this I decided to give myself more time. I walk out of the door 5 minutes earlier than needed and this relieved so much stress. I don’t feel the need to run to the car and yell at every kid to hurry up along the way, it makes it a much more enjoyable time for both myself and the kids.
My last tip is to know what you can control. As you go through your day there are going to be many elements that are not in your control. If you are not in control, stressing over it will not be productive. Do the things you can control and release the rest.
Everyday I practice daily gratitude. This was a game changer for me because I started to really look at life for all the good it holds rather than harping on the bad. This has carried over to my everyday life and I move in a much more positive mindset. This reduces stress in so many situations. I also take 5 minutes a day to mediate, in my practice I often have “questions” that I present to the universe and just sit in silence in hopes that those questions will come back with answers. This practice will look different for everyone and it is important to make it your own. On my list of things I truly enjoy is taking a long shower. I often end my days like that and overall helps my quality of sleep at the end of day.
If you ranked your stress high in your life, I challenge YOU;
1. Identify the source of the stress
How can I make this situation less stressful? Is this situation really within my control?
2. Write down 3 or 4 things you really enjoy
Do at minimum one of those things each day.
3. If you overplan let it go. If you underplan write it down.
A healthy body starts with a healthy mind. I can give you exercises and workouts but if we don’t approach life with the right mindset very little progress is going to be made
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