Mental Health

How to Create a Gratitude Mindset

October 23, 2018 by Marya Leave a Comment

Having an attitude of gratitude means that you make it a daily intention to express thankfulness in every part of your life. Gratitude is essential to staying in the now. And it’s good for you. Gratitude can help to relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and decrease overall chronic pain levels. Read on to learn how to create a gratitude mindset no matter where you are in life right now.

Why Gratitude is Important

Gratitude Relieves Stress. It’s hard to be both stressed out and grateful at the same time. While you can’t always choose your circumstances, you can choose a positive in the midst of it by practicing gratitude every day.

Gratitude Focuses You. In our technology and social media driven society, it’s very easy to to look at what others have and feel like we don’t measure up. Maybe you’re on disability and struggling to make ends meet. Or maybe your friends get to take fabulous vacations every year. Or you look at the carefully curated social updates on your feed and think that everybody has a great life except for you.

But when you embrace gratitude, it helps you to stay in the present and focus on the most important things in life, such as your family, friends, pets and community. Remember, your relationships matter far more than any material thing you might want.

Gratitude Energizes You. Without gratitude, it’s easy to slip into the victim mindset. You tell yourself things like, “I’m just destined to be a loser. I can’t have an amazing life. I’ve never had it easy, so why should I expect anything to change?”

Gratitude empowers you. Instead of being the victim in the story, you become the hero. You write the ending. You’re one who overcomes the odds to build a fulfilling life.

More Positive Benefits of Gratitude

Gratitude is so much more than a mood booster. It can transform every aspect of your life if you’ll allow it to. Here’s some ways that gratitude can help to improve all of your relationships.

Gratitude Heals. In long term relationships, it’s easy to focus on what your spouse is doing wrong or how you feel your friend is never there for you. But harboring these types of attitudes can create a negative loop of thoughts. Maybe you think your husband is lazy. And you keep letting him know. But the more you tell him this, the less he tries. This can set a negative pattern that goes on for months.

Instead of focusing on what others should or shouldn’t doing, think about how they care for you and what you love about them. And then let them know. For example, you might say to yourself, “Yes, my husband just plops on the couch when he gets home from work. But he works so hard to provide for our family and I’m so thankful for that.”

Gratitude Strengthens. You may not realize it but when you’re grateful, it shows up in your relationships. For example, if you’re grateful for your husband, you’re likely to demonstrate this without even realizing it. You take the time to listen to listen to him and make the time to do enjoyable activities together.

When you express gratitude in your relationships, the other person feels valued and heard. As a result, they want to bless you, too. Often, this creates a continuous cycle of generosity that contributes to positive feelings on both sides.

So let your loved ones know how much you appreciate them. You can do this by thanking them for something they’ve done or who they are. For example, you might thank a friend for bringing you cookies after surgery. But you could also thank her for being so thoughtful when you were in the middle of a difficult time.

Relationships are precious and irreplaceable. Spend some intentional time letting a loved one know you care.

How to Create a Gratitude Mindset

A gratitude journal will not change whatever’s going on in your life, but what it can do is to alter your life perspective. A gratitude journal is a worthy investment of intentional time and effort. A gratitude journal is simply a space to record what you are thankful for.

By simply writing down the things that you’re grateful for, positive energy is fostered and increased. While the mundane and unpleasant aspects of life will still exist, they may become dim in the light of a heightened awareness of goodness and wonder. Keeping a gratitude journal can make life burdens feel lighter, or at least more balanced.

If you’re on a mission to start journaling this year, a gratitude journal is a great place to start. With this type of journal, you can write as much or as little as you want every day, use any type of notebook, and just write down what you are grateful for.

Gratitude journals are simple by their very design and are often quicker to write in than full out personal journals. If you don’t have time to write out a full journal entry, just scribbling down some quick thanks is perfect. When you are feeling depressed or are having trouble seeing the light, go back and read your previous entries and gain a new perspective on all that is right with your life, both past and present.

Small Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Health

July 15, 2018 by Marya 8 Comments

Small lifestyle changes can add up to improve your health. Much of what we talked about in this 30 Day Self Care Challenge, and especially the quick stress busting tips might seem kind of small. And when you’re feeling very stressed out and overwhelmed, they may seem like a small drop in the budget. Doing something more radical might be tempting so that you can see faster results.

While doing something as drastic as selling your house, quitting your job, and moving across the country could certainly be an option, it’s not your only one.

All the small changes and tweaks we’ve talked about throughout this self care challenge can add up to improved health and reduced stress. They may seem small but as you become more intentional about them, your efforts will multiply to bring about real changes to your overall health.

The key is to intentionally implement them one at a time and be patient. You’ll get a little bit of stress relief every time you try something new. Even if all you can do right now is getting an extra 20 minutes of sleep per night or starting to doodle when you feel stressed out.

That small beginning will help you to start to feel better right away. And the next small change will move you yet another step in the right direction.

And before you know it, you’ve made great strides towards a more less stress and a more fulfilled life.

The first part is always the toughest. It would be lovely to simply push a button that could make our stress and worries vanish, but that’s not reality!

But you do have the capability and power in you to change your life for the better, just one step at a time. And in the end, that’s much more valuable than a quick fix.

You’ll feel so accomplished with what you’ve done! You’ll be able to enjoy the fun and relaxing lifestyle you’ve created for yourself and your family.

So go ahead start making some small lifestyle changes TODAY. Go back to that list of things you made that stress you out.

Keep working through them. As you declutter your schedule and time goes by you’ll start to see more and more opportunities to for little tweaks and changes that will improve your quality of life. You just have to be mindful of them and then implement them.

As you do this, it won’t take long before you see some positive results. It might also help to remember that you’re not only changing your own life and how you’re feeling, but also the lives of your loved ones. A more relaxed and less stressed partner, parent, and friend is a much more fun to be around than a woman who’s constantly stressed out and snapping at everyone.

5 Small Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Health TODAY

If you’re in a bad place as you’re reading this, here’s a few quick stress busting tips that you can implement right now.

Unplug. Like, right now. Anne Lamotte famously said that “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Take 20 minutes to try something new. It could be reading a new book, meditation, doodling or just going outside for a run or walk.

Drink more water. This can’t be overstated. Many of us are chronically dehydrated and fill up on water and soda. Adequate hydration affects everything from your overall health to your moods.

Just say no. This isn’t always easy or even possible, but carefully evaluate your time commitments and your energy level before you say yes to the next thing. It’s perfectly acceptable to say no when you need to.

Practice gratitude. No matter what’s going on, there’s always something to be grateful for. It can be as simple as telling a family member that you love them and finding something beautiful in nature.

Reflect on how far you’ve come

I have one thing to ask you. Compared to where you were at the beginning of the self care challenge, how much more relaxed are you feeling as you’ve made your way through the challenge?

If you’ve been applying even just some of what I shared with you throughout, you should start to feel less stress and have a calmer, more balanced life.

What has had the biggest impact on you? What tips and ideas have you found the most helpful? Those are the posts that you want to come back to again and again.

Take a few minutes today to reflect on not only how far you’ve come, but more importantly how this simple self care challenge has influenced you to take positive steps to improve your health.

I’d love to hear what positive experiences you’ve had as a result of spending the month working on relaxing more and stressing less?

How to Cope with a Chronic Pain Flare Up

July 13, 2018 by Marya Leave a Comment

If you live with chronic pain, you’re probably all too familiar with chronic pain flare up days – when the pain that you already live with on a daily basis intensifies and completely levels you. In order to help minimize bad chronic pain flares, it’s helpful to know what triggers your physical symptoms and that can help you to cope with a chronic pain flare up.

How Does Weather Affect Pain?

When the weather changes to an extreme, whether from atmospheric changes or temperature fluctuations, it can affect certain types of chronic pain. This is especially true when your pain is related to your joints, such as with arthritis or fibromyalgia. If you start to keep a pain journal and record everything that occurred on the days when you had a flare-up, you might notice that your neck or knees hurt a lot worse when it rains or gets extremely cold. For others, extreme heat can trigger symptoms. Journaling can help you see what weather changes might be triggering you and help you to prepare for them in the future.

The Relationship Between Chronic Pain and Stress

Everyone experiences stress. Some women are living with chronic illness, multiple caregiving responsibilities, work demands and more. It’s overwhelming for sure but we’ve got to learn how to manage it. No matter what chronic illness you’re living with, stress will probably impact your pain levels and cause flare-ups. But be assured that while we can’t eliminate stress completely, effective stress relief methods can help to reduce chronic pain.

Hormones and Chronic Pain

For women, a big flare trigger for chronic pain might be as a result of fluctuating hormonal levels throughout the month. This might be related to PMS, where your pain is worse when you are about to start your period, or you might be experiencing more pain as you head toward menopause. This is yet another reason to keep a pain journal, since it helps you to notice these patterns. The more you know, the more prepared you’ll be for these potential triggers.

Nutrition and Chronic Pain

Eating inflammatory foods such as refined carbs, and sugar can increase symptoms for many people. Others might need to eliminate dairy and gluten. They key is to know yourself and track your symptoms. Again, a journal is going to be helpful here to track your symptoms.

How to Cope With a Chronic Pain Flare Up

Despite your best intentions, chronic pain flare ups can happen at any time. If you’re having a bad day, week or month…just step back and regroup. Think about what absolutely has to get done and let the rest go for now. If you need to spend a few days in bed, that’s perfectly fine. There are things you can do every day that help you cope with your chronic pain. Some things you might already be doing, while others are good to start getting into the normal practice of. It is important that you keep trying to make changes in your life for proper chronic pain management and mental health.

Take Intentional Action to Reduce Stress

Stress has such a large impact on nearly every facet of your life, including your chronic pain. No matter where your pain comes from, stress is likely to trigger chronic pain flare ups and make everything worse. The best thing you can do is figure out what is causing your stress and work to reduce it. Limiting time with toxic people, not taking on extra tasks at work, reducing unnecessary spending and just living a more organized life are a few ways to begin to reduce stress.

Get Those Endorphins Going to Ease Chronic Pain

You may not love exercise, but exercise definitely loves you! We all know it’s great for weight management, but it can also help to promote blood flow that helps to reduce your risk for heart disease and high blood pressure. Working out also helps to release endorphins, the happy chemicals in your brain. When this happens, you not only reduce stress, but your mood will improve and you’ll probably find that you can handle your chronic pain much better. And some types of chronic pain are reduced when you are moving your body more often, like mild forms of arthritis. (This has definitely been true for me in managing the pain from cervical dystonia.)

The Danger of Using Alcohol for Pain Relief

Drinking alcohol may temporarily reduce your pain, but it is only hurting you in the long run. Not only is there a risk of addiction, but alcohol can get in the way of your sleep. Sleeping is extremely important when you are trying to cope with chronic pain, so you don’twant to get into the habit of putting a Band-aid on the pain with alcohol every day. Plus, alcohol is a depressant, so it can make your mood highs and lows a lot worse. And don’t forget how miserable a hangover can be! Finally, mixing alcohol with other meds is extremely dangerous and can lead to catastrophic consequences.

Join a Support Group for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is serious business. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by it and let it ruin your life. Unfortunately, even those who love you might not understand what it’s like. Finding a chronic pain support group might be one of the best things that you can do for yourself, whether online or local. You’ll feel less alone and much more empowered.

The Effects of Chronic Pain on Family

Chronic pain can cause a lot of family stress including social isolation, marital conflict, and feelings of anger and resentment. Be patient with each other. Let your family know where you’re struggling and ask for help with what you need. Let them know that you appreciate their support. Keep meals and expectations simple. Don’t take on any additional responsibilities. Finally, when you’re feeling awful…just do whatever nourishes your soul. Binge on Netflix, journal, listen to music that you love, take a long bath or spend some time outside. How do you like to regroup during a chronic pain flare up? SaveSave

The Power of Doodling for Mental Health

July 12, 2018 by Marya Leave a Comment

We’re almost at the end of our 30 Day Self Care Challenge! It’s time for one last stress reducing tip to add to your self care arsenal. This one’s kind of fun…doodling for mental health.

I hope you’ve given all the quick stress buster tips I’ve shared with you so far a try and have found a few that you want to deploy regularly. Don’t forget to do the same with today’s tip!

Doodling Your Way to Better Mental Health

Doodling is a simple way to reconnect with your long lost creative side. It’s fun, easy and very accessible. You can do it anywhere, even if all you have is a pen and scratch paper.

While it can help you get in touch with your inner artist, doodling is also a great way to improve mental health. Not only that but doodling can also improve memory and make it easier for you to focus. And best of all, it can leave you feeling relaxed and revitalized.

To get started with doodling, you can grab a sheet of paper and begin right away . But it can also be helpful to use doodling books. These are books filled with designs and doodles that will inspire you to get started.

You can learn how to mix and match different patterns to create stunning images. Begin with a book like Joy of Zentangle or Zendoodle: Meditative Drawing to Calm Your Inner Self. If you’d like to commit to doodling daily, then you might like One Zentangle a Day.

Once you’ve spent some time learning about the art of creative doodling, you can branch out a bit. Check out a few doodle prompt books. The ideas on these pages will get your hand moving but are simple enough that you can enjoy a quiet conversation or listen to your kids playing in the background while working.

A good one to start with is Draw, Doodle, Design by Parragon Books. It contains hundreds of prompts and the high-quality pages are perfect for markers, pencils, crayons, and more. Another beloved title is Creative Doodling & Beyond You can practice your doodles inside the book, making it easy to implement each prompt.

Whether you choose to fidget or doodle, go ahead and have some fun with it!

How Fidget Spinners Help With Anxiety

Fidget spinners and cubes have become a very popular way to keep your hands busy and reduce stress at the same time. But if you think about it, it’s really nothing new. Many of us already do it. We might fidget with pens, buttons, keys, and anything else we can find. When we’re not fidgeting with our pens and pencils, we’re using them to doodle. I’m sure you’ve found yourself doing this during a meeting, a class, or a phone conversation at one time in your life!

Fidgeting helps us focus and it is a great stress reliever. If you’re not in the habit of fidgeting or give it a try. The rhythmic motion of playing with any type of doodle device tends to slow down your heart rate and might even help to lower your blood pressure… all great signs signs that fidgeting helps you to relax.

Getting started is easy enough. Just look around your house to see what kinds of fidgeting devices you already have on hand or carry with you. Make a small pile of everything that looks like it could be a good fidgeting device and give it a try while you’re sitting around having conversations, watching TV, or even just resting for a few minutes.

With time, you’ll figure out what works well for you. Some fidget spinners will work great for you and feel like lots of fun, while others may frustrate you to no end. Make a short list of the fun and relaxing ones.

Then simply make sure you have your fidget spinners easily accessible wherever you may need them. You can also check out of the inexpensive devices made specifically for fidgeting. Fidget spinners are the hot new trend right now, but they might be bit annoying and distracting to others.

Fidget cubes may be a better alternative. Trial and error will show you what works the best for you. Then simply get in the habit of using them as reduce stress and help you to relax.

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How Hobbies Improve Mental Health

July 12, 2018 by Marya 8 Comments

Let’s talk a bit about hobbies and doing something creative. There are so many ways hobbies improve mental health. Hobbies and other creative activities help to bring balance to your life, ease mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Plus, they help you to reduce stress and relax more. Hobbies help to bring balance to your life, and are the perfect counterpoint to what you do at work and in your day-to-day life at home.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how monotonous things can get at work and at home. There’s never ending chores and responsibilities to get through every week. It can suck the life out of you if you aren’t mindful. Then there’s the periods of high pressure and stress in between.

We need something else in our life that balances all that stress out. Unfortunately for many people the TV or tablet has taken over. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with an occasional night of TV or Netflix, it shouldn’t be your main thing. Try to find some healthy, hands on hobbies instead of mindless screen time.

Having a hobby or doing something creative is the ideal way to do this. Do you have a hobby right now? If so, now is a good time to make sure you set aside some time for it each week. When we get busy with “have to do’s” it’s easy to get out of balance and let the fun and relaxing stuff slide. Our hobbies and pastimes are often the first thing to go.

Healthy Hobby Ideas

Coloring Books. Adult coloring books are everywhere. People have rediscovered their long lost love for art, got in tune with their inner creativity and embraced a new passion.

Cooking. If you’re a person who loves to tinker in the kitchen, cooking and baking can be a wonderful hands on activity to get lost in.

Journaling is one of the best stress relieving activities that you can do. Make it fun and creative by using different pens, stickers and rubber stamps if you like.

Gardening brings many people peace. There’s nothing like getting out in nature and creating a beautiful space away from the world to help you detach from life’s stress and craziness.

Calligraphy and hand lettering. Good old fashioned paper and pen can be incredibly healing. It’s a great way to fill up your offline days and get away from technology.

Finding a Hobby That’s Right For You

If you don’t have any hobbies at all right now and your time and energy is completely absorbed by work and family, it’s time to regroup. Start by thinking about the things you used to enjoy when you were younger..like before your kids were born. Reflect on the kinds of things you liked to do when you were a kid.

Does anything that you used to do spark your interest?If it does, make the time time to rekindle your love for your long lost hobby. Maybe you used to love painting with watercolors, or you enjoyed scrapbooking or mixed media. It doesn’t matter what it was. Just get out your old supplies if you still have some, buy a few new ones and see if you still like it as much.

But if you find that you don’t enjoy your old hobbies anymore, don’t stress about it. You’ve grown as a person over the past few years and your interests may have changed. Don’t be afraid to look into something new. Browse your local craft and home improvement stores for creative inspiration. See what classes are available in your community.

Ask your friends what they’re doing. Try anything that seems interesting and see what holds your attention. It may take a little trial and error, but I’m sure you’ll find at least one past time that’s perfect for you.

Mental Health Benefits of Hobbies

Hobbies will provide you with the creative outlet and relaxation that you need to balance out your busy life. It will take some intentional effort at first, but it will soon become part of your life and you wouldn’t want to miss your creative time.

When you find it, let me know what you decided to do. I always love to hear what others find relaxing and inspiring!

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How to Treat Yourself at Home

July 10, 2018 by Marya 2 Comments

Today’s stress buster is just for fun, but can reap big mental health benefits. Go ahead and treat yourself. Something a little bit indulgent just for you. It doesn’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money, but it should be something meaningful for you.

You’ve probably experienced the stress busting power of doing something just for yourself in the past. Maybe it was as simple as running a hot bath or curling up with a brand new book. Or maybe it was getting an overdue mani/pedi. Or maybe it was escaping to a quiet retreat for the weekend. No matter what you did, I’m sure it felt good to do treat yourself a bit and as a result you felt more relaxed and less stressed afterwards.

Now, if you’re the type of person who has a hard time doing nice things for yourself and would rather do something nice for others, please take today’s stress busting tip to heart. Believe me, it will have a huge impact on your life, your relationships, and it will work amazingly well as a stress buster for you.

If you don’t take care of yourself and do something just for you every once in a while, you’ll get more worn out and more stressed as time goes by. And the more worn out you get, the less optimally you’ll be able to function in other areas of your life.

When you’re stressed out and struggling with brain fog, you aren’t thinking clearly. You’re not as patient as you could be. Tempers get short and it’s easy to snap at the littlest thing and regret it later.

Don’t get to that point. Take care of yourself first and be sure to treat yourself every once in a while. The people you love and work with will benefit from it.

How to Treat Yourself at Home

Finances might be tough but don’t let that stop you from a little pampering. Everybody needs some self care. There’s two ways to get around his problem. The first is to find simple things that cost nothing or very little.

Carving out some time for you and spending that time on something you enjoy like a hobby doesn’t have to cost much or anything. Taking a hot bath and listening to your favorite music doesn’t cost much. Find a few things that relax and destress you but don’t cost anything.

The second thing you can do is to use having some spending money as a motivation to make more. Get a side hustle, work on your business, put in an hour or two of overtime, or find a few extra savings in your budget to make up for the money you’re spending on yourself.

But whatever you decide to do, don’t feel guilty about treating yourself every once in a while.

Here’s some simple ways you can treat yourself at home:
Enjoy a sunrise or a sunset
Draw, paint, color, quilt.
Cooking (really!)
Listen to music
Journal
Give yourself a pedicure.
Soak in the tub.
Turn off all electronics.
Read a book from your wish list.
Get outside.
Try aromatherapy.
Go through old family photos

Can Self Care Become Selfish?

Done correctly, self care isn’t selfish. But on the other hand if you’re someone who has no problem treating themselves, then proceed with caution. You want to treat yourself when you’re stressed and you’ve been working hard. Try to think of of it as a treat that you have to earn first.

Whatever you do, don’t use self care as an excuse to indulge in too much retail therapy and max out those credit cards. That will stress you out even more!

How To Make Time for Prayer & Contemplation

July 9, 2018 by Marya Leave a Comment

21st century living isn’t for the faint of heart. We’re constantly being boarded by alerts and messages. We liven a state of constant connection and constant interruptions. It’s amazing that anything gets done. Prayer and contemplation are a great way to detach from the ongoing craziness around you and find your center again.

How Make Time for Prayer

Making time for prayer in a busy life is hard. We all know how important prayer is, but on days that we wake up and hit the ground running it can seem out of reach. Most women are caregivers, moms and daughters with a never-ending to- do list. By the time we sit down for some quiet, we find ourselves struggling with what to pray about. Here’s a few simple ideas to make more time for prayer.

Breath prayer. This gets me through crazy busy times. Don’t complicate it. Just breathe in and out with something like the Jesus prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

the Lord’s prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

or the Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

These three prayers alone get me through most days. But I also like to use some guided prayer at the beginning of the day or the end of the day since I’m not very good at formulating prayers when I’m tired. There are lots of prayer books to be found but my own very favorite prayer books are by James Banks. They are so mellow, comforting and don’t take long to read through.

I also use the Divine Hours off and on. This is a great way to pray at fixed times throughout the day and evening. I always find these prayers to be really comforting and “hit the spot” to help me express things that I was struggling with but couldn’t find the words for.

Create a Personal Retreat for Quiet Contemplation

Some of the most successful entrepreneurs set aside regular time to think, plan, and learn. It’s said that Bill Gates takes an entire week twice a year to unplug and do nothing but read and think. Carving out time for quiet contemplation isn’t a waste of time…it’s actually how you get ahead of things.

But the most important benefit of getting away from everything is that it will give you needed time to rest up and destress. This rest is what gives your mind the time and ability to simply renew. It’s what makes you a better partner, a more patient mom, a more creative entrepreneur…you get the picture!

The first thing you need is a bit of a mindset shift. Don’t think of taking time for quiet contemplation as a waste of time, or One More Thing To Do. Consider it to be a solution to stress and overwhelm.

Put your retreat time in your calendar and schedule it. As a matter of fact, make it your highest priority. You owe it to yourself and those you care for to recharge.

This personal might be as simple as a few hours away from the house, or a weekend retreat in a quiet place.

Once you see what having a regular retreat to think and plan ahead can do for your personal life and business, you’ll begin to make the time or quiet contemplation regularly.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised to notice how the stress starts to ease up when you do this.

If this strategy works for some of the most brilliant creative souls throughout history, should you give quiet time and contemplation a serious try in your life?

Your mind and your body will thank you as you start to stress less and relax more.

My 30 self care challenge is a great way to carve out time for a personal retreat & renewal without having to leave your home. Sign up below!

How Exercise Can Relieve Stress and Anxiety

July 6, 2018 by Marya Leave a Comment

Exercise is one of the best stress busters around. Getting in an intense workout to release tension and get those feel-good endorphins pumping through your body is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety.

If the idea of working out makes you cringe, I encourage you to give it a good try. Once you see how much a good workout can help to relieve stress, you’ll be far more motivated to make it an ongoing habit.

Exercising With a Chronic Illness

If you live with a chronic illness or disability, typical workout routines may not be accessible to you. But you can still reap the benefits of gentle exercise. I highly recommend Sleepy Santosha for gentle exercises that you can do in your bed, a chair or couch that won’t tax your system and you’ll reap the same stress relieving benefits as a regular workout.

Go for a Walk

If you’re just starting out, put on a pair of sneakers and just go for a walk. Walking is a simple workout that’s accessible to most people. It’s low impact and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment or special training to do it. Just get out there and do it. It can be as easy or as challenging as you want it to be.

If you’re just starting out, and not in very good shape, just take a stroll around the block each night after dinner. After a few weeks you’ll be up to longer walks, picking up the pace, or tackling a small hill.

Hit the Gym to Relieve Stress

As time goes on, you’ll want to bump things up a bit if you can. It doesn’t matter if you work out at home or use a local gym. You simply want to be able to get a short and intense workout in somewhere. If neither of those are an option, buy a couple of dumbbells, grab a milk crate and figure out a workout routine that you can do at home in a pinch.

Whenever you feel especially stressed, make sure you get a good workout in that day. You can head to the company gym on your lunch break or stop at your local one on the way home. After an intense workout and a shower, you’ll feel brand new. And by the time you get home, the stress will have melted away and you’re ready for a relaxed evening with your family and a good night sleep.

The combination of endorphins and getting more sleep that has an amazing effect when it comes to relieving stress. I’m sure you know that everything seems a lot worse than it really is is when you are tired and haven’t slept well.

After a good workout and especially if you make it a regular habit, you’ll sleep better and deeper. This will help to avoid the afternoon slump and of course the added stress. Not only that, but you’ll get more done throughout the day. Your productivity will increase with adequate rest.

Exercise also works to distract you from your problems. When all your attention and concentration is focused on making it through the next set, you don’t have time to dwell on what’s stressing you out. Plus, all that exercise will tone your body and help you to look and feel better. With all of that going on, you’ll get a boost in confidence that also helps you get over much of what’s stressing you out. Sometimes it’s just about changing your attitude.

Give exercising a try for a few days and then turn those days into weeks and months. Exercising may never become your favorite thing to do, but keep at it. It’s a tool you can use to relieve stress and feel better. That alone should be enough motivation to get it done.

How To Stop Stressing Yourself Out and Find Peace

July 5, 2018 by Marya Leave a Comment

So far in this self care challenge we’ve talked a lot about reducing stress by focusing on relaxation and other stress reducing techniques. But what’s even more important is find out and at least try to reduce the craziness that’s stressing you out in the first place. That’s how you find real peace in your life.

What’s Really Stressing You Out?

Begin by taking the time to figure out just what’s stressing you out. You’re going to have to dig deep here, so carve out some quiet time to do this so you can really think it through. For example, if you’re constantly looking for things and going crazy in the process, the root cause of it is probably lack of organization.

Go through all of your stressors until you can identify the root of the problem. Write it down in your journal, if you have one. You’ll be using this list to work through and cut out as many stressors as possible going forward.

It’s probably a good idea to make it a running list. As your life and your circumstances continuously change, new things and people will pop up that stress you out. Add these stressors to your list and review it regularly to see what you can do to get rid of or reduce the stress.

What Can You Get Rid of to Reduce Stress?

Go through your list again with the intent of find some quick fixes. One great place to start is with a solid morning routine. It’s something that you can implement right away to greatly reduce the stress it’s been causing you.

Think about what you can let go. If you’re hustling to make some extra money for extras and it’s causing even more stress in your life, then ditch it for now. If you’re an entrepreneur and you have that one client that creates constant stress and havoc, then go ahead and break up with him. There’s plenty of other clients out there!

How to Make a Long Term Plan to Reduce Stress

Now that you’ve tackled the basics and hopefully created a big of margin, you can begin to take a look at the bigger issues. Again, go through your list and see what you can start working on right way.

Some examples of big issues that stress you out could be that you’re juggling too many responsibilities. While many of them are a part of life, look for what the non essential activities are and reduce them.

For example, if you’re a busy mom, you might be overwhelmed with the pressure of getting your kids to every activity. Pick one or two activities for your family to be involved in. Then teach your kids how to occupy themselves (preferably screen free!) so you can get some much needed downtime for yourself.

If you work, you might have someone that you continually butt heads with. Finding work at a different company is certainly an option, but you might also consider looking into moving to a different department or possibly working from home.

More Ways to Stop Stressing Yourself Out

Adopt a healthier lifestyle. This can’t be said often enough. Taking time for your own good health will help you to handle whatever stressors life throws at you.

Stop worrying. I know, easier said than done. Try to live one day at a time and stop the future tripping as much as you can.

Stop running late. Don’t wait until the last possible minute to get to work, school or family event. Prepare as much as you can before, so that you eliminate the last minute stress of looking for your glasses or keys.

Keep an organized home. Again, this is going to be a process. Develop a basic routine to keep your home in order and spend a few minutes getting rid of clutter every day.

Have a regular bedtime routine. Many people try to decompress by drinking wine or vegetate in front of the TV or their tablet. A few hours before you go to sleep, shut down the electronics and indulge in a bath, reading a book, journaling or some gentle yoga. This will help to prepare your body for a good night’s sleep.

Keep working through the list and do what you can to get closer to cutting out those remaining stressors.

Listen To Your Body and Rest When You Need To

July 4, 2018 by Marya Leave a Comment

Here’s a lesson that I’ve learned the hard way over the years. And I don’t want you to have to do the same! Listen to your body.

As a special needs mom, I got used to burning the candle at both ends. I didn’t know how to manage the stress of special needs parenting, my sobriety and practice self care.

I’m not a doctor, but I believe the years of cumulative stress played a big role in the development of the two major conditions I live with – cervical dystonia and ulcerative colitis (an autoimmune condition.)

Learning to Listen to Your Body

Your body will tell you when you need to slow down and when you need to stop everything and take a well deserved rest. Pushing past that point may work for a little while, but the longer you ignore these alarm signals from your body, the louder it will scream at you to slow down and just do nothing.

It’s so important to listen to your body when it needs a break from parenting, life, work or even workouts. Stress will take its toll and by the time you notice the signs from your body that I’m going to share with you, you’re no longer functioning at your best.

Everything you do will continue to take you more time and with more brain fog. Slowing down and taking a break isn’t a waste of time. You’ll come back focused, refreshed and able to do much better work in a shorter amount of time.

Listen to Your Body’s Signals

Let’s take a good look at some of the signals your body might be sending you to let you know that it’s time to slow down or take a good rest. These are all signals that you’re getting exhausted. Listen to them and get some rest.

Depending on the situation, either active or passive relaxation may work. At other times, you’ve just got to admit defeat and go to sleep for a good 12 hours to catch up.

Brain Fog. One of the first signs of exhaustion is brain fog. You’re forgetting things, overwhelmed and irritable. Everyday tasks take longer than usual. It’s time to listen to your body and slow down.

Increasing irritability and mood swings. When you find yourself getting irritable and snapping at others no good reason, it’s a good sign that you’re stressed out. Mood swings are a powerful sign from your body that it’s time to slow down.

Extreme afternoon slump. Everyone gets a little tired in the afternoon. It’s the main reason many of us reach for coffee or a snack from 2pm to 4pm. On a bad day, you can barely keep your eyes open, or even have to lay down for nap to make it through the rest of the day. If this is happening to you frequently, take it as a signal that you need to slow down and rest more.

Junk food cravings. When you find yourself randomly picking on sugary snacks or other processed foods throughout the day, it’s another sign that you’re exhausted. What you’re trying to do is to compensate for your fatigue with sugar and salt…which can actually be a form of chemical dependency.

Getting Sick Frequently. Now your body is calling for help. When you’re constantly struggling with frequent colds and infections, then some serious changes are in order. Reduce your workload, find some help and let the non-essential things go!

Restorative rest is an essential part of self care, and never something that you have to feel guilty about.