HOW TO DESTRESS
- A little peptalk from me to you -
Sometimes, life just gets out of my hands. I feel stressed and demotivated. I have nervous convulsions on my eyelid, headaches, tension in the neck and jawbone area. Then, I may also not sleep so well and just feel like everything gets a little too much. It's in these moments that I feel especially grateful to have this one person in my life I can count on, who makes me feel good and is just simply there for me. In addition, there are several things that calm me. Here, I'll share my three most valuable tips on how to destress.
1.
Be in the right state of mind
Make yourself a compliment, someone has to! And you well deserve it! You are a gorgeous human being with lots of great characteristics. I'm sure you know that last look into the mirror shortly before leaving the house, realizing all the things that didn't turn out so well this morning, like that baby hair sticking out or how your outfit which may not be too flattering. Rather than seeing the negative, concentrate on the positive! Look at those beautiful eyes and that friendly smile and tell yourself how beautiful you are from the inside and out. Raise your self-confidence and walk a little taller!
What really helps me to get into the right mood is the 5 Minute Journal. It takes only 5 minutes a day to be filled out and leaves you with a positive mindset. There are three questions for answering right after you wake up in the morning and two questions for before going to bed at night. So, it always starts with a nice quote such as the following:
"In life, one has a choice to take one of two paths: to wait for some special day - or to celebrate each special day."
- Rasheed Ogunlaru
And then you answer the following three questions every day: "I am grateful for...", "What would make today great?", "Daily affirmations. I am...". At nighttime you answer these questions: "Three amazing things that happened today...", "How could I have made today even better?". In answering all of these questions, try to remain positive and don't stress on the negative. From time to time there are also some weekly challenges that will pull you out of your comfort zone but will enrich you with experiences and new ways of thinking.
Personally, I struggle with keeping up journaling each and every day, but I have to admit that on the days I actually do get my 5 Minute Journal out, I feel a lot more positive.
2.
Take time out
We all have busy schedules. And yes, sometimes I think back to those heavenly days in kindergarten when life just seemed easy. But getting back to reality: life can be tough, there is no way around it. Let's make the best of it! So I'm saying, take time out of your busy schedule and do something for yourself once in a while. Scratch that, do it every day! You can think about your boss, or your mom or society and their expectations of you all day long, but take out 15 min of your day and concentrate on yourself. Because here is something mind-blowing: stress is all in your head. It's nothing concrete. It's what you think others or you expect of you and the fear of not living up to those expectations. Relax a little, it's just all up in your head.
How do I do that? I meditate. And no, I'm not one of them carrots-eating, dream-catcher-hanging-over-my-bed, know-it-all kinda girl. I love chocolate and live life to the fullest. But meditation is something I found to work out quite nicely. All this stress that builds up over the day can be released by the sound of ocean waves and a calming voice. It's fascinating to see what thinking of nothing but the present does to one's mind. And it's so hard to do! My mind is usually racing at a 100 miles per hour, thinking about the things I need to get done. When reality is much simpler. If you stress out too much, you'll get nothing done in the end. So a nice little 10 minutes of meditation can work wonders. I usually take 15 minutes before going to bed to meditate with an app called calm. There are several different programs, such as 21 days of Calm, the 7 days of gratitude or happiness. I usually go for the body scan, as it takes you through every part of your body concentrating only on one thing at a time. Afterwards, I feel so much more relaxed! Sometimes, when there is a really stressful day, I even put in a 2 min session on the train. But try for yourself: Calm is a free app with in app purchases.
3.
Treat yourself
What I like to do is just sitting in the shade on a nice sunny day or on the couch were you can hear the heavy rain outside and just read a charming book. Something light, nothing too serious, just something to clear your mind. Such as "The life-changing magic of not giving a f*ck" by Sarah Knight - it's great! Expect a book review soon. In the meantime- check out my previous book reviews for new inspiration.
Also, I'd like to treat myself to a spa day every once in a while. Now, I know they can get expensive but with a few tricks it's not going to ruin you. So what I like to do is to go to a deal website to find a good spa deal. Get yourself a manny / peddy, relax at the sauna or get a hairdresser appointment to get that much needed trim - it's up to you. So especially during fall and winter, I love going to the thermal spa. These quiet places with huge water beds, hot stone lounge beds, salt water pools and saunas are just the perfect way for me to escape a busy schedule. I could stay there for hours or days enjoying some honey masks. And if I'm feeling extra fancy, I might even treat myself to a neck massage as my neck usually hurts 24/7 from sitting at a lap top all day.
If you have that constant feeling of being stressed out, I'd also recommend talking to your doctor about it. Don't be afraid of this issue not being as important as the flu, because it really is. Stress symptoms should not be taken lightly, as they will increase if being ignored. In talking to your doctor you could end up getting a presrciption to weekly massages, fitness units or psychological help if needed. In the end, consultation will help reduce your stress level immensely.
So, I really hope this blog post included some tips that'll help you to destress. It sure works for me. Nevertheless, you have any ideas on how to destress life that haven't been mentioned, please share them with all of us in the comments down below. Let's help each other out here.