This has been a tough one for me and I feel like I am constantly changing what I need to do decrease my stress based off of the month, the season, or the year. I have been looking for the "cure all" to help with stress and when I search for answers I get the same things "Eat well, drink plenty of water, and exercise." While all of these are great, it was so generic. It left me wanting more. I am a healer and take on a lot of outside stressors from patients who are hurting physically or emotionally, so coming up with unique ways to tackle the additional outside stimuli has been challenging.
1. Get out of your seat and do jumping jacks. Okay, it doesn't have to be jumping jacks but getting up and away from whatever you are doing and do jumping jacks, squats, push ups, or tribal dancing if your heart desires, for as long as it desires. Whatever gets your blood flowing and your heart beating. If you work in an office around people try finding ways to move your body quickly without feeling like people are staring. Shaking your hands quickly, shoulder rolls forward and backward. Take a few moments to detach yourself from whatever you are thinking about. This will help you reset, get more oxygen to the brain, and recharge you to get through the day.
2. Keep something "spicy" near your desk. Having mints at your desk or throughout your home. Peppermint, Wintergreen, Spearmint are all great. This also helps the brain reset. Take a mint when you transition between tasks. I will pop a couple of mints between patients and meetings during the work day. It is a good distraction. The smell or taste of mint has been shown to improve brain function. You can also keep peppermint, wintergreen, or spearmint essential oil near your desk and put a few drops in your hands and rub them together and take a big ole wiff! Plant Therapy has wonderful oils at a great price. We will diffuse these through out the clinic everyday. I like ginger as well for the spice aspect. Trader Joe's has great Ginger mints that you get the spice from without the major kick of ginger.
3. Find something where you can get a little stretch action in on your lunch. Really all you need is 10-15 minutes. YouTube Yoga videos that are geared towards "lunch breaks" There are so many options and have found this extremely helpful. This one sounds stressful just to try and make happen. Especially for me when it comes to eating lunch (I'm a foodie) but I am able to do this and eat lunch within an hour period and still have extra time. If you only get 30 minutes for lunch just take 5 minutes to do some stretching and deep breathing. PLEASE YOUR BODY WITH THANK YOU!
4. Have a journal specific for your intentions, dreams, and thoughts for the day. Wake up a few minutes earlier than normal, have a cup of coffee and a good breakfast while writing down your thoughts and goals for the day or the week. I like to buy pretty journals and have fun marker pens in different colors so I can "draw" what I am thinking or feeling. Make sure to write the date at the top so you know how you are feeling months down the road and be able to check anything off you have accomplished. Going old school with pen and paper helps the creative side of the brain while also working on your fine motor skills and waking up the brain to take on the day. You can pack the journal with you to jot and notes down throughout the day. One big problem we have as a society is we get stuck in the day-to-day. We forget to dream and create. Sometimes things just feel "so hard" and finding motivation can be stressful. Taking things one step at a time will make huge changes in the months to come.
5. Turn off your social media. This is like such a crazy habit for so many. The phone has become a piece of us almost. If you find yourself tail spinning into an Instagram pigeon hole then this one is for you. You are bombarding your brain full of crazy amount of stimulus. Even that cute puppy who makes a mess or the surfing cat. Your brain really wants you to be smart and I mean this in the nicest way possible. It doesn't want to use what energy it has left to figure out useless data. This is when the pigeon hole comes in. You end up scrolling and scrolling.. then you look up and it has been a good hour. Remember, your brain doesn't forget that time and will compute it later down the road. Usually when you are trying to go to sleep. So, turn off the phone, stop taking "Facebook breaks" and find ways to stimulate the brain in other ways that wont be detrimental to your overall well being. This would be a great time to do the above listed! Trust me, I am guilty of this way more than I would like to admit. It also has negative thought patterns. As an example, if you follow fitness models or weight loss people this is what your feed will mostly be filled with. Then you begin the negative self talk, which increases stress and ultimately can cause you to gain weight anyway.
Take a step back and breathe. Have a conversation with your spouse or a loved one. Open a book. Take your shoes off and go stand in the grass. Do something that reconnects you to the world around you. Look at the sun and open your heart up wide and of course.. schedule your Chiropractic appointment! The nervous system needs help to handle all the stressors in your life!