destress

10 Tips to De-stress & Unwind

healthy living

woman-1283425_640.jpg

  • Stretching – this not only relieves muscle tension but it also increases you awareness of your own body and physical state. It gives you a chance to slow down.

 

  • Listen to a Podcast – I love listening to self-help podcast episodes to help me gain clarity and relax. I listen to them while working out or when I’m doing mindless tasks. I have another post coming up about my favourite podcasts, so keep a lookout for that.

 

writing-828911_640.jpg

  • Put it on Paper – writing it out is the most obvious thing to do, I used to think it wasn’t helpful before, but now I reach for my journal whenever something is weighing me down. Don’t think about what you’re going to write (I’m not really into the whole writing a set number of things). Keep it natural and straight from mind to paper.
  • Escape for a day – now I don’t necessarily mean go on a trip to an exotic island or take the day off to hike in the woods, although that would be awesome. Escaping for a day could be anything from a road trip to just taking the day off for yourself. For example; I always have Saturdays off because of my religion, but today is Sunday and I decided that I just needed to take it for myself. I said no to going out because I needed to just slow down and be, which is something that’s key to de-stressing – learning to say no.

 

coffee-791045_640.jpg

 

  • Coffee/ Tea Time – I’m writing this post right now in my pyjamas, with a cup of coffee and I feel at peace. I drink coffee more for the process than for the taste and no one can interrupt this sacred me time. Find joy in the little things.

 

  • Digital detox – definitely something I need more of. Take a day (or more if you’re feeling adventurous) to put the phone, iPad, tv, laptop and any other device away. Stay off of social media for that period and actually pay attention to what’s going on around you.

 

breakfast-2575424_640.jpg

  • Do absolutely nothing – yes, that’s right. Sometimes you just need to do nothing. Don’t try so hard to relax that you end up stressing over relaxing. If you want to lie down and just stare at the ceiling for an hour, going through the things on your mind, go right ahead. Just don’t let that hour seep into a week.

 

  • Mindfulness exercise – now this can be concentrating on your breathing or doing a whole body scan type of exercise. It can also be listening to calming audios or stories. I’m not one for manifesting meditations, but you do you.

 

wellness-1021131_640.jpg

  • Self care routine – this is can be a pamper spa routine, reading a book or watching a movie, but developing whatever you do into a routine just helps reassure your mind that you have a system in place and it helps you believe in your process. Another good idea would be a self care kit, which I have coming up in another post.

 

  • Spend Time with a pet or an animal – animals help relieve our emotions and make us happy, that can be cuddling with your dog, riding a horse or staring at your goldfish. Trust me, it works.

 

  • Bonus Tip – don’t rely on potentially unhealthy factors. Besides the obvious harmful factors, even relying on food to help you with your emotions is a bad route because it will never be enough. At some point you will become intolerant to the happy hormones certain indulgences give you, so make sure you de-stress in a steady and healthy way.

 

Thank you for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed it and that it helped you in some way. Please follow for more posts like this, xoxo.

Self Love…

healthy living

We often forget the importance of self love for the health of our state of mind. Reducing stress and clearing our mind is crucial to obtaining our ideal health and body. When we neglect our mental state we find ourselves letting our physical health slide as well, chronic levels of stress leads to high cortisol levels thus contributing to weight gain. So here are 5 self care habits to help you de-stress and unwind.

  • Stretch routine– sometimes a full blown workout isn’t what your mind and body needs. Stretching allows you to both relax your body and center your mind, making you more aware and present. When you feel stressed, try 10mins of yoga or stretching to calm yourself and rejuvenate your body.
  • Journaling– I’ve mentioned journaling before and it isn’t something that should be underestimated. Sometimes writing out your thoughts and emotions help to clear out and organize everything on your mind. Have you ever had something bothering you but you just couldn’t figure out what is was? Well journaling can help you realize or come to terms with issues located deep in your subconscious.
  • Rest day– taking a day off of your workouts is necessary to let your body relax and heal. No one can handle workout out vigorously every single day, so take a day off (I usually take Saturdays) and focus on other aspects of your life.
  • Filter your social media– we’re usually unaware of the effects of social media. Seeing endless pictures of perfect models probably isn’t helping you love your own body, instead you’re now analyzing and being critical of your own body image (keep in mind that this excludes fitness influencers or mentors). So filter out the type of people you follow or are subscribed to; if they don’t inspire or motivate you, it’s best to set them aside. Trust me this goes a long way to help you de-stress.
  • Digital Cleanse– this is one of the most difficult yet most effective habits, taking a break from screen time. That means ignoring your phone, laptop, tablet and tv for a set time (this doesn’t include sleeping hours so don’t cheat). This helps you to be more present and it actually forces you to be more creative or outgoing as you find other ways to entertain yourself (unless you lay in bed staring at the ceiling for hours).

I hope you implement some if not all of these habits into your life and I hope they help you in any way possible. Thank you for reading, please like and follow for more posts like this one. See you next time xoxo.

Tips for Fighting Stress

Uncategorized

Tip #1. Playing with Essential oils- scents like lemon, lavender and peppermint are know to relieve stress and anxiety. You can either light a candle, a diffuser or use a mist to help relax yourself. My personal favorites are lemon and vanilla.

Tip #2. Take a break from social media- Most of us wake up and immediately scroll through Instagram or Facebook. Without knowing it, social media sometimes gives us a negative point of view of our own lives.

Tip #3.  Take a day off studies/ work – a weekly getaway is essential to reduce stress, it allows our body and mind to rest. I always take Saturdays off to regenerate and relax, it helps me start my week off positively.

Tip #4. Write a journal – writing down your thoughts and events in your life, even minor ones, can be an outlet for anxiety or stress. It helps to be more mindful of your life and yourself, as well as remembering motivating thoughts or quotes.

Tip #5. Organize yourself – this can be simple as using a planner or writing a to-do list every morning. You’re more likely to get things done when they are planned and feeling less under pressure and more put together will help fight stress.

Tip #6. Read a book or listen to an audio-book – it can be a motivational book or anything that might pique your interest, it distracts you from issues of your day-to-day life. It’s a gateway into another world, people who read get to live 1000 lives.

Tip #7. Have a pamper routine – Treat yourself, that could be an at home spa day or a skincare routine. Take the time to take care of yourself and unwind from daily struggles. However, this is better suggested for women.

Tip #8. Enjoy your workout – I know it seems almost impossible, especially when we have our lazy moments, but if you don’t look forward to working out and you dread it then you’re probably trying out the wrong one. There are so many ways to be physically active; swimming, dancing, running or hitting the gym, you just have to find the right one for you. Exercising helps to release tension and could make you feel so much more relaxed.

Tip #9. Try a new hobby – just like with working out, it’s good to change your hobbies  from time to time. Exploring different things stimulates the brain, reading, sketching, cooking and writing are some of my favorites and who knows, you might discover a hidden talent.

Tip #10. Have some alone time – as much as you may enjoy family events and parties with friends, we all need some time to ourselves- to center ourselves and figure out where we stand and where we’re going. Sometimes we just need to embrace the moment and relax.

Thank you for reading, I hoped these suggestions were able to help you in any way. Keep reading for more posts and updates. xoxo.