Stress will consume you

Life is going to be full of stressful moments; you must learn tactics to manage it. Here are some of mine-

-Get outside in nature. I heard this called grounding but whatever it is, it calms me and gives me peace. I hope it is a stress reducer for you too because it is any easy one to tap into (if you make time for it). Belle- your love of gardening makes this a perfect fit!

-Go outside as soon as you wake up for 5 minutes. I just learned this one and heard the concept is that sunlight on your skin is first thing in the morning into good for you. I still find it a great way to calm and focus myself before I start the day (even though it’s still dark when I get up). Just take it in, the smells, sight, feeling of the morning, and breathe.

-Go for a walk- until this year I didn’t enjoy walking. It didn’t feel like an efficient use of exercising because I wasn’t sweating and took too long, but I have leaned to just take in nature and observe. I don’t listen to anything anymore (podcasts, music); I found it takes away from the experience.

-Sleep is my Superpower! You have probably heard me say this but it’s true. I am “committed” to sleeping well and enough. What that looks like for me is 1- having a bedtime routine and 2- having practices to help me stay asleep or fall back asleep if I wake up (and I sure do).

-My bedtime routine- go to bed early enough that I can read for 15-30 minutes at night.

No screen time right before bed so my brain can rest.

Go to bed when I’m sleepy (don’t fall asleep on the couch).

Have a comfortable bed and dark space.

-Sleep rituals- If I can’t sleep (typically my mind is racing with stuff) I count to 100, visualizing each number and starting over every time I get distracted. Sometimes I count to 100 5 times.

Do two things at one time. My go-to motion is to wiggle a finger and a toe at the same time. Chief told me this forces your body to relax. It works!

-If I can’t solve something, I pray about it. Something (probably the only useful thing) Meme taught me was to “let go and let god” (handle it). There is truth in knowing when you cannot control something and turning it over. Practice it 🩷

-Exercise- move your body a few times a week and break a sweat. You always feel better afterwards and you can read all the research on this if you need inspiration.

-Drink water-you all know I carry a water bottle with me everywhere (and you all drink from it). Make a habit of having it with you so you stay hydrated.

Yoga- I’m a big fan because it ties breathing, moving and stretching all together and is inner focused.

Identify the true worry- I’m a big fan of this too. When I feel stress in my body I like to find a few quiet moments to reflect on the feeling and where it’s coming from. I usually do this by just sitting alone but sometimes I journal it out too, writing all my concerns down, I think getting it “out of my head” helps me.

Once I know the stressor I can decide how to tackle it (do something to change it, talk to Chief about it, let go and let god, etc).

Developing a good stress practice takes time. Just start with something and keep adding 🧘‍♀️