You might not be able to control everything that comes at you; but, you certainly have the power to control how you handle it! Here are 10 quick ways to reduce and control stress!
- Begin your day with positive affirmations- Try waking up in the morning and setting a few positive intentions for the day. Just a few well intentioned thoughts can give you a boost to start the day off right. If you don’t know what to start with, try saying “Every single day in every single way, I am becoming more and more happy and successful. I feel happy and successful with my life right now, even as I work toward future happiness and success.” Experiment with different styles of affirmations and remember to especially recall this practice on those days you are feeling a bit crabby and worn down.
- Breathe- Slow down your respiration during stressful times. Remember, without going into a doctorate thesis here, our bodies are pretty dang automatic. When we get stressed, our nervous system handles it one of two ways, we “fight” or we “flight”. You can slow down your system by controlling your respiration rate, that means controlled deep purposeful breaths. Slowing down your breathing results in slowing down the rate of mounting aggression and frustration and that results in less anger and less stress.
- Stretch and Exercise- Stand up and stretch out those muscles. When we are mentally and emotionally stressed out and tired our body gets to physically carry the weight. Our super considerate muscles absorb all that stress from our day and keep it stored for us-right in our shoulders, neck, temples, legs, lower back, and every other muscle or
tender spot we have. Take a few mins and stretch out and try and get in 30-45 mins of exercise a day to increase blood flow and release tension. Try and make a practice of getting physical everyday. Vary your intensity levels during stressful times. Get a hard work out in when you need it; but, also take it easy when you need to rest. A 30 min walk around the park can do wonders for your psyche. If you’d like if you have a pet or family most certainly bring them along. Getting outside and burning off steam is good for the whole family. But, don’t underestimate the power of a brisk walk outside alone. - Count To 10– The whole “Count to 10” thing helps slower your heart rate and that means slowing down everything else…including slowing down elevations of anger and mounting stress. Know your trigger points and catch your tongue when you are about to say something that could cause more stress later. Everyone gets upset and/or emotional. Don’t beat yourself up for it. But, try and be careful who you show your most cherished and vulnerable cards to. ABSOLUTELY connect with those you wish to integrate into your beautiful inner emotional circle, just decide when you are going to invite someone in and evaluate their worthiness. Don’t let a stressful moment dictate who you open your heart to.
- Set Realistic Goals– Set short and long term goals and then create milestones to target and plan out your progress. Goals too lofty and unrealistic typically end in disappointment. So don’t set yourself up for failure. Great things can be accomplished without stressing yourself out. Rome was built… Just not in one day.
Drive Carefully– Traffic is traffic and if you have ever commuted any real distance and been late and stuck in deadlocked traffic you have probably blared the radio and visualized yourself in a monster truck with huge fiery bazookas, an Inspector Gadget oil slick, and a spiked snow-plow. Well, maybe that’s just me…And I’m kidding. Sorta! But seriously, going an extra 10 miles an hour weaving dangerously in and out of traffic really isn’t going to get you to your destination that much faster. Leave earlier, go the speed limit, listen to some calm relaxing music, enjoy the ride, and be vigilant watching out for women in monster trucks with bazookas and spiked snow-plows.- Eat Healthy– Focus your energy on your health! Stress happens, but how you deal with it is up to you. Don’t allow outside stressful forces control what you put inside your mouth by stress eating. If you are on a diet or not, treat yourself to crunchy snacks like carrots, grapes, and apples when you need something to crunch between your teeth. Plan out your meals and keep low calorie, high protein, and high fiber snacks at the ready so you don’t starve yourself and then raid the kitchen when you are famished. Treat yourself to a tablespoon of peanut butter if you are craving something sweet for a high packed punch of yummy protein. Stress beats up the body. Take care of it.
Water-Water-Water– Water is an amazing element. First and foremost, drink your recommended daily allowance and flush yourself out. Remember that coffee and tea are stimulants and as yummy as they are they dehydrate the body. For every cup of coffee you drink try and balance that out with a glass of something to stay hydrated. Think water with a few slices of lemon or some low calorie flavoring. Water also has a wonderful way of helping us wash away the stress of the day. Hop in the shower if you feel yourself getting overly stressed out. Rinsing off with either cool or warm water has a calming effect. While you are in there, try some lavender body scrub to help calm the nerves.- Meditate It doesn’t matter if you can meditate for 30 seconds or 3 hours. Take time to incorporate a few moments of quiet meditation for yourself. Connecting to your inner voice will help you eliminate the chatter from the day. Strengthening your willpower, emotional stamina, and spiritual connection will help you stay strong when others are weak and needy.
- Cast It/Them Away– Say it with me! “I cast that negativity and stress away.” Nothing can control you if you don’t let it. Recognize when others are draining your energy and don’t let in what/who you don’t want to, that includes: stressful people, stressful relationships, stressful jobs, stressful family members, stressful friends, and anything else that causes trouble. Explain to each, in a calm and collect fashion, that you won’t allow negative energy into your space. Period. Raise up your expectations and make them correct their behavior. If they refuse- do what you have to do, carry on with your life and cast them away until they get in control.
You’ve Got this!
Love, Success, & Positive Energy
~Theresa
