If you’re anything like me, you tend to stress a lot. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stressed out over the little things. My fiance is the best, because whenever he sees me starting to stress/panic (he calls me hurricane Monica most of the time lol) he will get me to calm down. Whether it’s by helping me with whatever I’m doing, or by somehow distracting me with positive thoughts. That’s why when he was gone for 2 months in Florida I had to learn how to destress ON MY OWN. I chose to go the route of taking control of my health. I started doing Yoga every single day. This really taught me how to meditate and calm down a little bit.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DIET
I know, it’s hard. I’m the first one to admit that when I’m stressed out, I’ll go buy an ice cream cake and eat the whole thing. I say that because I actually did this haha. I am the first one who will turn to food as a destressor. No matter how many times I do this, I KNOW it’s not the right route to take. I have noticed that when I take control of my diet and eat healthier, I have more energy, I’m more positive, and I don’t stress out as much. It’s probably because I have more energy to run around and do the things that I put on the back burner and end up stressing out about.
EXERCISE
As much as it sucks to get your ass off the couch and work out, whether it’s in the comfort of your own home, or at the gym, you need to do this. Endorphins are no joke. I have to force myself to work out (except for Yoga), especially when it comes to cardio (I hate cardio WITH A PASSION), but whenever I’m done, those endorphins kick in and do all the work. I feel happier, more energetic (even though I may be panting like a dog lol), and accomplished. This makes me feel like I can take on the world!
BREATHING TECHNIQUES/MEDITATION
At my last job, one of my coworkers started doing breathing exercises. Every day at 10am, she would take about 5 minutes to breathe deeply. It sounded kind of funny, BUT, it did help her. I highly recommend meditation. Whenever I start to stress, I’ll take a few minutes to close my eyes and meditate.
TAKE A VACATION/STAYCATION
IF you are fortunate enough to have extra money for a vacation/staycation I highly recommend it. I personally cannot take a vacation whenever I feel like, but a lot of people also do staycations because it’s usually local and not as expensive. Even if it’s just staying at a spa/resort location overnight.
REEVALUATE
Whether it’s your environment, your friends, significant other, family, etc. you may need to reevaluate if someone close to you is the reason for your stress. Toxic environments can really break a person. Family can also sometimes be toxic. I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by very amazing and loving people, however when I came back from Texas I got rid of ALL of the toxic people in my life. I had a select few people left in my life.
GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA
Sometimes I need to stay away from my timeline and my Insta feed. I need a break. I need a break from the drama, the keyboard warriors, and the constant comparison to other people out there in the world. I have learned not to compare myself to other people on social media (make sure to read my Instagram vs. Reality post here). Every once in a while I’ll take a little break from social media and I disconnect.
BE LAZY
A few months ago, I took a few days off from work. I was supposed to do so many things during those days, but I decided that I needed a mental health day. Which basically meant, one of the days I stayed in bed ALL day watching The Office. Even though I felt like a waste that day, I woke up the next day completely refreshed and ready to take on the world.
LOOK FOR A NEW JOB
Sometimes our jobs can be the main cause of our stress. I know that it isn’t easy to find a new job, especially if you are in a specific industry. It was extremely hard for me to find a job when I graduated, because nowadays it’s not what you know, but who you know. However, at one of my recent jobs, it felt like my soul was sucked out of me. I didn’t want to blog anymore because it got so hard to continue to keep going every day. I had no inspiration because I was constantly working, and constantly felt like I was getting no where. Stay tuned because within the next few weeks I’ll have a post go live about toxic work environments. I feel like it’s going to be an important post because too many times I hear about toxic borderline hostile work environments.
What’s a way that you destress?
xoxo Monica
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