10 Ways to De-Stress
I have always prided myself on being a "multi-tasking" queen tackling multiple jobs, projects and tasks all at one time with excellence, but as I've grown older I find it more and more difficult to find joy or do "everything with excellence" because the stress begins to overwhelm me. Maybe it's just the caffeine effects from my third cup of coffee or maybe it's because my body has forgotten how to naturally de-stress after running at such a high pace for so many years.
So, instead of cutting off the world and telling everyone to stop calling me or bothering me, I'm going to find natural, wholesome ways to bring serenity and calmness back into my life and my body.
Here are 10 unique ways I want to de-stress this year:
1. Take 5 Long Breaths
This may sound quite elementary, but one of the first ways our bodies communicate that we're stressed is by having rapid breathing. Designed for the nomadic lifestyle of our ancestors thousands of years ago, the body was created to increase our breathing, heart beat, blood pressure and muscle movement when trying to not get eaten by a ferocious animal or killed by a tribe.
Several thousand years later, we are usually not being hunted by ferocious animals or tribal enemies, but our bodies still rage with that same sense of terror and adrenaline as we sit in hours of traffic, fume over emails or worry about our bank accounts. The only problem is that we don't run off that adrenaline and fear like our nomadic ancestors; instead, we sit in bodies that are full of acid being produced by high levels of adrenaline and it causes bad health problems for our bodies.
I used to have panic attacks when I first moved to Los Angeles, went through a terrible divorce and lost my job all within a few months time. The panic attacks were horrible and made me feel like the whole world was caving in causing me to not breathe, get dizzy and pass out.
So, in order to not have panic attacks I learned about the beauty of breathing. If you are stressed or overwhelmed by a certain situation, stop yourself in one place and close your eyes. Take 5 long breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly trying to see how long you can let the breath keep moving. If that doesn't help settle your heart beat, then take 5 more long breaths in through your nose, pause for a few seconds holding your breath and then exhale slowly out of your mouth. Repeat this method until your heart rate and mind are relaxed and ready to face whatever situation you've encountered.
For more information about the benefits of breathing, click here.
2. Drink a Glass of Water
This was another quick fix that I learned during some extremely stressful times of my life. Drink a glass of cold water. Close your eyes and focus on the consistency of the liquid as it hits the roof of your mouth, your tongue and is swallowed. Breath slowly through your nose as you drink the cold water.
As much as I love drinking coffee and turn to it whenever I'm tired or stress, a glass of cold water actually helps wake up my brain and relax my whole body much better than drinking a cup of coffee.
For more information about the benefits of water, click here.
3. Eat Dark Chocolate
Yes, I said it! EAT CHOCOLATE! Research has found that dark chocolate actually has many health benefits that make me want to smile even more! (I love dark chocolate! haha!)
The top three benefits that have been found are:
It can help prevent heart disease. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which are compounds that act like antioxidants. Flavonoids protect cells from harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals are produced when the body breaks down food or is exposed to sunlight or smoke. They can also cause cell damage that leads to heart disease. But, flavonoids help lower blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad one) by up to 10%.
It can improve your mood. Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that bring on feelings of pleasure. It also contains serotonin, which is a chemical that is a natural anti-depressant in our bodies! So amazing!
It can protect your skin. German researchers found that flavonoids from dark chocolate actually absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, while also increasing the skin's hydration and complexion.
I just get so excited when I read about the benefits of dark chocolate! But, remember that we must do everything in moderation. Dark chocolate has many health benefits, but it also has a lot of calories so make sure to only eat a few small pieces at a time.
For more info about the benefits of dark chocolate, click here.
4. Eat Crunchy Food
This sounds ridiculous even as I'm typing it, but eating crunchy food is actually a great way to destress. When you bite into a crunchy apple or chew on a few carrot sticks, the act of chomping helps release the tension in your jaw that is usually caused by grinding your teeth when you're stressed. (I'm a terrible teeth-grinder!)
So, I've learned the little trick of crunching on healthy foods that helps me not grind my teeth and actually releases good feelings back into my body. Now, make sure to choose healthy crunchy foods if possible (i.e. carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers, apples, crackers) because unhealthy crunchy foods may only make your stress heighten and your health decrease (i.e. potato chips, candy).
For more information about eating healthy crunchy foods, click here.
5. Take a Nap
As a kid, I hated taking naps because I felt like I was missing out on the world! Now, as an adult all I want is to just take a nap and forget about the world! ha!
Naps are a beautiful and wonderful thing, whether it's a 20-minute power nap or a 3-hour Sunday afternoon nap. Albert Einstein was one of the most intelligent men to walk this earth and he regularly took 2-3 naps a day. So, if that guy can still change history with his amazing inventions and have enough time to do other things, I think we can all benefit and actually succeed when we take the time for naps.
Here are just a few of the benefits of napping:
Boosts Alertness
Improves Learning and Memory
Increases Creativity
Boosts Productivity
Zaps Stress
Improves Your Mood
For more information about napping, click here.
6. Exercise
I'll admit, when I was young and single I had so much time on my hands to go running, play tennis or check out a new yoga studio. But as a mom of a toddler and running my own business, I feel like there are not enough hours in the day and it's hard to find a gym or yoga studio that has kids care and isn't too expensive.
Since life can be so busy and so stressful, I decided to make my own exercise routines or "habits" that I can do at home while brushing my teeth, watching cartoons on the floor with my son or even when traveling on the road.
Exercise is a great way to lower your stress levels while improving brain function, mood and longevity. Even if you only can do 10 jumping jacks or 20 push-ups in the morning, it will definitely get your brain and body moving in the right direction to face whatever obstacles come that day.
Here is my most recent post about Top Travel Fitness Tips.
For more information about the beautiful benefits of exercise, click here.
7. Pray
Many people think about praying, whether they are religious or not, but do they actually do it? In our stressed, busy world, it's hard to find time to pray. I have experienced the amazing spiritual, emotional, mental and physical benefits of prayer since I was a young teen. One of the best ways for me to stay focused and shift my mind into prayer mode, even during a stressful day, is to use a prayer journal. I write my thoughts and prayers out to God and then lay my hands on the journal after I've prayed and just shut up. I close my eyes, think about my breathing and mentally surrender everything I just wrote in the journal and everything that was not written.
Prayer is one of the best ways to find serenity and peace in the midst of chaos. I encourage us all to pray more and here's why:
Prayer improves self-control
Prayer makes you more aware of others
Prayer makes you more forgiving and kind
Prayer increases trust
Prayer lowers your stress levels
For more information about the health benefits of prayer, click here.
8. Read a Novel
As much as I love to watch a good movie or funny Youtube videos, my favorite de-stressing past-time is reading. I love to escape into a world where I don't exist and learn about complex characters, their struggles, heartaches and dreams. Reading someone else's story helps me to gain a more healthy, objective view of my own life story---to see it from an outsider's perspective. When I step back for a few minutes and see my own struggles from someone else's perspective, then most of the time my life doesn't really look that bad. My problems and trials are viable, but they don't need to overwhelm me or cause me to slip into a deep, dark depression.
Here are just a few of my favorite novels:
"Redeeming Love" by Fancine Rivers
"Little Women" by Louisa Alcott
"The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman
"The Burden of Silence" by Eric Praschan
"Love and Friendship" by Jane Austen
For more information about the health benefits of reading, click here.
9. Take a Walk
As a kid, my family used to take hikes all over the state of Ohio and even to national parks in various parts of the country. But, one of the best things that we regularly did in the summer when the evenings were warm was to take a brief half-hour walk around our neighborhood with my dog. It was a great way to get fresh air, talk about our day, say hi to neighbors and just get away from the hustle and bustle of work, homework and the television.
As an adult, I also have learned the benefits of taking a brief walk outside of my house or the office to clear my head, breath fresh air into my lungs and gain an "outside" perspective of the day. More times than not, when I went outside for a quick walk the problems of my office or my day did not look as bad as when I was sitting down in front of my computer.
So, I encourage us all to take a nice stroll this evening and walk more.
For more information about the health benefits of walking, click here.
10. Cry, Laugh and Smile
One of the fastest ways to instantly improve your mood and lessen your stress is to cry, laugh and smile. It sounds absurd, but I remember my grandmother telling me as a little girl that whenever we face tough situations: "Have a good cry, wash your face and eat something."
I'm not one to shy away from crying, but sometimes it's harder to find joy after I cry. Crying is one of the best ways to release stress from the body. Most societies look at crying as a form of weakness, but it's actually one of the most natural responses we have when experiencing stress. If we don't release the stress, then our bodies will become toxic with free radicals and our health will decrease.
Here are the benefits of crying:
Releases bad hormones from the body
Produces good endorphins in the body
Emotionally clears the body of stress and sadness
Rejuvenates the mind and heart
Here are the benefits of laughing:
Lowers blood pressure
Reduces stress hormones
Works your abs
Boosts T-cells
Releases endorphins
Produces a general sense of well-being
Here are the benefits of smiling:
Improves mood
Reduces stress
Makes you more approachable
Makes your seem more trustworthy
Retrains your brain for the better
Is contagious
Let's start crying, laughing and smiling more! I hope you will take all these fun tips and find more amazing ways to destress and find peace in each and every day.
Photography by Juliet Peel
