So, modern medicine is telling us more and more that stress is a detriment in nearly all areas of our lives. It hurts our body, fatigues our mind, keeps us awake at night, and disrupts our energy flows. Stress is a truly horrible thing for us – and a modern way of life! So, what can we do about it?
- Journaling – Writing about our feelings and worries and stresses is an excellent way to help relieve them. Just expressing your stressed feelings can do so much to relieve them – and in the best of cases, it can help you solve your stressors because when you allow yourself to just write without censoring yourself, your mind can more more quickly and creatively. I recently discovered 750words.com which is a great way of journaling. The challenge is to write 750 words every day. Your writing is kept private, stored day to day and analyzed for your mood and preoccupations and some other stuff. The best part is that it’s web-based, so you have no journal to carry around and can log in anywhere you have an internet connection. (Thanks to Birdy at The Encouraging Bird for the site recommendation!)
- Do something fulfilling – This is where hobbies and pastimes come in. We have 24 hours in every day. Hopefully, we’re spending 8 – 10 of those hours sleeping well. Most of us spend another 8-10 hours working or preparing for work. That leaves us 4-8 hours of quality time we get to ourselves. If we don’t do things that make us feel fulfilled – hobbies, family, relaxation, causes – then what is it really all about? Fulfillment and taking the time to enjoy living can be a huge relief for stress, so find something that you love to do that makes you feel good and just do it.
- Exercise – Doctors especially highly recommend exercise as a stress reliever. When you exercise, endorphins are released into your body, providing something of a natural high. This natural high, in addition to making us feel better in general, helps clear our minds of all the clutter that just collects there and, like writing, allows solutions and what’s really important burble up through our minds. Plus, exercising is key to a healthy body and a healthy body can handle the rigors of stress much better than an unhealthy body.
- Meditation – I cannot stress the health benefits of meditation. Yet another way to clear your mind and let what’s important become clear and let the rest just melt away. In addition to the mental and spiritual benefits, there are a lot of physical benefits to meditation as well. For instance, did you know that we typically breath too shallowly and, as a result, are ever so slightly oxygen deprived as we go about life? Meditative breathing can help restore the proper balance which, again, helps relieve all sorts of good chemicals into our brains and bodies. Just fifteen minutes a day can make a huge difference! Remember to ground and center frequently as well.
- Essential oils – The easiest way to use essential oils, in my opinion, is as a scent, either as a mist or evaporative form, and they’re also the easiest way to find ready-to-purchase. You can now find essential oil plug in air fresheners at the grocery store! For stress, I recommend Rose, Sandalwood, Rosemary and Lavender.
- Gemstones – Carrying gemstones and allowing their energy into your life is a great way to help in reducing stress. Make sure to clean and energize your gemstones often and they’ll contribute to your life in a very positive way. I suggest carrying or wearing amber, green jasper, malachite, obsidian, onyx, peridot, tourmaline, and turquoise.
Do you have some favorite stress relievers? What do you do to unwind at the end of the day?
P.S. – I was originally going to use an image of someone stressed for this post, but it made ME feel stressed! Tranquility is much better, I think!
