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How To Reduce Stress and Self-Care Everyday
Whenever I neglect to practice personal care, it has an effect on my anxiety and general mood. We all know that stress is not the easiest to manage and it’s easier said than done. How many of you have started one thing that you’ve gotten motivated to do for yourself, but did not stay committed to the journey? Have you ever felt defeated because of stress? Discouraged?
How often is your mood affected by stress? It’s time to change your self-care habits! How to reduce stress? Certainly, you can manage stress. I’ve found that regular practice with these six self-care activities helps to improve how often I tend to personal care, how much I enjoy practicing self-care during each of these acts, and keep me motivated to meet my goals.
It’s almost like I’ve discovered a hidden message all within my mind, body, and soul, and I’m finally finding the courage to crack the codes. Yes, I am a full-time working wife and mother of one. Of course, my life is hectic! Most often, there’s too much on my plate (even though I’m passionate about EVERY thing on my plate). I’m sitting at the table trying to finish all of my food, but truth is, I am overwhelmed. Whenever I get like this, I have to remember to get up and relax. To lower my risks of burnout, anxiety, and depression, I engage in things that I enjoy to rekindle the balance in my life.
Prayer
It may sound cliche to those who don’t believe in a higher being, but for me, it has been an essential tool in retraining my mind to think positively and helping to restore my faith. After I pray, the amount of weight that is lifted is quite freeing. God takes over from there and I give him praise!
Meditation
You’ve definitely heard me discussing meditation and its benefits in previous blog posts and might have seen me discussing it on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Meditation really does help to clear my mind to focus clearer– with deep breaths in and out.
Download the Oak Meditation App in the Apple Store to start your first meditation practice for free. I use this app to help me calm my mind and clear my thoughts. It’s great for beginners.
Massage
Routine massage is something to indulge in for self-care. I don’t make a habit of doing this every week, but it’s worth it to do it every 4-6 weeks. I was a non-believer of massages until I actually started to get them as often as I do. If you’ve never had one before, I implore you to try it out. PRO TIP: if the area where you’re experiencing your pain is within your reach, try self-massage as well.
Stretch.
Now listen. I don’t exercise every day, which is something I’m working on adding to my growing list of self-care practices. Since I do not exercise regularly, my muscles are always tight. As a substitution, I stretch every day and/or every other day. I do a combination of upper and lower body stretch exercises to release tightness. PRO TIP: Deep breaths while stretching help to break up tension tremendously.
Suggestion: Try yoga as an alternative to going to the gym to lift weights or walking on the treadmill.
Write
Writing is therapeutic for thoughtful expression. Sometimes, the words I speak don’t come out the way I’d like for them to. I can write them better than I can speak them. I keep a journal when I am having good or bad days.
Gratitude Journals are great for expression. The gratitude journal I created comes with a Gratitude Garden, to plant seeds of gratitude. Moreover, when you grow, your appreciation for the things and people you love also grows.
Music
One of the freest forms of expression and what I’d consider my “musical therapy”. Escaping my thoughts to listen to my favorite tunes is probably one of my favorite things to do on this list. I find myself a good playlist or a favorite album that I enjoy, and just vibe out. It helps to forget about the things that have me overwhelmed temporarily, so much so that the feeling of being overwhelmed becomes obsolete.
What are some of your self-care practices? How often do you practice self-care? What practices would you recommend for others?
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