Top Ways to De-stress

Let’s face it, stress is something that’s part of our every day life, whether we acknowledge it or not. De-stressing is similar to eating healthy- we know we need to do it, but it can be hard to make the changes to facilitate less stress.

Here are some easy ways to stress less that I have found to be helpful:

1) Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier: Lately, I have been hitting my pillow earlier. I try to get into bed 30 minutes early and read a relaxing novel to still my mind. Then I set my alarm 30 minutes earlier, so I can get up, relax with my coffee or tea, spend more time organizing my thoughts and items for the day, and not feel rushed.

2) Deep breathing. When I’m sitting in traffic or other stressful situations, I remember to take a deep breath, look out the window, and reconnect with my feelings about the situation.

3) Understand your stress triggers so you can know how to handle them. For me, traffic is always a stressor. If I know I have to be somewhere at 6, and traffic will be bad, I try to get there by 4, and find a café near by or bring a book to read. For me, getting there early to avoid traffic, also avoids my stress trigger.

4) Walking. Walking is a time to enjoy a neighborhood, be alone with my thoughts, and get my blood flowing. A brisk walk is low impact and makes you feel good both inside and out.

5) Laugh with a friend. We all have those friends who are always positive and know how to make us feel good. Surround yourself with positive people and avoid negative people as much as you can.

6) Take a lunch break. I used to power through lunch or eat at my desk. Now, I try to get out of the office for lunch or at least move away from the computer to eat. Recently, I started Skyping with a friend from back east once/week during our lunch breaks. Sykpe for me feels just like I was actually there with a friend, having lunch like we used to. Lunch dates like that feed my soul and my body.

7) Sign off. Social media, email, texting- it has consumed our lives. New studies suggest 10 minutes on Facebook can have the same detrimental effects previous studies have shown glossy magazines (Cosmo, etc.) to cause. Conastant bombardment with Facebook updates from friends can make you feel like you’re missing out, or make you compare yourself to others. Take time to un plug and live life in the moment.

Do you have your own ways of dealing with stress? Please share them in the comment box or post to our Facebook wall- we’d love to have more tips to share!

– Maggie Palmer, Marketing Director