Who knew that 2020 would be the most challenging year in our lifetime???? With the pandemic, the economic downturn, and the political unrest, we are all feeling stress and that stress manifests itself in different ways. The good news is that there are some things we can do to manage the stress and maintain a positive mindset. Check out these quick tips that you can start to implement today!
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Control what you can. With so many things being out of our control, sometimes just controlling what we can at home can help to reduce stress. Meal planning is a great start! Taking a little time to plan our meals for the week can help us combat stress eating in a big way! When we plan our meals and snacks and spend a little time on the front end prepping for the week, we have nutritious options on hand. When the stress causes us to want to eat our feelings, we can feed our bodies with healthier options that make us FEEL better.
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Edit social media and news. Scrolling through social media and news sites morning, noon, and night can leave us feeling stressed and in despair. Try picking one or two sources that you know you can trust for news and limiting that “scrolling” time to a reasonable amount of time. Don’t scroll first thing in the morning and don’t climb into bed at night with your phone. Leave the beginning and the end of each day a time to relax and calm your body and brain.
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Get good sleep. This is a big one. Beneficial sleep is so important to regulating our cortisol levels, which is the stress hormone. Aim for a good 7-8 hours each night. If you are one of the many Americans right now who are struggling with sleep, magnesium is your missing mineral! You will be shocked at how much less stressed magnesium will help you feel. For more information on good forms of magnesium and what doses, click here.
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Plan moments of joy. With all the unrest and uncertainty, it can be really hard to see the joy. But remember, you are a model for your children and the people you surround yourself with feed off of your energy. So try to find those moments of happiness, those moments of peace. Maybe it’s seeing a job well done after working in the yard all afternoon. Maybe it’s the smell of the blooming flowers. Maybe it’s watching your children play in the sprinkler. Maybe it’s those 30 quiet minutes when you were able to sit down and read a book. It’s an action. Choose joy.
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Incorporate meditation. It may sound corny, but I am here to tell you it works! Start and end your day with 5-10 minutes of meditation and affirmations. This can look different for each of us. Maybe it’s quiet prayer. Maybe it’s journaling. Maybe it’s stretching or yoga. I love to use the Headspace app to help clear my head and focus. For more of my daily routine, click here. These designated times each day allow us an opportunity to begin and end our day in a positive mindset. Give it a try. You’ll be glad you did.
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Establish a routine. This can be a tricky one when a lot of us are working and studying from home. But it is important. Whether it’s a good sleep routine, bedtime routine, exercise routine, or workspace routine, these patterns of consistency can help our bodies and minds feel more at ease.
We are all dealing with stress. No one is immune. The question is how are we going to react to the stress? It is a choice we have to make every day. Make one small change today that may help you feel better, sleep better, and have a better mindset. What have you got to lose??
