1. Exercise

Working out regularly is one of the best ways to relax your body and mind. Plus, exercise will improve your mood. But you have to do it often for it to pay off.  So how much should you exercise every week?

Until you start to believe that exercise can really make a difference, start off with something versus nothing mindset.  So if you do nothing now, start off by taking a brisk walk 20 to 30 minutes a day.  Don’t bring your phone to take calls, or look on social media, but instead you can put your phone on airplane mode, to then listen to some music that inspires you.   Take deep breaths! Walk in the moment.. acknowledge that you are walking and feel, recognize, the calmness around you. 

If you already workout, and understand and feel the benefits of exercise, you can check Tip #1 off your list and just make sure to at least get in 4 to 5 times a week. Even if 2 of those days are just taking a walk as I mentioned above.

2. Relax Your Muscles

When you’re stressed, your muscles get tense. You can help loosen them up on your own and refresh your body by:

• Stretching ( this is like giving yourself a massage.  Take deep breaths as you move through the stretching)

• Enjoying a massage ( Choose a relaxing massage. Which means to find a person that can deliver the right pressure for you to relax)

• Taking a hot bath or shower

• Getting a good night’s sleep

3. Deep Breathing

Don’t and I mean DON’T under estimate the power of breathing.  Stopping and taking a few deep breaths can take the pressure off you right away. Add in closing your eyes while doing it, and you will instantly feel refresh. You’ll be surprised how much better you feel once you get good at it. Just follow these 5 steps:

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your hands in your lap and your feet on the floor. Or you can lie down. When I use to work in Corporate America, don’t laugh, but I use to do this in a bathroom stall for privacy. lol

2. Close your eyes.

3. Imagine yourself in a relaxing place. It can be on the beach, in a beautiful field of grass, or anywhere that gives you a peaceful feeling.

4. Slowly take deep breaths in and out.

5. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.

4. Eat Well

Eating a regular, well-balanced diet will help you feel better in general. It may also help control your moods. Your meals should be full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein for energy. And don’t skip any. It’s not good for you and can put you in a bad mood .  You should be eating every 3 hours to keep your insulin regulated and metabolism going at a healthy pace. 

For those doubters out there.  I’m going to dare you to do the following:

On day one, eat your lunch the way you would eat it normally.  Try not to alter anything now that you are going to read how to eat on day 2.  Be truthful.  About 20 minutes after you are done eating, write down how you feel.  Your energy, awareness, fullness or lack thereof.  Now take another day where you eat a healthy lunch.  This would consist of low fat carbs, healthy fats, protein and your beverage would be water.  You will eat slowly, chew more before swallowing.  About 20 minutes after you are done eating, write down how you feel.  Your energy, awareness, fullness or lack thereof.   Compare how you felt from both days to prove to yourself how healthy eating can really improve your mood and overall good healthy.

5. Slow Down

Modern life is so busy, and sometimes we just need to slow down and chill out. Look at your life and find small ways you can do that. For example:

• Set your watch 5 to 10 minutes ahead. That way you’ll get places a little early and avoid the stress of being late.

• When you’re driving on the highway, switch to the slow lane so you can avoid road rage.

• Break down big jobs into smaller ones. For example, don’t try to answer all 100 emails if you don’t have to — just answer a few of them.

6. Make Time for Hobbies

This is going to be a hard one if you just thought in your mind.. “Hobbies!” “Who has time for hobbies”!!!!  The answer is YOU DO!  You need to set aside time for things you enjoy. To allow your mind to see, hear, smell, taste something different than your hectic schedule you live daily.  Try to do something every day that makes you feel good, because I promise you that it will help relieve your stress. It doesn’t have to be a ton of time — even 15 to 20 minutes will do. Relaxing hobbies include things like:

• Reading

• Knitting

• Doing an art project

• Playing golf

• Watching a movie

• Doing puzzles

• Playing cards and board games

7. Talk About Your Problems

If things are bothering you, talking about them can help lower your stress. You can talk to family members, friends, a trusted clergyman, your doctor, or a therapist. 

Now if you are thinking about talking to your husband, or partner, but they like to be problem solvers instead of just listening to be a sounding board, then I suggest the following that worked for me.  I communicated to my husband that I will let him know when I just want him to listen, so I can vent and get release my thoughts from my day and when I needed this from him, how I did not want him to feel the need to solve my problems.  This worked great!!!  And has really been a great help for me.

You can also talk to yourself. It’s called self-talk and we all do it. But in order for self-talk to help reduce stress you need to make sure it’s positive and not negative.

So listen closely to what you’re thinking or saying when you’re stressed out. If you’re giving yourself a negative message, change it to a positive one. For example, don’t tell yourself “I can’t do this.” Tell yourself instead: “I can do this,” or “I’m doing the best I can.”

8. Go Easy On Yourself

Accept that you can’t do things perfectly no matter how hard you try. You also can’t control everything in your life. So do yourself a favor and stop thinking you can do so much. And don’t forget to keep up your sense of humor. Laughter goes a long way towards making you feel relaxed. 

9. Eliminate Your Triggers

Figure out what are the biggest causes of stress in your life. Is it your job, your commute, your schoolwork? If you’re able to identify what they are, see if you’re able to eliminate them from your life, or at least reduce them.  Remember my example I gave you in my video earlier, how I was so stressed after coming home from a long day of work, picking up my kids from daycare, I felt so stressed that I had to figure out giving them time, making dinner, etc.. and what I did to take that situation back in control…

If you can’t identify the main causes of your stress, try keeping a stress journal. Make note of when you become most anxious and see if you can determine a pattern, then find ways to remove or lessen those triggers.

All this may seem like a lot of work.. but I ask you again.. which work would you rather do every day?  The work that causes exhaustion just dealing with your stress daily, or the work to apply healthier habits to build a stronger mindset taking back control of your life.  I know which one I chose.. Now it’s time for you to choose.

10 Give Yourself Permission

Happiness comes to those who choose to be happy, but many people wait needlessly for permission to be happy. Permission is nothing more than someone else’s approval–but as simple as it is, it keeps them from succeeding and being happy.

So this is a simple reminder.

No one can force you to be happy; no one can force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But permission starts with you.  You are always either giving yourself permission to live in stress, or you are giving yourself permission to live in happiness.  Yes the thought is that easy.  And YOU are worth the work to get there.