Stress Kills Happiness – Some Ideas to Begin Managing Stress
It’s hard to be happy when you’re stressed. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that because I’m sure you’ve experienced it yourself. Think back on high stress situations like missing a flight to go on vacation, or when you were planning an event and things got overwhelming and started to fall apart. Hopefully you were able to recover and enjoy your time away or your event, but chances are that you weren’t too happy while you were stressed out. Unfortunately stress is just part of life and it drains the happiness and joy right out of us.
One way to increase your happiness and your quality of life is to begin managing your stress. Not only is it good for your soul, it’s also good for your overall health and wellbeing to manage the stress in your life. Here are some simple things you can do to begin.
Get Enough Sleep — This is super important to help in managing your stress
An easy way to start stressing less is to be sure you get a good seven to eight hours of sleep each night. When we don’t sleep well, and don’t sleep enough, our bodies are in a constant state of stress, trying to make up for the lack of sleep. Sleep helps us relax and gives our mind time to process everything that’s been happening. In my opinion, sleep is extremely underrated. You’ll get more done when you’re fresh and rested and you’ll be less stressed out. Click here to learn more about the importance of sleep!
Move Around And Get Some Exercise
Studies show that one of the best stress relievers is exercise. Start moving your body regularly. If you can get outside to do this, even better. The fresh air, sunshine and being in nature will be wonderful for you. Go for a brisk walk whenever you’re feeling stressed. It really does work to help in managing your stress.
Take Some Time for Yourself
There are periods in our lives when we spend a lot of time, focus and attention on others. Especially as women ~ we are caretakers, carpool drivers, cooks, bottle washers, and the list goes on. Perhaps you are even involved in building a business or volunteering. At busy times like these that take a lot of our energy, attention and time, it’s easy to forget about ourselves, or put our own personal needs last. Make an effort to spend at least a little bit of “me” time each and every day. It can be something simple like a bubble bath or going outside and watching the sunset. Even ten minutes spent relaxing and doing something completely selfish can be a great way to decompress and destress. I think this is so important, I wrote a book about it — The Little Black Book of Sassy and Blissful Suggestions. I guarantee you’ll love it. You can purchase our new updated version here.
Practice Meditation
Try meditating. Again, you don’t have to spend a lot of time on this. Sitting quietly going through a guided meditation once a day can do wonders for you. Once you get in the habit of practicing meditation daily, and get better at it, you can draw on the techniques you’ve learned whenever you encounter a particularly stressful situation. You can spend a minute or two in meditation, even at the most stressful time and allow your mind to relax. Trust me, this will come in very handy when life throws you a curveball, or when you’re feeling completely overwhelmed.
Bonus tips ~If you’ve never tried Creative Visualization when meditating, give that a whirl as well. It’s a wonderful way to add to the relaxation and get your mind focused on things that are important to you. I also recommend Yoga ~ I love it! I remember a class where we were outside doing yoga and some meditating and I became so relaxed, I actually fell asleep!
Travel
Last, but certainly not least, Traveling and taking vacations are extremely important to all areas of wellness and stress management. Take time and make it fun to plan your trip. It is great to always have something to look forward to, and what could be better than a fabulous vacation? Once on your trip, take the time to immerse yourself in the local culture and take a deep breath and enjoy every minute of it!