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I hope everyone is starting to finally have a better week. It has been a weird year so far and we are almost half way there. I am glad that finally things are changing and hopefully people’s voices are finally getting heard. It also has been a time for reflection these last couple of weeks and really putting your heart and mind in the right direction, and having that as a priority. One thing this year that we have all been trying to do more of is to relax a little. This doesn’t include just our mind, but our body as well. It is so important as we are on over drive constantly, just to sit back and take a deep breath. Below are some of my personal favorite tips that I do to relax a little when the world seems to be stressful.

My Favorite Tips To Relax When You Are Stressed

• Read a Book: This can be any book whether it is fiction or a self-help book. I feel like the best thing you can do for your brain when it is in overdrive, is dive into an easy read. I love having a new book to read throughout the month.
• Call Your Mom or Loved One: I call and talk to my mom at least 3 times a day. We have a routine where I talk to her in the morning, after work, and in the evening and maybe even more. My mom is my best friend, and is the one that I go to first whenever I am stressed or have a lot on my mind. Talking it out is the best medicine.
• Ask Yourself “Will This Matter In 5 Years”: This is one that is a little more challenging to do because sometimes at this moment it might be a work problem, that honestly needs assistance right at this moment. It is good to step back though and think that this won’t even matter in 5 days for some instances. It really sets your priorities and your time management.
• Take A Bubble Bath or Do Self Care: I have to take a bath almost daily as it is part of my nightly ritual. This turns my brain into “relaxation”and that it is night time and I feel so much more at ease. This is also great if you give yourself weekly facials, indulge in a massage, or anything else you like to do for self care.
• Be in Silence Outside: There is something so serene about having a cup of coffee or taking a walk outside with 0 distractions. No, you don’t need your phone around you or to even know what time it is. I have done a lot of personal self-reflecting in moments like this. It gives you a sense of calm with nature that drowns you out from all of the hustle and bustle in life.
• Know When to Say “No”: This one can be extremely hard, but one that we have to learn to say more. If you are new at your job you are probably afraid to say no, or if you are new to a city and saying no to meeting up with new friends sounds hard to do. I noticed during the quarantine that when I didn’t have a packed schedule like I normally do, I finally got to things that I wanted to do and books I wanted to read. Now it makes me wonder the things that I do actually want to say “yes” to.
• Exercise Your Little Heart Out: I have started to exercise more and I am so glad that I finally have a great routine. It is so comforting to be able to burn out the calories for all of my stress. This is something that I value and try to make it as part of my normal weekly routine. Whether this is taking a walk around your block or doing a pilates exercise, make it part of your routine.
• Have Daily Morning Reflections/Rituals: One of the first things that I do when I wake up in the morning is read my daily faith reflection for that day. I don’t look at social media the first thing, my email, or even text messages. This is very important to set your mind for the day and what is truly important for your day ahead. When I am looking at emails the first thing in the morning or any other item, I find myself more stressed throughout the day.
• Set Boundaries to Disconnect: I know we all try to disconnect and say we won’t look at our phone once we are laying down for bed, etc. This takes it a step further and I would say don’t even look at your work emails during the weekend for instance. It can be hard to do because you have it on your phone, but honestly unless you are a doctor or on call, chances are you don’t need to respond. This also takes into consideration the amount of time you are on social media and what you are doing with the scrolling. A lot of time people do it out of habit. They might not even care to do it, but there is a technology itch that they are fighting.

I hope these tips help you out if you are ever feeling stressed out. I know that it takes time and can be a journey to find some advice that helps different people out. The best thing to ultimately do is take a breath, break, and most importantly balance and set priorities. It is not always going to be perfect and sometimes is not completed during your original time frame, and that is where you have to have grace!