Thursday, November 28, 2013

10 Ways to De-Stress


Yesterday I ranted a little bit about the stresses of the old 9-to-5 (actually the not-so-9-to-5 since my shifts are never that consistent). These past few weeks have definitely had their share of stress, for work-related reasons and otherwise. But ya know, I'm trying to remain positive. So I'm going to focus on how these weeks have reminded me of important ways to relax and take the weight off! And I am going to share these stress-removing methods with you all :) Some may seem obvious, but I'm sharing them anyway, because everyone can use a reminder to take a moment to relax.
  • Deep breaths. This is like the CTRL-ALT-DEL function for your body and will put you into Force Relax mode. You know. Shut down some non-essential applications. Restart your system, if you will.
  • Brew up a hot beverage. Hop in a hot bath or lie down with a cozy blanket. Turn off all the lights. Light a few really great-smelling candles. Grab a cuddly pet if you have one handy (only if you're not taking a bath though, let's not make it weird). And THEN:
  • Listen to calming music. I like picking a playlist on Songza or 8tracks. That way the down time can double as music discovery time. Heyy-oooh multitasking!
  • Rant. Write. Journal. Blog. Find a good friend and talk their ears off. Send a far-away friend a lengthy facebook message. Find an old sheet of paper and cover it with words and scratches and angry drawings. Then rip it to pieces later if you're feelin' it. Get it all out, girl.
  • If the lying around just isn't working for you, get moving. I prefer long walks and yoga. Both are excellent activities for burning off steam, and both allow you to reflect and meditate on your shitty life (and hopefully help you realize it isn't so shitty after all!)
  • Furiously cleaning your room/ house/ apartment also allows you to burn off steam and take your mind off things. Plus it's productive.
  • Go for a long drive if you have a full tank. Take a journey. Let your mind wander as far as your car. Spread love and peace across the land.
  • Watch a favourite movie or crack open a new book. Allow yourself to leave your current woes behind and enter a different realm. Just come back to this world after a few hours so we don't have to throw you in the loopy bin. Escapism, bros.
  • Shop. This is actually horrible advice. Stress shopping is not a joke. But if you're a shopaholic and therapy shopper like me, it really does work. But don't do it. It's an expensive coping method. Unless there's a sale.
  • When all else fails, sleep it off. It really is true that nothing ever seems as bad after a good night's sleep. Let your present self have a nice deep slumber and let your future self handle things. Future Self is up for the challenge, I promise.
I hope you all remember to take a moment to sim this week. It's good for your brains and your bodies and you deserve it.

(I stole this picture from WeHeartIt! Oops! Is this frowned upon in the blogosphere? Am I doing this wrong?)

7 comments:

  1. i so needed this post today! i work in a really heavy field and it can take emotional, physical, and spiritual tolls on me if i don't spend enough time taking care of myself. this is a really good list, and a healthy reminder to spend time relaxing. i think i'm definitely going to have to get a bubble bath in tomorrow after work with low lighting a a few candles.

    thanks for sharing!
    xo nicole
    writeslikeagirlblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely post, Angela! Cleaning up the house and going for a run afterwards usually helps me getting out any frustration/stress I have going on. I love your list! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really love your suggestions! Cleaning is a great one I think, and you get a nice tidy apartment out of it too! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this post. I totally agree with these. The ones I use most are definitely tidying up my room and clearing out my wardrobe, as it just feels so satisfying and gives me something I can control when my mind feels very out of control :(

    Also, I have been known to stress-shop. Like you say, not very wise, but it definitely works in the short-term. LOL.

    http://thepersephonecomplex.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love this post! The Holiday's are always a stressful time of year so this helps! Love your bloggy girl! You are super cute!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think I've done everything on this list in the last couple weeks. haha. Whenever I do the long drive to de-stress it always turns into shopping. lol.

    xo Ashley

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ahh I hope you feel a lot better and more relaxing!
    I agree that cleaning up your room/house can make
    you feel better. After all, a clear space is a clear
    mind ;) Xx

    ReplyDelete