Stress part 2 (my 5 top tips for serenity)

1. Self care (relaaaaaax).

So important! You need to keep yourself healthy first and foremost to make it easier to look after others (like children), and for sanity!. If you don’t have a lot of time to yourself, then make your home your sanctuary. I have set up a little nook off the lounge expressly for de-stressing purposes. Find a space that you can call yours, no matter how small and when you use it, you are not allowed to think of anything but relaxing:) Focus on the present. If you like baths, make it special – add candles, music, and relaxing potions. Find a space outdoors, in nature, read the paper with a cup of tea, or just close your eyes, enjoy the feeling of the sun on your skin, or rug up and enjoy the warmth and feel of a soft, cosy throw. For those that have the time, and money, enjoy a body therapy, such as a facial or massage. Or you can give yourself a facial, and ask someone at home to give you a foot massage. Ah, bliss!

2. Emotional awareness

Our thoughts can contribute massively to our stress levels. Listen to your self talk, for internal negative messages. Be kind to yourself!  Work on any old belief patterns that may be holding you back from a new job, new hobby, new life, and causing undue worry.

3. Exercise

Lack of exercise, or being sedentary, is linked to many health problems, so get moving! And exercise totally burns off stress as well as calories! Work out what parts of your body you want to improve, and what kind of exercise you like doing. Obviously something like tai chi or yoga is not going to give you the muscles that weight resistance would, but yoga will still tone and lengthen. Swimming and walking are two great ways to keep fit for those of those who can’t do anything too strenuous.

4. Get creative

Who likes being creative? I’ve set up an art and music studio in my garage with a new sewing machine and affirmation pictures on the wall. Painting is so therapeutic, and I get to splash paint everywhere. Adult colouring books are very popular at the moment and all you have to do is colour between the lines, no drawing talent needed:). Sitting around the keyboard with a friend having a singalong is great for stress. Music! Music makes everything better! Have a dance, work off that tension.  Or just yell the words of the song out, and scare the neighbours. Particularly good for those of us who are unwell, the singing, not the dancing. Or just dance in your chair. I do.

5. Online supermarket shopping

This has been great for me. I’ve been ordering groceries online for 10 years. No driving, no looking for a parking spot, no wheeling around a trolley, trying to get past people, waiting in line, and carrying heavy bags. It’s worth the $6-11 delivery free (and free Wednesdays) just for that! And I usually get free samples included ( my last shop I got about $30 worth of free groceries).

So today, and every day, dance, sing, pamper yourself, laugh, and be joyous xx

Stress

Today was a stressful day. I now have tea in hand, relaxing music playing in the background, with the oil burner pumping out goodness into my senses. How do you cope with stress? People who suffer from stress have a higher likelihood of heart disease and heart attacks, among other negative effects on the body. Now, we don’t want that! Lifestyle choices play a much bigger part in whether we get ill than genetics do. We want to support our immune system throughout our everyday lives of work, play, looking after the kids, cooking, driving (wow, sounds exhausting just listing those)! And for those of us who aren’t well enough to do many of those things, that is stressful in itself. Relying on others for help can be stressful, and not being able to do what we once could. What can we do for ourselves today for 5-10 minutes to de-stress, to incorporate into our daily routine? Can you spare a few minutes when you wake up to centre yourself, to start the day off in a good headspace before life gets in the way? Sing in the shower, give yourself a little head massage. On the way to work, if you are on public transport, look out the window and enjoy the scenery. Stopped at traffic lights, do the same (but not for too long!). Breathe deeply when you feel stressed to slow the stress reaction – breathing properly is so important to many body functions. We don’t think about as we do it automatically but it’s simple and we can do it anywhere. For those of us who are at home a lot, I will talk about meditation in future blogs. Whatever you are doing, just think about ways you can simplify things to make them less stressful. Take some time for you every day, even 5 mins, to nuture you, that doesn’t cost anything, and lessen the risk of any nasties happening! Your nervous system, immune system, and other systems say thank you, and I say how’s the serenity:). xx

Hello world!

Welcome! I’m here to share with you my ideas, and experience towards achieving a healthy body, and mind. I have lived with a chronic illness for 17 years, have explored many treatments, studied nutrition, wellness, psychology, and how our mind and body is intrinsically connected. I’m going to be writing about what has worked for me, or hasn’t, recipes that nourish the body, foods that heal, thoughts on mindset, ways to deal with stress, affirmations, our relationship with ourselves and others. So if you too are living with illness, injury or just want to be uplifted, supported, inspired, then please come on a journey with me to improve your health (mind, body, and soul) and look towards the future to a happy, fulfilling life, and living your dreams!