If you find yourself struggling to handle all that life throws your way, there is help. When you feel overwhelmed, try including some new methods of stress relief into your day. They may be just the boost you need to pull through with a smile.
Turn Up the Music
There is a growing body of evidence that music therapy can help combat stress, anxiety, and depression. In this field, specially trained therapists work with clients to uncover the best approach to using music to overcome fears, assist with pain management, or cope with a crisis or trauma.
You don’t have to seek services from a professional music therapist to experience results, though.
Some researchers have found that listening to music that has a slow, steady tempo can actually change brainwave patterns and, after extended listening, induce sleep.
Try nature sounds to induce a calming effect and a relaxed state. If that isn’t really your style, check out Native American, Celtic, or Indian music with drums, flutes, or stringed instruments.
Although the beats per minute of the music you select is a key factor, it is equally important that you find the music enjoyable and relaxing. So, while these are sound suggestions, you shouldn’t feel limited to a certain style of music. Find something you like and turn it up so tune out stress.
Disconnect and Unplug
Do you feel like, no matter how much you try to escape it, stress follows you everywhere? You are not alone. With everyone so connected and available, it is difficult to unplug and truly get away.
Set a time each day that you are not available by phone, email, or social media. Really unplug from your tech and your worries. If you are struggling to give up your devices, try a screen-free meal time or dedicate a certain time each week (or day) to social media. Stick to your established schedule and resist the temptation to just peek.
Once it becomes a habit, you may be surprised at the amount of free time and self-confidence that you find.
Maximize your downtime by turning your attention inward with a meditation practice. There are plenty of easy strategies you can use to bring mindfulness into your life, and your focus on the present.
Embrace Aromatherapy
Your sense of smell is strong. Even a small whiff of a familiar aroma can transport you back to a specific time and place. Aromatherapy harnesses that power by delivering beneficial plant compounds through scent.
Choose from popular essential oils like lavender, Ylang-Ylang, and citrus scents to boost your mood and conquer stress. If you are new to aromatherapy, Young Living Essential Oils has several blends specifically designed to help reduce stress, aid relaxation and boost mental clarity.
You can choose to place those oils in a diffuser to influence the overall atmosphere of your space. More targeted effects can be achieved by applying diluted essential oils topically or using them along with therapeutic massage techniques.
Learn to Say No
This one little, bitty word has tremendous power to reduce your stress level and empower you. As humans, our innate sense is to accept challenges, help others, and make things go smoothly. However, it often backfires, leaving you with too much on your plate and anxiety over how you are going to get it all done.
When someone asks you to do something that will create a burden or generate stress for you, it is perfectly acceptable to say no. Be polite and offer an explanation if you feel it is necessary, but resist the urge to give in and agree to something you really don’t want to do.
Opting out of some things may even create room for others that you enjoy more. Keep an open mind about helping others, but be prepared to decline invitations when it benefits you.
Find Your Own Ritual
All the suggestions in the world won’t help if you don’t find the ritual that helps you vanquish your stressors. Try out a few things, see what works for you, and practice it regularly. Of course, just because something works doesn’t mean it is the only good solution, so feel free to keep trying new ideas, too.
Stress is a natural part of life, You can’t avoid it, so you might as well find ways to overcome it. Incorporating these natural and novel stress management techniques into your daily routine can help.
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement.
We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. As a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re not talking about resignation, but rather stepping into, embracing, and owning.
I have accepted that I will never find the perfect balance as a mom, and no matter how others perceive me as a working mom, both being a mom and a professional help me to progress as a woman.
2. Appreciation is everything. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
I’m grateful for the resilience that my trials have instilled in me. As hard as my trials have been they have helped me empathize with others more and to become a better person.
3. Share with us one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
Becoming a mother and feeling the love of my children has been the most rewarding experience of my life. That love coupled with a desire to maintain their love and respect is one of my biggest motivators in life.
Photo by Allie Smith on Unsplash
