If you’re like me you can get wrapped up in all the things that need to get done. All the while forgetting that time to de-stress is also a need. We have all been there (or are there now) when we get muscle tension, our sleep is lacking or not so restful, we start getting sick more often, and tempers seem to be just a bit shorter than before.
If this scenario sounds all to familiar then these Top 10 Steps to De-Stress will be very useful. Don’t wait any longer, pick one you can do today or even right now.
1. Take time for yourself. Let’s be honest your busy and some alone time may be way overdo.
2. Take 20 minutes to sit back relax and read your favorite book. Set a time early in the morning when everyone else is silent and nothing is on your mind or at night before you go to bed.
3. Be unreachable and unplugged. It is much harder to hide away now than ever before. This means at any given moment you can be interrupted. Turn off the phone then put it in a drawer. Turn off your computer and keep it in another room. Don’t worry everyone and everything will still be there when you decide to plug back in.
4. Set time limits to work on projects each day. This will help you stay in task if you tend to procrastinate. If you tend to run around like a busy bee, this will help maintain focus for the project at hand.
5. Play! Playing is not just for kids. It is important for people of all ages. It gets you laughing, clears your mind from the not-so-fun stuff you tend to think about, and it connects you with others.
6. Make time for those you are close to. Spending time with others you love always cheers the soul, makes you smile, and creates more of those “Best time of my life” kind of memories.
7. Get moving. It is vital for our entire body, from head to toe. Research proves it’s an absolute need for our joints, muscles, heart, lungs, brain, skin, enhances nutrient transport, and yes even gastrointestinal movements. This is only naming a few benefits but you get the idea.
8. Eat real food. Limit the processed pretend food as much as possible. They do not obtain the necessary amount of nutrients needed no matter what they advertise. Eating real food enhances our immune system, gives us energy, helps our brain to function properly, and makes us feel better physically and emotionally. Again, these are just the basics but you get where I am going with this.
9. Take some time to be outside to bask in the sun or stare at the stars. We all spend so much time inside we almost forget what it is like to be outside. Just imagine the freedom to not be surrounded my walls.
10. Smile. It is hard to stay stressed or mad when you smile. I challenge you to even just try forcing a true smile on your face. Before you know it you’ll start laughing at how goofy a fake smile looks compared to a real one. Bonus, you’re not only smiling but laughing as well.