I recently shared a post in my Private Facebook Group, Raising Healthy Families and I wanted to share and expand on it now with you all.
STOP TRYING TO CALM THE STORM. CALM YOURSELF. THE STORM WILL PASS!
We all know that we need to lower our stress level. But in the current state of the world, this may seem hard. I want to give you a few practical tools to use to help lower your stress level. And then I want you to observe how when you calm yourself, everything else in life seems to go a little smoother. No, it may not be perfectly calm yet, and the storm may still be here, but at least we can find ways to have joy in our day and know that eventually the storm will pass.
If you take just 20 minutes a day and focus on you, you will see a change in how you are feeling. By taking time each day to focus on yourself, or on something you enjoy, you can recharge and help your day be more effective. So here are a few ideas:
· Meditation or Prayer- By quieting your mind during this process you will become rejuvenated. It is recommended to rest, quite your mind and breath during this time. I personally have found that journaling during this time is very effective. I usually read a small passage from somewhere and then I take a few minutes to write down a few things I am grateful for and then move to what I will accomplish in the day. I have figured out what works best for me and I would encourage you to do the same, maybe it is listening to a guided mediation, doing a gratitude journal, doing a structured bible study/devotional.
· Exercise/Stretching- doing any kind of movement for your body is going to be good for you. This could be going for a walk, doing yoga, following along on an online workout program, or going to the gym. The goal is to lower your stress level so choose something that is enjoyable for you!
· Reading- if you are a reader then you know how enjoyable getting away for 20 minutes to read can be. It is a good idea to use an actual book when doing it for the purpose of reducing stress as unplugging will help you refresh.
· Pamper Yourself- Take a nice bath, take a nap, get a massage or facial, find something that you can do for yourself. And then schedule it in your day. This may be a nap while the kids are napping, or a bath after you have gotten them down for the night.
You may not be able to accomplish all of these things each day, and that is okay. Maybe your routine will look like one morning you take 20 minutes to do some exercise and then the next day you have some quite time in prayer/mediation. And the next morning you are not able to do either of those, but you spend some time in the bath after the kids are asleep. Just make sure that you are not stressing about the need to do any of these things as that is what we are trying to reduce…
By taking this time, each day, you are going to reduce the stress that is put onto your body, including your spine. Stress can cause the muscles in your back, neck and shoulders to contract and the longer they are contracted the more damage is done to your spine. This will lead to interference to your spinal cord and may lead to additional health problems.
So, take 20 minutes each day and focus on yourself so that you can then show up and be the mom that you want to be!
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