Life is more chaotic than ever before. When our days are filled with work, running errands, and socializing with loved ones, our lives begin to feel like routine madness. If this constant balancing act resonates with you, now is perfect time to talk about stress.
External responsibilities like work deadlines or family demands may not be in our control but we always have the power to address our internal stressors. The sooner you prioritize internal stress relief, the better you’ll be able to manage external pressures. After engaging in some of the stress relief practices below, you’ll quickly start to see improvements in your mood, health and approach to your daily routine.
Balance your blood sugar – STAT!
Take a moment to observe the way your energy fluctuates each day. Do you tend to wake up groggy and get through a slightly energetic morning, only to crash around 3pm? Do you feel awake and energetic around 9pm, just when you should be winding down? If so, you might need to examine your eating habits.
Your body is meant to provide constant bursts of energy throughout the day. Building healthier eating habits will essentially help your body help you. A steady flow of energy promotes stress relief and helps you tackle your day with confidence.
Below are simple tips to help stabilize your body’s flow of energy:
Have breakfast within 90 minutes of waking up.
Eat lunch within 3.5 hours of breakfast.
Enjoy a small snack in the afternoon, before you feel your energy drop.
Eat dinner around 6 or 7pm ( a few hours after the snack).
Recommendation: Get into a consistent and healthy eating routine.
Exercise properly
Not all exercise is created equal. Two hours of hard core cardio each day isn’t the solution to managing your stress - especially if you’re already feeling overwhelmed. Overexerting yourself will not help you with stress relief and can actually exacerbate your feelings of anxiety.
There is a lot of misinformation about working out promoted online. The key point to remember is that everyone's body is different. You need to cater your workouts to your specific needs. After any workout, you should feel more energetic, not less.
Ladies, believe it or not, where you are in your menstrual cycle matters.* The sooner you learn to exercise in accordance with your cycle, the sooner you’ll see an impact on your emotional state, levels of stress, and weight management. For the first two weeks after your period (follicular and ovulatory phases), you can challenge yourself by taking that bootcamp or spin class. The second two weeks of your cycle (luteal and menstrual phases), which include your period, focus on lower intensity exercise such as light walks or yoga.
Recommendation: Before hitting your next CrossFit class, see how you feel. Generally, if you’re already dealing with high levels of stress, try to focus on no more than 30 minutes of cardio.
Supplement your stress
The immense technological advancement of our time has brought about many innovations in beauty, health and wellness. While there is an emphasis on efficiency and low cost, some of these new products can be detrimental to our health. Cleaning products or over the counter medicine, for example, can make our lives easier but when used in excess, will bring toxins into our homes and potentially disrupt our hormonal balance. In order to manage your stress, consider these adjustments in the products you buy:
Beauty products: Look for natural soaps, deodorants, and hair products.
Body: Before running to the pharmacy for over the counter medicine, try a more homeopathic route with herbs or essential oils.
Home: Use natural, plant based detergents. Utilize baking sodas and vinegars to clean your home.
Recommendation: Go natural whenever possible.
Take your well-being to the next level
With each of these stress relief tools, I speak from personal experience. When I was working 14-hour days for nearly seven months of the year, I allowed myself to eat and drink whatever I wanted. I didn’t realize all the damage I was doing to my body and my emotional state. I was depressed, highly stressed, and had breakouts… a lot of them.
Since adjusting these behaviors, I’ve been able to better manage my stress despite any external challenges. I wake up each morning striving to be better than I was the previous day, and thus, have been able to conquer a few of my demons. I challenge you to do the same.
Are you in need of REAL stress relief? Join our live masterclass every Wednesday at 1 pm EST. This webinar is free to join, but you have to register. See you there!
* Alisa Vitti, CEO of FLO Living is a powerhouse. Her teachings about women’s health continue to empower me to rely on nature to understand and heal my body.