Sometimes it feels like being a woman is synonymous with
being busy. Keeping on top of everything can seem like an insurmountable task
some days, and getting stressed about it actually makes us less effective and
less able to cope. Many women are looking for ways to reduce their daily stress
so they are calmer and more relaxed in the day to day reality of being a modern
woman.
Put time aside for
yourself
If you can put aside a little time for yourself every week
you will find you are better able to cope with the demands of the day to day.
It gives you something to look forward to where you know it is for you. You
will find that with a certain amount of time put aside for yourself every week
you will be calmer and a lot happier. You will gather your thoughts, regroup
for the week ahead and have that downtime from the demands of work and family
which can be so draining.
Meditation
No, I didn't type medication... Meditation does not have to
be done on a yoga mat or chanting an ohm... It can take as little as ten
minutes or as long as hours. You will find a meditation to suit you and you
will find that with practice and repetition your ability to quiet your mind and
rebalance will become easier. Sit or lie comfortably, focus on your breathing
in and then out. Clear your mind of distractions. Initially you will find
everything from your shopping list to your mum's birthday dinner will float
through your mind, the trick is to acknowledge them silently and let them go.
If you find yourself thinking hard on a topic focus on your breathing - a deep
breath in and a deep breath out telling yourself to let go of that thought with
the breath. The more frequently you practice meditation the better you will
become at clearing your mind and you will find that you are more relaxed upon
completion.
Massage
If you don't have the time or the funds to splash out on a
professional massage for an hour then consider giving yourself a massage. A
loving partner will also do the trick but if you are stressed after a long day
soaking your feet in warm water fragranced with essential oils can relax.
Follow this with a good foot rub and massage in some of your favourite
moisturizer. If you have time you can splash on some nail color.
Exercise
Its included in all stress buster lists for a reason! No
matter that you feel like all you want is a chocolate bar and some Sex In The
City reruns, a run or other vigorous exercise will actually get your endorphins
firing and make you feel better in the long run. It will make you less likely
to eat the emergency chocolate you were reaching for half an hour ago before
you went on your run and it will burn calories to boot. You can't lose with
extra exercise as a stress buster.
Breathing
When all you've got is thirty seconds before you throw your
computer or perhaps a work colleague out the window take those thirty seconds
and breathe. Walk away from the situation, close your eyes and breath in a long
breath through your nose and then breath it all out again through your nose. If
it helps, imagine breathing in calm white light and breathing out all of your
pent up stress. When we get stressed we tend to shallow breathe - this will get
oxygen back into your body and believe it or not in thirty seconds your life
will seem a little more balanced. Plus nothing will have been snapped in half
through sheer frustration.
As women in a busy world we deal with stress every day. Some
days its more difficult than others and the smallest thing can set us off,
other days we are so on our game that nothing pushes our buttons. A little
stress is good for us, but too much is bad for our health. Have a plan on how
you deal with stress when it hits you. If you have a plan you will be better
prepared and your coping mechanisms will be in place. Take time out for
yourself, thirty seconds, a half hour or even a day off if you have the time. A
happy healthy woman is better equipped to look after herself and her family and
that includes us being mentally healthy.
