The past two weeks have been rough!
There was a death in the family, I had a misunderstanding with a close relative, I fell behind on my house chores because there was no water in the taps for a few days and I generally felt down.
I was so overwhelmed, I was hardly able to come online to check my email…far less to blog! Times like this it can be easy to get discouraged and give up on what is important to us. But life goes on and as the saying goes, “This too shall pass.”
Our goals and passions can be an escape in times like these, something to come back to and work towards to keep us motivated and on the path to growth rather than getting sucked into the abyss of depression.
Here are six things that I have found to help ease stress and avoid depression.
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Do something positive that relaxes you.
For example, yesterday I felt that my stress levels were at a high. I could have moped around and felt sorry for myself but I chose to do something productive instead – I cooked a big Sunday lunch!
At the end of it, not only was I able to ease some of my tensions and let go of the anxieties that were playing out in my head, but my family was able to benefit (plus the leftovers saved me having to wake up early today to cook). For you, this may be a hobby such as knitting or soap making. Whatever brings you joy is what you should do in times like this.
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Do something to help you reboot.
For me, this was taking a shower then a nap. After I cooked the meal, I went to have a shower not only to feel and be cleaner (stress makes me feel super stinky) but to symbolically wash away my troubles and start afresh. Followed by a nap while my baby slept nearby and my husband watched our toddler. I was able to wake up with a renewed spirit and a clearer mind. This could also be something like going to a cabin in the woods (Thoreau style) to get your head together or a walk on the beach. I just did what was convenient for me at the time.
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Talk it out.
I did not know I was internalizing so much about the different situations that I was taking on until I sat to have to talk with my hubby about everything. He essentially let me vent my thoughts and get them out of my head. This can help to put things in perspective and ease some of the stress, especially if you have someone who can offer a fresh and unbiased viewpoint.
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Journaling.
Although I did not do any journaling yesterday about all that was stressing me, in the past, journaling has helped immensely in relieving stress and finding answers to help me move forward. Your journaling method does not matter but I have found writing ‘Morning Pages’ helps me to get it out in the most honest way. In her book, ‘The Miracle of Morning Pages’, author Julia Cameron outlines a journaling method of writing in longhand and in the first waking moments of your day. I love this method as it catapults the thoughts out of my head and onto the paper. Sometimes it is not until I write this way that I notice that I had a particular issue that was bothering me, then I can be proactive in finding solutions.
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Deep Breathing.
I am a great believer in meditation, and at the start of meditation, I always take deep breaths to get me into a physically relaxed and alpha brain state. In stressful times, I may not always be able to find a quiet place to meditate but the deep breathing helps to relax me and ease the mental pressure. It is easy to get caught up with emotions in the heat of the moment and forget to just breathe.
Yesterday my husband reminded me that deep breathing helps and he essentially coached me through a few healing breaths. Start by inhaling deeply from the diaphragm, hold it for as long as you can, then exhale slowly without distending the stomach. Do this until you feel your body relax. For me, it can take up to five inhalations or more, depending on my stress levels at the time.
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Meditation.
This is by far one of my favourite methods to relieve stress. There are different forms of meditation that I use depending on what I am ultimately trying to achieve. If I simply want to quieten my mind and spirit, I sit in a chair or on my bed when I know that I have some time to myself (usually when the babies are napping). I get into a comfortable position, close my eyes and take a few deep breaths as described above. Next, I mentally tell every part of my body to relax starting with my head and moving down to my toes. As I do this, I try to feel each body part go limp and relax. When I feel I am totally relaxed, I count down from 10 to 1 feeling more and more relaxed as I near number 1.
Here I release the last of my tensions and try to keep the waters of my mind still, so-to-speak. This is not always easy as the stressful thoughts tend to intrude. I just acknowledge the thoughts and mentally swipe them away until I am left with a blank mind.
I stay in this state for about 10 minutes mentally feeling my adrenaline and cortisol levels have dropped, then I count up from 1 to 5, open my eyes and get on with my day feeling refreshed.
In addition, I sometimes find that meditating on the things that I am grateful for in my life at the time, such as I do in my Gratitude Ritual can really give me positive things to focus on and not spend my time dwelling on the negatives.
What methods do you use in stressful times? Feel free to share.
Stay Motivated!
