Tag Archives: how to cope with stress

10 TOP Tips to Keep You Happy!

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With so much going on in the daily life of the average Joe, it is hard to stay motivated.  We sometimes feel beaten down by society and all the things we occupy ourselves with, voluntary or involuntary.

This can range from commuting, work, school runs, to housework, helping the kids with homework, cooking and finding precious time to unwind — which usually ends  up with us watching TV. But how can we manage our time better to incorporate the things we long to do but feel we have no time for?

Here are 10 tips to get you excited and keep you motivated to enjoy living another day:

1. Quality Sleep

New Divine You CoverThis is one of the most important things you can gift yourself and your family with.  Make space in your night-time schedule to start winding down at least 1 hour prior to going to bed.  You can light some calming, soothing essential oils, such as lavender and chamomile — will assist in good, sound sleep.  You can have a warm, milky drink or some herbal tea.  Switch off all radios and TV’s that are keeping you engaged in noise and ‘action’.  Instead, you can read that book you’ve been promising yourself or listen to some relaxing music.  All of these things can aid you into an alpha brain wave state, which allows your mind to relax and disconnect.  You must avoid falling asleep on a full stomach or, even worse, falling asleep with the TV on.  Your mind still takes in everything it hears, even whilst asleep, and having the TV on will not only disrupt your sleep but possibly cause you to have nightmares.

2. Berry Boost

With a good nights sleep tucked safely under your belt, what better way to start your morning off with than a berry smoothie?  This is quick and easy to make and will give your system a boost of sustainable energy.  These smoothies keep me going for about 4-5 hours.  They are great for your skin too, berries have anti-aging properties and the calcium is good for your bones, ladies!  A quick recipe I use is (for one 500ml serving):  Take 2 handfuls of mixed, frozen berries (or fresh if you like, I like the frozen ones because they give a kind of ‘crushed ice’ effect), 2 squirts of Stevia, 4 tablespoons of plain yoghurt and top up with some milk.  Blend and drink your way to vitality and well-being!

3. Time Productivity

Use your time wisely.  If you commute to work by public service, take this opportunity to meditate or read.  Make it ‘you’ time.  If you can, it is great to shut your eyes in the morning and the evening (could be on your way to or from work  if you are traveling by public service) — for just 10-20 minutes at a time — to meditate and clear your mind.  This will benefit you in more ways than you can imagine.  It also gives you a break from the mind chatter or what I like to call ‘white noise’.  This allows more productive thoughts through instead of the useless and incessant worry that can clog up the mind.

4. Breathing

Huh?  Don’t I do this automatically?  Yes, but most people are in the habit of shallow breathing.  You need to oxygenate your body for optimum productivity and chi (vital force).  Try to, at least every hour, breath in to the count of 5, hold it to the count of 5 and exhale to the count of 5.  This will give you a boost during the day.

Read related article:

5 Easy Steps to Meditating (No Lotus Position Required)

5. Let Loose

This is an integral step for you to de-stress after a long day. Explore an activity that is tantamount to letting the ‘inner child’ out to play.  I find it really helpful to put on some upbeat music and have a sing-song and dance around the house.  Get your groove on and invite your family to join in.  You can do this for just 30 minutes and it is a really fun way to get moving and to unwind.  The best part is you also get a great workout — physically and vocally!  Let your inner diva shine!

6. Keep it Clean

This is a macrocosm/microcosm thing — it affects the inside and the outside world.  When you have a neat, tidy and clean home and/or office, you are happier.  When you have a clean, refreshed body, you are happier.  I have to tell you about my dog.  She hates her bath, as do so many of our canine counterparts, but after she has been through this torturous activity, she runs around the garden like a dog-reborn — smiling, barking and just generally frolicking like a pup.  Bath-time also equates to going for a walk (which she does regularly) but when she walks after her bath, she has a spring in her step and a wag in her tail that is much more noticeable.  This is a great metaphor for how we feel when our bodies are bathed (make your bath-time a treat too — get some nice smelly soaps and bubble-bath and make it an event) and our houses or offices are spic-and-span and organized.

7. Eat Well

Another part of keeping it clean, is keeping the inside of your sacred body clean and invest in a detox every now and again.  Or better still, make it a daily habit to eat healthy fresh foods.  You know the kind I’m talking about so I’m not going to go into detail.  This is a no-brainer, you are what you eat.  Keep it fresh, colourful and simple and your system will be alive and vibrant, leaving you feeling energized and ready to take on the world.  Have you noticed how sluggish you feel when you’ve pigged out on a burger and chips?  Yeah?  Well, you need to get real about what you are putting in and perhaps compare that to what you are getting out!  You may have a Porsche but you can’t run it on horse manure.

8. Creative Space

This is really important.  We all need to express ourselves creatively, no matter if it takes the form of art, writing, decorating, drawing, constructing/ building, etc.  It is hugely beneficial to give yourself some time and a quiet space to be creative.  If it is once a day, that is great.  If you can’t fit it in daily then at least allocate yourself a good few days of the week to squeeze in 2-3 hours of creative expression time.  You can even make this a family activity where everyone gets time out to do something fun.  It will teach you and your family the benefit of taking care of your own needs in an unselfish and productive way.

Read related article:

9 Great Reasons for Getting Creative (No Artistic Experience Needed)

9. Gratitude

Take time out, especially with your family, to give thanks for all that you  do have in your life right now.  This can be over a meal, as is commonly practiced in the saying of Grace.  I am not a religious person but I do see the benefits of giving thanks.  This could also be done in your quiet time in the bath, or whilst you are commuting, etc.  You can explain the benefits to your family and encourage them to also find a quiet minute or two to reflect on being grateful.  This feeds positivity and will nurture your good feelings ratio.

10. Reflect

When you find the space to reflect on your life, your goals and your dreams, you can keep the picture of your destiny clear and precise.  When you don’t take time out to ponder and to re-align with your intentions, you may lose sight of where you are headed.  You can sometimes slip into a stream that does not fit the destination of your dream.  Make a vision board where you can pin all the things you desire and all that you would like to manifest in your life experience.  Make sure you hold yourself accountable for taking action towards your goals and keep this board somewhere where you will see it every day.

What is most important of all is that you enjoy your journey, this life is precious and special and you can make each day an enjoyable experience.

If you catch yourself falling into boredom or despair, simply remind yourself that you can make a choice to re-align to a more joyful outlook — run through this checklist and see if there is anything you can do or improve on to bring you into a state of balance and fulfillment.

In the wise words of Eckhart Tolle, you can either be enthusiastic about what you are doing, enjoy what you are doing or accept what you are doing.  When you do not fall into any of these 3 categories you set yourself up for feeling resentment or frustration.

What do you find lifts your spirits?  Please share it in the comment box below. 😀

Original article was written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Purpose Fairy: 10 Tips Designed to Keep You on Your Toes.

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6 Essential Steps to Manage Stress

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Peacock Nymph by Cherie Roe Dirksen

The Joy of Moving, Not!

“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” — Hans Selye

I’ve just recently moved 300km from the outskirts of the Mother City to the rolling hills of the Karoo countryside.

Yes, it was a stressy move (especially as we had a cat who sulked at us for weeks for transporting her in a car) but once we had unpacked the mountain of boxes and had everything in its right place — it was time to relax. Or was it?

Stress Building Exercises

I have never felt more stressed out in my life!

Firstly, let me say that we had rented previously and this was our first home we’d actually bought. Now for all the home-owners out there you’ll know what I mean when I say that buying your own place — as exciting and gratifying as it is — comes with a never-ending ‘to-do’ list.

My partner and I have been working day and night, week day and weekend.

So in amongst the drilling, painting, erecting, digging, measuring, assembling, cleaning and various other forms of stress-building activities, I started getting some pretty clear signals — via my body — that I was starting to take my anxiety levels to new heights.

My symptoms went a little like this:

  • My shoulders ached (‘carrying’ too much — in this case it was anxiety)
  • My head hurt (too much on my mind — ‘what to do next’)
  • I kept on scraping and scratching my fingers and hands (perhaps a message to stop doing and rest?)
  • My legs started cramping and finally, I walked into an old and rusty steel rod that took a bit of my ankle out (another sign from the universe to stop and rest?!)
  • My emotions were running high and tears were at the ready too often (overwhelm)

Another thing weighing heavily on me was the fact that I had stopped working (as in ‘career’ working) for over 2 months and bills needed paying.

HELP!

I was drowning.

We’ve all been down this road before in some form or another. The thing is, what to do when we feel this sense of overwhelm and helplessness creep over us?

Tipping Point                                                          

When I had reached my tipping point (when I was actually getting ‘grounded’ by my physical aches and strains) I started looking at where I was going wrong. Oh boy, was I straying way off path!

Here is what I learnt:

  • Frequent Breaks — This is such a no-brainer but I actually need to remind myself to take 10 minutes out every now and again. I am the kind of person who starts a job and wants to see it done NOW. That’s actually just self-defeating and stupid. When you do that you usually rush the job and don’t do it properly. So, remember to take little breaks to become more productive in the long run and keep your sanity and body in check.
  • Hydrate and Nourish — Again, sometimes we are so ‘in the zone’ that we forget to take time out to eat and drink (or at least I do) which can cause a sudden drop in your blood-sugar levels. When you run yourself into the ground like this it isn’t easy to pick yourself up again. I get very ratty and irritable and the mood just spirals downwards. Before it gets to this stage make a point of drinking lots of water and eating healthy snacks.
  • Schedule — This step probably helped me the most. I sat down one morning and it took me just 10 minutes to figure out a game plan. I did a quick list of what I wanted to achieve work-wise and with house/garden chores for every day of the week. I have been sticking to this and my shoulder pain and head-aches have gone away. I don’t feel overly anxious all the time and now I feel I have an achievable order in which to get the jobs done.
  • Importance List — Sometimes we just need to organize ourselves better as in with the above ‘schedule’ step. But to go a step further, try to — on a weekly basis (or whatever suits you) — sort out the order of importance of each task. When you start knocking ‘em down you’ll feel great!
  • Joy — This comes to me in the form of just sitting/walking in nature and being. You can also call this step ‘meditation’. You’ve got to connect with your core daily in order to have a balanced existence. I went totally off the rails when I moved, feeling so overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done, that I forgot this vital step for weeks! Now I make a point of doing this as often as I possibly can every day.
  • Sleep — I am going to bed a lot earlier because I’m pretty much pooped every night (in a good, satisfied way though) but I am sleeping like a log. When I wake up in the morning I am refreshed and I start all over again with a spring in my step. I can’t express enough the importance of a good night’s sleep.   Make it happen! Drink chamomile or Valerian tea in the evening, wind down by listening to soothing music before bed, take a warm bath in lavender essential oil — do what you must to get that proper downtime that your body deserves.

These small and totally doable exercises helped me to take the edge off my stress levels, I hope they help you too.

What do you do to de-stress?  Share your pearls of wisdom in the comment box below 🙂

Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Conscious Life News

4 Easy Steps to a More Relaxed You

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Life can literally exhaust our delicate little ecosystems — mind, body and spirit can be put through the ringer.

If we don’t give ourselves space and time to recalibrate and reboot our systems, we can easily burn out or have a nervous breakdown.

Relax and Treat Yourself to Some Time-Out

Todays blog is just a simple reminder that you need to take time out to honour yourself.  This could be taking a few days out to go vegetate in the countryside to pampering yourself with a full body massage.

“We very seldom give ourselves the chance to take a 2 hour sofa holiday.”

Even the little things like making time to meditate or to sit with your feet up and relax can help you to rest your physical vessel and revitalize the mind.

Pull Your Resources

For those of you who have children and are rolling their eyes at me thinking, ‘what am I going to do with the kids?’ — make a plan!  Get a babysitter in for a couple of hours, call in that favour from your best friend or neighbour, got a partner?  Strike a deal.  Where there’s a will, there’s a way — you will find a way, believe me.

No Money for a Spa Treatment? 

If you don’t have the time for a retreat or the money for a spa, here is a list of things your can do right now that cost nothing or very little:

  • Bubble-bath — Is there anything better in this world than to soak in a bubble or aromatherapy bath?  Don’t forget to light some incense and candles.  Make it a special ‘you’ time — when you do this you are surreptitiously telling yourself that you are worth it.
  • 20 Minute Meditation — Never underestimate the power of having a quick meditation session.  When you do this you reconnect with your core and/or higher self and give your mind a much-needed time-out from the mind chatter.
  • Nature Walk — Stretch those legs and get some fresh air into your lungs.  Walking in nature is a great way to unwind and de-stress.
  • 2 Hour/One Day Couch Potato — We very seldom give ourselves the chance to take a 2 hour (or a whole day for the child-free among you) sofa holiday.  Sometimes this can be just the medicine your tired body needs to catch up and catalyze some action.  Put guilt on the top shelf for a day and get out the duvet and bunny slippers — where’s that tub of ice-cream?

Go on, pamper yourself — you deserve it!

Other reading material you may find interesting:

6 Ways to Alleviate Stress Now

6 Techniques to Stop Worrying

What is Free and Priceless in the World Today?

3 Simple Steps to Release You From Depression

Are You Surfing on Good Vibrations?

Is Assumption Killing Your Relationship?