With the holidays quickly approaching, its important to take time for yourself, even if its 5 minutes. A few minutes is better than none at all. Many of the things I do to relieve stress at home are things that also happen in the massage room.
These are listed in no particular order, and I don't make time for all of them, here are 9 things I do on a regular basis to attempt to stay stress-free. It is not lost on me that I am a healthy person with no major disabilities. I also live in a supportive and healthy household, which is a big part of why I can do a lot of these things at home. I also happen to have a fairly stress-free job.
Anyway, settle into your seat and let the rambling and AI photos begin!
Find the most quiet area in the home. I would say I'm rarely home alone these days. Someone is always here. When I need a minute the quietest place in my house can be different based on how many people are home or if the neighbors are being loud. When its cold, I escape to my bedroom or my sewing room. When its warm, I go out to my backyard/porch. Just stepping away from the world is a big step sometimes. If I realize I'm getting stressed, I will change my location.
Give yourself space. Every day I lay on my bed in the dark, I call it "dark time" and I highly recommend it. I have dark time every day. Dark time is my space to ignore the world for 10-30 minutes. Its been the most important part of my day for many years now. If you are work and need dark time, see if you cant run out to your car and put on a sleep mask. (they sell sleep masks with eye cups, which would be perfect for protecting your make-up) I will typically set my phone to do not disturb. My dark time usually happens after lunch.
Try to keep your space free of clutter. How the room is set up can make an impact. If your space is messy, that might interfere with your ability to relax. If seeing a mess is problematic for you, maybe just scoop it all up in a laundry basket or cover it with a blanket. For me, I need a relatively empty space. I'm a perfect split between a minimalist and a maximalist. For cozy times, I am a maximalist, for brain cleansing times I am a minimalist. If you're not sure test out a few different places.
Lighting can drastically change your level of relaxation. Most of the time I need it to be dark for at least 15 minutes. Too much light can increase the stress hormone cortisol. Lighting at work can have a negative effect on your mood. So, quit your job...lol. just kidding. You need can't. But, you can take steps to making your workspace more stress-free. If you're at a place where you cannot turn off the lights, you can bring an eye mask(they sell eye cup masks to not ruin make-up) and you can just recline at your desk or in a break room and cover your eyes. You can also hop out to your car, if you want to get some quality quiet time.
Sounds. This one really depends on the person. Everyone responds to sounds differently. Find something that helps you relax. It could be asmr, relaxing music, white noise, or noise cancelling headphones. Maybe a guided meditation, ritual, or prayer. Or, my favorite, nothing.
Breathing. Sometimes I do breathing exercises, sometimes I don't. Just depends on my mood. Sometimes I notice that I start doing deep breathing without even making a conscious effort to do it. My body is trained to start deep breathing when I feel anxiety or stress. It has taken years to get me here, but I'm so glad I've made this ritual a natural response.
Smell. If your brain deems a smell important enough, it will lock it away and store it indefinitely. A simple way to take advantage of this, is to start incorporating the same smell for a stress-free activity, and then every time you smell that smell, your body will react accordingly. I have used the same incense for 10 years now to trigger my work mode, and it works every single time. (I use Moss Garden by Nokiba.)
Go outside. This one is really important sometimes. I love to just sit outside for a bit. Sometimes it really helps to see how big the world is, and changes your perspective. If you sit and stare at a screen constantly, its like little imaginary walls pop up around you and isolate you. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes you need trees, grass, different air, different sounds.
Walk. I know that taking outdoor walks has a really big effect on my stress. I try to take multiple 20-40 minute walks every week and at least 1 really big 60-90 minute walk. My partner typically takes the shorter ones with me and I take the longer ones by myself. On my longer walks I will always bring my headphones. I will listen to books, music, or nothing. I also enjoy walking on a treadmill, but I have to be in the mood for a gym ambiance.
Other random things I do for stress, which may or may not be healthy behaviors.
walk around bookstores
go to antique malls(I love to find sewing patterns and books)
play video games(I love Skyrim, Stardew Valley, Peggle, Bejeweled, etc)
Sew a new outfit for myself, not for work.
Knit
binge tv shows(currently I'm watching Gilmore Girls for the first time. I'm 41.)
I hope you enjoyed this list and maybe try to incorporate some of these simple things into your daily lives to live as stress-free as possible.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have an easy holiday season.
<3 Cheryl
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