How do you deal with stress?

Aye yai yai!!!!

How do you personally deal with stress?

Living in a city, it's easy to normalize that familiar feeling of overwhelm.

We think we've got it handled, and then it comes as a surprise when it all comes crashing down around us in the form of sickness, anxiety, poor sleep, or reverting to past habits that no longer serve (maybe with food or alcohol).

I wanted to share with you some of my tried-and-trues when it comes to managing stress. You can begin to incorporate all of these, or one at a time. It's also nice to have a little list handy, so when you catch yourself spiraling out of balance, you can take a quick look and recommit to your health right then and there.



I'd also be interested in hearing from you in the comments: what would you add to the list?

5 SAGE STRESSBUSTERS: SLEEP: You know the saying "Everything is better in the morning"? Oftentimes, stress visits us after we have run ourselves down, and our adrenal glands get overwhelmed. The number one way to balance this is sleep. Prioritize rest just as you would anything else on your to-do list. This means getting to bed by 10:30 PM, and unplugging from the TV/computer at least a couple of hours before. MOVE YOUR BODY: Dance. Run. Walk your dog. Go out in nature. Inevitably, you will drop out of the busy mind and into your body, and voila! The perspective shifts and you are probably breathing from your gut rather than your upper chest. EAT REAL FOOD: A lot of us use stress as an excuse to have a food free for all. Next time you feel the familiar overwhelm, prioritize a healthy meal and see for yourself what opens up. Sit down and savor the meal with no distractions. Let your food ground you. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Find a mindfulness practice-yoga, meditation, tai chi- even ten minutes per day makes a huge impact at stilling the mind-chatter. In this mindful silence, we give voice to the teacher within. GET INTO ACTION In those moments stress really takes over, take action. It can be something small: Respond to emails. Create a plan for that lingering project. Clean your room. Movement leads to more movement and in that space of action, it becomes possible to relax and focus your energy. I'm definitely a work in progress myself, but I hope some of these suggestions will support you busting some of your stress!