How to De-Stress and Stay Balanced
Have you ever woken up already knowing that the day was going to suck? That was me yesterday. The busiest part of our work year has started and it feels like i'm trying to plan a thousand events at once. Actually, when I think about it, I haven't had a good nights sleep in two weeks which is probably why I feel like i'm drowning in all areas of my life. But, life must go on and today I want to share with you a few different routines that help me de-stress and stay balanced.
Wake up with the sun: Waking up with the sun always starts my day off in a good mood. I'll wakeup, face my window (which is also facing the east), take a few deep breaths, and if I remember, I'll sing a little, "Good morning, Lord!" prayer. Then i'll drink some water then start getting ready for my day.
Practice gratitude: The two years between my college graduation and my first big girl job were filled with anxiety. I was career-less working a part-time internship and part-time job to make ends meet. I felt stressed all the time but tried my best to appear happy on the outside.
One night while searching Pinterest for advice, I came across this book, One Thousand Gifts: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces, by Ann Voskamp. The book is a 60-day devotional that teaches you how to practice gratitude and it changed my life.
Once I started making peace with the circumstances of my life, things started — crazily (!!) — shifting for the better. If you're not ready to commit to a devotional, try writing down one thing you're thankful for each day. I like to do this in the side-bar of my planner.
Schedule workouts: I treat my workouts like a mandatory meeting with myself. I schedule it in my calendar just as if someone scheduled a meeting with me.
Meditate: Sometimes I just can't shut my brain up — especially right before bed; She always seems to have the best ideas at that time, ugh! When this happens I'll either open my Calm app and do a five minute full-body scan meditation, or i'll pray, or i'll listen to calming sleepy time music. All of these things help me slow down, relax, and get ready for bed.
Work on a passion project: Passion projects can be stressful (especially when you work a full time job). It can also be rewarding. Blogging is my passion project and no matter how stressful my day is at work, scheduling time to work on it brings a more fulfilling type of stress.
Get organized: When I think about my most stressed out times, I can 100% say it was probably because I was disorganized. To stay balanced, I try to update my calendars in a timely fashion and I make time every Sunday and Wednesday to write it down in my Happy Planner.
Go out with friends: I used to schedule monthly pau hanas with my best girlfriend until she moved to Kona to be with her fiance. (😭 — I truly am happy for her, I promise). I don't go out with my other friends too much because i'm such a grandma slash sometimes work events at ungodly hours. I should really follow my own advice on this one, lol.