How I have been reducing my stress levels
When I first went to my therapist 7+ years ago I realized I had been running on chronic stress. I guess I always knew I was stressed, but for it to be brought to light by someone else was a big AH-HA moment. I didn’t realize this was not the way you were supposed to live. I almost thrived off stress for most of my life. Welp, in the long run it did me no good and had a big role in my health issues. My adrenals were fried, my hormones were out of whack and this ultimately led to my Lyme flaring up and my thyroid becoming damaged. Many years into healing and therapy have taught me that I don’t respond well to stress. While I “think” I am handling it just fine, my body is on a struggle bus.
I have found ways in my life to reduce stress, which I will go over in a bit. But I first wanted to start by calling out my struggles. I am a Type A Personality. I come from a family of perfectionists and worriers. I am also very sensitive to people’s energies. These continue to be my biggest challenges but they don’t stop me from working on managing my stress.
Things that have worked~
* No more news. Nope. Not even a little. This isn’t because I don’t care about our Country or our World. This is a conscious decision to protect my sanity and mental health. In my opinion, the news is politically driven and full of lies and bullshit. They thrive off getting us all worked up, providing us with no solutions or hope. And my biggest dislike in the media is that they make us feel more divided than we actually are.
I choose to get my current events information from the 93x Half Assed Morning Show and @houseinhabit on IG. Both of these sources have creative spins and also make me laugh.
* Keeping my schedule to a minimum. I try to not over commit myself to anything, whether it be social gatherings or housework.
* I try my hardest to leave work at work. I specifically work part-time right now as an hourly employee. I have made this happen because I want to leave it there when I come home. I have spent too many years putting everything into my job, only to get shit on. Not doing that again.
* I try to let shit go that doesn’t matter. This is super hard for me. I am a perfectionist at heart so this takes a conscious effort. I try to let things go that are stupid to worry about – an imperfect yard, an unclean house, piles of laundry, etc.
* Mindset focus. Constantly looking to the positive, even if my first focus was on the negative. I re-group and spin the story I have created in my head. Sometimes it’s not the “thing” that is the stressor, it’s my perception of the “thing” that is the stressor.
* Laughter – I hang out with funny people. Laughing with loved ones might be my favorite stress relief! I follow people on IG that make me laugh. I watch funny shows. Stand up comedians are my favorite.
* Listening to music is a huge stress relief.
* Breathing exercises – deep breathing not only calms the nervous system, it also helps move the lymphatic system. Two things I definitely need help with.
* Health “breaks”. Sometimes focusing on my health and detoxing, etc just gets to be too much. I check out for a bit and pretend I don’t have anything that needs to be healed or detoxed.
* I keep the caffeine to a minimum. Too much caffeine gives me anxiety and also affects my sleep.
* Sleep is a big focus for me. I feel so much better when I get good sleep. I have been unwinding and turning off screens earlier and earlier. I notice when I do this my sleep is improved.
* Not Speeding! This is a silly one, but I swear it works. I put a great deal of effort into not speeding and trying to stay calm while driving. This is super unnatural for me. I am the gal that has 7+ speeding tickets. I got my first one when I was 6 months into driving. I got one going double the speed limit. And I got one going 99 mph. But when I go the speed limit (ok, maaaaaybe 4 mph over) it cuts out so much stress. I don’t have to constantly look around for cops. I don’t have to pass all the cars. I know most people don’t have the lead foot that I do but I find this small change makes driving less stressful. I will; however, NEVER cut out the most epic dance parties in my car.
* This one is the most beneficial to me but really hard to maintain in the Summer. I set aside one day a week to do NOTHING (usually Fridays as I don’t work and have the house to myself). If I do anything I will schedule a massage for this day. This day of rest helps my body and my soul completely reset. I am a new person for the week after. It’s crazy how impactful this is. Maybe that’s what Sundays used to be all about? Wasn’t it called “a day of rest”? I think they were onto something there.
* Play and weirdness are my favorite ways to reduce stress. Letting my inner child out is so freeing.
* Setting boundaries with people. I spend less time with unsupportive people. They are very draining to me. I know I live a little different than most people but I am happy with what I am doing to support my body. For those that choose to make fun of me or judge me, they get very little of my time. If someone is rude to me about the choices I make and questions why I do what I do (with a negative tone), they be cut. Now, if you truly do care and are asking questions from a place of curiosity and support, I will chat with ya’ all damn day. I just don’t have much time for people that are critical of others and negative about everything. My favorite kind of people are supportive, caring, fun, honest, real, and open-minded. Those peeps are hard to come by, which is why I have like 5 friends (and I am totally okay with that!).
Some of these things are really easy and come naturally to me now. Others continue to be a work in progress, probably for the rest of my life. It’s important to me to cut out stressors where I can as there’s plenty I cannot cut out. Life will throw ish at you all the time. I have found that reducing stress where I can helps me to be more available to handle the unforeseen stressors. This list is also good for me to come back to when I stray off a bit.
Sure, there are more things I could get into. I should probably pick up meditation and yoga again. But this list ebbs and flows as much as I do. What is your favorite way you reduce stress in your life? I love trying new things…I would love to get into sound bowls!
Stay Zen AF,
EZ E
