Do you tend to be thinking 5 steps ahead in your day? Thinking about your to-do’s you still have to get done? Rushing out the door or from one thing to the next? Or, do you have symptoms of stress but “don’t feel like you’re stressed”? If so, we get it, we can help!
First off – aside from those actions leading to the heavy and tight feeling on your chest (or head), shoulders up to your ears, and anxiety, it’s also affecting many other parts of your health you may not realize. For example, if done chronically, your body will take a toll – like your digestion or gut health, body aches and pains, energy issues, hormone balance, thyroid health, stress with your kids AND your kid’s temperament being more difficult (your kids feed off your energy and learn from your reactions). And all of these things lead to other illnesses down the road if not addressed.
So we are here to help get you started down the path to looking and feeling better, specifically – feeling cool, calm, collected, early to appointments, and in control of how you react when things don’t go as expected. Here are our top tips to get you started:
- Give yourself more time than you think. You’ve gotten used to leaving just enough time to get to things or get the super important things done. But what we need is some leeway for transition time, time to eat, time to breathe, and take things a bit slower to keep your nervous system balanced – more in a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state. So for me, with a toddler, I start getting ready to leave my house 30 minutes before I think I need to start getting ready. That way, if something happens, things don’t go as planned, I am still able to keep my mind and body in a calmer state.
- If you are late or behind, allow yourself to relax or walk, and think more calmly. Take deep breaths. If you are already late, you can either be stressed driving (and be more likely to get in an accident) or running around, OR you can focus on breathing slowly and still get there at about the same time, with a better mental and physical state – less stressed, more in control and ready to tackle what you need with better reactions. Just telling your body, “It’s OK, I can relax muscles and slow down, and still do what I need to do” will have a HUGE impact on your hormone health and allow you to save energy, and feeling so much better mentally.
- Awareness. Start to pause and think about WHY we are rushing or behind on things. Are you setting unrealistic expectations of yourself like having too many things on your to-do list? Not allowing enough time for specific things? Not asking for help? Feel like you have to feel “stressed” or in a hurry to show that you’re trying hard? If so, ask yourself, “What if it was easy?”. Because it can be. In order to feel or be accomplished, it doesn’t have to be a “hustle” or “grind”. It can be easier, more simple. The more aware we can be of what we are doing and WHY – the more likely we are to create change in that process and feel better. Tune out what others are doing or other’s expectations, and ask what YOU need.
So allowing more transition time from task to task, pausing and breathing as you noticed feeling tense, and continuing to be aware of why you tend to get in these loops, are all going to help take pressure off and have you feeling better, have more balanced hormones, improve thyroid functioning, have less bloating and constipation, and feel so much better overall throughout your day. Give yourself space and time to rep these out, and notice what helps you start to feel better.
BONUS TIP – if you do have a day where you’re going from one thing to the next, feeling rushed or anxious, try driving or walking in silence. Avoid turning a podcast or music on, or calling someone. Take some quiet time to let your brain run a little and then settle. Breathe – longer exhales and slowly.
