By Melissa Lauren
Sweat!
Go cycling or running or get moving doing any other form of stress-relieving exercise.
Don't Eat or Drink Your Feelings!
Write them down in a journal to purge any negative or stressful feelings. I love chocolate ice cream as much as the next person but emotional eating or drinking is not healthy. Switch from eating a big bowl of ice cream and replace that with several chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate covered almonds. If you’re into hard candy, eat sweet fruit instead. And try replacing a hot toddy with a nice cup of decaffeinated tea to unwind.
Shift Focus
When you are feeling overwhelmed, shift your focus from your mind to your body. Find a quiet place to sit down and concentrate on sitting with good posture while dropping your shoulders down away from your ears. Breathe deeply from your diaphragm. Take a eath in for 7 seconds inhaling through your nose, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale from your mouth in a loose pucker for 7 seconds.
Make Time for You!
Read a book or your favorite magazine (hint hint) in the sunshine outdoors. Listen to an entire album (not an iTunes shuffle) while daydreaming. Take a bubble bath. Get a massage. Pampering yourself is important for self-preservation and you deserve to reward yourself for getting through stressful times.
Sleep On It
Make sure you are well-rested. It is hard for anyone to maintain emotional self-regulation when they are exhausted.
Unplug
You would be surprised how much detaching from your cell phone, technology, and even going on a news fast can help get rid of background stress. All of that can actually stimulate your senses in a stressful way. Take the weekend off. Get a grip on reality instead of escaping and getting distracted virtually.
