Spring is in full bloom here in the northeast of the USA. Life is showing its face everywhere. The sun in higher in the sky, the days are getting longer and the leaves are beginning to fill the trees and sooth our souls. It is time for us to take the call of nature and use it to our advantage. Let’s put the winter blues behind us, release the stress and spring out to a new season, a new day and once more to a new beginning.
Stress is part of life and some folks do advocate that in lower levels it may be even a bit beneficial to our own survival. However, we all know that too much stress is extremely detrimental to our health and wellbeing. Here are some of the elements I work with my clients when trying to chill out and normalize the level of anxiety.
Exercise
Oh, yes! You’ve heard it, haven’t you? But you still haven’t done much to increase the amount of exercise you do on a daily basis. It is time to put on the sneakers and go for a walk, join (and go to) the gym, open your yoga mat, move your body in some fashion. Aerobic exercise, yoga and pilates are proven ways you can decrease stress hormones like cortisol and increase endorphins (your “feel good” chemicals). It will increase your energy, help you loose wait and harmonize your overall relationship with your body. But remember, you’ve got to do it on a regular basis. One hour of exercise once in a blue moon will not do much. It does not need to be like you are training for a marathon, but most importantly it needs to be periodic and consistent.
Nature
It is getting warm outside. Get out, go smell the flowers, touch the trunk of a tree, walk barefoot on the grass, feel the gentle sunlight hitting on your skin. For me, there is nothing better for a stressful moment than when I come a bit closer to nature. It reminds me of what is important, what is simple, what is pure. Even if you think you don’t have enough time to spare, open the window of your car and enjoy the breeze. If you are walking down the streets, look up and notice the sky. Take that moment, as brief as it may be, to step out of your routine and reach out to the peace of nature.
Diet
Another one you’ve heard over and over again! But it seems to me this is one of the hardest to grasp. We know the concept, but we have a hard time putting it into practice. So much is involved when it comes to food -- culture, science, feelings, body-type, body-image, habits. It is a lot to handle and the learning curve can be steep. I would suggest one simple approach. To start, forget the calories, forget the fat, but focus on the quality of food to dump inside your body. The more processed food you eat, the harder for your system. Try to eat more natural foods. Read the labels. If you cannot pronounce what is in there, don’t bring it home. Be careful with hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals. Try to eat produce that was grown as clean and natural as possible. Increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables -- the real ones, forget the “fake” vegetable ingredients. Avoid excessive amounts of caffeine as well, which has been shown to increase anxiety.
Sleep
It has been said that approximately 60% of people who are stressed don’t get enough sleep. Our culture is increasingly overestimating the importance of sleep. More and more I hear people almost bragging about the little amount of sleep they get every night. It seems that in order to boost our reputation as hard workers and committed individuals, we need to tell everyone how little time we have “spared” to give it to sleep. Nonsense! Every adult human being needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep per day (and don’t come with your theories around this). If you don’t get at least this amount, you are sleep deprived and therefore you are increasing your chances of feeling even more stressed out besides decreasing your level of productivity. Turn off the TV, cancel some appointments, call the nanny -- go to bed early! Find a sleep routine that works for you and make sure you cherish your ZZZ’s.
You
More than anything, make time for yourself. It is so easy to get drowned by all the demands of our daily routine. We barely blinked and the day is over, without us having had the time to do anything that was really nourishing to our souls. My advise: if it is that hard for you to stop for a moment and take care of yourself, put it on your schedule. Make sure you set aside a block of time when you will be able to read a great book, take a bath, go for a walk or simply sit quietly in the dark. Treat yourself as a human being, not as a machine that is on the go all the time. Remember that if you don’t have YOU, you don’t have anything. If you don’t take care of YOU, nothing else really matters, simply because YOU (physically, mentally or emotionally) will not be there to do anything. Listen to what your body, your heart, your spirit is telling you. Nourish your most valuable asset -- YOU.
The demands of our modern lives can become a huge burden and throw us out of balance without us even noticing it is coming. Make sure you pay attention to the level of stress you have daily. Notice how you react to what is happening around you and take the steps necessary to remain centered. Nature is bursting all around us right now. Let us together embark in this moment of life and embrace a new day.
