As April is Stress Awareness Month, so I thought I would share a post on how I relax and kick back. According to the NHS, stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. Pressure turns into stress when you feel unable to cope. Many of life’s demands can cause stress, whether that is work, money and relationships to name the most common causes. As individuals, we all have different ways of reacting to stress, whether that is going for a walk, meditating, using stress relief products such as stress relief gummies, learning the benefits and uses of essential oils, apps such as Mindfulness or Headspace are incredible resources as is just talking to a friend, someone who will listen without judgement.
We just have to remember that every situation that feels stressful to one person may be motivating to someone else.
Now I have an exceptionally demanding job, I also blog regularly, I am a Wife, Daughter, Sister, Auntie, Cousin, Niece, Friend, In-law all of which make demands on my time of course. I have a flat and three cats to look after. All of this comes with stresses and strains, some more manageable than others and often being under pressure brings out the best in me BUT... learning how to switch off, wind down, take time for me and just relax is something I find hard to do and to coin a phrase 'I have ants in my pants', I am often fidgety. So how do I calm down, take a breath and not let it all get on top of me?
Lists. I am an avid list writer. On my desk at work I have a weekly planner from Busy B Stationery and a to-do list and this helps keep me motivated, on top of things and focused. This list never ever gets completed but I do get some satisfaction from crossing out things I have done, things that have been finished or finalised and by adding extra items, no matter how important (like ordering more envelopes) keeps me grounded. I find writing my lists by hand quite therapeutic and whilst I am adding that list or crossing out, I am focused on what needs to be done.
Reading. I am a bookworm and read a lot. I travel too and from work via bus and get around London via Tube, during that time I read. If you follow me on Goodreads, then you will know that every year I set myself a target of how many books I should read. Again, this is a list system of sorts because it organises my books in order of date read and there is a comprehensive list of books I want to read and a list of books that people recommend to me. I am by heart a Crime Thriller girl, though am known to read the odd Chick Lit novel if the story grabs me.
Bath time. At least once a week, I have an hour to an hour and a half in a hot bubble filled bath. In that bath I will have on a facemask and perhaps even a hair mask and I will lay back on my bath pillow and just forget about anything existing outside that door, other than Hector my kitten who will sing to me in the hope I will let him in the bathroom to practice his balancing act along the bath. Otherwise I am in that bubble filled bath with my book/Kindle and I am forgetting about you all.
Box Set Marathon. It is rare I sit down to watch the television. I don't watch the soaps and I don't have the TV for the sake of it. I am a huge football fan and I do love a good documentary. So instead I like to find a series and watch it - Grey's Anatomy, Nashville, Devious Maids, Wentworth, Criminal Minds, CSI, Bluebloods, Quantico, Black List and so on. Those are some of the programmes I am making my way through and in doing so, once again, I forget about anything else.
Colouring. I love to colour things in. I have about three or four art therapy books in my collection currently and any excuse to buy pretty coloured pens I am there. Colouring is actually really therapeutic, my mind is totally focused on not going out of the lines (seriously) and I can lose hours just colouring pieces of paper in, in a book.
I now just need to learn to leave my phone and social media apps alone for a few hours!
How do you relax, sit back and forget about the stresses and strains of everyday life?