Stress Awareness Month

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Hi Fit Friends,

Did you know that April is National Stress Awareness Month? There are times when we all might feel stressed, but do you stop to take care of yourself? Sometimes we are busy taking care of others at a great personal cost to our own mental, physical, and emotional health. Here are some suggestions to help you de-stress:

Take Charge of Your Health
First, take charge of your own health. You can’t care for others if you’re constantly tired and rundown. Make an annual physical appointment part of your plan, and consider taking care of yourself as a prerequisite for taking care of others. Staying healthy and feeling good are essential to reducing stress.

Learn to Relax
Take a moment. We all know the importance of taking time out to relax. Take a breath and think about something positive, peaceful and soothing. It’s a perfect way to break the cycle of task-related stresses that are all too common.

Create a Change in Scenery
It doesn’t mean you have to take a vacation, necessarily, you can still change the scenery. Put a new picture on the wall. Rearrange the furniture. Buy a plant or some flowers. Build a new collage of treasured mementos. Make your space a beautiful space.

Get some Exercise
When you’re bordering on exhaustion, exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing. However, helping your body relieve stress through planned and focused exercise will improve your stamina, help you feel good about yourself, and actually help avoid exhaustion in the long run.

Experience Each Moment to Reduce Stress
Use common senses for stress relief. Take every opportunity to heighten your senses. Don’t just eat. Experience your food by really focusing on the taste of it. Don’t just smell fresh cut flowers, inhale the fragrance and let it transport you outdoors. Don’t just handle the sensual textures around you, soak in the soft comfort of freshly washed cotton sheets. Delight in the touch of a sensual silk garment. Don’t just play music to fill a void. Listen to it as if you were in the front row behind the symphony. Learn to be in the moment.

Talk to Your Inner Self
Keep a journal. It helps to talk about it. It doesn’t matter if the conversation is one-sided and reflective. It just matters that you take the time to write your experiences down. You’ll be amazed at how getting things out will lighten your spirit.

Finally, Smile
Seriously, just smile. It will help. It’s a fact. You can’t hold a negative thought with a genuine smile on your face. Very few things can reduce stress better than a funny moment and the smile it brings. It costs nothing, and you can do it with your hands full.

If you are in further need of de-stressing, please consider coming to my classes. You'll learn even more stress relieving techniques, restore balance back into your life, increase your vitality, and improve your attitude. Email me if you want more information about the classes.

Eat Intentionally and be stress free,

Cindy