Serious question: what do you do when stress gets to you? Managing stress and cultivating routines for self-care has become a big business of late. If you meditate or practice yoga, there are plenty of apps to choose from. The technology solutions to help manage stress are almost endless. I even remember before moving to Bangkok that meditation centers were growing in popularity in NYC – as this Refinery29 article attests.
Regardless of how you choose to refocus and recharge when your cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline levels rise, it may not always be easy to step away to take the healing time needed. Circumstances may not make it possible. In my own life, I have found that employing a variety of stress management techniques – and taking the time I have when I have it – are the most practical ways to stave off the symptoms of stress.
In what I sometimes believe to be a cruel twist of fate, my favorite way to recharge and refocus when life gets crazy is to spend some time alone, which can be tricky with three-year-olds. They are at an age where they want to be around mom and dad all the time. While I enjoy feeling needed and relish the cuddles, all the time can be a lot. I know what some of you must be thinking at this point. Something along the lines of I will miss this stage once it has passed, right?
I know there’s an element of truth to that, but it doesn’t change the fact that this stage has its challenges at this moment. The next phases will have its own.
What got me thinking about all of this was these past few days that I have been unable to publish new posts. The shit really hit the proverbial fan: children still recovering from sickness and jet lag, a visitor from the States, and a three-day weekend we couldn’t enjoy because of the aforementioned sickness and jet lag. It was definitely an intense few days and it seemed like it would never end.
It was in the midst of this chaos that all I wanted was a few moments to myself for a quick yoga practice with my Glo app or a long overdue massage (when in Bangkok, amirite?). The most I could squeeze in was an hour massage before the girls returned from school on Tuesday, but oh man was it bliss. Had I been able to muster the energy to do anything else over the long weekend, I’m sure I would have been in a much lighter mood and maybe even felt the urge to write. It’s crazy that stress can have such a hold on your body and mind that you don’t even want to do the things you know will make you feel better. Instead, I wanted all the carbs; all of them.
My go-to when I need to stretch out, and mellow out
This post is part of my 2018 Blogtober series. See more from that series here.
Great advice on how to help with stress, I can imagine it must be very tricky to get some alone time to relax for a while! I’ve never actually done Yoga before but I have heard how amazing it is for your body and mind. I have an exercise app which I usually do every day (sometimes in the morning or sometimes the evening depending on how busy the day is!) but that always makes me feel so much better!
Chloe x
http://www.chloechats.com
It’s such a great feeling getting that time in. I love yoga because it’s not one size fits all. You really can make your practice what you want it to be.