Alright, at this very moment, how many of you are stressed out? Stressed out to the point of wanting to pull out every strand of hair on your head. So stressed that you are tempted to devour an entire pint of cookie dough ice cream. Even stressed to where all you feel like doing is screaming or crying into a fluffy pillow, hoping for one second that release will make everything better. Every single person reading this should at least have one hand raised. Whether you're a hard-working, full-time college student balancing a full load at school, part-time job with minimal pay and a social life or a full-time mom with several children, husband and housewife duties, stress has become a common denominator in our every day lives, which is pretty sad considering such a negative emotion rules our day-to-day schedule. But, then again, that's life right?
Let's face the ugly truth, stress isn't going to magically disappear with wishful thinking, daydreaming or even a magic Harry Potter-type wand. But, there are many positive ways to confront it and survive without missing patches of hair, a jiggly belly and mascara-soaked pillows. (For us trying to lose weight, we definitely don't need the jiggle!) From someone who is very close acquaintances with stress, here are my five helpful pieces of advice of how to cope with stress.
Let A Little Music In
For me, music is an emotional release. Various artists of all types of genres create these lyrical poems accompanied by music for us to not only enjoy, but relate to. From the tragic country ballads to the tender, smooth listening of classic rock, each song has a story and background. Not to mention emotion that is to be evoked by the artist. When we turn up a song to the highest volume, we immediately become 'lost' in the melody and words being sung. For just a second, we forget the world around us and enter into this musical imagination that brings a positive amount of comfort. As long as it's not Slipnot, System of a Down or ICP. My iPod is one of my many go to stress relievers. From hip hop to modern pop, I have a wide variety of music and artists. My go to genre for stress? Classical or jazz all the way. When I'm feeling blue, Josh Groban's "Oceano" can provide comfort in several different romantic languages. When I feel stressed and need a little bit of relaxation, I turn to the easy listening sounds of classical music combined with aquatic sounds such as ocean waves breaking or rivers flowing. But the ultimate stress reliever for me has to be ole blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. Something about his voice in "My Funny Valentine" is soothing. I get completely lost and mesmerized by his swag. Yes, I said swag. I also recommend downloading the soundtrack from Pride and Prejudice and another one of my favorites, "Bella's Lullaby" by Taliesin Orchestra. Put on your headphones, close your eyes and get completely lost. You'll begin to feel that stress slowly slipping away just like reality.
Soak Up Bath Time
Most people neglect bath time, and I don't mean neglect as in in completely forget to bathe.I'm referring to the fact that most quickly shower and go about their business. When's the last time you actually drew yourself a warm bath with all the relaxing essentials? In my opinion, showers are strictly for the morning time. At the end of a long, chaotic day of work or school, the last thing you want to do is stand under hot water for about 15 minutes. Instead, take the time to soak and relax. Start off by drawing a warm bath. Pour in sweet-scented bath salts or bubble bath. I prefer floral scents, whether sweet tea rose, lavender or plumaria. Set the mood for your bath by lighting as many candles as possible without burning yourself or your home down. I usually place some candles around my vanity, while placing others around my huge garden tub. Once the lights go off, you're romantic ambiance is set, even if you're by yourself. For the ultimate relaxation, turn off some soft music for the perfect background noise. Look at my point above for music selections. All that's left to go is get naked, soak up some bubbles and relax. But be sure not to get too comfy and fall asleep.
Chocolate Makes The World Taste Good
Though eating usually isn't a good idea when you're stressed, sometimes it's absolutely necessary, especially chocolate. Something about chocolate is comforting. From it's the smooth texture or the sweet taste, chocolate releases these endorphins of pleasure. And who doesn't love a little chocolatey pleasure? Whether you're a sweet milk chocolate kind of gal or a decadent dark chocolate lover, any time of chocolate will do. I'm a dark chocolate kind of girl. And the darker, the better. One of my favorite types of chocolate to buy at the grocery store is the Dove dark chocolate's. And the chocolate isn't the only sweet reward. Inside each wrapper is an uplifting little statement of happiness and joy. Perfect for that stressful moment in your life. Just be sure to sustain good self-control so you won't over indulge.
Work It All Out
Most people think stress is best relieved by a simple amount of peace and quiet. While a majority of these people would agree this is the key to solving all stressful problems, they're a little off on their conclusions. It has been scientifically proven that one of the best ways to relieve stress is to work out. From running on the treadmill to indulging in a little high-impact cardio aerobic routine, any type of work out works. Some even prefer to combine peace and quiet with working out by practicing yoga, but I'm more a high energy junkie. I like to 'sweat out' my emotions. If I'm ever overwhelmed or upset, I like to turn to high-impact activities such as Zumba or my Weight Watcher's Belly, Butt & Thighs video. Or even a nice power walk with iPod included. Something about a steady stride and a nice beat work perfectly together to form a motivation to work out all negative energies plaguing the mind. I've even stuck my headphones in and did the stair master machine for 45 minutes straight, without slowing down. That was one good workout I must say. You may even try kickboxing to release all those frustrations. Whatever you choose to do, do it 100%. That way, you'll kick stresses ass for good.
Spoil Yourself With Goodies
Who doesn't like a little retail therapy from time to time? I know I don't mind one bit. One of my favorite pastimes is also one of my favorite stress relievers. From shoe shopping for a cute pair of high heels to browsing lingerie and underwear at Victoria's Secret, every woman needs to spoil herself. Think of yourself as Carrie Bradshaw, a single girl in New York City, who uses what little money she has from writing a sex column to indulge in a pair of expensive Manolo Blahniks. No, I'm not saying to go splurge and blow all of your cash at once. I mean do something nice for yourself just because. But, it's okay to go on a shopping spree. As long as you can afford it and won't put yourself in serious debt. (P.S. Don't be like Carrie in the sense she spends her hard-earned money and can barely pay rent.) Otherwise, get your shop on!
I know I'm no expert whatsoever on the topic of stress, but I've had plenty of experience with it. We each have our very own routines of dealing with certain negative emotions such as stress. Well, there are my five ways to cope. Try them out and let me know how they work :)
XoXo,
DJH
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