For many people who are still stuck at home or under #workfromhome measures, the pressure is real and it seems that life is more busier and stressful than when working in the office. In this episode, I will guide you to some simple ways to relieve stress and anxiety right now so you can have better health, mental wellness and more energy.
Last Sunday, my good friend came over and we were talking about our #workfromhome life, she shared with me that she’s actually feeling more stressed than when she had to go to a physical office. I on the other hand, have been working remotely, in the hotel room, at cafes, at home and pretty much everywhere that has access to internet and I totally can relate to the pressure and how hard it can be to get your eyes off the screen or to move your butt out of the seat and do something else.
I also had a chance to speak with many friends who are mothers who shared that Google Meet for kids are happening more regularly and it’s becoming really challenging to manage their time and to create that time for themselves. I respect your time and I know you might not have an hour or 2 hours to do yoga, meditate and follow that heavy self-care list which is why in this blog post, I want to share with you some quick and easy tips to help you release stress and anxiety now.
How Do You Know You have Stress?
Before I start sharing with you some tips, let’s dive deep to see how to know if you are feeling stressful or anxious. Look out for your emotions, usually our emotions can also help to indicate your level of stress. Becoming very aware whether you are feeling fearful, afraid, bored, lonely, overwhelmed these can be a great indicators that a part of you is in worry and stress. Some of the other things that you can also look out for are whether you are lacking focus, eating more or eating less than usual and check in with your appetite, how is your appetite?
Sometimes the stress creeps to your physical body so being mindful of your neck, shoulders and back. Listen to your body for these signs and allow these signs to be a signal for you to move forward and create change. It’s a good sign and notification for you to simply bring in something new to your life so once you hear it, feel it, take that as a sign to change.
Eat on Time
I have spoken to many people before writing this post and one of the things I found with people who are working from home or spending more time at home is they are not eating on time. I can’t stress this one enough that when you don’t eat on time or you starve yourself, your brain is not in its highest functional state and your energy tends to elevate up and down. Whatever you do, make sure you block out time where you eat, remember that you are important and remember to put yourself first.
Move Your Spine
I have been a yoga instructor since 2015 with thousands of hours of experience teaching people how to release stress and have better health. One of the key things that you have to be mindful of as mentioned before is when feelings of stress and your lifestyle, is affecting your neck, back and shoulders, these are the sensitive part in your body that tends to take a toll when your emotions and stress levels are high.
We talked about making these signals as a sign for change so let’s create one – I recommend that you set an alarm on your phone for every hour or 90 mins to get up from seat and walk for about 40-50 steps which is really a few minutes.
I understand the tendency and how easy it is for you to want to grab your phone and peek at instagram because I have done it too! Rather, I want to invite you to simply keep your body upright as you walk in your apartment or even in your kitchen, BREATHE, the key thing here is your breath.
After you have done this mini few minutes of steps collecting, pause and take a deep breath as you stretch your body and especially your spine. For some of your home town, the COVID-19 measures may have been lifted and things are moving again so you are finally easing back into the physical life, really taking precaution of how you walk, move and guess what, the best form of movement are actually smaller but more frequent movement throughout the day.
A tip for you is to try this right now, taking conscious movement that doesn’t involve the kids, it’s you doing this for you.
Personally, whenever I feel stuck at work or life, I literally just get up and move my physical space. After climbing my 2-storey home for a couple of rounds, I actually feel better and more energized and it’s a great symbolism to unstuck your life.
Breathing
I’m sure you can relate to this. Anytime that I feel stress, I actually find that my breath gets shorter and in fact, I really forget how to breathe properly. Whether you are sitting down right now, walking or travelling somewhere, I invite you to breathe in deep breaths, really feel your inhale going in to your stomach and your warmth exhale coming out from your nostril.
The quickest and fastest way to release stress is to simply breathe. Taking a few deep breaths before you respond an e-mail, take a few deep breaths before you respond to a text, take a few deep breaths before you drink your coffee. If you want to really have fun with this, then every time you get a text or notification on your phone, take that as a signal to breathe. We are living in this fast paced digital world and the last 3 months especially, you can see how dependent we are on the digital devices.
Your work, your kids school, your friends, we are all somehow connecting through these digital devices, so you might as well, maximize this notification bell and use it as a reminder to breathe.
Physical Touch
Have you ever seen a kid cries when they are feeling stressed or in panic? I love watching Master Chef Junior, the reason I love the show so much is to observe how kids handle the pressure of the competition and how the hosts speak to these kids when they are in panic. I remember this one episode where one of the master chef junior couldn’t get his food out for the customers on time and he started crying and Christina one of the hosts approach him and calm him down with physical touch.
Gently tapping the shoulders and reassuring him with these powerful words like “You are going to be OK. Let’s do this together”.
As adults, we often forget the simplest remedy of self-talk and self-touch especially when you are feeling highly stressed at work. I do this with myself, I tap myself on the shoulders and tell myself, “I’m doing great, I’m doing the best that I can.” and I slowly move my hands down to my lower back as that’s where sensitive spot where I store so much stress.
Today, become your own positive mother figure, cheerleader and your best friend who hugs, who talks positively and cheer you to be the best version of yourselves.
I was recently featured on Guru Magazine, part of the Bangkok Post and one of the tips I have given was to surround yourself with positive people and friends. This is really not the time for you to shy away from talking about how you feel. Sometimes just speaking it out already create a wonderful healing for you. Remember to find balance and a positive outlet, meaning you don’t fall into a trap of reaffirming complains but rather, acknowledge how you feel, share it out and have a positive solution that empower yourself and your energy.
I’m rooting for you to be healthier, happier, successful, full of abundance and journey to love. Reach out to me for extra support with a free discovery call.
See you next week!