I saw the funniest shirt the other day. It said 2020 in big bold letters, and below it were 5 empty stars for rating and beneath that it said, would not recommend. While I have to laugh as often as I can, 2020 is really testing my limits. 

It has been a solid 6 months of stress. If we don’t find ways to release stress then it will continue to build in us. Stress can present itself  in lots of different ways; anxiety, sleeplessness, disease, feeling lethargic, headaches, stomach aches, and even muscle tension or pain. 

When it comes to relieving stress you have lots of options to choose from. Some of my favorites are getting outside in nature, doing yoga, practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing exercises, laughing, spending time with my family and friends, taking a bath, reading a book, listening to music, and even petting my dog or taking him for a walk (although if you know my dog then you know walking him can be its own kind of stress ;) ).

We often wait until our stress builds and then think we have to do something big to relieve it like go on a vacation or have a spa day. This is far from the truth. You can do little things every day to help you reset and manage your stress. One of the biggest benefits of doing something every day is that you will begin to develop new habits to help you cope with daily stressors. Over time, you will notice that the things that usually trigger you won’t have the same effect because of the systems you have in place to mitigate stress. 

Have you developed ways to relieve stress in your life? If you have, great! Keep using them daily to help you unwind. 

If you don’t currently have any ways to relieve stress start by trying to notice when you feel stressed. How you manage stress will be different totally personal.  Experiment with what works best or you.  Managing your stress can mean a longer, healthier, and happier life. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want?