It’s ONLY been 3 days and this country is already a fucking hell hole.
He’s rescinded protections for the LGBTQ community across the board, no DEI, no anti-discrimination in employment, and attacking gender. He has removed the reproductive rights pages from the White House website. He’s approved mass deportations on humans living in this country. And so much more.
I suggest taking a million deep breaths before reading his executive orders.
With all of this happening, it is a lot to take in on the daily. So let’s chat ways to reduce stress in the face of uncertainty. This is for you, and for me, haha.
10 ways to reduce stress:
- Get enough sleep
- Insuring you’re getting enough sleep gives your body time to recover, and release the stress.
- Don’t overdo smoking or alcohol
- In the moment, they definitely feel like they’re relaxing you, but they can make problems worse, and affect your body at a deeper level.
- Deep breathing
- Doing so aims to focus your awareness of your breath, allowing it to slow and become deeper. Grounding yourself and allowing your body to relax.
- Eat well
- Eating at regular intervals, and a balanced diet, can help you feel better in general and help your body recharge.
- Take control
- Taking control of your environment can change everything. Curate what you hear/read/see on the daily basis, and cut down the negative information you take it.
- Listen to music
- Listen to the things that make you feel happy, at peace, or less stressed. For me, Jump in the Line by Harry Belafonte. Something about it just makes me want to dance like a weirdo, and let out all the stress.
- Therapy
- I am a big proponent for therapy. I talk to my therapist at least a few times a week. I use Talkspace, which I love because you can send a message at anytime.
- So sometimes even just getting whatever it is out of my body and into a message there helps. Even if she can’t respond right away. Then when she responds, I’ve already let go of some of it so it’s easier to take in her response. Your mental wellbeing is key in these.
- Exercise
- I’m terrible at making time for this lately, but even something as simple as a walk can make a huge difference. Get your body moving and get those endorphins, which is a natural substance that helps you feel better, more relaxed, and more positive.
- Meditation
- This allows you to channel your focus elsewhere. If you need something to focus on, there are a ton of guided meditations to keep you focused.
- Spending time with people you love
- Social support can help you cope with stress by spending time with people who bring you joy, people who can empathize with what you’re going through, and they may know just want to do to help you specifically with your stress.
Try a few of this week, let me know how it goes. I will too!
I really like this Brené Brown podcast episode that goes into the stress cycle an what it does to your body. It’s imperative that we get it out of our bodies and don’t let it sit in there.
We have to get through this however we can.
We’ve got this, babe.
