Let’s face it, life is stressful. Anxiety and angst pile on making us feel out of sync. Last week Hubby received news of a friend’s passing. She suffered a massive heart attack. She had a lot of things on her plate and well rarely found time to relax, she just kept going and going. Her sudden passing reiterated the importance of minimizing stress, relaxation and just making time for ourselves. Finding a place of solace for most of us would be a vacation on some faraway island but truth of the matter is, the key to relaxation is simple, just do it.
1. Read a book. Reading is one of my favorite ways to relax. Books offer a temporary respite from reality. Whether you’re reading an e-book or turning pages, reading is a great way to relax. Moms of infants and toddlers may think there is no way they could ever find time to read a book but truth is most kids love to be read to. I used to sit the twins in their bouncers, lie on the couch and read aloud until they fell asleep and then I would read silently to myself.
2. Take a walk. As you know I have been on Nutrisystem for nearly 3 months now. Throughout my weight loss journey I am learning to comfort myself in ways other than packing on the pounds with comfort food. Spring is a perfect time to strap on the baby carrier or buckle the little one in their stroller and get to steppin’. Moms of older kids, walking is a wonderful family activity and an awesome way to spend one on one time with your kids. When my son broke his ankle earlier this year, walking was not only therapeutic for him but gave us a chance to talk about life, school, future plans and just random convos with my kid.
3. Color. Grab the box of crayons and start coloring. Coloring books for adults are all the rage and after sampling a few of Hachette Book Groups latest coloring book creations I can understand why. I received A Giving Heart: A Coloring Book Celebrating Motherhood by Stephanie Corfee, The Parables of Jesus Coloring Book Devotional by Laura James and Katara Washington Patton and Joyful Inspirations Coloring Book by Robin Mead.
Each book features various scripture passages and an array of patterns and images to color. Coloring was always one of my favorite way to get the kids to sit still while I prepared dinner or did household chores and now it’s one of my favorite ways relax.
4. Deep Breaths. I remember when my nephew would get riled up, my mom would look him straight in his eyes and say “Breathe”. We’d watch his little chest rise and fall as he took deep breaths calming himself in the process. Funny, many of use the same technique with our little ones but what about ourselves. Counting to five and taking deep breaths does a lot to calm one down. Those who practice yoga will tell you our breathing is essential to our life force and there are several yoga practices which help one calm down and focus solely by controlling one’s breathing.
5. Journaling. Writing can be therapeutic. When I think of journaling I think of the 12-year old me who wrote in her diary every night before bed. For my fellow bloggers, deadlines of sponsored posts can really weigh on us but there’s something so therapeutic once our creative juices start flowing. For others, journaling is just a great way to relax. Many of my kids’ teachers use journaling to help the kids calm down and focus and guess what, it works for adults also. There are no minimal word counts to focus on, just start writing and let it flow.
6. Take a pic. Daffodils bloom in our backyard for a brief period and this year I missed the blooms. I usually snap a pic of the daffodils each year but for some reason I didn’t. I like to take pics of flowers, mushrooms, lakes, rivers and streams. I often gaze through my telescopic lens trying to capture the perfect shot and hearing the click of the shutter breaking the silence.
1. Read a book. Reading is one of my favorite ways to relax. Books offer a temporary respite from reality. Whether you’re reading an e-book or turning pages, reading is a great way to relax. Moms of infants and toddlers may think there is no way they could ever find time to read a book but truth is most kids love to be read to. I used to sit the twins in their bouncers, lie on the couch and read aloud until they fell asleep and then I would read silently to myself.
2. Take a walk. As you know I have been on Nutrisystem for nearly 3 months now. Throughout my weight loss journey I am learning to comfort myself in ways other than packing on the pounds with comfort food. Spring is a perfect time to strap on the baby carrier or buckle the little one in their stroller and get to steppin’. Moms of older kids, walking is a wonderful family activity and an awesome way to spend one on one time with your kids. When my son broke his ankle earlier this year, walking was not only therapeutic for him but gave us a chance to talk about life, school, future plans and just random convos with my kid.
3. Color. Grab the box of crayons and start coloring. Coloring books for adults are all the rage and after sampling a few of Hachette Book Groups latest coloring book creations I can understand why. I received A Giving Heart: A Coloring Book Celebrating Motherhood by Stephanie Corfee, The Parables of Jesus Coloring Book Devotional by Laura James and Katara Washington Patton and Joyful Inspirations Coloring Book by Robin Mead.
Each book features various scripture passages and an array of patterns and images to color. Coloring was always one of my favorite way to get the kids to sit still while I prepared dinner or did household chores and now it’s one of my favorite ways relax.
4. Deep Breaths. I remember when my nephew would get riled up, my mom would look him straight in his eyes and say “Breathe”. We’d watch his little chest rise and fall as he took deep breaths calming himself in the process. Funny, many of use the same technique with our little ones but what about ourselves. Counting to five and taking deep breaths does a lot to calm one down. Those who practice yoga will tell you our breathing is essential to our life force and there are several yoga practices which help one calm down and focus solely by controlling one’s breathing.
5. Journaling. Writing can be therapeutic. When I think of journaling I think of the 12-year old me who wrote in her diary every night before bed. For my fellow bloggers, deadlines of sponsored posts can really weigh on us but there’s something so therapeutic once our creative juices start flowing. For others, journaling is just a great way to relax. Many of my kids’ teachers use journaling to help the kids calm down and focus and guess what, it works for adults also. There are no minimal word counts to focus on, just start writing and let it flow.
6. Take a pic. Daffodils bloom in our backyard for a brief period and this year I missed the blooms. I usually snap a pic of the daffodils each year but for some reason I didn’t. I like to take pics of flowers, mushrooms, lakes, rivers and streams. I often gaze through my telescopic lens trying to capture the perfect shot and hearing the click of the shutter breaking the silence.
Daffodils atop Wye Mountain |
Daffodils atop Wye Mountian |
7. Exercise. I mentioned walking earlier as one of my favorite ways to relax. Well, exercising is Hubby’s fave way to relax. He hits the gym faithfully every single day after work. Science has proven there are many benefits to exercising one being the release of endorphins. Science lesson of the day: Endorphins = Happy for MOST people. Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins and well most of us need to exercise a little more anyway.
Disclosure: I am an Nutrisystem Blogger and I received a complimentary subscription to Nutrisystem in exchange for this post. Follow #NutrisystemSnaps for more on my weight loss journey and that of other #NSNation bloggers.
What about you, how do you relax, unwind and make time just for yourself? Let me know, leave a comment below.
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