Hey, hi, ho, happy Tuesday! Monday hit me like a ton of bricks [ can't decide if it was a combination of 10 nights away from my own bed, a really intense Saturday night, or the coming back to terms with reality ], but to be perfectly honest, I didn't have it in me to whip up a blogpost for today.
And then I thanked God for the invention of a rough draft, and proceeded to scour through a handful of mine before finding this one -- it's been sitting motionless for approximately three months.
2014 was overwhelming, 2015 has followed the same pattern, and this weekend was enough to send me into insanity. Suffice it to say, I was more than happy to find this very long post, because right about now, my own advice has never sounded so good.
With no further ado, eight tips and tricks to combat the stress and anxiety that gets to the best of us.
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And then I thanked God for the invention of a rough draft, and proceeded to scour through a handful of mine before finding this one -- it's been sitting motionless for approximately three months.
2014 was overwhelming, 2015 has followed the same pattern, and this weekend was enough to send me into insanity. Suffice it to say, I was more than happy to find this very long post, because right about now, my own advice has never sounded so good.
With no further ado, eight tips and tricks to combat the stress and anxiety that gets to the best of us.
---
Karlie Kloss in Vogue UK by Angelo Pennetti, May 2012
This thought had never, ever crossed my mind .. Until about a year ago, on a Sunday Scaries kinda Sunday, when my sister said she was so excited to go home and take a dark shower. Lights off, music on, candle lit. It. is. life. changing. Cry it out, dance it out [ don't slip, please ], stretch it out. You'll feel like a new person afterwards.
TWO | EXERCISE
I'm a strong believer that stress, tension, and anxiety start mentally but end physically. I know your mother - at one point or another - has snuck up behind you and clawed her loving fingers into your shoulders, cooing, "Oh, sweetie, you're so tense." Maybe on a more relatable note, my stomach twists and my back aches before, during, and after a stressful week. If you can't wrap your mind around my theory, think about an intense sprint or a sweaty SoulCycle class as nothing more than cathartic. sidenote: SoulCycle has been a game changer for me .. don't knock it before you try it; it's the best $32 you'll ever spend.
THREE | STRETCHING + YOGA
So I would be lying if I told you I didn't take Friday night SoulCycles, and that I didn't come home and take a 30 minute shower, and that I didn't take that shower in the dark, and that I didn't stretch a whole ton while I was in there. My sister taught me a long time ago to do a few simple yoga poses in the shower; the steam really opens up your muscles and offers the perfect stage for a quick toe touch. If you just can't get yourself to do it in the shower, do it before you hop into bed at night, or hey! here's an idea: take a yoga class. My snarky pre-teen self would be laughing right in my mature 15-year-old face upon that suggestion. Ignore her.
FOUR | FRIENDS + FAMILY
Stress, anxiety, tension - they're all so circumstantial. But most of the time, I find that if I hide away and avoid human contact, I end up feeling worse. A little social exertion goes a long way for me. PLEASE tell me what is better than a case of the giggles or a long phone call or a spontaneous adventure. Hang around your people, they're yours for a reason.
FIVE | AIRPLANE MODE
I simultaneously love and hate modern technology for the accessibility it offers. I love it when I can book a SoulCycle class, watch an entire TV series, and order three meals all without moving anything but my thumbs. I hate it when it's Saturday night and I have no plans and Snapchat and Instagram and Twitter love to remind me of it. I hate it even more when my friend posts an unfortunate picture of my other friend and they commence World War III right in the middle of our group texts. Turn your phone on airplane mode, and then turn yourself on airplane mode. Watch your favorite rom-com and sleep for 12 hours. I think they call this being the bigger person.
SIX | HEADPHONES IN
I know you know I love my music. I also know you love it too. [ Unless you're a fan of 90's folk rock, we probably don't love the same kind of music, BUT THAT'S THE POINT. ] Put your headphones on -- I don't care if they came with your phone or if they were free on an airplane or if you spent $200 on them and justified it by telling yourself you'd "use them all the time!!!! They're even noise canceling!!!"
SEVEN | WATER + NUTRIENTS
If you've managed to get through a stressful week without eating at least one muffin, two slices of sizzling pizza, an entire tub of Talenti, and maybe a donut if the place was open and you had enough stray singles in your pocket, then please share your secret. Or, hey, even if you've managed to down an entire dinner while anxious about what the night still holds, then I'd like that secret as well. Because, maybe you've been here too, I either have the appetite of a 12-year-old boy after football practice or none at all. BUT, when I do manage to make it through a good period of time getting all the right nutrients, I feel like I could hold the entire world in my own two hands. And then I do, and it's pretty great.
EIGHT | POWER THROUGH
Especially when concerning school or work, powering through is the best thing to do. Do whatever you have to do to find the motivation. For me, it's a combination of all the things mentioned above. After hitting a SoulCycle class, taking a dark shower, eating a great dinner, turning my phone off, and putting on a new playlist, I'm ready to conquer the world. When I find myself drowning in school work, there's no other way to ease the stress or anxiety than by swimming to the top. Get it done. You'll feel great afterwards.
I hope you made it to the end of this post. If you did, T H A N K Y O U .. and be sure to mention in the comments how you battle stress or anxiety!
xx MGR
PS: If you're so stressed you put your immune system into overdrive and catch spring fever, or even just take a mental health day this week, no worries .. here's the essentials.
PS: If you're so stressed you put your immune system into overdrive and catch spring fever, or even just take a mental health day this week, no worries .. here's the essentials.
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