let’s not let stress win

I just treated myself to a massage, it is funny how it makes me feel a little guilty, somewhat self indulgent, yet I know that I deserve to do something nice for me. I would tell a friend they deserved it, but why is it always so much harder to be kind or generous to ourselves?

Still I went and really enjoyed it. Some parts, like my neck and lower back were a little tender, but I am not one for a gentle massage I like to feel like it is doing my muscles some good. The face massage was my favourite though. It is not often (well for me) that we experience a face massage, I have to admit it was pure bliss!

Last year when my anxiety was beginning to really impact my daily life, I decided I needed to make self-care more of a priority, and yet as with many promises we make to ourselves somewhere along the way I started to neglect myself again.

It is not just people with anxiety though that need to care for themselves. We all live in a stressful world and as I have said before despite having all these modern conveniences that are meant to save us time, we fill that extra time with time wasting devices, (I’ve been known to be on social media too much). We also live with a lot of fear, not helped by mainstream media! We are geared to keep busy and feel guilty about doing nothing.

So in a world with media and 24/7 news feeds filling us with fear, advertising telling us we must have all of the latest things, and social media creating a world of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), we need more than ever to take care of ourselves!

Now maybe remedial massage is not your thing, but the truth is if we don’t look after our mental health and deal with stress, and anxiety we are much more likely to experience physical pain, live shorter lives and develop illness.

Here are a few things everyone should consider doing everyday, or at the very least most days if you want to stay on top of stress and both mental and physical illness.

1. Fresh air, getting outdoors, or at the very least sitting and looking outside.

2. Sleep, getting a good nights sleep is so much more important than we realise. Try and make the hours consistent, try not to have too little or too much sleep. Try and go to bed at the same time each night if possible.

3. Hydration, preferably water. Drink plenty of healthy fluids throughout the day.

4. Be social. We all need to have social contact. Make sure it is with people who lift you up, who believe in you and even better if they can make you laugh. Even if you are not going out, try and chat to at least one person each day via the phone.

5. Physical activity. You can start small. A walk, a jog, or vacuuming the house. Getting exercise will help lift your mood.

6. Hug an animal or a person you love. Touch is important for us to feel connected to others.

7. Eat healthy. OK so I am not going to bang on about only eating healthy, if you follow me on Instagram then you know I love cake. Just try to include some fruit and veg in your meals each day.

Now hopefully they are some manageable things you can at the very least attempt. Here are some extras that can be suer helpful too!

1. Massage, whether it’s remedial, a stone massage or a deep tissue massage, it gets you relaxed, your muscles feel better, you blood flows better and the touch releases happy endorphins.
2. Movie time! Catch a movie, preferably a happy one, it can be a great date night idea, time with friends, or an alone time thing.
3. Meditation. The word alone can scare people off, but seriously give a class a go, or try it at home on youtube.
4. As above Mindfulness can scare people away with just the mere mention of the word, but look into it, at the basic level it is all about living in the moment and most of us are often thinking ten steps ahead so it is worth a try.
5. Health Check. Often we may be worried about something, yet we say we are too busy to have it checked out. Stop putting your head in the sand, go get it checked out. That mole, that pain in your knee, the thumping daily headaches, that weird growth or lump, the constant need to wee, just book in that check up so you can get it off your mind.
6. Get out and about more. See what your town or city has to offer, there are often free events or galleries to visit. Explore, picnic in the park, swing on the playground, go on a trip, try new cuisines.
7. Yoga class, a good stretch can do you wonders!
8. Hobbies, what did you love to do when you were younger, give it a go again!
9. Social media break. Unplug for an hour each day, build it up to more and notice the spare time you gain!
10. Be authentic. Live to the beat of your own drum. We don’t need to be clones, just live your way!

I hope some of these ideas inspire you. I know last year I let caring for me fall on the back burner and lately I feel myself slipping back into old patterns. It is important to recognise when stress or anxiety is building, so I am not going to feel guilty, I am going to feel proud that I am looking after myself and by doing so I am looking after the mother of my children!

Any ideas you have to help reduce stress? Please share!

Thanks for joining me today, love Mac xx