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As adults, we often forget what it means to have fun and let our inner child come out to play. We begin to face the “typical” adult problems of having no energy and being stressed out as we age. But these issues do not have to be part of our everyday lives!
Stress has a huge impact on our bodies and minds and can be the catalyst for weight gain, sluggishness, and chaos. Keep reading as I share some strategies for stress reduction, chaos elimination, and having the best day ever- every single day.
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HAVE FUN EVERY DAY
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My number one recommendation for reducing the stress in our lives: have fun!
It is absolutely crucial to get in touch with your inner child, remember your youth, and smile every single day. This is the first step to getting youth and energy back. Aging does not have to equal being tired or feeling sluggish and unhappy.
The second part to this is scheduling fun into our routines. At first that may strike you as the opposite of fun. Schedules and routines sound strict and boring. However, it is imperative to make the time to do the things you love.
While the thought of scheduling out your days may seem mundane, the idea is that more structure doesn’t necessarily equal less fun. You can have a great day by planning it out and scheduling in the fun. The goal is to eliminate the chaos. Chaos induces the fight-or-flight response in our bodies and raises cortisol levels.
Once you have this scheduling planned out and locked in, stick to it. Something that we tend to do is stick to a schedule during the weekdays and throw it all out the window on the weekend. This really affects us, particularly with sleep/wake cycles. Sleeping in or staying up late, even if only on the weekends, really messes with these sleep/wake cycles and cortisol levels.
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SET A ROUTINE
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One of the most crucial tools to take control of your health is to establish a routine. Take a look at your routine and see what you are doing and where you can improve.
Self assess by asking yourself some questions:
-Are you doing what you want to do? Do you run from one unpleasant task to the next without making time for the fun things that you really enjoy doing?
-Are you shutting off screen time an hour or two before bed? Too much screen time contributes to raised cortisol levels and this affects our sleep/wake cycles negatively.
-Are you taking breaks during the day? Adults need time-outs too. A great way to make sure we are getting breaks is to schedule them in. Make yourself a corner at work or at home where you go to relax, breathe, and take a virtual vacation. The simple act of breathing resets our nervous system. You can do this anywhere: 5 to 10 rounds of a five-second inhale and seven-second exhale for a mental reset.
-Are you getting any exercise? Go for a walk or hit the gym to wind down your mind from the day’s work.
-Are you eating healthy meals on time? Skipping meals is a problem as we get into work mode. This can really effect us on a day to day level. It is important to fuel ourselves up for the day by eating every 3 or 4 hours. This keeps our energy going and blood sugar balanced. Eating on time also keeps the stress hormone cortisol levels from rising. Our bodies tend to try to hold on and store the food we eat as fat if our bodies are feeling like we may not be fed any time soon.
Click here to watch my video to learn more about cortisol and how it affects our health.
Assess what your day looks like now versus what you want it to look like. Then begin to plan it out. Here you can include scheduling your wake time, your bedtime, meal times. This is also the place to look at what breaks you are giving yourself. As we head toward the afternoon it is important to take a break and help ourselves out. Cortisol levels take a sharp drop to prepare us for sleep around this time. Drinking Holy Basil tea is a great habit to incorporate into your routine. This helps the adrenal glands and balances out cortisol levels without keeping you awake.
If you struggle with sugar cravings, particularly in the afternoons, L-glutamine is an excellent amino acid supplement that helps curb cravings and smooth out the nervous system. Afternoons are a crucial place in the day to incorporate some of these positive routines such as taking a break and eating a healthy snack, drinking some tea, taking a breather. These will help us from becoming ravenous monsters in the evening after we get home from work when hunger and the stress of the day has us reaching for less-than-healthy snacks.
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PLAN YOUR BEST DAY EVER
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Schedule out your best day ever and then make it happen. Routines are not meant to keep you in a “boring-box” you can’t get out of. Routines actually allow you to live life with more freedom!
Check out my routine planner and guide on my resources page.
This can help you schedule in time for breathing, relaxation, and for doing the fun things that get you excited about life. It is also the place to schedule in the breaks that we adults tend to deprive ourselves.
The planner will help you get on track to living the best life you could possibly have. As you begin to schedule your life out and prioritize this routine, you’ll realize the benefits to both your mental and physical wellness. Check out the resources page on my website for additional ideas to get started.
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IN CONCLUSION
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Set up a routine that you look forward to every day. That means you have time for all of the things you enjoy as well as the responsibilities. When you do this you will begin to notice that you have less stress and feel good about what your schedule looks like and how you spend your time.
If you enjoyed this blog – there’s a podcast that goes with it – listen in now!
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