5 Tips to Minimize Stress and Embrace Life
By Laura Lindsey
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you are paralyzed? Like there isn’t hope, you are in the dark, and you don’t know what step to take next? I am coming out of a season where I have had a lot of stress in regards to my health, my environment, and life transitions. Here’s my personal story of how I got into a place of crippling stress…and some tips to climb out of it!
I have battled severe rashes that blister and burn once a year now in the last 3 years because of stress. The rashes literally put my life on hold for 6-8 weeks because of the severity of them. I have just recently put the pieces together of what was causing them out of desperation and with the help of holistic health experts. I am currently pregnant with baby #4 and my husband and I left teaching to change careers last year. Changing jobs and going from two incomes to one has been a huge transition. I am homeschooling my children and learning the ropes in that whole new world. We are doing some remodeling in our house to prepare for the baby. And when my house is in disarray, my brain is. The combination of these things have caused paralysis in my life. When I am paralyzed, I can’t think straight or take care of my home well (or myself)….which causes clutter build up in my house…..which you guessed it- paralyzes me even more. This cycle and the intricacy of each stressor is all connected. They impact one another negatively if they aren’t dealt with correctly. The tips I am sharing are something I am working through right now in my life. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means but what I found to be my top 5 tips to overcome stress and embrace life in a positive way.
1. Stay in the Word and in prayer. Stay connected to believers.
Connecting to God is what will keep you moving forward. When I felt really down or paralyzed I would pray hard and dig into scripture. Praying and hiding God’s Word in my heart would redirect my attitude and outlook quickly. Ask your friends to pray for you. I would send out texts to my friends when I finally hit my breaking point and I could feel their prayers. Don’t isolate or hide these things from family and friends. If you would like some fresh material to encourage your spiritual growth check out The Daily Grace Co. They run a TON of awesome sales weekly. Sometimes I just need some fresh perspectives and studies to dive into the Word.
2. Find something you enjoy doing.
This one can be hard for a lot of people. Our society wants to keep us busy and doesn’t allow for much slow down time and enjoy life time. In order to have something you enjoy doing, you have to schedule it regularly... or try something new. Some of the things I enjoy doing are disc golf with my husband, gardening, refinishing furniture, drinking coffee at a coffee shop and thrifting. I try to do one of these things each weekend. Thankfully, I get to garden often and find it very therapeutic. It took me a while to find hobbies being a busy mom but I always have my cup filled after spending time doing one or more.
3. Keep your body moving and feed yourself nutrient rich food.
This one can be difficult when you are stuck in the middle of stress. Many people struggle with food choices because of lack of education and emotional eating…ice cream anyone? To make it harder, when you are down you typically are lethargic and lack movement. You may want to sleep a lot or sit and watch tv or get on social media. If you can move your body by taking a walk outside then it releases endorphins to brighten your outlook. Your blood flows better, your lymphatic system works better and toxins get filtered from your body through sweat glands and other organs. It also will help you make better food choices because you know your choosing health. Feeding your body nutrient rich food does wonders for your emotional health. Our guts are sensitive and like the second brain of our bodies. When we are treating our bodies with unhealthy food, we are damaging our moods, immune system, and causing some serious health issues. Take a probiotic, cut out sugar and fast food, and drink more water. Those 3 things are a great starting point.
4. Declutter your home and your schedule.
Clutter, clutter, clutter. It drives me crazy! But it also accumulates in my home and schedule way too fast. When my house becomes unmanageable I know there is something deeper going on with me. If you don’t know where to start, start with your least overwhelming space in your home, maybe your bathroom or laundry room. Somewhere where there isn’t a lot of emotional attachment. Set a timer and get to work! Make sure to have a donation box, trash sack, and keep pile. Only keep what you use and enjoy, let the rest go! In your schedule, start saying no. Create boundaries for you and your family. If you are feeling too busy I bet your kids are feeling it too. Create a list of your priorities and align your schedule with those things. My husband and I talk each Sunday night about our upcoming week and see what we have going on and if anything needs to be canceled or rescheduled. We both don’t like being busy and have created boundaries with our schedule.
5. Turn it off. Limit or remove social media.
This one seems impossible for many, many people. Social media has stolen too many hours of our lives. Everywhere you look people have their necks cranked down staring at their phones. It could be addictive games, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, or even work emails. Studies have shown how it affects our mental health and the rates for depression are indescribable. Our kids are growing up looking at screens and we wonder why they act the way they do. I deleted my Facebook 1.5 years ago and I don’t regret it. It truly is freeing. I only have Instagram and if it weren’t for Wildly Rooted Ministries and the positive message we are sharing in a world of negative messages….I probably wouldn’t have it!
Start small. Each step you take and tip you implement will bring you refreshment and hopefully become a habit. The hope is that we can all create these healthy habits in our lives so we don’t get to the place of paralyzing stress and can find freedom and joy despite our circumstances.
