Soothing tips to combat new-mommy stress
Stressed out? Join the club! With a baby to care for, as well as dinners to prepare, a house to clean, emails, cell phones and seemingly endless commutes, it can feel almost impossible to find time in your day to just kick back and relax. And if you do happen to find a few minutes, you're at a loss for what to do. But kicking back, and recharging your batteries is just what you need, especially when raising little ones. What's stopping you? Leave your problems behind, for a short while at least, and give yourself permission to take a much needed time-out. Get started now with easy stress-busting tips.
Find a quiet place and time, and begin your journey within.
There are no rules when writing in your journal, except to be honest with yourself. (Lock your journal, if necessary, to maintain the privacy you need to feel totally free to express yourself.) A journal helps you to process the experiences in your life. Buy a journal that you'll enjoy writing in each day. Invest in an assortment of pens to fit your various moods. You can write about anything that pertains to your life. Write your feelings. Talk about your dreams, your plans for the future, the books you love, your favorite quotes ... Anything that has touched your life. Try not to edit your thoughts. Some people prefer journaling on the computer because they can type more quickly than they would write. Let your words just flow.
Get moving!
We can all benefit from the stress reducing and energy enhancing of moderate exercise ibenefits n our lives. It has been found (in hundreds of studies) that exercise is one of the most beneficial stress-reducers around. It can improve blood flow to the brain, increasing the brain's alpha waves (this is associated with calmness and relaxation), reduce blood pressure, decrease muscle tension, and raise endorphin levels. A flow of endorphins following exercise leaves you with a feeling of well-being. Walking is a great exercise that can be done alone, with your partner, and even with kids in tow.
Allow your tensions to melt away with the music.
Play music that fits your mood. Sometimes you're in the mood for a relaxing instrumental, while other times, the hard beat of rock n roll will be just what you need. Sing.Dance. Let the music soothe your soul.
Put on a funny video, sit back, and laugh your way to good health.
A good laugh is a potent stress reliever. Laughing stimulates the body to produce hormones that cause the brain to release stress-reducing endorphins. Even putting a smile on your face when you aren't feeling so happy causes your body chemistry to change for the better, helping to create within you a happier mood.
Turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Rituals are comforting. Begin to introduce rituals into your everyday life. A ritual can be as simple as sitting down with your partner and sharing your first cup of coffee in the morning.
Feeling frazzled?
Foods affect us emotionally. Low-fat, high carbohydrate foods (such as bagels, popcorn, pretzels, rice cakes) trigger brain chemicals that help to soothe us when we are stressed out. Eating well is one of the basics of self-care. Busy moms often forget to eat or they skip meals and then eat whatever is handy. Complex carbohydrates (whole grain bread, pasta, fruit) gives long-lasting energy, as do protein foods that are low in fat (like broiled chicken or fish.) Foods that are high in fat can be draining because they take more energy for your body to digest.
Feed your soul.
Allow yourself time alone. Time where you are focusing on yourself. Find a place in your house where you can go and find solitude. It might be an entire room, or just one area that you have set aside. Ask your partner to take the rest of the family out for the morning while you stay home and begin to remember what it's like to be all alone. Do nothing, sleep, watch a love story that nobody else wants to see, read old letters ... Just enjoy your solitude.
Let the day unfold, totally unscheduled.
Sit down and indulge in some meaningful conversation with your best friend.Women find great comfort, support and intimacy in the company of their inner circle of friends. Friends share not just the triumphs, but the heartbreaking times and the ordinary day-to-day moments that become woven into the fabric of our lives.
