Hello my name is _______ and I’m overwhelmed. Wanna join the club? Work is stressful, home life isn’t much better, and your alone time is well… nonexistent. It’s about time to set some ground rules. Creating a set of daily rituals establishes stability in an other wise unruly string of events. They let you touch home base and recharge so you can get through chaotic days. De-stress and find some peace of mind by testing out some of the rituals I have found most beneficial to my sanity:
A Good Morning Stretch: Establishing a stretch series in the AM does far more for you than just increase flexibility. Talk about a wake up call! Stretching gets your blood flowing, energizes the metabolism, and relieves any tension or stress. Be sure to take deep breaths to slowly open and lengthen the muscles. Focusing on the body before work creates ease in the muscles all day. Ultimately staving off aches and pains from long hours at the office. Here’s the stretch sequence I do every morning. Give it a whirl.
Read Before Bed: Chaotic days tend to lead to sleepless nights, unless of course you can find a way to unwind. One of my favorite ways to cut off my rampant thoughts and worries of the day is to switch my brain to something that completely doesn’t relate to me, like a novel story. Reading also makes my eyes tired allowing me to nod off sooner than later.
Brew Some Tea: Sipping a calming tea like Chamomile in the evening settles overworked nerves and is a fabulous alternative to alcohol. I know..I know…”what am I going to do without my glass of wine?!” The truth is tea boasts no calories and tons of antioxidants. Give your liver and waist line a break by swapping tea into the mix.
Meditate: You’ve heard it before, but it’s oh so true that meditation and mindfulness practices help you de-stress and find clarity. Ideally you could devote 10 minutes to a practice every morning, but that isn’t always feasable when you have to get to the office by 6am. Practice on the bus/train ride to work, or on your lunch break. If you can’t find time to meditate, step into the present moment with a mindfulness practice.
Walk After Dinner A 10-20 minute walk after the last meal of the day will not only help burn the calories just eaten, but allows you alone time away from stress at home. Ahhh fresh crisp air! What a perfect time to practice mindfulness.
Organize: I don’t know about you, but I simply can’t function in an unorganized space. When my apartment looks like a tornado hit it, my mind follows suit. When your life feels out of wack, clue into your surroundings. Perhaps all the papers on your desk are making you feel overwhelmed. Take a few minutes daily to organize your desk, entry table, etc. Clean it up and see how you feel.
To-Do’s: Creating a to-do list early in the morning (or even the night before) allows you to get your ideas out, which settles the mind. Once I know I’ve written down all I have to do I can set to work acting on them. Check off each to-do and be proud of your daily accomplishments.
Connect With Others: When you’re overwhelmed sometimes all you need is a chat with a dear friend or loved one. Make a point to call your mom, sister, or best friend everyday. Talk out your issues and gain fresh perspective on a situation. There’s a reason people who have large support networks live longer.
What are your daily rituals? Add to the list in the comments.
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walks in the evening are my fav…. something i need to do more often
One habit I picked up from reading David Allen’s Getting Things Done was to empty my head of all ideas and TODO’s the second they arise. Immediately write them down somewhere.
It’s absolutely amazing how many great ideas start magically appearing in your head when you’ve emptied it of *everything*!
Thanks for this post. I’ve been telling myself lately that I need to create more daily rituals that will benefit my physical and mental health (in particular, waking up earlier and stretching, and reading at night). I think you’ve finally pushed me out of procrastination-mode!
Thank you for this article. I live in Chicago and sometimes the chaos of this city can be extremely stressful. Meditation, walking, tea, reading and reaching out are great ways of reminding ourselves that there are things far greater than our daily minutiae
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