This is a collaborative post.
It is very important to know what stress can cause to your body and it’s also very important to know and recognise the signs. Too much stress can wear you down and make you sick, both mentally and physically. Let’s not wait until we get too used to living in stress because once it becomes chronic, it can seriously affect our mental health (depression, anxiety, and others can be linked to chronic stress). It can also seriously effect your heart, your blood pressure, your stomach and digestion – just to mention a few. Stress is the body’s reaction to harmful situations. Often it’s hard to remove ourselves from a stressful situation and sometimes it’s impossible. But we can do a lot to lessen the impact.
Here are my tips on how to unwind and de-stress at the end of the day, the natural way.
No Screen Time
I’m a big geek, being a blogger, I’m on my phone or my computer almost all the time. At least this is how it feels. Having children though has taught me to be mindful how much I use them when they are around. I’m not putting my phone away or refusing to use my tech in front of them, don’t get me wrong. But I also noticed when I leave it on the charger in the bedroom and out of sight, I suddenly also stop thinking about how I should just quickly answer that email. I suddenly stop working and thinking about work to do, which is exactly what I need in the evenings to unwind.
Go to bed at the right time
Everyone has different needs when it comes to how much sleep we need. Monitor your sleep habits for a few weeks to work out if going to bed early helps to feel better. A bedtime routine is just as important for grown ups as for children: your body will learn when is it time to relax. Getting ready for bed could include a nice herbal tea, a warm shower, burning essential oils or adding CBD to your daily wellness routine. You could sign up to a company who focuses on delivering a CBD subscription box to your door if this way of de-stressing works for you.
Eat the right food
You probably know, that not all food is good to eat in the evenings before going to bed. Also, eating too late can keep you up too: try not to eat a large meal to close to your bedtime. If you’re still peckish after your dinner, don’t starve, because being hungry can keep you up too. Have a reasonable snack: a handful of nuts, apple with cheese or wholegrain snacks are good.
Hobbies
Having a hobby is great and it’s one of the best ways to de-stress. Choose something you can do on some evenings, that would take your daily worries away: crafts like knitting, scrapbooking, baking, journaling, reading, looking after your plants or pet, even playing video games!
Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to de-stress but you need to do it at the right time of the evening, meaning not too late and not too close to bedtime. Yoga and breathing exercises are definitely my go to, but choose whatever you want: even running a lap or just walking around the block is very useful. Exercise will help to clear your head and boost endorphins.
