After my yoga class this morning, I looked around and noticed how relaxed everyone looked. The chatter and buzzing from before class were gone and calmness had set in. So, I jokingly commented that the key is to take this feeling off the yoga mat and into everyday life. I only go to yoga once a week, but I sure love the impact it has on my well-being. I came to yoga as a way to manage my stress and business anxiety. However, it wasn't only my yoga practice that helped me de-stress. Outside of my yoga class, I follow three simple steps on a consistent basis. I can't say that this was always the case. I would often take on a ton of to-do's and commitments, hold in feelings, push myself to the limit and then totally crash. I would end up making myself sick -- physically and emotionally. You know the days when potato chips or some other junk food are your dinner and you're ready to be sick afterward. Can you relate? So, what three simple steps do I follow that have helped me de-stress and thrive both at work and in my personal life? Here they are:
- Plan daily quiet time. This recharges both your body and mind. I usually sit out in nature all by myself, without any technology, for at least 15 minutes, pray and embrace stillness. If meditation works for you, then practice this as part of your quiet time. (I'm personally not a "meditator".) Or I also use this time to let out heavy feelings. You might find me in my backyard, hula hooping and hurling out some choice words about a person or situation. The physical releasing of these emotions is truly phenomenal and is totally underrated in our society. Especially in the "positive thinking movement". You have to get real with what's going on and let things out. I let my body guide me and tell me if I need stillness or physical releasing. What's the clue? If I feel tension in my neck -- it's stillness that I need. If I have tension in my gut, it's physical releasing that I need. This daily quiet time also helps you build intuitiveness about what your needs are.
Remember the goal is to strike stress and overwhelm from your life and career, but don't do it by tackling all three steps above at once. Take on one step and then move on to another. I promise you -- you won't hear yourself saying: "I'm stressed. I'm overwhelmed." You'll say: "I'm having fun and getting things done!"
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