5 Easy Ways to Beat Stress and Have More Energy

Being a mom is hard especially if you’re feeling crappy with no energy, but right now as we are heading to 19 months of covid, world upheaval, and climate change are you totally stressed out? Finding yourself feeling angry, lashing out for no reason? Want to drop kick the inkjet printer or the next person who asks what's for breakfast... or is it just me? Need some tips and tricks to beat stress that are easy to implement?

Stress has a massive effect on your hormones, inflammation and immune response. If you're autoimmune or have a chronic illness, stress can easily trigger a flare and making you more susceptible to viruses and other ailments. Stress steals your joy, leaving your bucket empty. Are you showing up in your life more like Cruella de Vil or Mary Poppins?

In the year, we’ve been trying to balance work, new school routines, our health, keeping our families safe and a global pandemic, more and more are you finding yourself grumpy and exhausted. I know I am.

Last week I completely lost it.

I had a full-on temper tantrum when my teen interrupted my work so I could fix the inkjet printer.

Al this uncertainty is triggering the same feelings of stress, anxiety and the sense of loss of control I had when my husband and I first started our business.

Our girls were 3 and 6 years old, I was working 65-80 hours a week from home, and Jason was working in another province. I suffered from total burn out. It's what caused my first flare and led me to become a holistic health practitioner.

I'd let my bucket run dry, and chances are if you are on edge, you have too.

I forgot the lessons I'd learned to protect my mental and physical health, the tools needed to beat stress, and I have fallen into old habits of coping. Have you too?

For me, that looks like staying up too late, eating foods I know I should avoid and working 14 hours days because I was scared about our income. I was nitpicking my family over their mess and chores. I needed to feel safe was trying to control everything to do so. I was making my family and myself miserable.

Here are five easy ways to beat stress and increase your energy.

They are simple, can be done from home, and no, they don't include meditating, or crazy yoga poses.

1) Create a Toolbox

Yes, get a box, fill it up with a bunch of stuff that makes you feel good (and hide it from your kids).

In my Toolbox:

Noise canceling headphones, a favourite fuzz blanket, swear word colouring book and pencil crayons, plantain chips,  AIP caramels, trashy magazines, a home mani-pedi kit, scented candles, face mask and Bach Rescue Pastilles in black currant flavours & CBD gummies.

When you're running on empty, pull it out.

2) Sing or Hum

Singing and humming stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a critical nerve that connects the brain stem to the heart, lungs and digestive tract. It's associated with swallowing, taste, digestion and heart rate.

 The voice box is adjacent to the vagus nerve. Activating it by singing or humming, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and relax system opposite of the sympathetic nervous system which prepares your body for intense physical activity and is better known as the fight-or-flight response).

 By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, you slow your heart rate and creates a positive calming effect that makes you feel relaxed.

 Hari Om, a mantra for healing and restoration, is my go-to. There's a link at the bottom to my favourite version on Spotify.

3) Have a Morning Theme Song

Music is terrific at creating an emotional response, which plays a role in memory recall. So if you listen to a song you associate with calm, happiness or courage, it can activate those feelings for you again.

 Listen to it every morning. Use your intuition, and don't second guess it when picking the song. Before you know it, you'll be singing it first thing in the morning before you even get out of bed, and it will set the tone for your day.

Right now, my morning theme song is "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins. I wake up with the lyrics in my head "Today is the greatest, day I've ever known." It sets for a positive start to the day.

Below is a link to my favourite morning theme song playlist on Spotify

🎵 Click here for the Spotify Playlist & Chick here for Hari Om Mantra 🎵

4) Get Moving

Exercise in any form can be a great stress reliever.

Being active boosts your feel-good neurotransmitters, endorphins and can distract you from worry. When you focus on a single task like an exercise movement or hitting a ball, it results in increased energy and optimism. It can help you remain calm and clear throughout the day.

Through movement and physical activity, you can improve your mood and improve your sleep.

If exercise induces a flare, there are ways you can move. Sit and bounce on an exercise ball, recumbent bike or dance in your kitchen. Try chair yoga or bed palates.

***If you have ME/CFS be very careful with exercise, stay in your personal energy envelope so you don’t cause PEM. I personally like to do stretching where I just hold a pose and breath for five minute, I find this actual lowers my heart rate so I can avoid a crash and I feel less pain in my body days I do it.

 The more you challenge yourself physically, the more resilient you become emotionally.

5) Create Routines & Rituals

To overcome uncertainty in uncertain times, you need structure.

Instead of trying to control the uncontrollable, go back to the routines and rituals that make you feel productive and grounded.

Are you avoiding setting goals and having routines right now because everything is so uncertain? You don’t know what’s going to happen next, so why have a plan?

But by avoiding goals and routines, you maintain a feeling of nothing good will happen and don’t have anything to look forward to.

By not setting goals, having a routine and creating rituals, you are missing out on a a fundamental tool to release endorphins and feel happier. And these don’t have to be big audacious things. It could be to spend three minutes on the treadmill. Drink all your water or put on pants😉.

I have a morning routine and evening ritual checklist I do every day. I may not get every box checked, but the more I do, the happier I feel.

Sample of part of the morning section of the Ignite Wellness Journal, there is a link to download below.

My morning routine

Make the bed, incorporate Mindful movement, get gorgeous and get outside, write what I am grateful for and plan my day with the three goals I want to accomplish.

Sample of part of the evening section of the Ignite Wellness Journal, there is a link to download below.

My Evening Rituals

Evenings I have created rituals that make me feel a little pampered. I write in my journal what I celebrated today. Some nights I have an Epson salt bath with candles and music, but every night I've created a ritual of using a face oil, which makes me feel like I am spoiling myself.

Are you overwhelmed, and it feels like this is a lot?

I know it's hard when you're starting from scratch, exhausted, and your bucket is empty. Start with baby steps, create your toolbox one item at a time, hum while you make dinner, or just ad five minutes of movement your morning.

I see you, I know it's hard and times are difficult. I want you not just survive but thrive. Filling your bucket and beating stress will make a massive difference in your life and your families.

To help you beat stress and get back a sense of calm, check out the Ignite Wellness Journal, now available on Amazon!

Create your unique roadmap to recovery with The Ignite Wellness Journal.

A 30-Day guide will give you the steps to reclaim your health, joy, and vitality. You reignite your SPARK- while living with chronic illness, autoimmune disease, or ME/CFS.

Wishing Healing, Hope & Happiness

XO

Wanda