Stress Less

Stress sucks. We all experience it, we all hate it, and we all deal with it differently. In an effort be less stressed, more organized, and exude more positive energy, I've taken three small steps in the past few weeks that have already dramatically improved how I handle stress. 

01. ELIMINATING UNNECESSARY EMAIL | This was a biggie for me. I've always had multiple email addresses for all of my devices – which I can never seem to escape. All my messages were being routed to my iPhone, iPad, laptop, and work computer. I couldn't escape it. What's worse, though, is that 80% of incoming messages were totally unnecessary. 

My college email recently expired and I was this close to having it all forwarded to a different address. Instead, I let the account and all of its junk mail evaporate into la la land. I then unsubscribed to crap I didn't want to receive anymore and condensed my inbox to one account on all my devices. My phone buzzes about a million times less than it did prior to the condensing and I sleep so much better because of that. Plus, gmails organizational capabilities are the bees knees and now all I see in my inbox is the messages that matter. The rest get filed into sub-folders which can be referenced with a quick search. Ah-mazing.

02. PRACTICING A GOOD MORNING YOGA SEQUENCE | I'm not even sure it's fair to call what I do yoga. It's more like stretching and breathing, but boy has it made a difference. I used to wake up so freaking tired. I would hit my snooze at least twice and end up lying in 20 more minutes and still woke up feeling like a zombie. 

Then I met Tara Stiles and my mornings changed. I do a quick 5-10 minute, no sweat sequence that just sort wakes the body up in the best way. It gets my blood flowing, my muscles moving, and I feel like I've already accomplished something which makes for a great start to any day. I have been alternating between this sequence and this sequence, but sometimes do them both if I'm feeling extra awake. I'd like to think this is my take on meditation and I now understand why so many people love to start their days like this. 

03. STAYING HYDRATED ALL DAY LONG | Game changer. I am sipping on liquid all day long. In fact, because I'm always drinking something I rarely chew gum any more. I used to get headaches staring at my screen all day, and then I'd get jaw aches from so much chomping. But the headaches seem to subside when I'm hydrated, and I feel much more focused throughout the day. I will say, having access to ice, cold water, hot water, and free tea/coffee makes staying hydrated much easier. 

So there you have it. My three simple steps to less stress. Hopefully these will help you stop and smell the roses more often.