Week 4: Stop and Smell the Roses

Welcome Readers!

When I first started this blog, I mentioned that I wanted to not only improve my body's health, but also my mind and spirit. So, I thought today we'd talk about other ways to help yourself outside of the gym.

I feel like I should say "namaste" right about now.. *bows to yoga instructor*

Okay, so lot of people make excuses to not relax. Believe me, I'm one of them. We say we don't have time, don't have the resources, or we're too stressed to even find relaxation in the simple things. Look, I worked in New York City with the most vile of people, under stresses you can't possibly imagine. And if someone had told me to stop and smell the roses, I'd probably have straight-up punched them in the face. Wait, did I mention I was stressed?? Yeahh... it got ugly.

However! I've found that if we have enough time to do things like brush our teeth, shower, and wash our face, we can also incorporate other things into our daily routines that can help your mind relax.

While living in Italy last year, I was always envious of how Italians went about their day. They weren't concerned about getting to work on time - heck! they weren't concerned about getting to work at all! Now that's a little extreme, but, my point is that Italians take time to enJOY life. They're not rushing through it, not stressing over the fact that they just ate a Shrek-size portion of pasta, not complaining when a waiter offers a pitcher - yes, pitcher - of wine to compliment their meal. They LIVE in this life.. they don't jump from one hurdle and anticipate the next, they just let it come and deal with it then. We Americans tend to stress inbetween those two hurdles. How do we prepare when the next one comes? How can we avoid more? Before we know it, it's been years and you can't remember what you were even stressing about back then. That's because it's insignificant. Life can be much more plentiful if we just reduce some of that manifested stress.

I tend to find stress in just about anything, so I thought I'd make a list of things that we can all do to help minimize stress when it hits us and how to remain relaxed, if possible, inbetween the stresses life can bring:

SMELL

One of my favorite little relaxers is to light candles. While I was grocery shopping a few weeks ago, I found myself lost in the candy- I mean- candle isle trying to find a "Fall" scent to accent my bedroom. Two melted vegetable bags later, I found the perfect "Apple Cinnamon" Glade candle. Everytime I get ready to take a shower, or get ready in the morning I light my candle and enjoy the Fall essence it brings. It may not completely de-stress me, but if nothing else, I can feel my nose and mind smiling a little bit- despite how strange that sounds :p

BREATHE
Another little de-stresser, which some of you may have heard of, is to take deep breaths at night. Sometimes, I lay in bed and think of all the things I have to do the next day. Well, being in bed and not being able to do anything about it certainly is not going to help. So, I make a list before bed of all the things I have to do tomorrow and number them from most important, to least. Then, I lay in bed and take deep breaths in and out, letting the stress melt out of me and prepare my body for relaxing dreams. Believe it or not, sleep can be "me time". And it's important to really get those 7-8 hours, and not toss and turn with anxiety all night.

COLOR
You might think I'm crazy, but one of the things I, personally, enjoy doing is coloring. Sometimes while I'm watching Glee or Gossip Girl, I find myself craving a snack. *smacks hand* What I'm really doing is just being ADD and needing something to keep my body occupied while admiring Finn Hudson's cute freckles... So, color! Don't be embarassed if you pick up a Disney coloring book - my personal fav - they don't know you don't have kids ,or are a babysitter, or a teacher. Believe me it's kinda fun and you can even hang it up on your fridge to admire, if you dare ;)

PARTY
For my overachieving readers, this ones for you! Now, I am a little OCD about organization so it's not too hard to imagine that I love to organize get-togethers. Even if it's just a few gals coming over, plan a little dinner party. Recently, I threw a joint-potluck party and I went out and got flowers, made a new dish for the first time, cleaned the house, and surprisingly felt very relaxed and proud of myself that I threw it together. It's really a great reward to yourself and nothing spells relaxation better than a good laugh with friends.

So, these are just a few recommendations. Of course, you can get creative and come up with your own stress-relieving rituals. But, just remember, in order to really improve your total body package, you've got to keep a hold of all the things that make us feel beautiful, and that means going waaay beyond appearances. Madonna was wise to say "beauty's where you find it... not just where you bump and grind it" ;)

Quote of the week:

"Be aware of the things you cannot see" - Confucius

xx,

-Kate