Tools to Help You Cope With Stress and Worry

Stress and worry may create negative thoughts, sleepless nights, and sickness and depression. Instead of letting the dark side take over your life, here are ways you can cultivate a positive outlook through wellness and self care.

Stay on top of your nutrition. Anything you put into your mouth will travel up to your brain. If you are feeding yourself junk, the nutrients will create brain fog, lack of motivation, and depression. Those things do not serve you- especially when you are “going through it”. Healthy foods rejuvenate your energy, help you stay crisp and give you brain power. Try sticking with greens, fruits, healthy fats and proteins. Some examples are spinach, asparagus, berries, apples, coconut oil, hemp seeds, almonds, fish and chicken.

Slow down and adopt different lifestyle patterns. It is hard to be positive in your life when you are focusing on the negative and following the same day to day patterns. But I want to give you a hint: worrying will never change the outcome. So do little things that are out of the ordinary that force you to slow down. Have your coffee on your back porch in the morning instead of drinking it on your way to work. Write in your journal before bed instead of scrolling through your phone. Meditate for 5 minutes right after your nightly shower. Do yoga to slow your mind instead of taking a spin class with an instructor screaming at you. When you slow down and calm your mind, a sense of peace washes over you. Clearer thoughts then come to you.

Upgrade your sleep routine. More than seventy types of sleep disorders exist. When you are stressed, worried, or depressed studies show you inflate your chances of bringing on a sleep disorder by sixty-five to ninety percent. What can you do to prevent this from happening? Hit the hay 30 minutes earlier than usually and actually shut your eyes (meaning put your phone and lap top away). Roll some essential oils behind your ears, wear an eye mask to cut out all light, and place some trickling rain sounds in the background for soothing white noise. Solid sleep helps you feel refreshed and may help you see the clearer picture.

View your situation in a positive light. The tough moments in life always teach us something about ourselves. What is your lesson here and how can you improve your life? Find the awesome opportunities to grow. But please know that when you stress and worry about another person or situation, you are taking away positive energy from yourself because here is the thing… the only person and thing you can control in life is yourself: your emotions, your reactions and your present moment. I know that is a hard pill to swallow, but it is a good daily reminder for you to focus on yourself and give your best. Your energy affects others. Set healthy examples, show love and become consciously aware.

Cheers to a clarity and happiness!