How to make Stress Management as easy as ABC!
There’s no getting away from stress, it’s simply part of life. Anything that places a demand upon you, i.e. elicits a response, is considered stress(1). Technically that means: losing your job, receiving a promotion, going down to the police station, or going on a holiday, are all stressful, as they all place a demand upon you.
However, some of the above are welcome and some of them aren’t. And that’s really what decides whether ‘stress’ is a negative or a positive ~ your perception. So this little ABC list of Stress Management is about ways of staying positive in amongst it all, of staying chill even when the demand is an unwelcome one, and as the mantra goes ~ of not sweating ‘the small stuff, and remember, it’s all small stuff’.
All of the following should lighten the load in some way; they’ll either calm your nerves, quieten the din, delight your senses, or bring a smile to your face…
- A is for apples (pectin is brilliant for alleviating stomach stress), afternoon tea, art, adapting, adventure, aromatherapy, and acts of beauty, love and kindness
- B is for bath, bath-bombs(2), books, butterflies, berries, loving your body, and Bach flower remedies(3)
- C is for colour, cats, crying (tears release stress hormones), creating, crafting, and candles
- D is for dandelion tea, daffodils, dogs, dancing, don’t hold grudges (the other guy really is out dancing) and daily practice (whether it be tai chi, yoga, gardening, bathing, or boxing, a daily practice of anything is a buffer from the world)
- E is for earthing(4) (walking barefoot on the earth), exercise, and getting your endorphins moving (endorphins are your happy-chappy hormones, that kick in the moment you start to exercise)
- F is for faeries, faerie books, creating faerie paths at the bottom of your garden, in fact anything faerie’ish at all ~ I am sure it’s been scientifically proven somewhere, that it’s impossible to connect with faeries and stay stressed
- G is for gardening, growing trees, gratitude, goats (it’s also impossible to be stressed when watching goats), Green Tea, GreenWitch Tea(5), and gentleness
- H is for hugs ~ the first thing I learnt studying naturopathy, was that we all need at least four hugs a day to stay wholistically healthy
- I is intention ~ that’s the picture and purpose you put into your mind about something, and the positive energy, intention and love you infuse it with
- J is journaling ~ the act of writing does an amazing job of clearing the cobwebs, clarifying confusion, and giving closure
- K is for kindness ~ your own stresses melt away in the act of being kind to others
- L is for laughing, lemon juice (in warm water every morning, takes the stress off your liver), lavender, and love
- M is for massage, morning tea, myth (read some Joseph Campbell(6), you’ll get lost in the wonder of it all), meditation, music, and moon-dancing
- N is for new beginnings ~ re-set your heart and spirit with gratitude and compassion, every new day as you open your eyes
- O is for orange (the colour of joy) ~ mangoes, oranges, marigolds, saffron, autumn leaves, monarch butterflies and pumpkin soup
- P is for poetry, positivity, play, painting, and the scent of pine trees
- Q is for quiet, quests (little or large fun goals you set yourself), quilting, inspirational quotes you stick on your fridge, and quirkiness (you were born to stand out)
- R is for ritual, rest, relaxation, raspberries, roses and rosewater
- S is for sunshine, starshine, sunrise, sunset, the sea, seashells, strawberries, and smiling
- T is for toys, tea, tea parties, turmeric(7) (stops the inflammation that chronic stress causes), and trees
- U is for unicorns (and all magickal creatures), and unconditional love
- V is for volunteering, visualization, vitamins, vetiver, vegetables, and veggie juices
- W is for walking, wandering, water (at least 8 glasses a day, your body is under stress as soon as you have less) waves, wisteria, and wee folk
- X is for exhale (please allow me a little poetic licence), breathe out, let it all go
- Y is for yoga, and the flexibility, calmness and deep breathing gifts it gives you every time you practice
- And Z is for zany, zzz’s (nothing like a nap to de-stress), being Zen, and anything at all that adds zest to your day.
As a wise and wonderful friend of mine says: ‘everything is connected with little wires’, in regard to stress, that translates to: a negatively stressful life cannot give you a healthy body, happy heart or buoyant spirit.
Your personal perception, joy towards life, and physical wellness, are inextricably linked. My little ABC’s of Stress Management is just meant to get you started. There is so much that is delightful and wondrous that can be incorporated into a day, enjoy weaving your own unique and magickal combination. ~ GreenWitch Tea
Life is what you make of it. Always has been, always will be. ~ Grandma Moses
(1) What is stress
(3) Bach Flowers (4) Earthing (5) GreenWitch Tea
(6) Joseph Campbell (7) Turmeric ‘tea‘
10 Comments. Leave new
I wrote an entire paragraph and then hit undo lol
That is so easy to do… I am glad you re-wrote, thanks for taking the time xx
Here’s a thought to my daily stressers, everything I am has changed for the better.
My journey is about to be one of incredible kindness; I pray I am up for the task at hand!
Your blog has given me a wonderful place to land, and just gratefully adjust my mindset accordingly. I’ve seen myself in the progressive dementia, that my mother in law suffers from. It’s like she’s bipolar at times! So we take little trips everyday. It all a mental trip anyway and never more have moments ment so much! Thanks for the Help!!
That’s a magickal path to be on Sandra ~ ‘a journey of incredible kindness’. All power and energy to you, the world is crying out for more compassion, thank you. And I love giving you a safe and soft place to land, yaayyyy…
Everything is precious isn’t it, especially humour… Love and Light )o(
My mind and heart are seeking knowledge my friend. I need the best mind boosting foods an elder may benefit from. I’m realizing of late I have to keep watch and boost her energy subtly. It was a good day here! Feel honored caring for her.
You are such a beautiful and compassionate spirit Sandra… Some of the more brilliant foods for the brain include: foods rich in omega 3 (which for us vegans inc: linseeds, flax seed oil, hemp, chia), leafy green vegetables, walnuts, avocados, berries (especially blueberries), coconut oil and turmeric. Oh, and of course green tea (it has a huge variety of brain-health-good-stuff, see one of my earlier blogs on health & green tea: https://greenwitchtea.com/health-benefits-green-tea/ )
You are looking at caring in such a deep and loving way… Many blessings to you.
Oh my Narnia – what a brilliant photo of the bear!
Yes, Bear is just gorgeous, thanks. We could all learn from just how totally present s/he is :-))
Oh and I love that: ‘Oh my Narnia’!!! Brilliant!
Thank you for helping guide my hand in changing breakfast muffin into sassy senior power breakfast :)) Flaxseed pancakes, and organic blueberries, smoothie ( almond milk) shhhh
All in all,I’m tickled to finally have one so open to try my cooking,
Brilliant!!! That is a power breakfast for anybody ~ I hope you are eating it too :-)) And well done with the almond milk… xx