6 Routines for Stressful Days

6 Routines for Stressful Days – when we are under a great deal of stress, particularly if this stress is experienced on a daily basis it can be easy for us to get swept along by the stressful feelings and for these feelings to snowball and get bigger until we end up ill, mentally and physically.

Stress stops us from being grounded, it stops us from thinking clearly, and it can make difficulties appear ten times worse. Having gone through some stressful events recently which led me to a place of chronic headaches, not sleeping and my life feeling chaotic, I devised 6 routines to help me look after myself better, stay grounded and not spiral into anxiety.

My 6 routines work for me, they might not work for you. This blog is about inspiring you to think about what 6 routines would help you to manage your stress and keep you grounded. Below are my 6 routines:

1. Drink a pint of water as soon as I can after I get up – I wasn’t drinking enough water throughout the day because I was too preoccupied. I was getting headaches, feeling tired and not thinking clearly. By starting the day with a drink of water, I was setting my intention to drink more making me more likely to do so throughout the day and I was starting the day with hydration. I have less headaches, more energy and can think more clearly.
2. Have a healthy breakfast and eat a piece of fruit – I had started eating toast for breakfast but his wasn’t filling me up and was making me feel sluggish. I had also stopped eating my usual apple a day. By keeping to the routine of eating a healthy breakfast and a piece of fruit I was starting the day eating something healthy which made me more likely to eat healthily throughout the day, I didn’t get hungry so quickly and I had more energy.
3. A morning and evening tidy – I started committing to the routine of making my bed in the morning, opening all my curtains and washing up my breakfast things and in the evening before bed making sure the washing up was done, cups that I had used that day were collected up and washed up and that I picked up stray items and put them away. Waking up to a fairly orderly house and coming home to a fairly orderly house had a dramatic effect on my wellbeing, I felt less chaotic and more in control of my environment and how I was feeling.
4. A quick cleaning routine – once a week I committed to cleaning my bathroom and kitchen, hoovering the house, emptying the bins, watering the plants and putting on a couple of loads of washing. I committed to doing what I could in about 40 minutes. I found that by keeping to this routine kept my home in a decent state. I would have liked to have done a ‘deeper clean’ and although superficial it meant that I didn’t feel as though I was drowning in chores and embarrassed to have someone come into my house.
5. Go for a 30 minute walk every day – when you are feeling stressed out by everything, committing to a 20 minute task can feel a job too much and an easy thing to just not do. By keeping to this routine though, I discovered that it had a positive impact on my mental health, being outside in the fresh air, the exercise, saying hello to people I passed, taking a break from the things that were stressful to me, meant that I felt more grounded and calmer, which meant that I was better able to face and deal with the tasks in front of me.
6. Cleanliness – I also decided to commit to a hygiene routine. Making sure that I clean my teeth every morning and night, wash and moisturize and put on sun screen. This might seem like an obvious routine to have in place, but if you are under a great deal of stress it can be hard to do even these small tasks, they can seem less important. Ensuring that I do these things means that I feel better about myself in general and this has a positive and uplifting impact on my mental and emotional wellbeing.

The above routines, might feel like a lot to do or they might feel really obvious things that shouldn’t need writing down as things to tick off. I know that for me, if I stop doing these basic activities I am in danger of spiraling into being carried away by my stressful days, being consumed by my thoughts and worries and I know that if I stop doing these basic activities I will only compound my stress and my mental, emotional and physical health will suffer.

What are the 6 routines that if you stopped doing would have a negative impact on your life? Perhaps write them down and commit to doing them for a week, see if it has an effect on how you feel.

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