Finding peace in stressful times.

Hello sugar plums,

the last few weeks have been very busy and I didn't have neither energy nor motivation to visist my blog and to write posts. Times are quite hard at work, I had short nights and long days.At the end of every day , I feel exhausted and  I am at the end of my rope. At the end of the week, I realized it can't go on like this. Next to the huge amount of work, I shouldn't forget to think and care of myself.

 

I declared to myself, that the weekends belong only to me, that I do only what I like. No work mails will be checked and no thoughts will be spend on work. I want to stay in my pyjamas all day? I do! I want to watch my favourite movies in a row? I do! I want to meet friends? I do! I want to go out taking pictures? I do.

Those moments are important. If I don't take care for myself, I won't be able to enjoy life. There's a life next to work, and this is the most precious time. Below, you find a few things that help me to find my inner peace and balance and to recharge my energy for the coming week.

1. Get enough sleep: I stay awake far too long and get up far too early in the morning. At the end of the week I feel how my motivation drops. To get back to the routine of enough sleep, also during the week, I try to go to bed early, around 9 pm. In the morning, it's the best when you stay in bed just a little bit longer, or even stay in long at the weekend. To awake in the morning refeshed is the best get off to a good start.

2. Go for a walk: I love to be outside. While rushing from one place to another, with many things in mind, we forget to regognize the things around us. We have no time to pay attention to nature and her beauty. We  don't notice that leaves change their colours or that flocks of birds fly above us.

A walk helps you to connect yourself with mother nature again. It helps to clear the mind and to find solutions to solve a problem. For my walks, I love to take my camera with me when I go on walks, to capture nature's beauty.

3. Change of perspective: The way you think depends how your day/ week will be. I catch myself doing things I actually don't want to do. I don't want to be stressed or annoyed or demotivated. 

A good thing to do on a friday, is to recap the week: ask yourself why you're feeling overwhelmed. Is this really worth stressing over? Can you solve this problem? Do you have a roof over your head and food on the table? Are things really as bad as your mind is making it out to be? Gain a positive attitude and be sure to laugh along the way. 

It is no secret that positive mind brings a happier and healthier life. When I find myself in a situation at work where I feel stressed, I will step away from the situation, to look at it from a different perspective and to breathe in deeply (see point number 4 below)

4. Breathe: As simple it may sound, we forget to pay attention to to our breath. We're in a rush the whole day but to breathe in deeply works wonders. Especially when you need to step away from something.

5. Write down everything: In order to feel less stressed, make notes of important things, like appointments and deadlines. We are surrounded by so many noises and daily influences that it is a natural thing to forget things. To write down important dates helps you to stay organized and well prepared.

6. Call friends/ family: When stressed, a nice chat with a good friend or mum and dad helps to release stress. They aren't involved in the situation you're in and have a different view on the situation. In the conversation they can help you to see things differently or to find a way to handle it. Bonus: You feel good because you've been in touch with people you love.

7. Drink plenty of water: Our body contains approximately 60% water, so water is the best to drink when you're thirsty. If we don't drink enough water we feel tired, have headache and simply feel dried-out.

I have to admit, I belong to those, who don't drink enough during the day. In the morning, I drink a glas or two but barely during the day (except hot summer days). In the evening I feel how my body longs for water and then I drink almost a litre at once. When you drink enough water on a daily base, it helps you to concentrate better, to feel healthier (less headache) and happier.

8. No TV/ PC: It's a thing I am working on for some weeks now. You can read about it here.

Wishing you many stress-free days!