Hey Guys! I hope all of you are doing well, especially with the recent hike in COVID-19 cases. A lot of people have again started working from home. Working from home is not at all easy and can lead to a lot of stress. I work from home and manage my small business with a toddler to take care of. Not easy guys! sometimes the work get compromised and sometimes the mom guilt takes over that 'you are not spending adequate amount of time with the toddler." Well, this struggle goes on a daily basis and the result is a cluttered mind and STRESS!
I am so thankful to my bullet journal, who always comes as a saviour during such stressful times. Today, I'll be sharing with you four ways that can be easily incorporated in your day to day life to decrease stress and anxiety. The earlier you get rid of stress, the better is your mental health and productivity. With less stress and more energy (energy you regain from not stressing over small mundane stuff) you can actually focus more on yourself, your kids and your work. So, let's start today with these 4 simple methods to keep stress at a bay!
I have also added a free printable at the end of this article, so download it and try out all the four ways.
1. Brain dump to release tension
Sometimes my mind wander from one task to the other. I have to order groceries, the toddler needs new clothes, an important call to make, assignments piling on my desk and a lot more. This makes my mind so cluttered that I cannot focus on any of the task and the result is a long to-do list continuously nagging me at the back of my mind. Pheww!!! I feel like running.
In such situations "a brain dump" spread do wonders. It is a simple spread where you write every random thing that comes to your mind. Just dump all the tasks, appointments, engagements and random thoughts on this page. It works as a vent to all that is cluttering your mind. Once everything is written on the paper, then you can easily analyse all the things which need your immediate attention and the things which can wait for a while. This is a great way to make your priority list and to be more focused on the immediate tasks.
I have added few of the brain dump pages to motivate you guys, have a look.
by @lin.ist.da
2. A Gratitude Log to increase positivity
Second thing to try out is the gratitude log. A gratitude log is where you write anything which you are grateful for. Doing this on a daily basis helps you to find out positivity in your day. In the beginning this practice feels very daunting, but with time it becomes easier.
Now, what's the purpose of doing this? Why should I write about the things I am grateful for? I know what I am grateful for and I don't need to write it down. Huh! silly. This is what I also felt when I first started doing this. It felt silly and unnecessary. But, I have realised that even in the gloomiest day if you do this, you actually help yourself to find the ray of positivity and get that push to keep going forward.
Once you decide to give the gratitude logging a try, the next question is what am I going to write? Relax yourself, take a deep breath, rewind your whole day and think about one thing which sparked joy. For example, the other day I was help feeding my toddler and he smilingly offered me a bite of his food. Oh! that moment was beautiful for me, and that was something I was grateful for. Small stuff, big impact!
Few examples of gratitude log:
3. Mood tracker to reduce anxiety
Mood tracker is a wonderful tool if used sincerely. If you log your mood daily, you will start noticing the pattern of your mental well being. It is actually hard to track the right mood, like in a day I might feel happy about something and there is something which might makes me sad, then what to track? I judge my whole day in such situation and track my overall mood. Mood tracker is a good way to reduce your anxiety level. Especially if you are going through therapy, it acts as more valuable tool for you as well as your therapist. But that doesn't mean that you can only use a mood tracker when you are going through anxiety or depression, you can use it regularly to enhance positivity in your day to day life.
4. A self-care spread to pamper yourself
Self-care is IMPORTANT!
Don't take self-care as a luxury, it is needed by everyone. Self-care doesn't mean to go for expensive salon services or buying expensive stuff for yourself. Self-care simply means to engage in activities that you love to do, giving more time to yourself and not ignoring your own health and well being. As a mother, I know how sometimes I totally ignore my own needs to be there with my toddler. But that leads to a very drained me. So over time, I have realised that self-care actually improves your attention, productivity and overall happiness.
Self-care is a holistic approach which works on your mind, body, soul and overall happiness. To start with, make a list of all the activities under each topic which are important to you and then schedule time (daily, weekly, monthly) to each activity. For instance, have a look at my self-care needs:
Few inspirations to motivate you to try out self-care:
by @sujataplans
by @dotted.life
Download the free PDF and give all the 4 methods a try:
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