April is Stress Awareness Month and if there’s one thing our customers come to us consistently with, it’s stress. Our lives our stressful. Every day, we have demands put upon ourselves to stay current, keep moving, and do more things with less. We rush through the day, we rarely nourish our bodies the way we’re supposed to, and we don’t actually give ourselves enough time to recover. Stress is hard on the body and this month especially, it’s important to be aware of what you can do to reduce stress – and to be mindful of the effects stress has on your wellbeing.

Stress can manifest itself in many different ways. For some, it means digestive upset with symptoms like diarrhea, cramping, or constipation. For others, it can mean a weakened immune system, with more colds and fiercer allergies. And then there are always the headaches, the body aches, tight muscles, and general anxiousness that put strain on the muscles, adrenals, brain, and pretty much every other part of the body.

While the effects of stress may be widespread, there are many things that you can do to combat stress and improve your health and wellbeing without sacrificing quality of life. In fact, you can still get your to do list done – and feel accomplished – while taking care of your body. You really can do it all – but you have to do one thing first: MAKE TIME FOR YOU. In this blog post series, we’ll be going through some tips and tricks for managing stress and improving your overall health and wellbeing by being mindful of its effects. Today’s first lesson? Pay yourself first.

This is often the first area that we fail in when it comes to stress. Pay yourself first by taking the following actions:

  • Make time to relax. Start with just 5 minutes a day to meditate. Sit quietly without distraction and just focus on your breathing for just five minutes a day. From there, you can expand that time outward, taking 30 minutes to exercise or do yoga or an hour to read and enjoy a bubble bath.
  • Recognize your stressors. Find out what makes you tick – and find ways to reduce its presence in your life. It may mean saying “no” to certain commitments, but recognizing what is stressing you can be the first step.
  • Take care of yourself. That means getting enough sleep, exercising, eating right, and getting enough water. These are the building blocks of wellness – and they need to be present in your body and a priority every day for you to reduce your overall stress.

Have some tips or ways that you pay yourself first when it comes to managing stress? Leave a comment!