Hey everyone!
The weekend is coming up after the first week back to school. If my memory serves me correctly, this is a busy time for moms and dads, getting their kids back into the swing of things. School studies aside - there's also extracurricular activities that start up again this time of year! Whether it be sports, music lessons, yoga, dance, for your kids OR for you, this is one of the busiest times of the year.
The most important thing is that you take some time, especially on the weekend, to Relax. Breathe. De-Stress. Find out what works best for you to unwind and take it easy, and DO IT!!
I asked our awesome NutraFam what their favourite stress-free activities were to help them unwind after a long day (or week haha) and here is what they said!
"Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, especially slow, quiet classical music. This type of music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones. Music, in short, can act as a powerful stress management tool in our lives."
Source: https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/
- Tracy Stewert: "I love going for long drives with loud music. It's my escape!"
- Gillian Butt: "Listen to de-stressing tracks that I find on YouTube...they relax me and keep me grounded during the day and at night I play sleep music when I go to bed....it's works wonders!!!"
- Ashley Daley: "I clean while listening to music and while I'm listening I sing my guts out no matter how bad it sounds."
- Angela Dawe: "Oh! And Karaoke! Belting out tunes at the top of my lungs with little regard for the ears of my neighbours makes me de-stress for sure!"
- Debbie Godard: "I have my own private concert (karaoke lol). Music is so important to me. Crank it up and sing at the top of your lungs or dance away"
2. Exercising
"Regular aerobic exercise will bring remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. It has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress. It's a common experience among endurance athletes and has been verified in clinical trials that have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression. If athletes and patients can derive psychological benefits from exercise, so can you."
Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax
- Elizabeth Keating: "Exercise! Kickboxing is my activity of choice"
- Jenny Rondeau: "I walk or hike!"
- Stella Smith: "A nice walk or work in the flower beds"
- Nancy Tucker: "Loud music or yoga." best of both worlds!
- Wendy Parsons: "I go for a run."
- Lana Gay-Elliott: "The more active I can be the best de-stresser it is for me."
" However, perhaps the most helpful aspect of a jigsaw puzzle is that, for a lot of people, putting one together can be a relaxing experience. The very fact that it is not necessary to have to think so much and that the goals of the task are straightforward can be of benefit by allowing the brain an opportunity to rest. Concentrating on the puzzle pieces might help refocus the mind away from negative and stressful thoughts. Once a person is in a peaceful state of mind, cortisol and blood-pressure levels would drop to healthier levels. "
Source: https://www.quora.com/Do-jigsaw-puzzles-help-your-brain
- Samantha Garnier:"Sudoku or cuddling my baby" amazing!
- Debbie Godard: "And if that can’t happen I love doing puzzles"
- Stella Smith: "..if weather not good I do jigsaw puzzles or crossword puzzles."
- Angie Bonhomme: "I love to do a puzzle it actually de-stresses me or listen to music!" double whammy!
4. Hot Baths/Showers
"“Your skin releases endorphins in response to the soothing warm water the same way that endorphins are released when you feel the sun on your skin,” says Dr. Bobby Buka, a dermatologist based in New York. He explains that submerging ourselves in hot water can be both therapeutic and reinvigorating because blood flow increases to the skin."
Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-pain/hot-bath-benefits-sento-furo-japanese-bathing
- Steph Butt: "My favourite is to take an aromatherapy bath! Lavender epsom salts and hot water!"
- Nicole Stubinski: "I like taking a long shower. It is just so relaxing to me! Or going for a walk." 2 is better than 1!!
- Margie Jenkins: "Mine is the bath too with epsom salts!"
- Erin Elder: "Eucalyptus + Epsom Salt Bath - while enjoying a protein treat!" yes girl #protein
- Linda Varga Slingsby: "Walk, wine, hot tub..." trifecta!
- Mel Fearman: "Listening to music, art and diffusing EO to help with whatever is going on"
- Melanie Brown: "Diamond painting while listening to an audio book. I also cheer extremely loud at my kids hockey games!!"
- Jodie Brown: "I paint...I turn on some music and I paint. Or do some sketching etc."
- Jenn Boychuk Hallen: "I either clean something or just go and sit on the couch and find a comedy to watch."
- Stacey Gaboury: "Reading on my deck in the summer, or reading in the bathtub in the winter! Ever since I had kids I just don't get to read like I used to!"
And that means taking a breather every once in a while - YOU GOT THIS!
