Wellness Tips for the Mind

 

source of quote

I love this quote I came across in the February issue of O Magazine by Oprah, “A healthy life is one that’s lived with the goal of making your body and mind feel nourished and alive.”   I started a weight training program several weeks ago with a friend and I’ve been trying to eat a little less sugar.  I still have room to improve on some of my eating habits, but I’ve tried to be a little more conscious about what I’m eating.  I still enjoy sweet treats  just not several times a day, seven days a week which used to be my norm.  I’ve noticed that I crave sweets when I’m feeling anxious, stressed or depressed.  The fact that I’m a woman and have hormones which fluctuate every week doesn’t help matters.

I’m very blessed in many ways, but I’ve been feeling stressed out this Spring.  My son will be graduating in May and in addition to all of my usual spring projects like planting flowers and sorting through closets, I have a party to plan.  If you need motivation to get some long overdue projects done in your house, just plan a party.   I can never focus on one thing at time so I’m redoing my half bathroom, purchasing new patio furniture, redoing my gallery wall in my upstairs hallway and have piles of things to get rid of in my basement.  In the meantime I receive a new email every day about a deadline that needs to be met for graduation.  I’ve also been scanning Pinterest for graduation party ideas.   My head has been swarming with to do’s, deadlines, and ideas.  I’m also attending the SNAP conference, doing a makeover on the look of my blog,  and celebrating a few family birthdays these next two months.

I’ll have lots of things to share in the coming months, but in the meantime I’ve learned I need to work on my mind and achieving some calm in my life. I need to release the need for perfection and just be present to enjoy working on those projects that bring me joy.   I also need to spend less time thinking and more time doing.  I wrote a post last spring titled Spring Clean Your Mind.  I went back to revisit some of the thoughts I want to release and those thoughts I want to nurture. 

Many people are busy during the Spring season.   Mom’s, accountants, pastors and teachers all have extra activities and things that need to be done.  It’s  important to work on nurturing your mind as well as your body.  When my mind is stressed out my body feels it.  I get backaches and my blood pressure rises.  A few things that help calm my mind are: prayer, journaling, creating to do lists, reading inspirational books, talking to friends or my husband about my worries, enjoying a glass of wine and engaging in a mindless activity like watching TV or a movie.  As far as physical activity goes I really enjoy yoga.  You can read about some of the many benefits of yoga here.  I’m also enjoying doing the following video from time to time because it only takes seven minutes and forces me to focus on my breath.  I discovered it from a post by Jess Lively on How Presence Can Be Strengthened.  She gives great examples of strengthening your intangible muscles.

 

 

What are some ways you cope with stress this time of year?  Please share in the comments.