The First Step to Relieving Stress
Do you find yourself reaching for that bottle of wine or vodka more often than usual? Maybe it’s an urge to cry or scream because there is so much stress in your life.
If you’re like most people, you’ve read the typical things to help you relieve stress: meditate, practice yoga, eat healthier, exercise, and so on. All of these things are great at reducing stress, but they can also add to your stress if you’re leaving out one component; planning.
I LOVE yoga and meditation, but if I don’t plan for it, truly set aside time for it, those things I do to relieve stress don’t take place. Or, if I throw on an extra exercise class at the last minute and throw myself off my routine, any ounce of relief I was trying to achieve is gone.
This is why planning is the first step to relieving stress. So many people I talk to tell me “there just isn’t enough time.” Yet we know there are 24 hours in a day. If we plan how to use our time we can begin to add in some of those actions to help relieve that stress.
First, accept the fact that there are 24 hours in a day, because that’s a fact. Then start to break down exactly how many hours of sleep you want/need. From there, begin to plan your day and week with everything that needs to be done, keeping in mind you can’t pour from an empty cup or add in extra hours. When making a weekly schedule, include time for yourself, whether that’s an hour yoga class, or 30 minutes of reading a book.
I hear from parents how difficult it is to find time for yourself. What are you doing before the kids wake up or after they’ve gone to bed? Are you doom scrolling through social media? Binge watching Netfilx? Doing household chores that don’t necessarily HAVE to be done (I’m talking about those dirty dishes in the sink. They can wait a day or two!).
Planning your schedule can help eliminate that lack of time factor. And if you add in planning your meals on a weekly basis, you can start to free up 1-2 hours a day. That’s more time for you to find some extra stress relief instead of just adding in more busy work. This is especially true when you know ahead of time you have a hectic week ahead of you. Why burden yourself with grocery shopping more than once and prepping and cooking every single day?
Stress is a warning signal. It's a blinking light that says, Pay attention. Do something different. Take care of yourself. One of the best ways to do that is to start planning, especially your meals.
Ready to start relieving stress through meal planning? Sign up today for Starved for Time Quick & Easy Meal Prep course and do just that!