Learning How to Reduce Stress

I’ve always had a hard time keeping cool under pressure, but it never really impacted me until I had children. Then, the real stress began. The kind that just keeps coming….and coming….and 3am when a certain preschooler decides she’s done sleeping, or when your four year old twins decide to see what happens when they squeeze fresh tomatoes from the garden apart on the living room rug. Just for fun. (True story) Motherhood and parenting cna be stressful and sometimes it’s hard to de-stress and try to be more balanced. I started thinking about my typical day and how much of it I must spend in a “stressed out” or anxious state. I needed to take steps (preferably easy) to relax and be more mindful. I needed to reduce stress and start taking time for myself.

Here are 5 things you can do to lead a more mindful lifestyle and reduce stress when you’re a busy parent with “no time.”

Take Walks & Be Outside

This is the easiest thing and it costs nothing. I listen to relaxing tunes and focus on breathing. If you have little ones that will ride in the stroller – you can certainly include them. If they’re like my preschoolers, then you may want to go in the early morning or evening after bedtime if you want to stand a chance of being alone! I like to take my dog and be alone with my thoughts for at least 30 minutes.

Eat Well

So what does this have to do with being mindful and reducing stress? If you’re skipping meals or eating the wrong foods, you’re more likely to have a hard time staying calm, relaxing or being less stressed. The right foods can help promote a better state of mind. I try to take time for a ‘sit-down’ breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m not going to lie – it doesn’t always happen but I aim for it.

Take Time For You – Do What Makes You Happy and Have Gratitude

Whether it is time with a friend who can offer some support, alone time or treating yourself to some R&R (spa day!), everyone needs time to do something that they enjoy or consider relaxing. It helps you to be a better parent, better person and to have gratitude for what you have.

Learn and Track

Start by understanding your own stress and tension. I was so excited to try out Spire Mindfulness + Activity Tracker. It was the best at helping me to learn my own stress and tension patterns. Not only would Spire help me track my stress, breathing and mindful living – it would then give me the tools to live a more mindful life and have more resilience.

Spire’s Mindfulness and Activity tracker has a companion app – to make the most of the information gained from wearing it. The app has integrated calendar, location and photos. The integreations give users contect into their well-being by synching with their location, calendar and photos to provide greater insights into where, what and why I’m experiencing periods of tension, calm or focus. Spire’s platform will evenlearn to anticipate stressful events before tehy are likely to happen. You’ll be alerted with actionable insights on how to prepare and experience more calm in life.

One of my very favorite features is how Spire makes mindfulness more attainable by alerting me in-the-moment, reminding me to breathe and suggesting breathing exercises and meditations to lead a more mindful lifestyle. There are also a series of boosts that can be used to find states of calm, focus or stress reduction – as well as other exercises from partners ike Deepak Chopra.

Some things you can do with Spire:

Harnesses resilience to manage & use stress to perform at a higher level
Can be a “trainer” for mindfulness or mindful living
Mindfulness around breath and understanding your breathing in order to better understand your state of mind.
Activity Tracker – Measuring calories, activity, steps, etc. and is easily comparable to any competitive wearable technology.