It’s Ok to Not Be Ok

Life has honestly been so incredibly exciting and yet kind of stressful the last couple months.  I haven’t been able to post any videos because the content has felt rushed and exporting them seems to be on the fritz.  I also feel like I’m constantly trying to catch up but I’m always just a couple steps behind. Although fashion week was so inspiring style wise, sitting down to write blog posts has been a serious struggle.  I almost didn’t post this week because I just couldn’t find the the motivation to write a post.  I’ve felt sort of anxious the last few weeks and it’s really starting to get to me.  After doing a little research on anxiety and dealing with it I’ve found some new additions to my daily routines that have really been helping me wind down and keep the big picture in mind.

I’ve been trying to cut out caffeine, I can’t shake the morning jolt but after my one cup of coffee in the morning I’ve been trying to switch to caffeine free drinks for the rest of the day and definitely cutting out caffeinated drinks after noon.  I’ve found that if I have more than one cup of coffee in a day I tend to have a more restless nights sleep.

Also speaking of sleep I have been trying to unplug and try to relax an hour before my intended bedtime.  I try to put my phone away in the other room and leave it on the other side of my bedroom so when I go to bed I’m not tempted to check social media or text messages I can really wind down and relax. Instead I’ve been trying to read a book instead of scrolling social media.

With my recent anxiety I have also downloaded the headspace app.  I have been feeling really overwhelmed by the amount of things I want to get done in one day and not having enough time to do so.  With Headspace I can take 3 to 5 minutes in my day and just focus on slowing my brain down. You can take a guided or unguided meditation and they even create sessions dedicated to feeling overwhelmed or burnt out.

Winter seems to be playing games with us up here in Northern New York.  One day its 30 degrees and snowing and another its 70.  This flip flop in weather and constant precipitation has definitely given me the winter blues and doesn’t help my anxiety.  But pushing myself to go to the gym and silks even for 20 minutes to walk on the treadmill is a great way to destress and give my mind a rest and get my body moving.  And on those far and few between warm days I like getting a stroll around the office building to get some fresh air and to stretch my legs.

Staying positive and meditating to help my mind is important but I also feel like feeding my body will also help with stress. So I’ve been trying to get back into meal prepping and making smoothies for breakfast and lunch.  I’ve been adding ingredients like blueberries and make sure I eat meals that are sustainable and keep me full longer to stay focused.

What do you do to destress?