Trying to manage a full time work week, running your household, caring for children &/or pets, connecting with your spouse, staying in touch with family, caring for your own health and wellness, and somehow fitting in a social life can be a lot. Burnout is real! With everything going on in our busy lives it can be easy to forget to simply take time to unwind and de-stress, but the effects of neglecting time for ourselves can be incredibly damaging to so many parts of our lives. I want to share some ways that I incorporate enjoyable stress free activities into my daily life. It is possible to fit small things in that will add value to our lives and melt away stress without taking away time that we have dedicated to other engagements throughout the week.
Incorporate some form of play into your week
This does not have to be an everyday thing, although that would be fun!
Work on finding time for at least 30 minutes of playtime twice a week. We all grow out of childhood, that is inevitable, but your inner child does not want to be locked away for the entirety of your adult life! Reflect on some activities that you used to love- for me it was coloring, skating, collecting toys, and playing PS1 video games (I thiiink I just dated myself there). It may feel weird and silly at first to revert back to old childhood plat habits- but trust, it is such a fun way to have a stress free period of time that you can look forward to!
I am incredibly blessed to have a husband who LOVES to cook- I like to reserve the time that he spends in the kitchen doing an activity that he loves to pull out my coloring book, search online for really cool albeit incredibly nerdy dragon figurines, or even turn on the best video game ever: Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage. (can you tell I have a thing for dragons?). As far as skating goes, this is something I can do with my husband, so we have to work together on our schedules. During the week it might look like replacing our gym day with some skating fun, or on the weekends it could be waking up a little bit earlier to go out and beat the crowds on a beautiful morning!
Initially, finding the time to incorporate play may be difficult. My best advice to combat this would be taking an inventory of your day as you go about it. I found the time that my husband would be cooking to be the best for me because this is time that I would be mindlessly scrolling through Instagram while a TV show plays in the background- that is time I can most certainly utilize for activities that zap away stress and bring me a lot of joy!
Unplug from your phone and the internet
This one is cliche, I know, but it is SO IMPORTANT when it comes to de-stressing. From comparison and the fear of missing out, to ads targeting your insecurities, sometimes it’s just best to exist without any outside influence for a little bit of time each day.
Cooking/baking
Nourish your body and your soul with homemade comfort foods. I personally like to make myself a kale bowl but will occasionally make a batch of cookies to share with my husband when I need to take my mind off things.
Writing/Blogging
What stopped me from blogging for so long was the fear of failure. What if no one reads my blog? Well… Before I started a blog I already had no readers, so what would the difference be?! Writing in a journal, blog, or really any form of getting your mind out there is a wonderful outlet for letting go of stress. Allow it to be for fun and don’t let yourself feel pressured to do anything.
Make a PLAN!
Target what is stressing you and what steps you can take to avoid that issue going forward. I constantly would push myself to the point of emotional turmoil and burnout. Something had to change to keep myself sane, so I created a plan to incorporate de stressing activities throughout my week!
Self care (the bubble baths kind)
I do plan on making an in depth post about self care- but we can focus on the bubble bath kind right now. Pamper yourself! Throw yourself a mini spa day in the middle of the week, or make it a full on relaxation day where you spend the day dedicated to yourself!Throw on your robe, steam your face, binge a comforting show, snuggle your pets, and allow yourself to just be.
Move your body
Release your endorphins! Sometimes it takes a kick in the ass to get to the gym, but every time I go, I come out feeling SO much better. Even if it’s following a YouTube yoga routine or going on a walk around the block to enjoy your scenery! Moving my body is something that clears my mind and helps me to feel way more relaxed.
Clean and organize
Would it be a working homemaker blog post without talking about cleaning? Probably not. Having a clean and organized space makes me feel like I have it all together. If there’s something in my space that I’ve been neglecting it’s usually because I’m feeling anxious or my mind is cloudy. Keeping my space clean and cleared of clutter is my absolute favorite feeling and keeps the stress of having a mess far away from me!
Finding time to unwind is a necessity if we want to stay cool, calm, and collected with the crazy schedules we all have. I hope that this will help you to reflect on some activities that you can begin to slip into your schedule to help you put stressors in your life at ease. Take what resonates, and simply leave the rest!
Thank you for taking the time to read my stress management tips!
-Sophia
The Working Homemaker 