Get outside
Studies have shown and proven that getting away from technology, our phones and even other people and heading outdoors has a positive effect on our stress levels. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden at home, then why not transform it into a little paradise for you to visit when things are getting on top of you.
Fill your outdoor space with beautiful blooms, shrubs and hedges and anything else that will be a feast for your senses. If you’d like to know more about which plants will work best in your garden, check out this website.
If you don’t have a large garden space to play with, consider growing plants indoors, or make use of the space you have on a little balcony or a windowsill.
If having something else to look after merely makes your blood pressure soar, then don’t worry. Take a trip to a park, a large wooded area, a lake – somewhere you can appreciate nature. Studies have proven that your blood pressure will drop and your heart rate decrease.
Unnecessary commitments
We all have so many commitments. To our families, our extended families, clubs, online activities, work, studies, social groups, things to do at home, DIY, and charity work just to name a few. Having too much on your plate is a huge trigger for stress and anxiety. All these things seem to demand your commitment and the last thing you want is to let anyone down. But if you’re putting your own health at risk, is it worth it?
Be brutal, go through your list of commitments and remove the ones that don’t bring you as much personal value as the others.
People
Avoid, avoid, avoid. I’m sure if I asked you the names of people who add stress and difficulty to your life then you wouldn’t be thinking for long. It could be bosses, co-workers, relatives, even friends that make like just difficult. You could try to do battle with them, to explain to them the issues you’re having, however they may take it personally, or simply not care enough to do anything about it. Cut them from your life where possible.
Exercise
Getting hot, bothered and tired sounds like the complete opposite to reducing stress, but studies have proven that getting up out of your chair and moving will help you see things more clearly. Exercising is a great way to eliminate your stress build up. You get quiet time, time to contemplate and best of all – a fit and healthy you, means you’re in better shape than ever to take on whatever life throws at you.
This is a sponsored guest post. The views and ideals do not necessarily reflect those of Mommy Ramblings.
“Essential oils are suggested to have healing properties for all kinds of illnesses”, says Quick Doctor. Many people have turned to essential oils to make sure that they can stay on top of any and all of the issues that may come along when dealing with brain fog of all sorts. There are a lot of essential oils out there, though. Which ones are going to do the best job of getting this taken care of? Are there ways to make sure that you can find solutions that work out best for you? Let’s take a look at some of the most important options out there.
This is a sponsored guest post that does not necessarily reflect the ideals of Mommy Ramblings.
The lamps come from the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. Each salt crystal lamp is chipped out by hand and a hole is bored in the base for the light.The lamps are made up of 84 different minerals just like the human body. These natural inclusions account for the unique coloring and patterns within each lamp. The apricot colors come from Manganese. The robust red comes from Iron.
The negative ions that are released by the lamp clean the air of Dust, Pollen (grass, weed and tree pollen), Animal Dander, Smoke, Odor, Mold Spores and more. The light emitted is calming and along with the natural colors can help relieve anxiety. They are said to be a natural way to help eliminate or relieve allergies, asthma, migraines and more.
I have been using Himalayan Salt Lamps in my home for years now. I love them. Not only do they create a very beautiful glow but the health benefits are wonderful. Everyone that sees them asks about them. They even help to offset the positive ions produced by televisions, computers and other electronics. The cord of the lamp has a toggle switch to turn it on or off. You can see more in my video below.
If you are thinking that you might want to try a Himalayan Salt Lamp in your home, the Himalayan Salt Shop has some great specials. The 5-7 pound lamp in my video is now half price and there are big savings on sets of 4 lamps and more. You can save 20% by using the promo code USFAMILY when you check out on their site.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you have a Himalayan Salt Lamp? Do you want to get one? Do you have any questions for me? Tell me or ask in the comments.
We toyed with the idea of constructing our own recessed storage cabinets on the sides of the vanity, but the more we looked at components we would need and the work involved, especially given the amount of projects we still had to complete, it started to make sense to go with something finished. I did try, even went to Hobby Lobby and other stores for something that would work as a door but look like a nice piece of wall art on the wall concealing a medicine cabinet. In the end we went with The Concealed Cabinet because we can still make custom tweaks like add a power strip inside the cabinet, but the basics are done. The other great feature is that we can customize the door with a print, photograph, artwork from our children or whatever we like and we can change it as often as the mood strikes.
I am so excited to tell you and show you more on these great cabinets. We are going to take you through the entire installation process not only of the cabinets but of the entire master bath and master bedroom renovations. Feel free to share any ideas and tips you have or tell us about any projects you are working on. We chose the extra-large size and will have one on either end. So now the next decision is picking out the art to display on the door frame.
The other news is that the new whirlpool tub is being delivered on Wednesday. I have been holding off demo until then but it’s almost time to get the rest done and start rebuilding. I tell you I am so looking forward to a long relaxing soak in that tub. We are having some design brainstorming sessions regarding the freestanding tub filler and its placement.
My husband assures me all is good, but I have to tell you, I’m a bit stressed by some placement issues we have. I still need to make a decision on the vanity lighting. The bathroom has recessed lighting in most areas except by the vanity area. I have been looking at so many different styles of lighting and my brain is on overload.
I picked up a great mirror I want to use as an accent in the bathroom at Hobby Lobby the other day. It is huge, heavy, and gorgeous. It is nearly the same color as the vanity I refinished for my sewing table last year and I have decided to use that color as an accent color in the bathroom. I see that color everywhere and yet I am so stressed picking out towels and rugs. My daughter and I went to Home Goods a few days ago and I picked out some towels that I thought were in the same color family and bought them to hang on the towel bars that will be around the tub. When I found 3 rugs that also looked to be perfect I was ecstatic but a little perplexed.
I was so stressed if I had the right shade and then my daughter told me to chill out because there was a 30 day return policy if they weren’t. I get home and now, I don’t know if I am losing my mind or if the lighting in the store affected it, but they look more like a sea-foam greenish type blue than what I thought they were. Not sure what I am going to do yet, but I need to decide before my 30 days are up!
I am sitting here on my porch swing, doing a little work and resting from just doing a photo shoot for some bathing suits, sunglasses and sunscreen we are reviewing. My photo shoot went something like this, “Come on kids, the sun keeps going in and out and I am afraid it might rain. Hurry, get these trunks on. Luke, let me help you. Oh my, how could these 4Ts be so big on you? They are never going to stay on.”
After trying safety pins and a multitude of other things it was just not going to work so we decided to just wing it and get this done in case it does rain. Then the other part when we got down to the dock went something like this, “Okay, we have to make this quick, I still need to review the chainsaw. Yes, you can put your feet in but you can’t go swimming. Don’t throw the rocks, did you hear me? Stop with the rocks, look over here, okay you can put your feet in and splash, don’t lean over that far! Okay take the sunglasses off, okay put them back on. Luke stop with the rocks! Okay, I think I have enough, let’s go. No, we have to go back to the house now, right now!”
So I am sitting here taking a stress break because frankly I have so much on my plate. I mean I have articles to write for my editor, people to train, customer service issues, plus all the reviews I need to finish and get up for this blog and of course being a mom and a wife and trying not to have a nervous breakdown and did I mention we are doing a dual birthday party for both little ones and we invited his entire pre-school and my other son’s kindergarten class. No idea what we will do if the weather turns bad and due to what happened last year when I planned and planned for the party and had everything arranged and we had to change locations at the last-minute because it decided to rain, I am not really planning and that is now stressing me big time.
So back to the present, I am sitting here and on this very warm day, can still feel a cool breeze blowing in from the lake and my little guys are racing around and around the house on a race track (yes, we are the only people who probably have a race track that runs the entire perimeter of their house and garage. So about every 1.5 minutes because it is pretty large my little guys pass in front of me. and I smile and then I get sad. I get sad because I think of all the petty things like I just mentioned above and more. How I could feel there is a lot on my plate when others have the weight of the world on their shoulders? How could I worry about some rocks being thrown in the lake or a birthday party that should only be about kids having fun and in the end won’t notice if a certain decoration is up or if there was something missing. Then I feel guilt because I think of one of the women I work with who has a grandson fighting for his life and I think how much he would love to be riding around on a race track and I think of those friends that are dealing with kids with real challenges who may never walk or live independently and the struggles they have and well…it just makes all those little things feel incredibly small.
So if you know anyone going through some tough stuff, let them know you are thinking of them, if you pray say a prayer for them, if you live close offer some help, maybe a meal, a shoulder, a friend. Also try to look at what is worrying you and put it in perspective so more time can be spent just cherishing the moments as they come. Not building everything up so it has to be some Pinterest worthy event but relishing even in the small, messy, loud, moments that define our lives. We never know what the future holds so don’t take one thing for granted ever!!!