The End of Spring Break :(

I'm sure the right now many of you are on spring break (like me) and hopefully have had a very stress-free week. I know I've been able to try out many relaxation techniques this week(including last weeks "winging it" and "acting like a kid"!). I've even been able to do some yoga and running in my spare time, bonus!  But with spring break coming to an end, I'm no longer going to have plan-free days to relax and leisurely spend my time :( , instead i'll be back in the swing of balancing work, school, friends, and whatever else comes my way. But i'm going to change it up and make a goal for myself in this coming week. I plan to do at least two relaxing things in this next week. I know its not the biggest goal, but I think that even something as little as this is really going to help keep me calm throughout the coming week. (I know that by Tuesday I'll already be looking forward for any kind of free time!)  So, I thought I'd share it with you to see if A, I can keep the goal (maybe posting it will make sure I commit to it- fingers crossed!) and B, that maybe some of you will also try it achieve this goal or a similar one. Well I hope that everyone has had a good break, or will be having a great one soon!

Stress and Relaxation

So I know I've stressed (how pun-ny!) how important relaxing can be in dealing with stress, but this week I came across some great tips and I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to share them. Like I said, while searching for a topic this week I came across a great website with tips on how to relax at home. Not only did I think the tips were great, but they weren't the same "everyday" ones that you hear- some are even a little quirky! Overall there's fourteen tips ( check them out :) ) but, like last week, I thought I'd just recap my favorites.
#1- "Wing It"
Every once in a while its nice to have a day not filled with stuff to do, so they recommend you plan one. I know I personally love days like this, nothing's better than getting a day to ourself to do what you want, but at least by planning it you have something relaxing to look forward to and you won't have to stress about making things up if you've planned ahead.
#2- Rub Down
While this one wasn't my favorite (i'm not a big massage person) I liked their tip on how to do it: two tennis balls in a sock. Very clever.
#3- Act like a Kid
I LOVED this one. I never even thought about it before, but something about doing things you loved from childhood can really brighten a day. The website mentions gardening, but for me this was swimming. Something about being in a pool brings me back, and the extra bonus of being in the sun and exercising makes it even better! Likewise, on those winter and fall days, when the weathers not quite right for swimming I love to do "crafts". When I was little I loved to do anything crafty, sewing, baking, coloring, redesigning my room, building models, doing makeup, etc. So whenever I have the chance I always dive into these activities to brighten my mood.
#4-Blasting Music
Simple yet effective, blasting some favorite "happy" songs.
#5-Random Acts of Kindness
They suggest giving your coupons to someone else in line, but I think giving back in anyway lifts the spirit. I know that especially right now there are tons of great random acts of kindness on the web that would work great, so you can always google those, but my go to's are always donating old clothes ( plus I love spending the extra time cleaning my closet), pick up trash, or pay for the person behind you at Starbucks.

Okay, so at this point, I released that so far I'm I can limit my list down from twelve (yeah their list is that good) so I'll just leave you with these ones and you should check out the site yourself! You won't regret it!

Stress is Universal

This week, while going through the web I came across an interesting piece from Health Magazine. The piece explains how different countries deal with stress. I just thought that some of the ideas were so interesting that I'd share them here. One of the interesting tips I came across was the Russian practice of going to a banta (a hot sauna). While most of us don't have ready access to a sauna, we do have access to a hot shower, and I think that hot showers are some of the most relaxing things. In both Argentina and Sweden people use a more social approach to deal with stress; in Sweden people often take coffee breaks with friends and in Argentina its common to partake in the sharing of mate, an herbal drink. Both of these practices are great because the sharing of food with friends release oxytocin into the body.  In India, many practice laughing often- the surge of endorphins can help raise anyones mood. So I suggest calling up a funny friend or watching a great comedy every . In Ireland people often go for a walk- the brisk activity will produce endorphins, lower anxiety and the sunlights will help boost your mood. And in China, many practice zu  yu, placing feet in hot water for  about 15 minutes. This is easily replicable and well help improve circulation. So those were my favorites, but theres lots more, so click the link above!

Helpful Sites/Posts!

Or in this case, their blogs!

So this week, I thought it would be fun to share some other great stress blogs or posts that I have come across. I hope you like them and/or they help you out!
Lots of Different Choices Here
Stress and Daily Goals
Ways to de-stress, in 45 seconds!
Stress Relief
Student Stress (with tips)

For those extra long study nights!

As a student, one of the things that stresses me out the most is school. Now, I know that in the past I have given some tips on how to battle school stress by managing your time and not procrastinating, etc. But sometimes we can't help but put off certain tasks, although it only creates more stress for us. While its best to limit this as often as possible, I thought I'd share some tips that may make these situations a little less stressful. One, create a peaceful work environment. This is probably the most important because not only can it relax you if its comfortable, but if it is free of distractions, you'll have more focus on the task at hand-that means no multitasking with the TV:) …but if music helps you thats more than okay-I know I can't focus without it! Two, try having a healthy snack before that will keep you focused and keep you from getting cranky by stabilizing your blood sugar. Three, give yourself rewards as you complete chunks of the work. For example, give yourself a 5 minute brake or grab a treat- some ice cream after doing something always makes me feel better. Four, focus on one tasks at a time. If you try to juggle a bunch of different things at once you'll only stress yourself out more. I'd suggest breaking up everything into smaller tasks and just completing one task at a time, or, if you need more variety, allow yourself a certain amount of time on each item. Five, when you feel tired go to bed! Don't try and push yourself too much. You'll only be more stressed, and being tired and not focused will only make your work suffer. Just wake up earlier and come back to it. So thats that, hope it helps!