For all my mamas out there
Being a parent is tough at the best of times—and I feel confident that these are not, in fact, the best of times.
I’m a mom myself, and as I watch so many of my friends who have school-age kids struggling with whether to send their kids back to school this fall or not this year, my heart breaks a little for all of them. I wish there were an adequate federal response, with actual, helpful policies and guidelines. I wish we weren’t all dealing with this virus. I wish, and wish, and wish. And selfishly, I’m just a bit glad that my daughters are both out of college, though I of course worry about them being in the workplace.
If you are a parent and are struggling right now, I am sending you much love. Please know that I see you, and that I feel for you. Not that it helps, but still.
Here is something that might help, at least a little
I’ve put my ebooks, 12 tips to help you sleep and Lower your anxiety, on sale at half price for the month of August. I know that some people prefer to print and read things, or to have everything all in one place, so I hope they are of help. The book bundle where you get both books is currently on sale for only $22.
Those ebooks were created by compiling and fleshing out some blog posts I wrote earlier this spring, so I wanted to list all the posts for you, with links. You should see this as evidence of my love and desire to be helpful, since coding all the links below legit took more than an hour. 😊
Better Sleep
Eleven tips to help you get a better night’s sleep: Stress, anxiety, worry . . . they’ve all been made worse as a result of the recent coronavirus stuff. This is a quick list of things you can do to gt a better night’s sleep.
Meditation, and how it helps you sleep better: One of the chief benefits of meditation is better sleep, which is both a huge benefit to your physical and mental health. That’s because your body essentially reboots as you sleep.
Screens off for better sleep: Turn off TVs, computers, e-readers, iPads and iPhones an hour or two before bedtime in order to allow your brain to shift to sleep mode.
Reading before bedtime can help you get to sleep: Reading by itself doesn’t cause sleepiness, but it allows you to relax and unwind from the stresses of the day.
Let’s talk about sex, baby . . . to help you sleep: Sleep experts say that your bedroom should be used only for sleep and sex. The physical benefits of sex or masturbation can help you to relax and drift off.
When all else fails, take a bath: I’m a big fan of baths with Epsom salts in them. Pairing the change in body temperature prompted by the warm to hot water with the magnesium in the salts can lead to better sleep.
Do a brain dump before bed for better sleep: A brain dump (writing down all the stuff you can think of that you have to do) works well if you do it sometime in the evening, since it allows you not to worry endlessly about remembering it all when it’s bedtime.
What to do when you wake up with your mind racing: My own suggestion for what to do if you wake up in the middle of the night and feel stressed out.
Gratitude practice helps you sleep: It sounds woo-woo, but is supported by science: researchers found that “[g]ratitude predicted greater subjective sleep quality and sleep duration, and less sleep latency and daytime dysfunction.”
Exercise can help you sleep: There’s a reason that we send children out to run around, right? Because they burn off energy and it tires them out. It stands to reason that the same thing applies to us as grown-ups.
Reduce anxiousness, anxiety, and stress
Feeling as anxious as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs? If you are sensing an uptick in your anxiety or stress levels, you are 100% not alone. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible not to have an uptick in stress and anxiety these days.
Breathe. Just breathe. I give you five different breathing techniques for you to try, so you can pick the one that works best for you.
Stop the world, I want to get off: This post has a couple of things you can try to de-escalate things for yourself when things start spiraling out of control and your anxiety starts to soar.
A countdown to calm your nerves: 5-4-3-2-1 A proven technique to help you ground yourself in the present moment when anxiety starts to ramp up.
Count your anxiety out: The beauty of this exercise is that you can do it literally anywhere. It’s a simple counting technique.
Write off your anxiety by journaling: Writing things down works because it gets that shit out of your head and onto a piece of paper.
Get outside: Being outside in nature helps you to unwind, and has been proven to lower stress hormones and feelings of anxiousness.
Eat to manage your anxiety: I’m not talking about stress eating, but about choosing foods to help lessen your anxiety.
Meditate or try mindfulness to calm your anxiety: Whether you focus on your breath or you focus on a mantra, meditation allows you to take a break from the rest of your life.
Limit caffeine and alcohol if your anxiety is high. Caffeine is a stimulant; alcohol is a depressant. Both of them can mess with your body chemistry and make feelings of anxiousness worse.
Bust a move to bust your anxiety: Anything you want to do here will help you. It can be as simple as walking or doing some gentle stretching exercises inside your home.
Get some sleep: Lack of sleep, or absence of deep sleep, can cause increased anxiety the following day. In fact, anxiety increased by 30% in participants who had not slept well the prior night.
Laugh your ass off: Laughter truly is good medicine. And it turns out that when it comes to stress relief, your body doesn’t care if your laughter is real, or fake.
Tap it out: Dozens of clinical, scientific trials have shown that Emotional Freedom Technique, or tapping, is able to rapidly reduce emotional distress. Numerous clinical trials have proven that tapping is effective at treating anxiety, depression, and more.
Talk about your anxiety: One of the most useful things you can do when you feel anxiety or other forms of fear is to talk to someone about your feelings.
Use music to calm your anxiety: The power of music to calm and soothe is so widely accepted by scientists, that some of them have worked with musicians to deliberately create calming tracks. This post has more info and specific suggestions.
Take a break. It’s okay. It is actually okay if you aren’t okay all the time. And it is 100% okay for you to take a break.
Reduce clutter to calm your anxiety. A simple clearing exercise to help you lower visual clutter, thereby lowering your anxiety.
Sending you much love, and wishes that you can be at peace with your decision for fall.
