Life is full of errands, to-do lists, bills, and other responsibilities that cause us stress. It is very easy to become overwhelmed and completely bombarded by all these stressors. From kids and family to our jobs, we need to recognize what is causing the most damage. There are some things that people do that cause more stress and not even realize it. There is enough in life to keep us busy and overthinking things, we shouldn’t put more stuff in our lives that cause stress. Some things that we do that ruins our concentration and cause us stress are not necessary. Here are 5 everyday stressors that can be avoided in our lives to keep our mental, emotional, and physical well-being intact.
It is important that we find ways to keep calm and focused when our lives become hectic. I started practicing yoga about 7 months ago and I find a great physical, mental, and emotional relief from doing it in the morning and evening.
I recently received a couple items from Barefoot Yoga that I enjoy sing to relieve stress. My Calcutta Practice Rug and my Raja Lotus Eye Pillow have both helped me to relax. Here are some stressors that we can avoid and how yoga and quality rest can help.
- Overloaded plate
In a busy world, it can be difficult to balance everything. I know that I tend to take on too much and end up bouncing from task to task before the first is ever complete. I fib to myself by calling it my organized mess.
The big problem that a lot of people have is that our list of things to get done is too big. It is important to have a prioritized list and to think about what is actually important. I enjoy taking time to clear my mind by practicing yoga. I use my Barefoot Yoga Calcutta Practice Rug to get some early morning breathing in. It is a great time to mentally review my to do list before I start my day. The mat is soft and comfortable, so it is a great way to start my morning meditation.
- Empty belly
A well-balanced diet is essential for our bodies to function properly. Our brains rely on food loaded with nutrients to work efficiently. We need food for the energy to work, play, and especially think. When we lack food, our brains begin to slow down and our thought process becomes jumbled.
Therefore, we lose focus and concentration dwindles. The “happy” dopamine we need slows in production and we can become depressed. Yoga is a great physical activity to help our bodies to produce the dopamine and also to strengthen our mind and body. With good food and an active regiment, we function more easily and overall reduce the daily stress.
- Sleepless mind
Just as our bodies need to food to function, our brain needs sleep to recharge. With little to no sleep, our brains turn on autopilot. Neurotransmitters that trigger happy, calm, and focused emotions are no longer firing at full capacity. The body is a machine and like a machine, it can overload and burn out if it is pushed to the edge for too long. Have you ever missed sleep and began to hallucinate or think strange thoughts? That’s your brain improperly reacting to stimuli.
Using my Raja Lotus Eye Pillow with lavender scent helps me to drift to sleep quickly and allows me to stay asleep. I enjoy a more beneficial night’s because I fall asleep quickly and I stay asleep longer. We have to be sure to get plenty of REM sleep to reboot and with yoga as a daily activity along with the Barefoot Yoga Raja Lotus Eye Pillow, I can achieve the rest my body needs.
- Dehydrated body
As our bodies need food, it also needs plenty of H2O. Our blood needs oxygen to pump properly and effectively staying hydrated helps that to happen. Water and high water content foods help the body to react productively. When thirst, dehydration, come into the picture, the brain doesn’t fire on all cylinders.
Yoga is part of my daily routine, and with my yoga, I practice breathing and stretching poses. Drinking plenty of water helps those poses to be as effective as possible because my blood is oxygenated and pumping through my muscles. Oxygenated muscles become leaner and stronger and will burn fat more efficiently.
- Stressed lives
Having friends and personal relationships is part of the natural process of living. Science has proven that even animals can fall in love, feel grief, and suffer from anger. As social interaction is essential to life, there are also those relationships that can be detrimental to living.
It is important to remove any relationship that causes unnecessary stress or anger. Life has plenty of stress without adding to it by allowing certain people to be a part of it. I often take time to think about such relationships when I meditate and do my breathing yoga poses and make decisions during that serene time.
As humans, it is in our nature to react emotionally to certain stressors. It is a survival tactic to raise our alert levels to high when things begin to get hectic. We need to learn how to differentiate between things that should be considered important and those that we are letting cause us stress. Eating healthy, staying hydrated, relaxing, and just taking time to unwind are all ways to keep our stress levels at a normal level.
Using my Barefoot Yoga Calcutta Practice Rug to practice my yoga poses is great because I can take it wherever I like. Also, the Raja Lotus Eye Pillow with lavender scent helps to shut out the world figuratively and literally so that I can get the rest I need to stay sane, healthy, and calm. So, stretch out, breath in and breath out, relax, and stop stressing the small stuff!
This post was made possible by Barefoot Yoga and written by me. All opinions and statements are 100% my own.
