Are you an aspiring spiritual warrior with daily stress?

Heaviness has a new definition for me. (Ps. Been loving Deepak and Oprah’s meditation series this month which has brought a heightened awareness to this theme.) It can be manifested in the way of extra pounds, brain clutter, discomfort, aches and pains, toxins in the body, and injuries that won’t heal, just to name a few. And we all have run into someone where their energy (mood) just rubbed off on you, or even drained you by the time they walked away. What do we do?

Did you know that 90% of all diseases begin with stress?

This is why managing our day to day stress has become paramount in overcoming our own struggles, and not to mention the stress that other people we love, carry.

No structure required, just mindfulness, and being able to recognize when to stop, drop, and perhaps scream, dance, sit, cuddle, you get the idea.  Enjoy my stress management tips for everyday living.

1. Lions breath: a form of pranayama yogic breathing

link to video for you and your kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Roxe5M5ys7U

2. 15 min bath w Epsom salts or hot tub at 104: perfect right before you go to bed because it sends a clear message to the brain. “We are done processing for the day and will pick up where we left off tomorrow”. Your brain can actually work things out while you sleep when you prep yourself for a good night’s sleep.

3. Cuddle with your pet: Do you have a hug deficit? Pretty common in the entrepreneur world. We work from home and have to leave the house to engage in conversation, and sometime rush out to meet the neighbors for a squeeze. This is why we need physical touch. It releases oxytocin, aka the “love drug”, whenever we hug or kiss someone. It’s a powerful hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Also greatly stimulated during sex, birth, breast feeding, orgasm, and the list goes on. So hug on, cuddle up, and feel oh so good. If your hungry for more, check out these great meditations for the mind by Rick Hanson to rewire your brain. Sh’bam!

link http://www.soundstrue.com/store/stress-proof-your-brain-1552.html

4. Dance break: ROAR is my song for 2016, Yes. I tend to be a little behind and I play it right before a speaking event, to celebrate, or when I am down right frustrated. Shaking your hands, arms and feet, actually moves the negative, stressful energy out and away from the body.

5. My 5:5 Fix: Five minutes of yoga to relaxing music and 5 min of sitting meditation

6. Go for a walk

7. Connect with the earth: lay outside on your back, or just nestle your feet on the ground. The negative energies of the earth can actually neutralize the free radicals running wild in our bodies. It’s called “earthing” and its’ not just some “hippy” thing. There is science behind it.

8. Call a friend and connect: Studies show that women live longer because we are more nurturing. So take time to connect with people you love. Don’t buy into the new mantra of being “crazy busy” with no time to squeeze people in that you really love. Now if you don’t love them, then maybe “crazy busy” is just an excuse running wild in our society that is the perfect phrase to hide behind instead of being authentic with someone. Hmm.

9. SCREAM: Yes. Go ahead and have that temper tantrum. Even better if outside, you will feel SO much better. I find it most useful on the rock, especially when no one else is around and your belayer (the person giving you a catch) doesn’t mindJ