How to De-stress During Distress

A key to de-stressing during distress, and finding calm, is to engage all the senses and use them to reset our mind and body connection, helping them work together towards relaxation like they were designed to. Here is a list of calming sensory suggestions I created with some tangible and some actionable tips, tools, and my two cents about the topic! Whether you use these proactively or reactively, they can be valuable resources when stress is getting the best of you.  

1. Sleep aids

Tips - For our minds to be best equipped to handle stress we need to meet our physical needs first, the resilience of our minds is directly linked to the quality of our physical care, such as proper sleep. Quality sleep rejuvenates our brain, which in turn is better equipped to send the signals your body needs all day. Sleep is also when the brain processes & integrates new information, if you are trying to make changes in your life, better sleep helps your brain adopt them!
Two Cents - I've been been working on getting the best quality sleep for the last 3 years, with my schedule I can't always get 8 hours of sleep, and since I've implemented many of the tools mentioned below, I have notice a remarkable improvement in my mental and emotional health, even when I've had only 5-6 hrs of sleep per night.
Tools - It is important to choose natural things that will help your sleep because artificial assistance can just cause more sleep problems. Rather than take a melatonin (a hormone) supplement, try eating foods that increase your own melatonin production, such as almonds, milk, oats, and many types of fruit. Some other natural sleep aids you can use to help get your best rest are; eye masks, ear plugs, and magnesium. Find more sleep tips in my Calming Kit package - I'll tell you more about that in a bit!

2. Physical Activity
Tips - Exercising regularly helps the body boost relaxation by promoting increased blood flow, and releases endorphins which induces feelings of euphoria, relieves pain, and reduces stress and tension, which all work to promote relaxation.  
Two Cents - I'm not much of an athlete, but even simple things like some yoga stretches or going for a long walk has always been a go to, and when my body goes on autopilot my brain has freedom to process my thoughts about the situation, often helping me resolve my emotions. I always end up feeling more at ease mentally and physically. 
Tools - Select an activity that doesn’t cause you additional stress, and activities with a gentler motion, like walking, swimming, or yoga, which can enhance the relaxation effects. Plan a ‘go to’ activity so you don’t procrastinate figuring one out, like having a specific walking route that can get you out of the house for even 30 minutes, or a yoga app/DVD readily available.

3. Wellness Diary
Tips - We can often mindlessly go through the motions of our day, making autopilot choices, but recording health choices throughout the day can reveal the truth about patterns that contribute to our stress and other health issues. A wellness diary is not just calorie counting and steps taken that day, it is a way to record feelings, goals, activities, behaviours, motivations, and results for any particular area of health. Record anything and everything that influences your health.
Two Cents - I've really found it valuable to connect my health choices - desired and undesired - to my moods, by recording them in one place.  Many times I realize my choices that can make my health and stress worse are directly linked to a mood I'm in, and with that information in front of me daily, I have the awareness to make better choices, being mindful of the ripple effects of what I am actually choosing.
Tools - There are a few options you can use for this, buy a blank journal and record whatever you want in whatever format you want, but there are also a few products created for this exact purpose for purchase as well. There are various types you can buy online for approximately $15, there is also a few phone apps, or the downloadable tracker booklet I created for the Calming Kit package, which you can use to print customizable templates that you can use over and over again. 

4. Aromatherapy

Tips - It's called therapy for a reason! Scents are therapeutic as smells trigger our limbic system, releasing endorphins, neurotransmitters and other ‘feel good’ biological chemicals. Often we can easily think of a favorite smell that brings us to a 'happy place', but there are also specific scents that are especially good at helping calm and relax us, such as; lavender, citrus, peppermint, and chamomile.  Essential oils also can have topical properties that additionally boost relaxation.
Two Cents - I have quite a few favorite smells that I keep around my home as a quick relaxation fix, but in particular I keep a citrus smell on hand as I have found it very helpful in alleviating stress/anxiety reactions. 
Tools - Sources of scents are a dime a dozen, select one or two that are portable and you can carry them with you wherever you go, such as a travel bottle of a soap, a small body spray bottle, a tealight candle. or a roll-on essential oil vial, etc.

5. Inspiration
Tips - This tool might seem a little out of place, but inspiration can quiet the discord and strife going on in our minds, it can; uplift us, empower us, and give us a vision for a hopeful future. Inspiration reminds us what others have accomplished, ordinary people who have done extraordinary things in the face of adversity, pain, loss, and helps us find that extra little courage in our hearts that pushes us to move past survive to thrive.
Two Cents - For a long time I've used Pinterest to collect images and words, a little online 'happy place', but this year I decided to create a vision board to hang on my wall, and what a difference it makes seeing reminders that awaken my hope several times every day. Each day a different part of it jumps out and gives me a little extra hope for that day!
Tools - This is a fun tool, because inspiration is limitless! Gather some meaningful quotes, find a book that feeds your soul, collect some beautiful photographs, a memento reminder of your passion, create  a vision board or Pinterest vision board, anything that makes you come alive again when you dwell on it!

6. Self-Care Awareness

Tips - The main purpose of self-care is to be aware there are many areas of our life that require our attention and effort to be healthy, and often stress can come from an unbalance in one or more of these areas. We use awareness to identify which areas we can care for ourselves by re-balancing or taking extra care of ourselves to compensate for the imbalance. 
Two Cents - It only took a few times falling into a pit of depletion before I finally realized no one was going to take care of me if I wasn't going to, I wasn't going to magically experience a re-filling, the only way I was going to be replenished was to do it myself.  For the past few years I've made a point of making a list of the top things that restores my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, and I try to do at least one of those things once per week, my top one - being with friends who I can share love and laughter with!
Tools - There are several self-care checklists floating around the internet, which the free Calming Kit printables package includes! I created this for my Coaching clients, which often helps them gain a new perspective on the many options available for taking care of themselves.

7. Music
Tips - People say that music is the medicine of the soul.  It speaks volumes, not only in words but even in the harmonies, and somehow expresses what we often cannot.  It has actually been proven that listening to music reduces chronic pain and depression by at least 20%!
Two Cents - I have a few playlists for varying seasons in my life, so that I can quickly and easily 'plug in' to a method that provides almost instant soothing and uplifting. I also have a meditation app that provides instrumental music with the sound of nature which is very relaxing. 
Tools - Find what type of music brings your soul healing, and then create an easy way to access it when you'll need it the most; whether it's an app, a playlist on your phone, a CD for the car, whatever it is, fill it up with at least 15-30 minutes worth of music to maximize your uninterrupted music therapy time.

I hope this list gets you inspired for building a Calming Kit as your go-to during distress, whether you treat it like a checklist or a launching pad for your own ideas, the important thing is having some readily-accessible tools that make it easier for you to take care of yourself during stress.

Bonus: If you sign up HERE, you can receive my "Building a Calming Kit" package with free printables to create your own Calming Kit.  This package includes an exploratory calming kit worksheet, a self-care evaluation, a 14-day sleep challenge, and 9 customizable health trackers that you can use over and over again!

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