Stress is a fact of life. It’s basically unavoidable, but there are so many tools are our disposal to help us manage our stress like the QUEENS (and KINGS) we are!
October is my favorite month. The change in the air, coupled with the crispness of the season change, the leaves changing color. It is the best time to get a handle of some amazing skills to handle stress better, especially with the impending holiday season approaching us.
1. Yoga
Yoga is a delicious coping mechanism that is so near and dear to my heart, I don’t know how I ever functioned without it. Actually, I didn’t function very well without it if we’re being honest. Fun fact: If I feel like I’m going to have an anxiety attack, I will search for a “Yoga for anxiety” video on either Amazon or YouTube and it never fails to help. Ever.
I discovered yoga through my Apple Watch, actually. You had to do a yoga workout in order to earn one of those badges they offer through your watch, and after that first moment, a grand love affair began.
Yoga is now something I turn to very frequently, especially when my anxiety is high, it is one of the first coping mechanisms I’m turning towards.
I’ve never done an in person yoga class….EVER. I simply search yoga on my Amazon Prime, which includes a ton of workouts, or I search YouTube. So this is a very doable, stress management tool for anyone to try. And it’s also a great workout depending on which video you choose. Click below to start your 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime, which is what I use to search for yoga videos.
I really enjoy Yoga with Julia Jarvis on Amazon. She has really great yoga series available.
On YouTube, I tend to gravitate towards Yoga with Adriene, which you can click HERE for her YouTube channel.
One of my favorite videos she does is Yoga for when you feel dead inside, which you can find HERE. It is more challenging than I would’ve expected, so if you’re still a beginner, I’d try one of her videos for beginners.
I still consider myself a beginner, even though it’s been 2 years now. Again, yoga is one of my favorite tools in my mental wellness toolbox
2. Go for a walk or a hike
October weather is the ACTUAL best thing to ever happen to me. I live for the crispness of it, the colors of the trees, the chill damp of the mornings and the breezy calm of the evenings. If it’s raining, even better! But not for what we’re talking about here.
Sometimes, the last thing you want to do when stressed is head out for EXERCISE. Like, are you kidding me? A walk? When I feel like I’m juggling 27 plates above my head, while my butts on fire? No thanks.
But, hear me out, friend! A breezy 15-30 walk outdoors can do WONDERS for your mood. It can be as easy as walking down your street, driving to a local park or finding a local trail to walk on. Plus, there’s always friendly people to say hello to. I love walking the trail by my house, especially in the morning, and saying hi to all the fellow fresh air seekers.
Now, if walking down the street is bland for you, take a hike! Literally. A quick google search for “Hike Near Me” will bring up some great options, or you can even type “hike” into your maps app on your phone…OR, if you’re trying to be a hiking fool, there are apps specifically dedicated to hikes, which include photos, descriptions and reviews from people who have tried the trails. Iphone users can find the AllTrails app HERE
3. Do a festive DIY project
If its festive, it’s for me. I’ll sniff out festive things all year round, but October kicks of the 3 month long season of me feeling truly ALIVE with festive joy.
October is HERE and I am LIVING for it. For me, personally, the serotonin boost I get from it being October alone is unreal. Seasonal depression, who? Not while I can preoccupy my brain with HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVITIES. (Not to make light of seasonal mood disorders. It is very real and very serious and we will be discussing it in a blog post, eventually)
Here is a collection of some great DIY’s to spark your creative side this month, all found on Pinterest.
These adorable, DIY yarn pumpkins are such a cute, fun, seemingly easy, craft for you attempt this month. Blog post HERE
Any enneagram 7’s out there? Bucket lists make my heart SING. I love adventures, fun, spontaneity, plus make it festive and it’s my actual dream come true. Make this sweet bucket list, and add your own ideas, by using popsicle sticks, which would be fun for couples or families alike! Blog post HERE
Last, but not least, this is such a cute and cheap outdoor decor DIY! The colors this blogger used are perfect, too, but you could do whatever strikes your fancy. Find her blog post HERE
Crafting and DIY’s, for some people, are a great way to de-stress, so why not make it festive for October?!
4. Make a cozy beverage
OKAAAAAYYYYY. I love a good bevy. Give me a glorious pumpkin spice coffee drink, a delicious apple cider in a mug (warm or cold, I wont discriminate), anything maple flavored, just give me all the DRANKS!
A drink I love making myself right now is a chaga chia latte! It is SO GOOD and very simple to make.
Make sure you google the benefits of chaga….it is AMAZING! And this latte is so good, even my husband thinks it’s delicious. I found this particular one on Pinterest. You can type in “chaga chai latte” for more to find more recipes.
5. Start a journal
Journaling is a wildly amazing experience. You don’t expect it to be so therapeutic, but then you’re writing your thoughts down on paper and sometimes it is just so wild what gets pulled out of your brain and written on the page.
The Mindfulness Journal on Amazon is the journal I have and I love it. It has very simple prompts, tons of space to write and truly doesn’t require a ton of time to complete. If you are a routine kind of person, it could easily be squeezed in with your morning or nighttime routines.
Journaling is a great way to implement what that graphic at the top of this blog post says…..and “let things go”. It is so freeing to see your words released onto paper.
And there you have it. Such simple de-stressing ideas for this glorious month of October.
If the only thing you take away from this post is the desire to try yoga, I would HIGHLY recommend that be where you start. Yoga with Adriene has 30 day series that are amazing and an awesome way to get introduced to a daily yoga practice. I can’t sing yoga’s praises loud enough.
What are you doing this month to de-stress? Let me know in the comments! I love new ideas for myself, as well.
1 Comment
A lovely idea. Thank you 😊🌍