What does your calendar look like these days? This may depend on what phase of life you are in. Kids or no kids? Because with kids your schedule is definitely more jam-packed with activities like sports, school events, and playdates. Maybe you are busy with doctor visits, work events, and volunteer commitments. Sometimes it may be difficult to find the time for anything else.
Don’t forget we all have the same 24 hours in a day to spend. How do you spend yours?
We are all so busy with no time to take care of ourselves…right? Are we really though?
Review Your Calendar
Do me a favor and take a look at your calendar. If you manage your time efficiently you will always find some extra time in your day. It’s not so easy but try it. Doing this every once in a while will help you manage stress in your daily life. This exercise will help you figure out how to fit in some self-care too which is necessary if you want to live a healthy lifestyle.
Are you one of those people that don’t like disappointing others, so you pack your schedule full of commitments? Wearing yourself thin is a disservice to all parties involved, especially you. Are there some responsibilities on your plate that could be given to someone else? Some simple rearranging could do the trick.
It is crucial to remember that detoxing your calendar is not an act of irresponsibility. Allowing yourself to perform this detox will be the beginning of a new and better functioning schedule.
Figuring out when you are most productive and scheduling your appointments strategically will make for smoother days to come.
Make Some Changes
Adding in some fun new routines can be a nice refreshing start to your new, refreshed life.
Consider what actions would make your routine more enjoyable for you. Think about the stuff you can do without or is draining you. Can you add in a hobby you’ve been dying to take up? Or perhaps adding a weekly, routine date with friends? I like to make sure I spend time with friends even if it is for a quick lunch or walks when time permits. It is good for your soul to be around supportive and loving people!
Take ACTION! Remove anything from your calendar that is not serving you or your family.
I suggest picking up a copy of The Perfect Day Formula because it really helped me manage my time and is a great read! What is one healthy habit you could start implementing into your calendar to bring lasting health and happiness? I suggest doing this at least monthly in order to keep your life and health in check. Simplify 🙂
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
How is your closet looking these days? Do you feel calm or confused when looking in your closet? This is one activity we all do every day so it can really set you off before your day even begins. Wouldn’t it be better to have some organization so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed when you are getting dressed? I’m sure this is one thing we can all agree on — we have too much stuff.
The next tip from my 6 week Stress Solution coaching program is to DETOX Your Closet. Holding onto that pretty blouse or dress because you just know you’ll wear it again one day? I hear ya. I am one of those people who hold onto jeans that are too tight just in case I lose that extra 10 pounds so I can wear them again.
This isn’t just about throwing clothes away…don’t worry. This time is about decluttering your life, but the organization is also on the list. Depending on your personal situation, a simple organizational system put into place may solve your closet clutter. If you have an abundance of clothes, shoes, and outerwear overflowing from your closet as well, it just may be time to go through it all and downsize.
Organize Your Closet
As you’re going through your closet clutter, take into account what you haven’t used in quite some time.
Remember the 3 pile method— garbage, keep, and donate.
If you can’t remember the last time you wore an item of clothing… toss it in the donate pile. Come on, we all have way too much stuff in our closets that we do not need, just doesn’t fit anymore, or is way out of style.
Sometimes it is just a matter of refolding clothes or hanging up stuff to get it out of that unorganized pile in the corner. You would be surprised how much better your closet can look with some new hangers and some cloth bins to organize the miscellaneous items. Out with the old and in with the new! Setting time aside to tackle this task may seem daunting, but you will feel so much better after it’s over.
Less clutter = less STRESS!
DIY or Professional Advice
There are plenty of options when it comes to cleaning up your closet. Going all out and having someone build and design one for you is one way to go if you can afford it. If you want to stay on a budget, check out places like Home Depot for more economical options. My go-to favorite is Amazon because they always seem to offer affordable solutions. You can even visit the Dollar General store for some simple fixes that will make your closet ten times better than it is now.
Organizing is a fun DIY project for snowy winter days at home. If this makes you feel overwhelmed, try enlisting some help from that organized perfectionist friend. You know we all have at least one! Unless you are already blessed with an amazing walk-in closet, it can get pretty expensive so buy a little at a time.
So get to it! It doesn’t have to take up all of your time. As I always say, keep it simple and do one thing at a time. I promise being less cluttered at home will make you feel good and accomplished. What would you like to challenge yourself to start in the very near future?
Comment below and let me know what challenges you are facing with the organization. Always love to hear from you!
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
Anxiety and Depression are both widespread problems in our society and something I have experience with. My work as a Massage Therapist and Wellness Coach has been therapeutic for me and allows me to share my journey to help others. To be honest, it is still sometimes a struggle to get the motivation to do things especially when it comes to working. However, once I do get going, it fuels my passion for helping others, which is what I thrive on.
My Mental Health Story
If you have read some of my earlier posts, I shared that I have Anxiety. To be exact, I have what is called Generalized Anxiety Disorder which goes hand in hand with Depression also. I have had it at least half of my life and I didn’t do anything about it for a long time for a few reasons. One is that I didn’t even know I had mental health issues.
All along, I thought I was just a more sensitive, introverted person who couldn’t handle too much stress at once, had obsessive thoughts, and felt sad at times. Once I realized what was going on, I felt ashamed and embarrassed to admit it. For a few years, I tried anti-depressants and anxiety meds and they did help but I never really felt my best on them.
Discovering alternative methods for treating anxiety and depression has been extremely helpful for me. With a lot of trial and error, I found that a mix of traditional medicine and holistic supplementation works best for me along with living a healthier lifestyle.
I would like to share some of the things that continue to help me battle both anxiety and depression. These work for me but I understand that some people do need to be on some kind of prescription medication. I would never recommend someone going off medication but would only suggest other adjunctive methods to assist in the fight.
My 5 Top Ways to Fight Anxiety & Depression
1. Reach Out for Help
Battling the fight alone is never an option. You simply can’t do it on your own so my first tip is to ASK FOR HELP from a trusted loved one, friend, or mental health professional. Having seen my share of therapists, I learned a lot about myself what triggers me, and also how to cope with my emotions. I admit way back that I used alcohol and smoking to relieve my stress and although it seemed to help at the time it didn’t and just caused more health issues.
Sometimes just talking to someone and sharing your struggles will help lift you out of a funk. One phone call can do the trick for a friend who gets it and lovingly supports you.
2. Feed Your Spirit
Another extremely helpful practice in this battle for me is to consistently feed my SPIRITUAL life so I pray and read positive devotionals daily like Jesus Calling. Filling up on positive messages helps tremendously when I am feeling low. My favorite uplifting preacher to watch is Joyce Meyer. She is funny and real and her messages always hit home.
Having a spiritual practice may be the most important to me. I believe in the power of prayer and that God is an anchor and loves me no matter what is going on in my life. It is truly comforting and I honestly don’t know how I would survive in this world without my faith and knowing that I am never alone!
3. Get Enough Sleep
Hands down getting enough REST is another important way to battle anxiety. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body will secrete more stress hormones and this is not good for anyone especially those with mental health issues.
What works for me is getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night. I usually need a little extra especially when I am under a lot of stress. For those of us battling with mental health, sleep is high on the list of self-care remedies. Read about some research about sleep and anxiety here.
4. Make Time for Physical Activity
As I have shared before, making time for physical activity is crucial in battle and will boost those happy hormones when feeling blah. It can be as simple as a walk in the park or cleaning your house that can help tame those anxious feelings.
I can’t say enough about how important movement is so find what works for you and try to do something each day. Although I don’t need more evidence that exercise helps me feel better, here’s a good article about how good it is for mental health.
5. Lend a Hand to Others in Need
Lastly and probably my favorite way to battle anxiety is to help others. Hey, I get it… sometimes you just don’t feel like even talking to other people. It is easy to be a hermit and not interact with the world. Getting out of your comfort zone is part of the healing process. I can think of hundreds of times I did not want to go out with friends, and family or even go to work.
After forcing myself to get out, I usually end up having a great time and doing so breaks me out of a dark place. We do need that alone time as long as it doesn’t take over our days and nights. Believe me, it is no coincidence that I have ended up in a helping profession. When I help others in pain or suffering, I get a boost of positivity and it always lifts my spirits tremendously. In addition, focusing on someone else makes me forget about anything I was worried about.
Self-Care Products we all need!
Help is Available!
We can all help people who suffer from mental illness. Please have patience with your loved ones who deal with mental health issues. Our brains are wired differently and it is not our fault when we don’t deal with stress like others. My experience is that the most authentic and loving people are the ones who suffer most and may not even realize it. There’s nothing wrong with you!
If you or someone you know ever feels hopeless and needs help immediately, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.1-800-273-8255.
You are always stronger than you think. Keep fighting and be a WARRIOR!
xoxo
Jill Ciampi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
How organized is your house right now? Do you need some extra help to declutter your surroundings? There will always be times when you feel unorganized and a little behind on cleaning. There is nothing wrong with that because life gets super busy sometimes. I may be the exception but I love to clean. I find it extremely therapeutic and helps my anxiety a lot.
Cleaning and organizing are my top ways to handle anxious thoughts and helps to calm me down and forget about my issues for a while.
The next tip from my premium Stress Solution program is to Detox Your Space. This one is best to be done perhaps one room at a time or even 1/2 room at a time. A couple of months ago, I blogged about how important it is to have a clean and organized home environment. Your environment around you has a big impact on the state of your health and can either help you or harm you.
The Three Pile Approach
This past weekend, we were stuck in the house because of a snowstorm. So I got the motivation to clean one of the kid’s rooms.. instead of watching Netflix which is what I really wanted to do! Although it took a few hours, I was able to sort through games, clothes, and some other junk that really needed to go!
To keep it simple I made 3 piles. Donate, Keep, Throw Out.Â
It always feels really good to complete a project like this and I have to say that his room now looks pretty damn good. Let’s see how long it lasts for!
Make a Declutter Plan
Your home is your sanctuary. Your place of retreat, comfort, and stability. Over the years, it is possible to accumulate a lot of junk. When you walk throughout your home, what feeling do you get? Is it peaceful and calming? Or, perhaps there is clutter that is causing anxiety for you. More often than not, we have quite a bit of stuff we could stand to get rid of.
Clutter in the house will breed clutter within your mind. Making a plan to give your home a thorough deep cleaning will revitalize your mood and get you ready for the next stage of your refreshed life. Having a clean living space is a wonderful way to give yourself a more peaceful demeanor.
What can you do to make your home more enjoyable for you? Don’t get overwhelmed with the idea of going through all of your belongings all at once. Spreading this out over time will help make this task enjoyable and attainable. Committing to one or two tasks a day will have you done in no time at all.
Start slowly. First, make a declutter plan and write a checklist. Second, think about what steps to take to achieve this project. And then get started and I promise you will feel better in no time! Check out these tips from Good Housekeeping.
 xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
The next tip from my Stress Solution 6-week coaching program is to Detox your body. Have you ever done a cleanse? Well, I have and it’s not pretty. It may be a good way for some people to start their weight loss or healthy eating journey. I would never recommend something so extreme that you would not be able to sustain it.
There are plenty of benefits from cleansing for a short period of time. Some people do really well with a detox. However, I would gradually remove foods from your diet that are harmful and causing health issues. Moreover, elimination diets can be a great way for people with digestive issues. Doing this can pinpoint any allergies or sensitivities you may have.
Steps to Detox Your Body
Make time to consult with a healthcare professional who specializes in nutrition like a dietician or nutritionist. They are best qualified to guide you especially if you have health issues. Everyone is unique in their needs for nutrients and it is constantly changing so asking for help is sometimes necessary.
Be aware of what you read and hear from so-called “coaches” who are not really qualified. They may not give you the best quality of care. I finally broke down and sought out help for myself and it was one of the best decisions I ever made for my health!
Simply reevaluate your eating habits. You know your body better than anyone. You know what you need to reach your optimum levels of health and happiness. The question is — are you doing these things?
Detoxing your body includes more than the foods you choose. Breathing exercises, adequate rest, physical exercise, a sauna, dry brushing your skin, thinking positively, and drinking water are a few other ways to detox your body. Which of these sounds like just what you need?
Kitchen Clean-Up
Your First Step: To detox your body you have to start in the kitchen. Review the menu of the foods that are not serving you and your desire for better health.
For instance, write down some of your favorite healthy recipes and stock your fridge with what you need to enjoy them. When you make it harder to make a quick decision to indulge in something unhealthy, you will create a space that will allow you to reach your goals more efficiently.
In addition, jump online and find some new, healthy recipes that you want to try. I have lots of great recipes saved on my Pinterest and it is my go-to place for more ideas. Mix it up!
Take it slow and one step at a time and you will begin to benefit from the healthy changes you make!
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage Stress, Chronic Pain, and Anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
