Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Take It in Stride


For the past five months, I've been exerting extra effort in attaining equilibrium in my life by shunning stress and constantly incorporating peace into moments of chaos. Let's face it, if you want to succeed in this world then you would have to be an effectual multitasker, and multitasking is more often than not exhausting (and sometimes frustrating due to uncontrollable circumstances) at the end of the day. Finding the appropriate outlet for relaxation could sometimes be as challenging as trying to keep up with the rest of the human race, especially for a career woman who has a family to tend to aside from herself. It's a trial and error process, but lately things are falling into place and, fortunately, I've discovered what's right for me.

How do you exactly loosen up without losing it? Let me count the ways:

1.) The Golden Hour - You gotta have at least an hour just for yourself every day. I'm telling you, this is quintessential. In a span of 60 minutes, pamper yourself, reflect on the promise of a fantastic new day ahead, recite affirmations or...

2.) Meditate - The thought of sitting up straight with my eyes closed while I drift into transitory silence bored to me to tatters in the first few weeks, but I've been reaping the benefits of meditation. The grumpiness and mood swings are now a thing of the past. Ten minutes can do miracles.

3.) Walk - Comparable to meditation, a tranquil stroll at the mall or by the river has its own energizing attributes. I typically do this on Sundays to prep me up for a taxing week ahead.

4.) Coffee Nights - Utterly soothing. Take your time as you sip your Caramel Frappuccino and toss in a little bit of mentally stimulating chitchat.

5.) Yoga - Rigorous types of exercises never worked for me. When I started doing yoga, I found the solution to slacking off on forcing myself to break a sweat. I didn't think stretching and toning your muscles could be so friggin' calming! Even the most basic poses are worth it.



Put your feet up lately? What's your cup of tea? :-)




4 comments:

fren_ace said...

hi Kate....
i do agree with your ideas,
finding an appropriate outlet for
relaxation is challenging sometimes..

Anonymous said...

These are wonderful suggestions. The only thing I can't take is coffee. Whenever I drink coffee, my heart palpitates, thus more stress. LOLZ!But you know what, what calms me more is meditating on God's Word. Many times in the Bible that we are asked "not to stress out or worry about anything." Reading scriptures while listening to praise songs calm me better.

Kate said...

Now, that is one of the best ideas, Bingkee! :-) God's word is paramount.

Kate said...

Just keep working on it, Fren, and you'll eventually figure out what fits you.