Hi friends,
I wanted to have another post ready for today, but I wasn’t able to finish it over the weekend…it was sort of a weird weekend. Remember how I said I was laying around at home a lot and not into exercise? Well, turns out it’s because I’m recovering from mono. Weird for a monogamous 30-something, right? I had a more intense case when I was 22, and apparently it lives in your body and can recur due to stress? Sounds kinda like shingles, which I had 3 years ago. I feel fine overall, but only went to the doc because my spleen has been throbbing. Anyway, I felt kinda lousy and so we didn’t go out as planned – we hung out with some friends at home, and then had a wild night of Mexican take-out and Beauty and the Beast.
On Sunday, the weather was great, so we decided to venture into the city for brunch and a walk. We ended up at Hu Kitchen, which is a paleo fast-causal restaurant with tons of gf goodies. I had french toast made with pumpkin bread and pear compote and it was divine. We also tried a scone and a piece of carrot cake, but those weren’t quite as good (probably because they didn’t have any grains!). We walked through the west village and ended up at Erin McKenna’s bakery where we tried a cookies & cream donut – it was incredible!
Overall, it was a relaxing weekend. The whole mono thing got me thinking about what I can do to reduce stress though. I don’t feel particularly stressed about anything, but maybe it was all the change that came with the move? I feel less organized since I no longer work in an office, so one thing I want to try is keeping a better to-do list. I find myself feeling overwhelmed at nap time because I’m rushing around trying to get all.the.things done in 2 hours. I also need to get better about getting in bed at night. With no formal alarm anymore, I find myself staying up later even though I have a baby alarm. I’ve only slept more than 8 hours a couple of times since arriving in NYC.
What do you all do to reduce stress you didn’t know you had?
Kaci
February 19, 2018 at 7:28 pmI’m kind of in the same boat! I got married a few months ago (which is going well), had upheaval at work and in family life (both of which were stressful) and my body sort of reacted to all the changes and I’m still feeling a little off. I’ve heard the keys are staying consistent with healthful good and sleep. Moving through exercise helps too for stress reduction or even the yoga breathing.
Marissa
February 19, 2018 at 8:44 pmYou will get more organized as a SAHM in time. Trust me, I felt kinda lost when I went from working for 11 years to becoming a SAHM. I’m 2.5 years in now & definitely have my processes in place. It took a little while though. Another tip…don’t rush around during naptime. Use it as your downtime as well. I’ll be the first to admit that I definitely nap some days when my girls are napping. Other times, I just do something quiet…like write bills, meal plan, etc. But, you need a break too as a busy Mom!
Jo
February 19, 2018 at 9:19 pmWorking in an office def. keeps things organized. Yoga, working out, meditation and a night out laughing with friends all help with stress.
Mom
February 20, 2018 at 8:43 amYears ago, we put on soap operas during nap time and did easygoing chores or something creative. Those were happy hours. Miss those days!
Susan
February 21, 2018 at 6:08 pmSo. I think first of all, be gentle with yourself and the expectations you set- even if it’s your to do list during nap time. I am a busy 30 year old and used to take for granted the energy that life changes took. I did a life stress inventory one year and it added up the passing of my dad, moving house, getting married and changing positions at work as a huge life stress- even if many of those were positive. So basically give yourself some slack after so many huge life changes and just take care of yourself!
Laura
February 21, 2018 at 6:12 pmThank you:)
Katie
February 21, 2018 at 8:15 pmA to do list really helps me! iPhone notes now have a checklist feature, so it is a good visual of how much you’ve accomplished and what still needs to be done. Sometimes I feel more organized and less stressed simply by putting items ON the checklist before I even complete them. The act of getting a running list out of my head and on paper helps decrease my stress.
There is a free app called “Calm” I also find useful. I am not good at meditating but it has something called a “breathing bubble” and it guides you through taking deep breaths. You can set the background noise to your preference (rain, laundry, white noise) Even deep breathing for 2-3 minutes a day helps me feel less stressed!
Laura
February 21, 2018 at 8:38 pmAwesome – thanks for these ideas!!