Now that Mother’s Day is behind us, our family is back to our regular schedule. For me, our regular schedule is a lot to handle at times and managing my stress level has been one of my top priorities recently.

Today, I wanted to share some tips and helpful reminders that our family focuses on in order to manage our stress!

If you are like me, then you are juggling kids, husband, dinner, cleaning, laundry, sports, (home)school, work, blogging, emails, etc.  The list can go on and on!!

With all those responsibilities, many moms are left feeling tired and stressed out. That stress contributes to poor sleep and eating habits, which in turn can lead to a long list of health problems which is why it is crucial to recognize the importance of stress and learning to manage it in healthy ways.

Here is a little list of our helpful reminders.  Paying attention to it, makes me a better wife and mom and I thought you would enjoy it, too!

1) Identify the stressors in your life.

Do you know what your main stressors are?

They could be your work, family, an illness of a loved one, your schedule, your husband, your kids, your boss, etc.  Once you’ve identified the primary causes of stress, you can better help your situation.  My stressors change during different seasons of my life. I try to find them and make changes accordingly.

2) Schedule personal relaxation time.

I like to set a few minutes aside to relax, catch my breath, make a list, and organize myself.  I also like to try to pamper myself at home! Fresh flowers, a beeswax candle and my favorite skin care line are all that I need for some selfceare.

This makes a huge difference in my stress levels.  It is little things that count, right?

3) Eat a healthy diet.

We try to eat healthy around here!  I buy a lot of fruits and veggies, healthy meats and cheese and lots of nuts.  We love to visit our local farmer’s markets to get a selection of LOCAL produce. It is especially important to eat right if you are stressed out because when you are stressed, your body uses up more nutrients.  So choose a variety of foods and be sure to eat complex carbohydrates from whole-grain breads and cereals, beans and legumes, and fresh fruits and vegetables; lean protein from fish, chicken, soy, and nonfat or low-fat dairy products; and select heart-healthy omega-3 fats from fish, avocados, nuts, olives, and seeds. Make sure that you cut back on junk foods, sodas, alcohol, and caffeinated beverages.

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5) Boost your activity.

This is another tough reminder for Jack and I. When things get hectic at work, Jack will skip his exercise time to catch up. I will skip my walks in a heartbeat when I get behind with my regular work. I know that is when you should especially make sure to exercise but I have to get better with that! Intellectually I know that exercise will help you get healthier, tone-up, loose weight, help reduce anxiety and stress but actually sticking with it when things get tough is another story.  So, try to workout at least 30 minutes a day!

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What do you do to manage your stress?

Love, 

 Andrea