Simple Stress Management
Hello, Dear Ones,
Happy almost New Year! I’m writing to you from a very snowy Minnesota after having a pretty magical Christmas with my family. 🙂 I hope your holidays so far have been full of peace, joy, and love.
Over the past couple of weeks, the amount of snow and low temps have been more intense than expected. It has me thinking a lot about expectations and uncertainty. The holidays are here, and they can be such an intense and unpredictable time for us. We never know if we’ll be able to get where we need to go and execute what is expected of us.
This year my brother wasn’t able to make it because of unforeseen circumstances, and we had to readjust our plans and expectations quickly, while allowing for some sadness that he and his wife wouldn’t be with us. This kind of thing happens constantly in life, not just during the holiday season.
When life throws us a curveball, how can we move through the challenge a little more peacefully and joyfully?
By creating space to check our expectations and ensure we have some portable tools to deal with stress packed up. What are the best tools in your stress management toolkit? Which ones can you access anywhere, anytime?
I’d love to share two of my favorites with you.
The first one is breathwork. I love sharing this as a tool, and I can’t tell you how helpful it’s been to my clients. Simply by noticing our breath, we can become more connected to the present moment and what we are experiencing physically and emotionally.
One of my favorite breathwork methods to share is box breathing. This video does a great job of describing this wonderful tool. The best part is you can do this anywhere and no one even needs to know.
Another great tool I take with me everywhere is my journal. I began journaling loyally every day about 5 years ago. I started small with a quick check-in of these few things based on Mel Robbins 5 Second Journal:
How do I feel today, and why do I feel this way?
What am I grateful for?
To feel more energy today I can…
What’s my top project today, and why is it important to me?
Journaling is a great way to stay present with our internal experience, and give ourselves a safe place to express and process how we are feeling.
How do you plan to manage your stress this season? What items are in your toolkit?
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’d love to hear from you! If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, or are interested in coaching in the New Year, please reach out to me.
I’m so grateful for each of you, and the gift of being here with you on this life journey.
With love, kindness, and an abundance of gratitude,
Jessica
P.S.
The fun thing I will be doing to take care of myself is snuggling with my pup! She’s adding a ridiculous amount of light, love, and joy to our lives even though we have to get outside more in the cold. 🙂
If you found this letter relatable or helpful and you’d like to help me stay warm you can buy me a coffee 😀