10 Easy Ways to Begin your Journey towards a Stress-Free Life

“Hurry, we’re late for office…!!!”

“Yes, yes, yes ma’am, I will get it done as soon as possible…”

“Sorry honey, I won’t be able to make it home early today either. This meeting was planned last minute…”

“I’m really busy right now mom, I’ll call you later, bye…”

“Come on we will get late for dinner! I need to get back home in time to prepare everything for tomorrow…”

Nowadays, most of our conversations sound like this, don’t they?
There’s always a hurry, a constant need to plan the next step, stressing over tasks that are supposed to be done by the deadline. Our lives look like — run run run, go go go, do this, do that…!! We promise ourselves a quiet, relaxing weekend but there’s still the relatives and friends to visit, the grocery to be bought, the preparations for the coming week, and on it goes…

With all this stress and hurry, we neglect the long-term effects this fast-paced life is having on our health. Taking the first step towards healthier life choices can feel overwhelming.
So here are a few easy steps you can follow every day to bring yourself closer to leading a stress-free life.

1. Avoid electronics immediately after waking up
~ Yes, there are all the emails to look at, check schedules for the day or just catch up on the news and events, but, it is best to avoid looking into any kind of screens for half an hour after waking up as it can affect the way you start the day.
~ Try not to think about all the chores ahead and fret about your schedules. Turn off notifications and make use of sleep modes in your phones.
~ Warm-up some water or green tea, go in your balcony or terrace or just sit at your window and sip at it slowly while you watch the colors of the sky change, hear the birds singing, or see the dewdrops sliding down the leaves of your plant. This helps to start the day with a calm state of mind.

2. Have a wholesome breakfast in the first hour of waking up
~ Eating something wholesome within the first hour of the morning helps keep blood sugar and insulin levels in control which helps in upping your metabolism game for the day.
~ Wholesome food includes a balance of carbohydrates proteins and healthy fats. Hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, nuts and berries, whole grain bread, unsweetened yogurt, fruit juices are some of the options you can try.
~ With your metabolism in check, your energy levels remain balanced throughout the day allowing you to do your tasks and chores more efficiently.

3. Go for a short walk in the morning
~ Walking for 30 minutes in the morning can have a lot of health benefits — keeping blood sugar levels balanced, blood insulin under control, maintaining blood pressure, and aiding in weight loss as muscles use up the excess glucose from cells.
~ Brisk walking is the best form of cardio activity keeping the heart fit and young.
~ Along with all these physical benefits, morning walks can provide a cluttered mind the much-needed clarity and calm.
~ While you take a walk in the morning, try to observe everything around you, buildings, trees laden with fruits and flowers, vehicles, people, little animals in the park. Try to take in all the scenes of the morning and send a message of gratitude for being present in this moment. This way you start your day with a positive zeal for life.

4. Stretch after waking up and before sleeping
~ With all the stress at work and at home, it has become difficult to get perfectly sound sleep. Getting untroubled rest at night is of utmost importance in keeping both our physical and mental health intact.
~ Stretching your muscles after getting out of bed helps in shredding off the physical stress you might have carried over in your sleep from the past day
~ Stretching before going to sleep helps you relax your muscles after a long day, aiding relaxed sleep
~ Just add in a 15 minutes full body stretch routine to your daily life before sleep and after you wake up. You can also alternate between brisk walking and stretching exercises if you feel you cannot do both on the same day.

5. Eat slowly preferably without distractions
~ Around 30% of digestion happens in the mouth with the help of salivary enzymes. This is why we need to chew our food properly before gulping it down our food pipes.
~ Avoid distractions like mobile phones, televisions, talking too much, and also having too many thoughts in your head while having meals. Focus on the colors on your plate, feel the taste and texture of the food you eat. This helps in easy digestion and frees you from bloating and constipation, problems that have become quite common nowadays.
~ Try to have a balanced meal that includes proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. An easy way to ensure this is eating fresh, live food and having as many colors on your plate as you can find.

6. Take Breaks at your Work Table
~ In today’s working environment, we sit at our desks for around 9 to 12 hours each day. This can be stressful for our muscles and joints without us realizing it.
~ Take 5-minute breaks at least every two hours. Take a small walk or do upper body and back stretches on your chair itself.
~ This applies to homemakers as well. Taking 5-minute breaks every 2 hours to relax from your chores helps maintain your energy levels for the whole day.

7. 5–10 minutes of deep breathing after work hours
~ By the time you are done with your desk job for the day, you feel so exhausted that there is simply no energy left to spend with your loved ones. This can take a toll on your relationships.
~ Performing deep breathing exercises for just 10 minutes after work hours can rejuvenate and relax you to a great extent. I am not exaggerating, try it and you will see the wonders of deep breathing.
~ Sit on a chair, or on a mat. Close your eyes and inhale slowly. Now exhale even slower. Repeat this as you pay attention to the sounds and feel the environment around you. This exercise relaxes your stressed muscles, providing more oxygen to your body thereby energizing you.

8. Spending time conversing with loved ones
~ The busy schedules and competitive work environment today undeniably affects our relationships with our closed ones. The simple act of conversing with them for just a few minutes not just makes them feel valued but it also alleviates our mood.
~ Call up your parents, sit with your spouse, and your children. Ask them about their day, really listen to them. Keep your phones and devices away for a while and just talk with loved ones. You might feel you have nothing to talk about in the beginning (trust me, I’ve been there!) but it gets better with time.

9. Give yourself at least a half-hour each day
~ Spend at least 20–30 minutes in the day doing some activity you enjoy (Something that does not involve staring at screens). It could be a long-forgotten hobby like painting, dancing or something musical, some sports activity you enjoy, playing hide and seek with your kids, or just learning a new skill.
~ You need not be an expert at the activity, do it simply for fun. This is beneficial in coming out of work mode and giving yourself some time, consequently helping you have a positive attitude towards life in the long run.

10. Read for 15 minutes before going to bed
~ Reading for just 15 minutes before sleep helps you have quality relaxation as you naturally fall into sleep.
~ It is scientifically proven that reading before sleep is greatly helpful in boosting brainpower. Just like physical exercise for the body, reading is a much-needed exercise for your brain.
~ This is also helpful in improving your creative skills as it enhances your imaginative and cognitive abilities.

Leading a stress-free life is really all about learning the art of slowing down and being in the present moment. You can begin your journey towards a more mindful life by following these few steps in your everyday life and see the difference you start to experience merely in a week. Just Pause and let me know how you feel.