Hi everyone! Today I wanted to talk about some daily habits that I’ve picked up over the past few years that have really helped me in different areas of my life but especially in the management of my day-to-day stress. I hope you enjoy this post and let me know if you do any of these things, or if there’s anything else you would recommend!

Implement Routine

Having a daily routine can help you improve so many areas of your life ranging from your physical and mental health, to your mood and your productivity. Lots of us thrive on structure. Your routine can be as simple or as complex as you find necessary but the key is to commit to doing things that not only keep your life on track and organized (therefore reducing stress) but also making intentional time for things that are important to you.

Examples of things you could implement in a daily routine are, making a healthy sustaining breakfast each morning, setting aside your clothes for the next day the night before, going for a daily walk, but also things like setting aside time to take a bath with your favorite book and a special treat every Friday night.

The most important thing about the routine that you implement is that it is catered to you and what is important to your life and your happiness. What is right and fulfilling for you may not be the same for someone else and that’s ok! For me, having a pretty set routine for weekdays and then a looser one on weekends helps me know what to expect, and also how to fit in time for the things I want to accomplish. I always feel better when I have at least an idea of what to expect out of my day.

Meal Plan

I cannot stress enough how life-changing meal planning can be! I am someone who really enjoys cooking. However when I don’t plan out our meals I find myself lost in a mix of being stressed out about what to make, not having ingredients I need, and making multiple trips to the grocery store. Once I started working meal planning into my weekly routine it has made life in the kitchen so much more simple and something I look forward to.
Currently we grocery shop on Thursday nights, so Wednesday night I set aside time to go through a master list of recipes we like to have for dinner and plan out the next 7 days of meals. After this I work on our grocery list, making sure that I write down all the ingredients needed for the next 7 days. Once we get our groceries I keep the list of meals I want to make that week on my phone and I check them off as the week goes on. I made a whole post on meal planning if you want more information on how to get started!

Set Aside Time To Disconnect

Living in 2019 social media has become such a big part of all of our lives and it is hard to avoid. While it can bring us closer to those who we don’t live near, and can connect us to people we would have never met otherwise – it can also distance us from those who are right beside us. Honestly is unhealthy to constantly expose ourselves to posts from influencers, celebrities and even peers that portray perfect lives that aren’t usually genuine, but rather, have the social media filter (figuratively and literally) on them.
I think finding balance with social media usage is something that is really worth working on.

I struggle with this myself but I have been trying to set aside times where I do not touch my phone such as the hour before bed. It isn’t easy! But I have found in the past when I have deleted certain social media apps from my phone I felt more present and honestly, happier.

Clean As You Go

I remember before I had Julia, I had no trouble keeping the whole house clean. I even enjoyed cleaning because back then there really wasn’t much making it hard for me. Then came being a parent LOL. The first year of Julia’s life was probably the most difficult in keeping my house in order because babies not only need so much of your time, but the exhaustion from sleepless nights can make many daily tasks so.much.harder.  And let’s face it, you don’t really want to spend time cleaning when you could be cuddling your baby!

Things got better with time, and especially once I figured out how to get in the habit of cleaning things up as I went and trying not to let things pile up. Also, if you live with another adult or a child who is old enough to help, splitting up responsibilities makes all the difference in keeping a household together.
I think it is important to just keep things in order without being obsessive about it. I also feel that it’s also important and helpful for children to see us approach cleaning this way so that hopefully they won’t view cleaning as that big annoyance that comes every so often and makes mom/dad frustrated and angry, but rather, seeing it as just a part of daily life (I grew up terrified every time my mom pulled out the vacuum because I knew her cleaning rage was coming).

Keep A Journal

The last on this list is keeping a journal! Old fashioned pen, paper and your heart. Journaling is beneficial for so many reasons. Taking the time to write out your feelings – both positive and negative, as well as your goals can be very therapeutic. How many things are you holding in your heart? How many worries and feelings are you holding in as not to deal with them? Sometimes there is nothing you can do to fix certain situations, sometimes life simply leaves you without closure. Allowing yourself to write out what is on your mind can help release some of the built up stress and emotions that you’ve been holding onto.

Journaling is also a good way to keep track of your life. Write down the little, but good things that happen each day. Write down things you are grateful for. Write down your goals.

Writing can be the most amazing form of free therapy! No one has to read what you write in your journal, and that alone gives you the freedom to truly unload whatever thoughts you have, from tough emotions to perhaps goals you aren’t ready to share with the world yet.

I hope this post finds you well 🙂