stress reduction

A Simple Self Love Challenge!

~ ambarelie ~ Leave a comment

Love Yourself First

Hi friends!

Do you have trouble putting yourself first? Do you feel guilty for taking time for yourself? Do you spend most of your time taking care of everyone around you, and find yourself with little energy to take care of yourself?

I get it. As women, we are the nurturers, the life-givers, the caretakers. A big part of our role is often to love and look out for the people we most care about.

We all know that in order to be of service to the people who need us, we need to be taking good care of ourselves, yet when it comes down to it, many of us struggle with actually implementing this self love and self care.

February is the month of love, and there is no better time than now to focus on loving yourself!

I’ve created a simple challenge to help you spend the next month in devotion to self love. I want to show you just how simple and easy it can be to start taking action toward treating yourself well, taking care of yourself, and showing yourself a little extra love each and every day.

Step 1: List what you love!

The first thing I want you to do is make a list of 28 things that you love! Make a list of 28 simple pleasures that bring you love and joy! Don’t overthink it; just start writing. Begin each sentence with “I love…” and see where it takes you.

Here is my list to help get you started:

  1. I love going to the beach.
  2. I love snuggling in bed with my husband and daughter.
  3. I love clean sheets.
  4. I love going for nature walks.
  5. I love curling my hair.
  6. I love using natural, organic makeup.
  7. I love being pampered.
  8. I love listening to Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and any classic rock music from the 90s.
  9. I love lighting candles.
  10. I love diffusing essential oils.
  11. I love listening to relaxing music while I cook.
  12. I love making chicken chili.
  13. I love reading.
  14. I love taking my daughter to story time at the library.
  15. I love meditating.
  16. I love doing yoga.
  17. I love being silly with my girlfriends.
  18. I love taking pictures.
  19. I love going out for nice dinners.
  20. I love having family adventures.
  21. I love taking long, hot showers.
  22. I love writing.
  23. I love drinking tea.
  24. I love drinking red wine in a stemless wine glass.
  25. I love chocolate.
  26. I love stripes.
  27. I love having fresh flowers all over my house.
  28. I love date nights with my husband.

Step 2: Get busy DOING what you love!

Now that you have this epic list of simple things that you love, it’s time to step into action and actually start doing them! Choose one thing from your list each day and spend the next 28 days devoted to doing what you love!

It’s that simple! List what you love, and then do what you love! As you can see, the things on my list are not rocket science. They are simple, everyday activities that bring my joy. So often we forget about these joyful, mundane tasks. We think that self love and self care has to be extravagant. We find ourselves wishing for a tropical vacation, counting down the days to the weekend, or hoping for some future plans that will make us feel more relaxed and more joyful. But, we don’t have to wait for some future moment in order to start taking care of ourselves. Our lives are happening RIGHT NOW. Now is the time to focus on loving ourselves. Now is the time to take better care of ourselves. Now is the time to start doing these simple things that we love!

I promise you that if you take each of the 28 days of February to focus on crossing each and every item off of your list, you will be a happier, more joyful person by the end of this month!

I am going to be going through this challenge with the women in my private Facebook group for extra support and accountability! If you want to join us in making February the month of simple, stress-free self love, please join us over in the FB group!

Please feel free to share your love list in the comments below! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Wishing you a month full of everything that you love!

Be well,
Ambar

 

3 Ways to Keep Calm on Christmas (and every other holiday!)

~ ambarelie ~ Leave a comment

how to keep calm on Christmas and other holidays

 

Hello friends!

The holidays are upon us! Merry Christmas eve to those of you celebrating! I know that the holidays can be a stressful time for many of us, despite our best intentions. It’s easy to get carried away by the high energy of these special occasion days and find ourselves feeling stressed out, crazed, and overwhelmed.

I don’t want that to happen to you this year, so I am sharing my 3 best tips for keeping calm on Christmas, and every other holiday!

1) Start the morning off right

It’s easy to start the holidays by jumping out of bed and tackling your holiday to-do list. Now, I understand that you have a lot of things to get done. Some of you may be hosting large family gatherings. Others have children who are itching to wake up at the crack of dawn to open presents. These are all beautiful things, and part of the holiday experience. But, when you start your day on someone else’s agenda, it’s easy to fall into the stress trap.

Try to take just a few moments to create a mindful morning. Sip your coffee in peace while looking at your beautifully lit Christmas tree. Take a few minutes to do a little yoga or meditate. Go for a quick walk around the block. These simple activities do not take very long and they will help you start the holiday feeling calm and tuned into yourself. From this place of peace, you are better capable of enjoying the busy day ahead!

2) Take a time out

Find quick and easy ways to take a break from the holiday hustle and bustle so that you can tune back into yourself and restore your inner peace. Go to the bathroom to meditate. Step into a spare room to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Step outside for some fresh air. Mix a little quiet time with the busy-ness of the day. This will help you feel more grounded and centered.

Another effortless way to do this, is to stash your favorite essential oils or stones in your pocket or handbag as an easy way to bring a little Zen into your holiday experience. I personally always carry little seashells and beach rocks in the pockets of all my coats. The beach is my happy place, and now whenever I reach into my pockets I’m reminded to slow down, breathe, and ride things out, just like I do when I’m at the beach. 🙂

3) Focus on Connection not Perfection

A lot of us turn into perfectionists during the holidays. It’s easy to want to be the perfect hostess, buy the perfect gifts, wear the perfect outfit, have our kids behave perfectly. This is exhausting and leads to stress! Plus, it’s impossible to be perfect, and a lot of these things are actually out of our control, so we might as well give up this quest for perfection now.

Instead, focus on connecting with the people you are with. Put away your phone and have meaningful conversations. Look into people’s eyes. Ask them about themselves. Talk about what’s important to you. Focus on the love you have for the people around you. Create a real connection, one that you can feel. This is the real meaning of the holidays. Instead of focusing on things being perfect, focus on what really matters; love and connection.

Wishing you a calm and happy holiday! May your days be merry and bright, my friends!

Be well,
Ambar

 

Stop Stress with this One Simple Step

~ ambarelie ~ 2 Comments

how to stop stress and overwhelm

 

Hey friend!

I have a question for you… how do you handle stress and overwhelm?

I’ve recently had the realization that there are two major ways in which most of us manage stress in our lives.

The first way that many of us manage stress is by shutting down. Many of us feel a need to retreat when we feel overwhelmed by the world around us. We feel like there is just too much to manage, and so we choose to close ourselves off and take a break from dealing with the stressors at hand. We may isolate ourselves from the people that matter to us, avoid responsibilities, and feel a bit rundown and lethargic.

The second way that many of us manage stress is very much the opposite of the first. Instead of shutting down, many of us decide to add as many things as possible to our to-do list. We turn into overachievers and spend every second of the day checking things off our list. We believe that by being productive, we are proving that we can handle it all, and oftentimes handle it all by ourselves. We overextend ourselves so much, that we don’t have time to even think about our stressors. We may feel a bit exhausted and drained as a result.

The truth is, neither one of these two extremes is particularly helpful. In both instances, we are avoiding the very difficult task of coping with our feelings. Whether we choose to avoid our stressors by laying on the couch, or by adding on to our never-ending to do list, we are still very much avoiding something that needs to be addressed. And avoidance never leads to us feeling good. The only way out of stress and overwhelm is through these difficult feelings. We must take the time to figure out what is causing us to feel this way, do what we can to change the circumstances that are within our control, and accept and let go of the ones that are not.

So think about it… which of these two habits is your natural method of coping with stress and overwhelm? Do you tend to avoid and isolate, or overextend and overachieve?

Once you have figured out your natural tendencies, you can start taking small steps towards balance. The best way to do this is to notice when you catch yourself falling into your old patterns, and start to take a small step in the opposite direction.

If your natural tendency is to shut down and retreat from the world, you might decide to meet a friend for coffee, go for a walk, or have a dance party. These activities will uplift you and may give you the extra bit of motivation that you need to keep moving in a more positive direction.

If your natural tendency is to add on to your to-do list, you might instead decide to slow down by drinking a cup of tea, listening to some soothing music, or binge watching your favorite show on Netflix. These activities will encourage you to give yourself some space to breathe, rest, and recuperate.

I hope that you find this helpful! In the comments below, I would love to know which of these two tendencies do you naturally gravitate towards? I personally am more of a lay on the couch and avoid the world kind of girl, and I am well aware that this behavior is not serving me so I am going to be taking steps in the other direction. I hope that this encourages you to start noticing your own patterns and start taking steps towards more balance in your life.

Wishing you a peaceful week.

Be well,
Ambar

P.S. If you enjoyed this conversation, you would love my new Facebook group, The Stress Free Society. It’s a private space to connect with other women who are working to find inner peace in their busy lives. We have daily discussions on simple ways to decrease stress and anxiety and would love for you to join us! Click here to join the group now! 🙂 I look forward to connecting with you more personally in the group!

 

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