Stress Busters for Moms and Writers: Mind

Most of my friends would say I’m pretty zen but I definitely have my bad days. Or, ahem, weeks. This winter the weather has been terrible and I’m dealing with my own bout of the winter blahs so this post is a good reminder of what I need to do too. Here are my top tips for recharging your mind and getting your zen back.

Spirit Lady’s Top Tips for a Healthy Mind

1. Quiet time. We live in a world where we have any kind of diversion available at our fingertips 24/7. In between raising our families and working full time, we can watch Dancing with the Stars, play Candy Crush, search Pinterest, get on Facebook, or catch episodes of The Turtle Man on Netflix (Live Action!). However…our minds don’t ever get a rest. So every day, take some time out. If you can spare it, an hour is great, but 10 or 15 minutes will do. Pray, meditate, lay in a hammock and watch the clouds float across the sky. Even our kids need quiet time, so don’t feel bad setting a 30 minute or one hour quiet time where everyone goes to their rooms to play/read/sleep. But no electronics!
2. Unwind. If it’s been a particularly rough day, you need to let go. Everyone has their own preferences, but for me, I like to go for a walk, take a bath, enjoy a glass of wine. A note about alcohol though: alcohol can keep you from sleeping deeply, so if you’re sleep deprived, skip the wine (I know, I know, I know) and opt for something else that helps you unwind.
3. Socialize. I’m a writer and a SAHM, both of which are lonely occupations. To “get out there” more and get my socializing fix, I belong to a couple of writer groups and a mommy group. I meet with these three groups throughout the month as well as interacting with the other members on our Facebook group pages. If you don’t love big groups, then join one for the sole purpose of finding a few friends. Or even one really good friend. Find your tribe, your support group, or–as I like to call them–your peeps.
4. Eliminate chaos. If something in your life is becoming a source of chaos, you HAVE to get rid of it. Maybe it’s certain friends who are bringing you down, maybe there’s a dynamic in your family that is not working. For me it’s keeping up with my housework because if I look around my house and it’s a big mess I just think, “Well, if I let it get much worse, it’s gonna be worse for me. Because who’s gonna clean it up? ME.” My hubby will help but he works full time and I don’t want him to have to do everything. And the kiddos are one and six, so the baby can barely talk and walk and the big boy is just learning to help out. Plus getting the big boy to help is like pulling teeth, so sometimes it’s just easier to do it myself. So coming back around to my point, a clean house makes me feel good and a clutter-filled, chaotic house makes me feel stressed.
5. Set goals, but more importantly keep track of them. The Lit Ladies set yearly writing goals every January and even if I don’t reach every single one (deep breath–it’s okay), I can reassess. Just like anything else in life, there’s a natural ebb and flow to goals. If you’re feeling mentally blocked by something in your life, jot down a list of mini-goals to get you where you want to be. Check in every few months and see which goals you can cross off (and pat yourselves on the back, baby!) and see what you have left to work toward. It’s a fun challenge to see where you’re at.

PS–As of this writing, I’m recovering from a horrendous stomach flu that the entire family got. I could definitely use #1-4 on my list right now.

PSS–It will be okay. LOL. In my next post, we’ll talk stress-busting our spiritual side.

Click here to see my last post, Stress Busters for Moms and Writers: Body.

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Camille Faye | Author of Voodoo Butterfly

Experience love, purpose, and the paranormal in New Orleans.

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*Originally posted on The Literary Ladies Blog

*Photos courtesy of Nic Walker ​from Flickr Creative Commons​

Stress Busters for Moms and Writers: Body

Have the planets aligned in a certain dysfunctional pattern or is the winter blahs just hitting everyone harder this year? My peeps are seriously stressed. I swear if I hear “polar vortex” one more time I’m gonna karate chop the TV. Whatever the reason for everyone’s depression, lack of energy, and overall bad mood, I thought it would be the perfect time to pep you up with some of my favorite ways to de-stress.

To balance things out, I’ll break this information into three separate posts dealing with each aspect of our complete wellness: body, mind, and spirit. I can attest to the importance of these things in my own life–as a writer and as a mother–because I’ve encountered serious specific problems (like postpartum depression and spinal degeneration) in both of these occupations that absolutely had to be addressed or I’d be chronically unwell. Most of the tips I have here will work whether you’re a mom, a writer, or both.

Spirit Lady’s Top Tips for a Healthy Body

1. Drink water. What? Now hear me out before you say “duh” and move onto tip #2. After I had my first child, I went into a health food store, seeking the holy grail of energy boosters. “Please,” I begged, “Give me a supplement, smoothie, or secret potion that will magically cure this bone-tiredness I’m feeling.” The lady asked me, “Are you drinking enough water?” And I responded, “Probably not.” She told me that I didn’t have to drop a bunch of money on all that stuff because a lot of people are just dehydrated. Every time I have a meal or a snack, I drink a pint of water (we’ll cover pints of beer in another post). And when I find myself dragging, I think about the last time I had a drink of water. Most times the answer is: it’s been too long.
2. Get your nutrients! As a culture, we tend toward processed food instead of nutrient-rich food and some experts even say that our soil is so depleted of nutrients by modern farming practices, that even if we eat fresh whole foods, we still don’t get enough of what we need. To help me boost my normal intake of healthy food, I take a powerful multivitamin to provide me with the best wellness feeling (a.k.a. more mom energy). The one I take contains 8333% of my daily value of Vitamin B-12 and requires me to take four capsules a day. These are [dun-dun-DUN] super vitamins. These are a powder put into a capsule, so they actually break down in my stomach and the nutrients are delivered to my cells. Invest in this…mine run about $30 a month, but I feel a gazillion times better than if I popped a run-of-the-mill vitamin. Go talk to someone at a health food store or do some research online. I like Life Force Multiple Energy Activator and LifeEssence Vitamins by PURE. Sometimes I’ll also do juicing or green smoothies once a day to detox and boost my energy. I have tried–and liked–recipes by Green Smoothie Girl and JJ Virgin.
3. Exercise 3-5 times a week. Some of you may be thinking, “Five days a week! Are you crazy?! That’s way too much of a time commitment.” But hear me out. I’ll agree with you that exercising for 1 hour or more five days a week is Cah-razy. In our short attention span world–in my mom world–we just don’t have the time, so I’ve found a good solution that won’t allow me to make excuses about not getting the exercise I need. I commit to 20 minutes a day and I can choose two days “off” a week. Really, I probably could do 20 minutes every day, because COME ON…it’s 20 minutes. Yoga is my favorite form of exercise and really helps with neck issues that I have from being a mommy and from being a writer. I go on YouTube and find short sessions (5 min, 10 min, 20 min) depending on what I need (flexibility, stretching, neck pain). It can be a quick way for you to re-center without having to dedicate a whole hour to it. Tara Stiles is my fave…she works with Livestrong on YouTube. And then a great neck routine from Chaz Rough at Yogamazing will help writers and moms with babies (carrying a twenty pound weight wears on your neck and shoulder area).
4. Get out every day. Our ancestors lived and worked outside year round (farming or hunting and gathering). We need fresh air no matter what the weather is like outside. I’m bad about this one, especially in the winter because I hate the cold. I loathe it. I detest it. I probably need to move to a tropical locale, but since that’s not gonna happen anytime soon, I just need to force myself to get some fresh air.
5. Sleep well. I’m not ashamed to admit that I need a good nine hours at night; chalk it up to my creative, busy brain that needs the extra zzz’s to come up with fabulous ideas. But seriously, we are a sleep-deprived society that doesn’t really need to be. As a mom, I understand the pressure to get your kids and family involved in all these different activities and organizations. Just say no. More rest will make your family so much happier and healthier.

These are my top five for a fabulous, healthy, energized body. These tips can be daunting to take on, so do one step at a time. Your body will thank you, your work will be better, and your family will have a happy mommy (or daddy). Stay tuned for my next post about having a healthy mind, which will be out the first Thursday of March. Happy writing and happy mothering!

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Camille Faye | Author of Voodoo Butterfly

Experience love, purpose, and the paranormal in New Orleans.

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*Originally posted on The Literary Ladies Blog

*Photos courtesy of Nic Walker ​from Flickr Creative Commons​​