Day 6/30 Be Happy Challenge: How to Let off Steem (I mean Steam)

It is hard to be happy when you feel like a kettle with steam coming out your ears aka stressed.

Yet again, we are hardwired to react in certain stress situations but the dinosaurs have changed to planes, trains and automobiles to name a few.

High stress situations might be missing a flight, having to change plans at the last minute, planning a wedding or moving house. Basically when things aren't going to plan, we tend to fall apart at the seams a little and get overwhelmed.

Hopefully you were able to sort out whatever high stress situation you were in and get another flight, or the wedding or house move went smoothly enough to recover from.

I understand it is hard to be happy when you are stressed as it sucks the joy and happiness out of our brains, like something out of Men In Black.

So we need some methods to destress to add to our happiness and overall health and well being. There is no two ways about it, but too much stress can make you ill.

Here are some simple destress Methods...

Get Enough ZZZZs

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We need to try our best to get a good seven or eight hours of sleep at night. I know for some folks this is easier said than done, due to pain, depression or insomnia (I will write another post asap on lots of ways to to try and get a better sleep), but the lack of sleep does contribute to levels of stress. When we don't sleep well or enough our bodies are in a constant state of stress, trying to make up for lost sleep. Sleep helps us relax.

So if you burn the midnight oil (she says whilst typing this post around that time), get some sleep. In the morning you'll be more fresh, happy and less stressed out.

Move Around And Get Some Exercise

The ultimate stress reliever is exercise. By exercising you can burn that stress out of your system. If you get outside to work out ever better as fresh air can work wonders. When you feel overly stress take a quick run or short walk. Even better schedule work outs regularly. Remember work outs can also be in the comfort of your home (think youtube), or classes, or the gym. If you do have health issues, be sure to get in touch with your doctor for advice first.

Take Some “Me” Time

Quite a lot of times in our lives, we find ourselves focussing a lot of care and attention on other people. Maybe you are a parent, or working hard to get a new business venture off the ground. When we are busy like this, we often forget about ourselves or put our personal needs last.

Putting a little effort into having some "me time" everyday, which by the way I understand is really hard sometimes. As a single parent, in the summer holidays you don't seem to get a moment's rest - going to the loo is all the me time you get, if they don't come with you.

But it doesn't have to be much. Today, I snuggled with my girls on the sofa and watched Beauty and the Beast, it was lovely. Or just grab 10 minutes to really self indulge in something you love.

Practice Meditation

Our last destress technique is meditation. It can really help with keeping stress at bay. Again its not something you need a lot of time for . To start, I'd recommend trying a guided meditation, even just for 10 minutes a. There are millions of free guided meditations on YouTube you could try. You could do a different one everyday for life, or find one or a selection that work well for you. The daily practise will enable you to spend a moment or two to destress in high stress situations. Trust me, with meditation you will be prepared when you feel overwhelmed or life throws you a curve ball.

Do you have any great destress tips that work for you? Please share

I'd love to see your comments and questions and make this an interactive challenge. I am here to help.

Please Resteem if you feel this could benefit your followers

Previous Be Happy Challenge Days

Day 1: Making Happiness a Habit

Day 2:Commit to Nurturing Your Happiness

Day 3: Begin a Happiness Buzz List

Day 4: Start Your Day With Gratitude

Day 5: Actions To Become More Happy