If you’re around kids much these days, you’ve probably heard about “growth mindset” at least once. I don’t remember learning about growth mindsets growing up, but it’s definitely something I’m focusing on with my children.
If you’re a parent, you’re probably celebrating the end of isolation school and eLearning right about now. And while school is out for summer, family vacations are probably looking pretty different this year.
A break from work is essential regardless. Your brain needs downtime to recharge, quiet time to process, and, truly, boredom to really create! After months of the stress of quarantine, an escape is possibly exactly what we need most right now, and you can do that without airplanes and festivals.
Go for a change of scenery
During times of stress, it can be all too easy to fall into the habit of shortcuts, self-neglect, and other bad habits. What if, instead of adding new bad habits, we did a little self-assessment and worked to address some existing bad habits?
Our professional lives can be stressful on a good day. Add to that a global pandemic, economic downturn, “quarantine schooling” your kids, and throwing everyone into remote work and you have a recipe for extreme stress levels.
As we journey through Stress Awareness Month, I want to invite you to try out a variety of stress management exercises and find something that helps you to let go and center. One of my favorite techniques is practicing mindfulness.
April is Stress Management month – how appropriate! As we juggle sudden changes, additional responsibilities, isolation, and possible job loss, it is important to check in with your mental health and manage stress levels. One way is through conversation.
Breathing is something we do without thinking from the time we’re born until the time we die, but breathing can serve a much greater purpose in our lives if we let it.
Learning to control your breathing through breathing exercises can have significant physical impacts. Controlling your breathing helps relieve stress by focusing your mind so that you can better concentrate on what’s most important. In the same way, it also helps reduce anxiety by slowing down the mind’s processes to help you better focus on the things that are causing the anxiety.
If you’ve scrolled through Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram in the last couple of years, you’re probably familiar with the term hygge. This Danish concept of embracing warmth, coziness, and joy is a form of self-care that can help you find productivity and contentment during cold, dark days…and draining days spent under fluorescent lights.
