Go on, Treat Yourself

You can help to combat stress and the effects of stress, by dedicating just a small amount of time to yourself each day. Allowing yourself as little as 15 minutes daily, will make a considerable amount of difference to the way you think and feel.

Stress induces high levels of cortisol of which is of detriment to your body and mind, indulging in some of the things you most enjoy creates endorphins, the feel good hormone which enables you body to deal with stress and bring your hormone levels back to a more balanced state.

Most of us are blessed and cursed with a busy lifestyle. Blessed because it enables us to live a full and varied existence, cursed because we often find it leaves us frazzled. It’s also rather difficult trying not to feel guilty for seemingly not doing anything constructive, try to remember that you are not being lazy, you are recharging, recuperating and making life easier for yourself, there is nothing wrong with that.

It’s also one thing knowing that rewarding ourselves with a well deserved break is good for us, it’s quite another knowing what to do with it.

So here are some me time ideas, for you to think about and try for yourself:

Fill up on dopamine with some exercise. Find something you like to do with a physical element to it, it does not have to be strenuous, a brisk walk or gentle yoga stretches are more then sufficient. However you may find something with a bit of aggression behind it, would be a better outlet for you to let off steam. You may want to think about kick boxing or advanced aerobics. Maybe dance or tennis would be better suited for you, try a verity of different sports, until you come across something you really enjoy.

whatever your thing might be, give it a go. Experts recommend 20 minutes a day, for real and noticeable results, could you fit that in?

If exercise sounds like a bit to much like hard work or you feel like you get enough already and fancy something a little less energetic, meditation is probably more up your street. Sit or lie down in a quite, comfortable place where you are unlikely to be disturbed, take long deep breaths and try to clear your mind of thoughts. If meditation seems a little to deep, just day dream, think positive and grateful thoughts and let your mind wonder away.

If you are more of an artist then an athlete and creativity is where you shine, you would do well to spend your time drawing, crafting or creative writing. Weather it be sketching or painting, knitting or poetry, it does not matter just as long as doing it makes you happy.

Do that thing you have always wanted to. Most of us have something that we have always wanted to do or learn and there are endless opportunities out there, just waiting to be experienced. Have you ever wanted to learn a foreign language, go to pottery classes or become an accountant? It’s never to early or to late to do it whatever it may be. Either once a week or once a day at home alone or with others, go on treat yourself.