Little adventures can be a big deal
"Mini Escapes" actually can help you stay on track and work towards your goals! In this busy world we forget we need this time, we are constantly on our computers, cell phones, and give EVERYONE access to us 24/7. By doing this and not regrouping, we are extending our stressors in our lives more than ever.
Stress leads to higher cortisol levels (fight or flight hormone and keeps us in the constant flight mode) , this disrupts our normal sleep and hormonal levels that normally help us with keeping our body fat down.
Click here to lean more about how stress is messing with your weight loss!
A study by the American Psychological Association concluded that vacations work to reduce stress by removing people from the activities and environments that they associate with stress and anxiety. Similarly, a Canadian study of nearly 900 lawyers found that taking vacations helps alleviate job stress.
The effects last beyond the duration of the vacation, too: A small study from the University of Vienna found that after taking time off from work, vacationers had fewer stress-related physical complaints such as headaches, backaches, and heart irregularities, and they still felt better five weeks later.
So what are some"Me time" things you can do to de-stress and relax on an "take time out" on a daily basis?
- Go to the movies with a friend
- Read a short story
- Doodle in a coloring book
- Paint or make a vision board
- Meditate
- Listen to music or play an instrument
- Go to a museum
- go for a walk
- exercise or take a restorative yoga class
- take a bath
Here is a great visual (I actually have it up in my yoga room) that gives you even more options to De-stress.
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