Eliminate Stress From Your Life

It is April 16th, National Stress Awareness Day.

We all have dealt with stress in one way or another, and I know that personally, stress can range from mild to almost crippling. Around this time last year I had my first panic attack. I was driving to work and my mind had been racing through my to-do list since early in the morning. Suddenly, my whole body went numb, my heart started to hurt and I couldn’t catch my breath as my tingling fingers could barely grip the steering wheel. My vision started to go black and I had to pull off to the side of the road. I thought I was just dehydrated (as yoga teachers usually are) so I grabbed my water bottle and closed my eyes as I drank the entire thing. As soon as I did, I burst into tears and just focused on my breath.

After a couple of minutes, I got back on the road and headed to work. I was living a life that had gone beyond burning the candle at both ends, at that point, there was no candle at all! I was waking up making to-do lists at 3am, answering emails as soon as my eyes opened, cleaning the house late at night, hardly eating throughout the day and drinking coffee like it was going out of style.

This unhealthy lifestyle that I had put on myself left no room for self-care, more or less moments of calm. It was after this panic attack that I started to make some major decisions for myself.

Below are a list of tried and true methods that I have found over the years that bring peace and calm to my life:

First up is Meditation.

This can be as simple as 3 minutes of focusing on your breath in the morning or night. Even giving yourself 3 minutes of just being present is LIFE CHANGING. So many studies have come out recently saying that meditation actually changes the brain AND makes your body work better. It doesn’t have to be some spiritual thing, it can be as simple as taking a moment to find the natural cadence (timing) of your breath and pausing for a moment to appreciate all your blessings.

I downloaded this app called Insight Timer. It gives you a bunch of options of meditating from music to guided meditation and offers time frames from 5 minutes to 60. This free app is my go to for when I clear the time for myself to meditate.

Second is Getting Outside.

Sometimes the climate doesn’t let you do that but if you have the opportunity to just get outside and smell the fresh air - oh man, nature can truly be the best healer.

The other day I was overwhelmed and about to freak out haha! and instead of working out or watching TV, I went outside and sat on this little bench by my house for 20 minutes. The sun was shining, the wind was softly whipping around and people were walking by. Solely by getting out of my apartment and out of my own head to be outside was incredibly healing and after 15-20 minutes I felt completely refreshed.

Third and most important is Self Care.

When this word first became popular, I remember chuckling at people who took the time to do “self-care”. But post panic attack, I started to make my Sundays purely bae-self-care days. I told a couple people about how I would sit outside and drink my coffee sans phone or do a face mask while reading a book, and I got ridiculed. It was at that moment that I decided - self care isn’t for them, it’s for me. It is my time to de-stress and reconnect with myself, to help be the best version of Bailey that I could be.

I am so excited today to have partnered with Alchemy Face Bar in Boulder (they have a Denver location too!) to help promote that stress free, self love, treat yo self honeyyy, lifestyle. Go check out my stories for more fun insight into my time here today!

Taking the time to slow down and treat yourself to a facial or massage is absolutely life changing on your journey of de-stressing and I am thrilled to be able to share my experience at their spa with you.

As soon as you walk in to this face bar, you are given the yummiest and refreshing hot tea, whisked off to your own changing room into a fresh towel wrap dress and given a cute storage area for your things. Sarah was my facial expert and she has the softest and strongest hands ever! Haha! She started off my facial with the best jaw and shoulder massage I’ve ever had - I almost told her I’ll slip her an extra $20 if she kept going! haha! She explained what she was doing and what the products were in such detail, I felt like I was picking them from the garden myself. I got the Spring facial which has an abundance of floral scents and put me into a calm and blissed out state immediately. Despite being in a room of other people getting pampered, the vibe was so calm and so quiet, I forgot where I was. Upon finishing my facial, I couldn’t believe my eyes! My face looked like it had shed the winter gunk and was hydrated, bouncy, and LEGIT glowing.

For such an amazing price for every service offered here, it is truly a safe haven for letting go and de-stressing.

Alchemy was so kind and offered me a code for a FREE collagen or lip mask : AlchemyFreckleSpot

Mention that baby at check in and you will get treated like the king or queen you are!

I’m so thankful for this platform. I get to meet new people, try new things and share the things I have learned in my life. The thing I want to make so clear here, is that stress is curable. You don’t have to be stressed, you can take a moment and breathe, you can make active steps to take care of yourself and treat your body and mind with respect. Don’t let things get out of hand. You only have one life to live and I implore you to live it as best and relaxed as you can.