Stress Relief During Pregnancy

As hormone levels are out of whack during pregnancy, so are stress levels. Things that were never a trigger for you may cause an extreme amount of stress during pregnancy, so being prepared and filling your toolkit with stress relief exercises is a great thing to do in the early stages of pregnancy.

The first step in creating your stress relief toolkit for pregnancy is to think about the activities that you enjoyed prior to becoming pregnant. Maybe it was going to the gym or hitting the trail for a hike. Perhaps it was exploring a local bookstore or coffee shop. Maybe even a trip to the salon or spa for some pampering. Whatever gave you stress relief prior to pregnancy is a great place to start for what will give you relief during pregnancy.

Take it day by day. As your body and hormones change, so will your needs.

Then, think about the foods that you're loving right now that give you all the good feels. Chocolate, ice cream, pickles, salads, fruit, cake, cheese. Whatever it is that you're craving, tuck a few things away in your fridge or pantry so you have emergency stores for when your stress levels are high.

Finally, practice your breath and visualization. Breathe in evenly for a count of four and picture a place that brings an extreme amount of calm for you. It might be a beach, or wherever your partner proposed. It could even be your own home! Wherever you feel calm, grounded and centred, bring that place into your mind and breathe.

When all else fails, there's always Netflix, ice cream and napping!

xoxo
Shannon

Relax Mama! #stress #relief

Remember who you were before you had children? Laughable, right?

Well it doesn't have to be. You may have changed over the years. Your body may have war wounds and lovely silvery stripes, but at the core of who you are, you are still the same.

 

First and foremost, make a list of your favorite things. Here's mine:

Running
Going for Coffee
Sketching
Writing
Painting
Sculpting
Shopping
Date Nights
Spa Trips

After you have your list, schedule appointments for yourself. For big things like trips to the spa or date nights, be realistic about your time and expectations. Getting an express manicure might fit better with your schedule than a body scrub and massage, so schedule accordingly.

Other things like going for coffee, shopping, running or something artistic can be fit in once a week... and should be! We made a rule when our first was about 5ish months and my postpartum depression was pretty bad that I would get one night out a week. Admittedly, I didn't always take them and sometimes would just sit and cry at Starbucks counting down the minutes until I could go back home.

This time will be different. I am so looking forward to the moments to regroup, even if it just means locking myself in the bathroom for a bubble bath.

Remember that you are still you, and that's a wonderful person to be.

Coaching Moments: Alleviating Stress

Stress, for me, is the number one productivity killer.

The first thing that I work on with all of my coaching clients is identifying their areas of stress and come up with a plan to combat it.

More often than not, their stress stems from feeling overwhelmed by a massive to-do list, specific tasks that we identify that need to be taken care of fairly immediately, and the overwhelming fear of what if this doesn't work?

We work on cord cutting; getting rid of the negative energy in our lives to open ourselves up to the positive. We work on positive affirmations and meditation to ground up and give us a new sense of focus. We work on harnessing the stress and turning it into creative energy.

When we take control of that stress and look at it from a more positive angle, we are able to go forth, and be a better version of our selves.

How do you deal with stress? Let's work on it together with empowerment coaching!