By Steph Claire Smith, founder of KICgirls.com
When your stress levels are through the roof and you’re one second away from boiling over, it’s well and truly time to blow off some steam. For me, everyday stresses are often unavoidable (life happens!). But whether it’s because a little argument with my bf has got me all wound up, a tight deadline is quickly creeping up, or because my email inbox has hit capacity – I don’t let that yucky feeling hang around long.
A balanced and healthy lifestyle is a must for keeping stress and anxiety at bay, but I also rely on my own tips and tricks for getting back my cool. From something as simple as a cup of herbal tea to smashing out one of my KICgirls.com workouts, these are my secret weapons.
On edge? Tense? Cranky? Try my top 5 tips for blowing off steam and shaking off stress:
Treat yo’self
There’s nothing wrong with feeling pampered. In fact, when life is stressing you out it’s exactly what I’d recommend. I get a facial or a manicure but go nuts with a neck and shoulder massage or a bubble bath if that’s more up your alley.
Box it out
Above all, my favourite remedy for a quick stress release is to sweat it out with a boxing sesh. All that built up anger and frustration ain’t got nothing on a good jab cross. You don’t need a boxing bag to do this. I usually just smash out a quick 20 min shadow boxing workout from my Keep it Cleaner (KIC) online fitness program.
Furry friends
Maybe it’s the puppy dog eyes, maybe it’s the sloppy kisses. Either way, there’s no denying there’s something about being around a furry friend that breaks down your walls and brings out your soft side – no matter how stressed you are! Taking little Ari (my dog) for a run or having a snuggle on the couch with a good movie (usually a rom-com) does the trick.
Get your zen on
I know, I know, meditation isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Believe it or not, before creating KIC, it wasn’t for me either! I’ve fallen in love with our KIC meditations and sleep visualisations mainly because they’re super quick. They’re also really convenient for when I’m on-the-go as they’re on my phone, and easy to get through (no chakras and ‘om-ing’). Without a doubt, no more than 2 mins in I feel a calm flow over me and my worries wash away.
Borrow a smile
Something I’ve learned from Laura Henshaw (co-founder of KIC) is to focus on the positive energy in those around you. After a long, hard (and bloody stressful!) day it’s easy to mull over your problems and try to unload them on to others. But this isn’t actually the most effective way to de-stress. Listening to all the fun things that happened in someone else’s day, being happy that they’re happy and surrounding myself with their smiles and laughter works way better – laughter is after all contagious.
Article by Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw founders KICgirls.com
