How to Reduce the Stress in your Life

How to Reduce the Stress in your Life

The Stress Problem

A couple years ago, we had some major setbacks in our family, and I got so stressed out that I began losing chunks of my hair. Like, CHUNKS. I had completely bald patches. I was really worried I was going completely lose all of my hair.  The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with me (and I was only 26 at the time).

During this time, I just kept plugging on with my life, and when I got home from work, or on Saturday afternoons, I would sit in the bathtub and read a book.  When I got out I would lather eucalyptus tea stress relief lotion all over myself.

I would totally lose myself in the book, escaping from the realities of life for a little while.

It wasn’t’ only losing myself in the pages of a novel or learning something new in a nonfiction book that helped me relieve stress, it was also the act of doing something I loved to do as a child.  Going back to our childhood loves is great balm for the soul. 

A Reading Nook

The bathtub is one of my cozy reading “nooks”.  It doesn’t sound like a traditional place to curl up with a book, but it is a comfortable, soothing place, and if I am going to soak for a while, I might as well read!

I also read that taking a bath is reminiscent of being in the womb, so it is great for comfort and stress relief.  If you’re interested in the appeal of baths check out this article from the guardian.  

I didn’t stop losing my hair until our situation we were in was resolved, but it did keep me going and moving forward with life to lose myself in a book every once in a while.

How to reduce stress:

1.    Find a book you’re interested in.  Here are some ideas:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

2.    Run a warm bath

Add mood lighting, a favorite drink, Spotify, etc

3.    Soak and read for at least 30 minutes (or as long as the water stays warm!)

4.    Towel off and lather a stress-relieving scented lotion. Some of my favorites are:

Eucalyptus tea from the aromatherapy stress relief Bath and Body Works line

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter – especially the Massage Lotion for Stretch marks

Plain ol’ baby oil 

  

Your Turn

We all live stressful lives and have periods of intensely taxing situations.  Next time you’re stressed or worried try these four easy steps and keep yourself moving forward. 

Hannah

Seven New Fall Releases 2018 - That I Can't Wait to Read

Seven New Fall Releases 2018 That I Can’t Wait to Read

Fall is a spring of sorts.  It contains all kinds of new beginnings – school starts again, new fall TV shows come out (and your favorite ones start back), and, of course, everyone can finally have their pumpkin spiced lattes again.  Your wardrobe is spiced up with the addition of cozy sweaters and blanket scarves, and the crisp air brings excitement about trying new things.

The crisp excitement carries over to books.  Even if you’re not starting a new school year, your reading can shift from fluffy beach reads to some weightier ones. These new book releases for fall 2018 are definitely peeking my interest, and I can’t wait to try them out!

 Books Highlighting the Women’s Side of History

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker –September 4, 2018

The classic Illiad reimagined and told from a woman’s perspective.  It gives the insight of the women who history does not remember, such as prostitutes and nurses, and promises to give a view of how war actually impacts the individuals in society.

Appeal: Told from a woman’s perspective; seems like it might be more “real life” than normal Greek mythology/literature does.

Read if….you miss high school English.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan– October 2, 2018

You know C.S. Lewis from The Chronicles of Narnia, but how much do you know about his personal life, especially his love story?  His wife started off writing him letters from her home in New York, and they bonded through the vivaciousness of their minds.  There were many roadblocks on their way to love, but they ended up having a sweet and powerful marriage.

Appeal: I love C.S. Lewis – I actually took a college class devoted entirely to him and his works.  He has many great books on religion, essays, as well as other novels, such as Perelandra.

Read if…you want to be encouraged that love endures. 

Autobiography/ "How to" 

Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon – September 18, 2018

All things Southern explained by Mrs. Southern herself!  Reese gives us a glimpse of how she does life alongside life lessons from her grandmother.  From things like how she entertains, to her grandmother’s recipe for biscuits, you will learn how to live like a southern lady.

Appeal: We all wish we could be a little like Reese Witherspoon – and now she’s showing us how!

Read if… you want to be beautiful on the outside, and strong on the inside like a southern woman “whiskey in a teacup”

WWII Novel

Transcription by Kate Atkinson - September 25, 2018

Juliet Armstrong is recruited as a spy to MI5 during WWII, and one can only imagine the ordeals she has to endure.  Ten years later the past comes back, and she learns her actions can still have ramifications.

Appeal: There are so many stories to be told from WWII, and each one is just as intriguing and heart-wrenching as the last.

Read if… you love WWII and its aftermath.  Or if you read The Alice Network by Kate Quinn.

Thriller/ Mystery/ Crime

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty – November 6, 2018 (in America)

The title reminds me of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None – it might turn out to be absolutely nothing like that, but it appears that these nine strangers’ lives are going to be irrevocably intertwined.  Nine people are at a health resort – and apparently, things get difficult. Does this retreat have all the answers to the guest’s problems, or is something more sinister waiting?

Appeal: 1) I’m going to read anything Laine Moriarty writes 2) I’m interested to know if they are going to be pulled into a cult situation…

Read if… you love Big Little Lies.

The Witch Elm by Tana French - October 9, 2018

Suspense, crime; After an accident, Toby goes to live in his ‘ancestral home” and discovers a skull by the elm tree in the garden.  As the mystery is solved, Toby figures out what this means about his past and what it means for him today. 

Appeal: Sounds like the perfect suspense novel to get ready for Halloween.

Read if… you want to get your Halloween scare on.

I KnowYou Know by Gilly Macmillan - September 18, 2018

Twenty years after two boys were murdered another person is found murdered in the same place.  Could the two crimes be related?  Are other people in danger?

Appeal: I always like trying to figure out a murder mystery.

  

Read if… you like listening to true crime podcasts like Up and Vanished and Serial. 

Which ones on this list are you most looking forward to reading?

Hannah