3 Ways to De-Stress ... any moment of the day
Give yourself permission to take a break from the 
stressful situation.

     If you are alone - grab a cup of water, tea, or anything that is refreshing to you and find a quiet place to sit for a few minutes.  No phone, no television - just you being able to take a moment for yourself.
     Get comfortable and close your eyes.  Take five deep breaths.  Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.  Allow yourself to make noise as you breathe in and let it out.  Focus on your breathing.  
Take as long as you need to begin feeling more relaxed.
     If you are not alone and have young children - either, put your child(ren) in their crib or in a place where they cannot get hurt or harm themselves and take 5 minutes to take five cleansing breaths.  Be sure to not go far from them so they are safe.
     If you need to, call a friend or family member and ask them to come over so that you can take a break.  Most people will jump at the chance to play with kids!
     There is NO SHAME in reaching out.  We all need help at one time or another.  It's not a weakness to ask.  It shows great strength to be vulnerable enough to ask for help; and what an honor to the person you've entrusted with that vulnerability.  
Sight * Sound * Smell 

Pick one and be in the moment:


     It's sad, but rarely are we truly aware of what is going on around us.  You'll be amazed when you focus on ONE THING, your stress about everything else can melt away.  You want to be sure that you only allow positive thoughts to fill your mind while you are focusing.  If a negative thought comes, stop it.  That may mean you literally say out loud, "Stop - I'm not thinking that way anymore".  I've done it hundreds of times and yes, it feels odd at first, but the goal is to change our behavior, right?  If we continue to allow those thoughts to fill our minds, we will never get different results.   
     I'm talking HYPER-FOCUSED.  It takes some getting used to, but look at the examples below and try one.  It becomes easier the more you do it and you just may experience some beautiful moments in the process.

Sight - Look at something in your surroundings.  I mean, really look at it.  
Sure, you can pick something like a flower, but what if you choose the drawer face of the decorative wooden cabinet that sits just below the front window?  Look at how the edges curve at each end.  The beauty of the metal plate surrounding the keyhole that once allowed a skeleton key to unlock the treasures the drawer held. See the varying colors near the handles where varnish and paint have faded from years of people opening and closing the drawer.  The distressed handles themselves - for years, possibly decades withstood the gentle tug or the forceful pull as its owner replaced items needing to be available from time to time.  See the distressed marks along the edges of the drawer but not the entirety of it... just the places that for whatever reason, were touched lightly, but over time, left evidence of those encounters.  The black handles have what looks to be spades on the end and the perfect curve of the metal.  
There's beauty in everything.

Sound - Listen to a relaxing song or go outside and close your eyes and just listen.  Don't focus on the typical sounds of passing cars or kids playing in the neighbor's yard.  Allow yourself to listen deeper.  Listen to the bird signaling that it's safe to go into the birdhouse to feed the babies.  Hear the wind as it gently passes you and the rustling of the leaves as it passes through.  Decipher the faint sound of a rhythmic hum - is it a lawnmower or the sound of a train heading down the tracks, fading as it continues on its way?  
It's amazing what you'll hear.

Smell - Oh the power of this amazing sense!  For a true "pick-me-up" grab a lemon or an orange.   (You can smell an essential oil that you like if you have one*.)   Cut a quarter-sized area of the rind just down to the pulp.  
Take a moment to think about how you are feeling and where you feel it in your body. (Do you feel sad in your heart?  Do you feel angry in your head?  Do you feel fear in your stomach?). Now think about that feeling and where you feel it in your body and the first negative thought that arises.   Now take five, deep cleansing breaths of the orange, lemon, or oil, and as you breathe, keep thinking about the thought, feeling, and area of the body.  Continue to breathe until you feel a shift in the feeling.  

*Be sure to use only Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils - I'd be happy to explain why.  























Brain Dump
     It's amazing the clarity obtained when we remove the "clutter" from our thoughts.
Brain dumping is simply "dumping" or writing down every single thought that comes into your mind onto a piece of paper.  Don't worry if it makes sense, just write it down.  Be sure to use a pen (or pencil) and write on paper, not a computer or iPad.  You are allowing every nagging thought, stressful word, and annoyance, out.  You'll know when you are finished when no more thoughts come to mind and you can take a deep breath and feel calm.
     You can also do a brain dump on specific topics if you have one particular thing that is bothering you.  Write everything out - every single thing about that subject.  It is very therapeutic to then tear the paper up into tiny pieces and throw it away.     
You'll be amazed at how great it feels!
There Is Always Someone To Talk To
Friend * Neighbor * Co-worker * Pastor * Doctor * Me

 Email heyfayehartzell@gmail.com and I will do my best to point you in the right direction.  
The important thing is to talk to someone and remember, there's always a listening ear in prayer.