My week has been emotionally challenging. I have begun a new chapter in my life of stopping birth control, and boy, I am feeling those effects. My body is naturally working and therefore I am feeling the good times and of course, the not-so great times. I can feel the heightened feelings emotionally and days can be harder than others. This is the first time in my womanhood of handling my pure and natural self, which is pretty wild to think about. In my last blog, I talked about when emotions intensified, I would always look to food as a quick fix. Thankfully, I have found different outlets to allow myself to cope better. Since my body is becoming more balance hormonally, I definitely feel the emotional and physical effects more. Therefore, I have been able to use these coping mechanisms and tools to successfully get by month to month in my new chapter of life!
So, here are some tips that helped me get by and would love to share them to all of you:
I buy healthy snacks! I get mid-day cravings around 3-4PM. To be successful, I have become more aware of what I consume when I desire that snack. My go-tos include, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries with JEM almond butter (mmm), Lesser-evil cheddar popcorn, HU chocolate bars and Made Good Granola. One of these always hits my salty or sweet tooth every time.
Prayer/Meditation. I am a very religious person. Some of you may not be, which is okay! We all have our own journey on this earth. Though, I truly do believe it’s important to find an outlet whether it be praying to God or the Universe or through meditation. Being able to allow yourself to slow down and become self-aware of your emotional and physical state for at least 5-10 minutes helps wonders. Being able to train your brain that you are safe, loved and it will all work out, allows that stress to decrease and motivation/security to increase.
Extra-curriculars. Pick a task that you love to make time for yourself. I love going to the gym, but we have a pretty chatty 6AM crew ;). I am someone that enjoys alone time to organize my thoughts and to release any frustration/negativity through a task/activity. Basketball has become a life-savior for me. I enjoy just going to the court and shooting hoops alone. I am not only organizing my thoughts and releasing any negativity, it also allows those endorphins to rush in as well. Whether it be a run, walking, gardening or a sport it allows you to clear your head and start focusing on YOU!
Laughter. Everyone loves a good laugh. I have a found a renewed-found love for the show Friends. Every day I find time to watch one episode and by the end, I sense the smile that has been smacked on my face for 20-30 minutes. Find people, show or event that makes you happy and laugh.
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