Stress Mangement

Life is stressful sometimes. Over the past year I have learn how important it is to mangage your stress in healthy ways! Some ways I manage my stress are by cleaning, working out, eating healthy, taking time for myself, selfcare, getting outside, and reaching out for support when needed. Individuals with Endometrisosis, and any other disorder or disease, have a higher risk of developing mental health struggles such as anxiety. I firmly believe everyone has some level of anxiety but I have learned that keeping my stress level mangaged also helps decrese my anxiety. I use to worry about everything and anything. This was until someone in my life told me that I really need to focus on not letting the little things bother me so much and when they do to really think about if it is something I actually have control over. If I can't control it, what good does worrying about it do? This "moto" has helped me so much over the past year and a half! By sticking to this moto and learning what things help me become less stressed I have been able to greatly decrease my anxiety.

I know cleaning isn't for anyone. Honestly I use to procrastinate with it all the time until I learned that having a clean home brings me happiness. It makes me less worried if I have a guest coming over and makes it so I don't get overwhelmed or worn out of cleaning. Each week I make a point to wipe down the counters with a anti-baterial wipe, clean the toilets, dust, sweep, clean the mirrors, swiffer and vacumn. Once a month I wipe down the outside of my cabinets, the baseboards and doors. I also sweep my balcony and wipe down my outdoor furniture monthly. Doing these things weekly and monthly makes cleaning more mangagable. I also bring my car through the car wash at least once a monthy, dust the inside of my car, wipe down the leather seats, wipe down the floor mats and also vacumn the carpet below the mats. When I clean my mind is at ease busy thinking about cleaning and it leasens the time my brain has to think about the things that are bothering me. Although cleaning isn't for everyone, maybe take some time to see if it is something that is hard to mangage for you and come up with a plan to help make it less stressful for you!

Working out has been a passion of my since college. I use to go to the gym at my college daily and sometimes would even swim laps and go to the gym. I was able to lose and mangage my weight by going to the gym. Since college I have been diagnosis with not only Endometriosis but also Hypothyroism. Both of these conditions make it hard to lose and mangage weight. However, I have been able to do both by staying active and eating healthy. My work outs use to include a lot of cardio. I would run two to three miles, three to five days a week. However, I had foot surgery a few years ago and now focus more on strength and weight training. I have found Jullian Micheals DVD videos helpful and also enjoy using the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center's YouTube channel for workout. These videos are so convient cause you can work out at your home and they are 20 to 30 minutes long. Working out is another thing that takes my mind off things that are bothering me.

Endometrisosis (Endo) can be mangaged through a Gluten and Dairy Free Diet. This has been a challenge for me over the last year. However, I find it fun to find and try new recipes! I'll be honest, I do not stick strickly to gluten and dairy free products but I do my best to minimize my dairy and gluten intake. When I was in elementary school I was actually diagnosis with a milk allergy. Not lactose intolerance but an actual allergy to milk. I ended up taking some prescribed drops to build my imunity and ended up being able to have milk again a year after being diagnosed with the allergy. Milk still can upset my stomach due to Endo so I stick to lactose free fat free milk and it seems to help. I also use dairy free shredded cheese and coffee creamer. As far as gulten goes, I buy gluten free noodles and tortillas. I still used regular bread but do not eat more than two slices per week. It has been fun to also find gluten and dairy free snacks! I am excited to use this blog to share some recipes and some great healthy snacks I have found over the past year!

Taking time for myself and self care are both new to me within the last year. I have always been one who focused on helping others instead of myself. However, this past year has taught me the importance of also taking care of myself. Taking time for myself typically involves binging TV shows, enjoying a movie night with popcorn, working out, laying by the pool and also taking time for self care. My self care routine happens weekly. I take a bath with a bath bomb (Lush is my go to), do my face routine (I will share this a different time), brush my teeth with baking soda to whiten them, and also use my Conair Foot Spa. Daily I make sure to use my eye cream, body butters, lotions and I write in my journal. Journaling gives me time for myself. I make sure to try to journal daily to remind myself that there will always be good and hard days but it is important to make the best of each day! Journaling helps me reflect on what is going on in my life.

I love to hike and to do anything realted to water! During college I would hike a lot up the North Shore along Lake Superior. Some of my favorite hikes up there include Tettegouche State Park, Gooseberry State Park, and Split Rock Lighthouse. Since moving to Arizona I have been able to go on some pretty amazing hikes! Previously in Arizona I had hiked, more so climbed, Camelback Mountatin. In the last year I have hiked Estrella Mountain, South Mountain, Cathedral Rock, Devils Bridge and most recently the Victory Steps. My favorite so far has to be Devils Bridge! I also enjoy being on the water wether in a boat, paddleboarding, kayaking or even just sitting by the beach or pool. The outdoors seems so calming to me and feeds my sense of adventure!

At the end of the day I think the most important part of stress mangagment is to know when you need to reach out to someone for support and to know who to reach out too. I am one who builds up my emotions. I will look like I am doing just fine and will take little by little stressors and hold them in until my breaking point. Thankfully I can tell when I am on the verge of a breakdown but it is never fun. I have worked really hard in the last year to reach out to those who support me best when I am struggling before getting to my breaking point. My support comes from my mom and a few close friends. When I am having a hard time I will reach out to them and know they will always be there! It did take some time to figure out who would actually be there when I needed someone. I would often feel worse when I felt ignored after reaching out to someone for support and not getting a resonse. Over the last year I have really learned who is there for me and who to reach out! It is important to remember that everyone feels stress and handles it in different ways. I hope this gives you some good ideas or reminders for when it comes to dealing with stress!

~Marissa