As our second year of pandemic nears its close, it seems as if everyone is still struggling with some level of anxiety. If you’ve been feeling stressed out, lost or anxious about even the little things, just know that it’s OK—and you’re not alone.
Why Reducing Stress is Crucial for Overall Health and Wellness
In 2021, nearly 40 million adults in the U.S. live with anxiety. Even before the pandemic, anxiety has become a common issue. It makes sense to feel stressed in our fast-paced society, but allowing stress to go unchecked can cause problems for your health.
Chronic stress can cause gut inflammation, reduce immunity, and even long-term cardiovascular problems. But don’t let this information stress you out even further, because luckily there is a simple way to combat stress and create a daily sense of calm.
We’ve all heard about the benefits of self-care in recent years, and for good reason. Building a healthy routine that incorporates self-care in your day-to-day is one of the most powerful ways to reduce stress, boost your mood, and generally improve your overall health.
How to Build A Daily Wellness Routine for Peace of Mind
There are lots of different ways that you can incorporate self-care in your daily life, but picking the practices that work best for you is key. Building healthy habits is crucial for keeping up with self-care and ensuring that your routine is helping to maintain daily health and peace of mind.
Establishing a morning routine is key for keeping stress down throughout the day. Are you waking up in a calm, comfortable, and toxin-free environment? Are you able to take time to yourself in the morning before tending to anyone or anything else?
Morning Wellness is Crucial
If you are able to make time for yourself each morning, we recommend incorporating meditation, movement, and going outside as the most crucial parts of your routine. Since your morning routine will regulate the body and set the tone for the rest of your day, getting a breath of fresh air is essential. Studies have shown that people who get sunshine in the early hours of the day have better sleep and overall mood.
Meditation helps instill a sense of peace and groundedness first thing in the morning. Whether that’s a moving meditation, some breathwork, or the more traditional seated meditation, having some sort of meditation practice is shown to be highly effective for reducing overall stress. Simply moving your body a bit, stretching, and taking 10 minutes for self-reflection are other good practices for grounding yourself and starting your day off calmly.
If you struggle with chronic anxiety, inflammation, or pain, Hemp is another helpful tool for establishing peace and calm throughout your day. Hemp is such a powerful herbal ally that regulates your mood, reduces stress signals from the brain, and generally keeps our bodies in balance. Think of it as an ingredient that helps you focus and get on with your day instead of having to constantly deal with stress and pain. If you’re looking for an easy way to use Hemp and stay hydrated at the same time, our stress STIK is perfect for calming the mind, while the recover STIK works wonders on body aches and inflammation.
Self-Care in the Afternoon
A good daily wellness routine makes space for afternoon self-care as well as morning and night. Taking a break in the afternoon can be hard, when your day is in full swing and there’s still lots to be done. But even just a quick walk around the block, 30 minute creative session or quiet meditation can help reset your energy and reduce daily stress. It’s better to break up your day and get the blood flowing than it is to power through—your body will thank you later.
Eating a healthy lunch that fuels your brain and nourishes your body is also key for daily self-care. Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins will help sustain your energy and reduce stress on your digestive system. If tummy troubles tend to disrupt your days and cause even more stress, try our digest STIK to ease indigestion and pain.
Ending Your Day With Nighttime Wellness
Building a nighttime wellness routine can also help establish better sleep, better health, and a greater sense of calm and tranquility. Exercising and eating healthy food for dinner helps you sleep better so you can wake up clearer-headed and with more energy the next day. But nighttime self-care goes far beyond taking care of your physical body!
Having a journaling habit at the end of each day is a powerful way to improve your overall wellbeing. Keeping a gratitude journal is proven to help people manage anxiety and overwhelm, while writing down your feelings and releasing stress from your day helps to reset your energy before bed. Writing a to-do list and some intentions for tomorrow can also help you get a good night’s sleep, free from worry and waking up in a stress-induced sweat over an upcoming deadline or that email your boss sent.
Meditation, creativity, and working with supportive herbal plants like chamomile or lemon balm are all additional practices that can be incorporated into your nightly self-care routine. Our sleep STIK contains Fast Acting, Greenhouse Grown Hemp Wellness which can help soothe your body and mind at bedtime.The key is establishing these habits as routine, starting them at the same time each night so that your body knows when it’s time to drift off to sleep.
No matter how complex or simple your daily wellness routine is, it’s important to remember that this routine is meant to support your mental health and peace of mind. If it becomes too stressful to keep up with your self-care routine, then the best thing to do is just take a step back and simplify it! Different people experience stress and peace of mind in different ways, so just remember that self-care is ultimately about doing what feels best for you.