Checking In on Your Mental Wellness: A Guide to Self-Care and Reflection
As many of us struggle with stress that feels never ending, I’ve taken some time to compile a list of things that some of the Kava Luv Family does to help relieve stress and remove some of the worries that we hold. Life hands us struggle regularly and the way we handle the stress determines how we move forward. Stress is a catalyst for change, but it’s how we handle the stress that determines whether the change is positive. With that being said, here are a few techniques that the Kava Luv Family employs to help decompress.
I’d like to start with my own stress relievers. I love to sit and write poetry as some of you may know. Personally I think it just really helps to put my feelings in a digestible form and I really can separate myself from what is stressing me. I think that quite a few of us are stressed from things that we cannot help and adding something to your routine that you can control really helps take away a bit of your focus. As creatures of habit we can really rely on our bodies to naturally know that it’s our personal time and you will naturally start to destress. I also frequently go long boarding late at night to help clear my head.
For Noah, after a long, stressful day, my routine to “decompression” usually goes a little something like this, shoes are the first thing to come off haha. then fall on the bed to cuddle with my cat for a bit. He believes that it's scientifically proven cuddling, and even a cat’s purr relieves stress and improves your mood :) After like 20 minutes of that, he gets his speaker ready and incense lit in the bathroom and draws a hot bath with epsom salt. For him that is PEAK relaxation and decompression.
Cameron Doane’s approach is a bit more scientific and he tries to incorporate these techniques into his life. If you have no time to relieve stress, a long audible sigh over 3 seconds for more than 2 times in a row. Here’s a study showing a bit more insight to why it works: https://stanmed.stanford.edu/cyclic-sighing-stress-relief/#:~:text=Cyclic%20sighers%20reported%20the%20greatest,with%20anxiety%20or%20mood%20disorders. If you have a bit more time he suggests meditation or praying and long non-sleep rests from between 5-20 minutes. Gratitude is super important as well, because as Tony Robbins says, “you can’t be grateful and upset at the same time.”
Syd, Kava Luv’s store manager, typically likes to cuddle with her cat flynn. Again cuddling is proven to improve your mood and help decompress your body. She focuses more on finding a happy place or escaping the day to day. So when she is stressed she will take a beach day. If she’s feeling really stressed she will go the extra mile and go on a day trip. These paths kind of take you out of the space of being stressed. It is great to remove yourself from a situation and come back with a clear mind.
When Laurelynn, our social media coordinator, gets overstimulated and stressed she has a plethora of things she likes to do. She will go on long drives and listen to music, or work on her art. Sometimes she goes to the beach because the sunlight is great for your overall wellness. She expressed that she will do chores, due to the feeling of cleanliness and accomplishment being really therapeutic. Keeping busy can be helpful, but we have to remember to also address our problems otherwise it can become ignored and force us into a less than savory place.
Now all these methods are great, but not everyone has the ability to do these things. Realistically our best bet when it comes to dealing with stress healthily is to have routine relaxation and to figure out what helps you calm down. You shouldn’t feel guilty for being stressed as it's a natural part of life. With all this being said, I want to impart some knowledge, self care isn’t a bad thing. You are the most important thing in your own life, and making sure you feel happy, healthy and less stressed are extremely important. So here’s to self care, less stress, and keeping the Luv alive.
