Cool as a Cucumber!

As the days of August get cooler and shorter, you can feel the panic and buzz in the air.

The stressors and triggers are different for kids, parents and teachers, and it’s important to care for your well-being. Here, we break down some tips and tricks to sail into the next few months stress free (or at least with less stress!) because life is way too fun to focus on the mess!

Advice for students…

• Just do your best, and stop worrying about it!! Whether it is schoolwork, gym class, a test or presentation, stop over-analyzing and worrying about it. Do your best and get on with it!

• Choose your clothes for the next day in the evening, so you don’t feel pressured in the mornings.

• Don Miguel Ruiz teaches that it’s critical to “not take anything personally.” This is easy to say when other kids are mean or exclude you from the circle, but try to avoid thinking that you are the problem. Be confident that you are amazing and don’t let your ego or anyone else tell you otherwise!

• Be Yourself!! Much of the stress of going to school is trying to fit in or look and act a certain way. Stop worrying about what others think and express yourself genuinely and truly.

• Stop eating candy and drinking sugar! Sugar impairs your brain’s ability to function properly and learn efficiently. Your reasoning skills and emotional stability will be much better off if you avoid pop, frosty’s, sugar, and candy, as well as foods that turn to sugar, like bread, rice and pasta.

Advice for parents…

• It’s all in the preparation! Take time to prepare for your week on Sunday afternoon. Prep lunches, chop veggies for quick snacks, and prep partial meals that can be ready to finish in the evenings for healthy dinners.

• Work as a team! Get your kids involved with meal prep, laundry and household chores. They will be happy that they know how to do these things in a few years when they go off to university or are living on their own! They will be very grateful to know how to care for themselves in the future.

• Take time for yourself and your marriage. Your partner comes first, before the children because once the kids have grown up and moved out, it would be nice if you were still in a happy relationship!! Have date nights; shower each other with affection and be available for each other.

• You are enough!! You are doing enough, being enough and you are an excellent parent. Stop with the guilt!!

• Make sure you take some personal time for just you! Read a book, do some guided visualization, have a glass of wine, a hot bath or spend time doing your favourite hobby. You will be refreshed and able to handle all of life’s to-do lists so much more easily if you make time for self-care.

Advice for teachers…

• Give yourself mini breaks throughout the day! Make time for a cup of tea, a mini-meditation and even an adventure in your favourite novel over lunch.

• Pack a nutrient dense lunch (aka a salad with lots of fruits, veggies and raw nuts/seeds added to it, or veggies and hummus or a veggie wrap) to fuel your day.

• Give yourself time to de-stress from the day before you get in your car to go home. Leave the issues at work. Try not to bring them home to your family.

• Engage a group of coworkers to have a power walk over lunch, or turn the music up in the lunch room and have a little dance party to chase the stresses of the day away. This will not only bolster community and new friendships at work, but it will give you some exercise, endorphins and enjoyment over lunch!

Universal Principle:

Practice the art of detachment! Ask yourself, “Will this matter in 5 years? If not, then don’t give it 5 minutes of thought now!”

Really, at the end of the day, most things that we tend to stress about really don’t matter. Begin to view stressful situations at a distance rather than becoming immersed in them.  This way you can have some perspective on the situation and choose your response, rather than just reacting.

With Sources From:

www.miguelruiz.com

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Jo-Anne Richardson, Registered Holistic Nutritionist & Energy Medicine Practitioner

Jo-Anne works with Fournier Homeopathic & Integrative Health to provide online education for clients and patients. Her interest in healthy, joyful living is demonstrated in her writing, coaching and teaching. Her goal is to improve the health of her community by empowering you with knowledge, support and new ideas.

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