Top Tips To Relieve Stress with Calypso Barnum-Bobb
By Nikki Michelsen
Nov 4, 2022
Happy Stress Awareness Month to you all!
Stress is REAL. It can holt us in our tracks and make life feel hard AF. I like to call myself #burnoutsurvivor. For real though! I ignored my stress for months on end, constantly telling myself that things would get better when I was less busy. But the hard truth was, only I could control whether I was going to accept stress into my life or not and so I went on a quest to change the way I lived. Life doesn’t’ have too, nor should it be stressful for the majority of the time. You deserve a soft life and I’m here to help you figure out how to do that.
Here at my top 4 tips on how to deal with stress:
Do an Energy Check.
Write a list of the different areas of your life (some examples might be- Business/Career, Friends, Partner/Romance, Family, Fun, Health, Personal Growth) and mark them all out of 10. Where are you spending your energy right now? And where are you not? Spend some time making plans to level out your energy in areas you might be neglecting to help restore some balance in your life. The aim of the game isn’t to have all areas at 10/10 but recognising where you’re giving too much can help you make small changes that will help you restore some peace. Spending countless hours working? Take a day’s annual leave (or call in sick!) and spend some time out enjoying nature. Are you boozing too much? Take a break and prioritise rest and recovery for a couple of weeks and re-check in with yourself to see how you feel. Honesty x Compassion is the aim of the game here <3
Set some boundaries.
Yes… the dreaded B word. I went there. I know the thought of setting a boundary if you haven’t ever before can be daunting. Trust meh. I’ve been there! BUT hear me out. You need to protect your energy in order to show up in the world as the highest version of you. Nothing changes unless something changes. Once you’ve done an Energy Check, decide who you need to set boundaries with, communicate them and stick to them. Are you working 8-7 even though your hours are 9-5? I’m going to give you the hard but loving truth right now, so buckle up. YOU are the only person that is in control of stopping that. I’ve had the most demanding boss in the world (whewww childddd) and for months on end I would complain to my partner and friends about how hard she was working me. And then one day I woke up and realised, SHE was never going to change or put a stop to this. So, if it was affecting my health (yes- stress DOES affect your health!), I had too. What changes need to happen in order for you to feel full again? Be kind to yourself in the process and remember that even if those changes feel hard right now, life is going to feel way better in the long run once you’ve made them.
Check your vitals.
This one sounds simple but is honestly so important. Have you been looking after yourself? Are you fed and watered? Have you moved your body in a while? Whether that’s a morning walk, gym sesh or just dancing around you living room to your fave tunes? Have you breathed today? But I mean, like taken an actual deep, conscious breath. Are you sleeping for 8 hours a night? I have a little checklist in the front of my notebook which I call my Non-Negotiables. They’re all pretty simple like I’ve listed above, but whenever I’m feeling stressed I take a read over the list and check-in with myself to see whether I’m looking after my basic needs. If I haven’t, I do them right away and if I have, I know I need to make a change and I do that too.
Have a self-love date day.
These are my FAVOURITE. Pick a day and dedicate it to yourself and no one else! I love to run myself a bath, put my phone on airplane mode, eat something yummy and just chill the F out!!! The on cloud 9 bundle has got you sorted for an absolute ✨bliss✨ day dedicated to you. bath bomb- check, cbd oil - check, chocolate bar - check! I’m there mate.
Written by Calypso Barnum-Bobb, a self-discovery coach who helps spiritually curious babes discover their purpose, unleash self-confidence and live their dream life. Calypso is also our in-house happiness consultant over at the drop, our dedicated online space for every ohne babe. Follow Calypso's work on IG here.
Image credit: @calypsobarnumbobb
