Kathiey's World

Need Stress Relief? Try Taking a Bath. Life has a way of piling things on. Work, relationships, responsibilities, the nonstop mental chatter that follows you from room to room. We all need a release valve, and most of us are looking for one that does not require a gym membership or an hour we do not have. I am not typically a bath person. Showers have always been my go-to. But when I started reading about the therapeutic benefits of a warm bath, I was genuinely surprised. The research is real, and the benefits go deeper than just relaxing your muscles.   What a Warm Bath Actually Does for You Before I tried this myself, I did some reading. Here is what I found: Improves your mood  and acts as a natural mood booster Reduces stress and anxiety , giving your nervous system a chance to downshift Releases muscle tension and soreness , making your whole body feel looser and lighter Helps you fall asleep  more easily afterward Stimulates circulation  and calms the nervous s...

 Let's continue our series on Self-Care and Stress Relief.   Today, let's take a look at Stress Relief and Music. Music can make us feel good...listening to the right music can change our mood. Listening to music can stimulate dopamine in our brain, also known as the feel-good hormone in our body.  Music can be used as a therapeutic tool to reduce stress, promote healing, and improve one’s overall emotional well-being. "In addition to helping human beings experience positive emotions, listening to music has also been associated with improving our physical health and well-being." Michiagan State University The ability to listen to music is available to nearly everyone.  It is usually low cost, and there is a genre for everyone. "Contemporary research suggests music has significant power to help reduce stress and anxiety, relieve pain, and improve focus, among many more benefits." Psych Central Music affects us both mentally and physically. According to a  stu...

  Stress Relief Can Be Found in the Flowers I do love flowers. I have spent much time at Garden Centers and Parks taking photos of flowers. I find it very relaxing to immerse myself in the environment of the flower gardens. I found peace among the beautiful plants, and some of the stress in my life was relieved.  I found this quote on Stress To Strength that says-  "A major study at Harvard University indicates that flowers are a natural stress reliever." I found another statement about flowers and stress relief on Ellison Chair .  Having flowers around the home and office greatly improves people's moods and reduces the likelihood of stress-related depression. Flowers and ornamental plants increase positive energy levels and help people feel secure and relaxed. How can we incorporate flowers into our lives?   Visit Local Gardens: One place I loved to take flower photos was Duke Gardens in Durham, NC. Nothing is nicer than to stroll through the lovely and well-l...

I believe that taking the time to take care of ourselves can help us relax and reduce our stress.  I found this thought backed up online, and according to Amherst College "taking care of yourself will help maintain your physical, emotional, and mental reserves to prevent and manage stress. So to take care of myself this week, I decided to get a pedicure. The pool in my community just opened, and sandal weather is here, so I thought this would be a good idea on many levels. Some studies say that stress relief can keep you healthy and boost your mindset and energy levels. One way to achieve a level of stress relief is through self-care.  One way for us to care for ourselves is by getting a pedicure. The environment itself in a spa should be calm and relaxing. Typically there is calming music, and the visual surroundings should be warm and peaceful. Along with the spa setting, there are typically options for scented treatments.  This enhances our experience through aromathe...

Need Stress Relief?  Try Decluttering Your Space. I had read about how decluttering can decrease chaos not only physically but emotionally. I just moved to a new location, and in the process of the move and downsizing, I found that my new place is not yet organized, and this disorder made me feel stressed. I decided to remedy the situation. My dining room Day 1… So why does clutter make us stressed, and a clean environment makes us more peaceful? Let’s find out. Why clutter can be stressful... Clutter can lead to fatigue and even depression. Clutter can lead to decreased focus, confusion, and tension. Clutter can make you feel you have lost control. Clutter can lead to stress. Clutter can make you feel overwhelmed Reasons why decluttering can make you more content and less stressed… Less clutter helps you to focus. A clean environment can help you relax because there are fewer distractions. Decluttering can help you sleep better because of the relaxing environment. When you come h...

The stress levels that we experience can directly affect our physical, emotional, and mental health.  Divorce is listed as one of the most stressful events in a person's life.  Having experienced the pain and stress of divorce, I decided I would look for some ways to decrease the effects of stress in my life.  Here is one suggested way. Enjoy some time in the Sun.   I came across a site that said if you want to achieve some level of stress relief in your life that you should give sitting in the sun a try.  I know what you are thinking, I may get sunburned, the sun is not really good for my skin,  I may get hot and sweaty, and I too have to worry about skin cancer. Yes, all of those are legitimate worries but I believe that most things done in moderation can be a good thing. The Pain Relief Center says that the sun gives you healthier skin, encourages your brain to release chemicals that help you feel better, and reduces stress. A positive effect of sunligh...

 I started a series several years ago called Stress Relief and Self-Care. I want to include self-care in this series because, by taking care of ourselves, we can decrease our stress, at least for a moment. There are many times in our lives when we need stress relief. Divorce ranks high on the stress meter. Let's begin a monthly series to help us find ways to not only care for ourselves but, in the process, decrease our stress. Here is a quote that I found... "The Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale indicates that divorce is the second highest stressor  for humans, second only to the death of a spouse."    I disagree because divorce is like a death, only it is intentional, whereas death is usually not. So, I believe divorce can be an intent to harm, so it is more painful than death with no intent to harm. Knowing that stress can make you sick in both mind and body, I will explore stress relief techniques and self-care ideas that can help us lead a more calm and stress-free life....

Divorce and Stress. The stress of divorce ranks second on many stress scales, just behind the death of a spouse.  I disagree with it being second because I see an unwanted divorce as "like a death but with intent."  Stress can have many adverse effects on your life and your health.  With this in mind, I will be doing a series on stress relief to see if we can at least diminish the stress and anxiety accompanying separation and divorce. There is something relaxing about taking a hike outside on a nice day.  Feeling the cool breeze and warm sun on your face as you surround yourself with the beauty of the countryside has a calming effect, at least on me. As I was looking for ways to relieve stress, I found that many believe that hiking is one way of doing just that.  Here are a few things I found as I was researching this topic. When you hike, you get the health benefits of exercise, such as increasing muscle mass, improving balance, and good heart health. P...