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Do you feel like you are constantly chasing your tail with everything on your to-do list?
Life seems to have a way of throwing at least a million things at you at once, and the result can be stress, burnout, anxiety, a lack of sleep, and many other things that negatively affect you.
When was the last time you took a breath? I don’t mean that little shallow breath that is keeping you alive—I mean an actual, DEEP breath. You don’t remember the last time? Well, let’s try it now. Inhale…hold it…exhale.
Alright, now here are some ways that you can catch your breath when life gets crazy.
Tips to Help You Catch Your Breath
Meditate
Meditation does not have to be this serious thing that you have to be perfect at right away. No way!
Meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes and taking some deep breaths.
There are also many meditation apps that you can use if you want to do a guided meditation.
I highly recommend Insight Timer and Headspace. They both have guided meditations of different lengths of time on various subjects.
Meditation will help you to become more present, more focused, and more relaxed.
Go for a walk or run
Exercise does wonders for the mind and body, but there is something extremely special about going for a walk or a run outside.
Fresh air is SO good for the soul.
Take some time to yourself and bring along your favorite music or podcast to listen to.
Get some exercise, get some fresh air, and I ensure you will be able to catch your breath (unless you’re running too fast!).
Make a list of things you are grateful for
Sometimes reminding ourselves what we are grateful for helps bring us to relax when we are feeling overwhelmed.
Take out a piece of paper, and start jotting down the things you are grateful for.
This is a great habit to get into first thing in the morning, as it starts your day with gratitude.
The items on your list can be big things, like family and your health, or they can be minor things, like hot coffee and fuzzy socks.
Keep this list close to you, and read over it when you can’t seem to catch your breath.
Dance it out
Our bodies were made to move, and our bodies were made to dance.
Dancing just makes you feel good! I don’t even care if you can’t dance.
DO IT ANYWAY.
Turn that music up loud and dance!
Don’t want to be alone? Host a dance party on Zoom with all your friends—I bet they could use it too! It will boost your mood no matter how crazy you look.
Call a family member or friend to catch up
Sometimes you just have to be reminded that you aren’t alone.
Talking to a loved one can make you feel better and remind you that you have lots of people in your corner, cheering you on.
Reaching out to family members or friends can really boost your spirits when you are stressed. It’s always good to tell funny stories from the past and have one of those good belly laughs that only loved ones can inspire.
Cook a healthy, fresh meal
When was the last time you made yourself a healthy, fresh meal?
If you do it every day then hey, good for you!
However for many people, sometimes you just need to eat whatever is the quickest.
Try cooking yourself a healthy and fresh meal. I am not saying you need to grow everything yourself in your own personal garden, but pick out some fresh fruits and vegetables and whip up something that will make you feel good, inside and out.
Listen to relaxing music
My personal favorite relaxing music to listen to is ocean waves. Come on people, who is stressed when they are listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore? No one! You can also listen to jazz, classical, or really any music that will help you relax.
Music is a powerful tool, so make sure you use it!
Take a yoga class
Again, you don’t have to be good or flexible to take a yoga class.
Yoga was designed to center you, make you feel more present, and relax you, just like meditation.
You can look up poses or free flows or classes online.
Hold some poses, take some of those deep breaths we talked about, and feel your worries go away.
Related Reads:
- 5 Mindfulness Breathing Exercises to Ground Yourself
- Why You Should Take Yourself on a Solo Date as Self-Care
Play with a dog
Alright, I don’t think this one REALLY needs any sort of explanation, but I will give one anyway.
Dogs are soft and floofy and love you unconditionally—just the way you should be loved!
Petting dogs reduces your stress levels. It is a known fact.
Watch one of your favorite movies
Take a BREAK.
Turn on Netflix with your friends or significant other, and have a movie night. Sometimes just watching a good old rom-com can distract you from everything else going on in your life.
When you are watching the movie, be all in. Don’t let other thoughts consume you, and just enjoy what you are doing at the moment.
Take a self-care day
Self-care should be a part of your routine every single day, but sometimes we need a little more than just a half-hour or so.
Try taking an entire self-care DAY. Yeah, I said it. Pencil it into your calendar, so you do not make any other plans during that time.
Take a whole day to yourself.
Go get a massage, do a face mask, take a bubble bath, open a bottle of wine, and watch a movie.
Do whatever makes you happy!
Sometimes a day is all we need to reset, recharge, and feel our absolute best.
Before You Go
Alright, did you find it?
Were you able to catch your breath?
I hope the answer was yes but if not, keep trying different things on the list. One of these will surely do the trick for you.
Michelle Gagliani
Owner & Founder
Michelle is the Founder of The Balanced CEO and a Holistic Nutritionist + Health Coach. She was born and raised in St.Thomas, U.S.V.I., and is currently living in Austin, TX. When she’s not running this blog and online business, she is cozied up at home watching TV, taking long walks in nature, or trying out new healthy recipes.
Very helpful tips, I love the descriptions you include because it makes me extra motivated to actually do these activities and not just read about them. Thanks!!
I am so happy to hear that. Thanks Madelyn š
i often find zipping out for a walk makes a big difference. A lot of that lately LOL
It sure does Jen! I love walking and breathing in fresh air.
An entire self care day!! Sign me up. Haha
LOL! ???? I am right there with you Debbie!
Great tips!
Thank you Karie!!
Music is a big one for me. It can take me away! It is so important to remain unemotional too.
I agree Tricia!
So many great tips! I do most of them myself. I especially love what you said about enjoying what you are doing in the moment. Hard to forget sometimes.
That is awesome you do most of them already Abbie! Yeah I agree sometimes we really do just need to take in the moment.
Thanks for the reminders. I make a list of blessings before I go to sleep – helps me start out the night without fretting. Morning time is good as well. I love to have music on and it definitely changes my mood and energy level. Thanks.
That is awesome you do that before bed. Have you checked out the 5 Minute Journal?
Dancing is my favorite! As long as I have good music, I’m in a good mood š
It sure makes you feel free…doesn’t it?
All great tips – certainly have to bring it back down and focus on yourself when things get crazy!
Agreed and thanks Tiffany!
Running is my go-to every time. It is how I deal with everything.
Love to hear that Heather!
This is such a great resource for so many people. Thank you for sharing!
????ļø Thank you Jaclyn! Appreciate that!
These are all great tips. I like to exercise, it makes me forget and helps me manage!
I feel the say way Lisa!
I am loving your blog! I also love Insight Timer .. it taught me how to meditate. That and gratitude journaling are part of my morning routine.
????ļø Thank you Shaunna! That is awesome to hear. I love gratitude journaling in the morning too! Definitely sets my intention for the day.
I love all these suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading Candy!! š
Wonderful tips and advice! I meditate daily and without my dogs my life would be incomplete.. I have to have fur babies
Aren’t they the best? Thanks for reading Holly!
Thanks for the ideas!
Anytime Barbara š
Very good ideas to keep in mind. Always a great idea to do stuff for our own well being.
Always. Thanks Lori!! š
First of all I love the look and color scheme of your blog! Also these are great ideas, especially with so many people being stuck at home right now. I try to do a lot of these as much as possible and they really do wonders!
Ahh thank you Eva!! ????ļø It took a lot of back and forth with myself to get the right colors so I really appreciate that! Happy to hear you do a lot of these and it helps you š
Great suggestions. I’ve been really into meditation and deep breathing techniques when I get stressed out lately. It’s helped so much!
Glad it has helped you Kendra! It definitely helps me too. Thanks for sharing!
Great ideas! We all need to relax.
We sure do Alice!
These are wonderful suggestions! Iāve just created a meditation corner in my flower garden for catching my breath!
That sounds so tranquil Cindy!
Great suggestions! Yoga & meditation daily here and cannot recommend it enough to all.
Awesome and same here Suzan! š
We have 5 kids,so I really get the need to find stress release! A walk or a dance party are my favorites. Nice list!
Wow 5 kids!! Nice! Thanks for sharing Julia! š
One of my favorite things to do is to sit down with a good book and get immersed in another world for a while. I hadn’t been making time to do this and it was starting to show in my level of stress and anxiety. But since we’ve been quarantined at home I’ve finished 2 books and am in the middle of 2 more, and it’s making such a difference in how I feel.
I am glad to hear you were able to start back reading Sara and it sounds like it has helped you greatly š
Going for a walk is my favorite tip. Something about nature just clears my mind and grounds me.
YES! I agree with you Santana! Thank you for sharing your favorite tip! š
Great thoughts! I can’t wait to get a dog (hopefully once our house is built!), but I also agree with dancing it out. I love dancing and singing to some Disney songs with my infant son xD
Aw that sounds so cute! Good luck on building your new house Sydney!
Great tips!! Dancing in my favorite way to release and catch my breath! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading Shirley! š
Love your post! Walking the dog and practicing Yoga are two essential parts of my life. So needed for self care.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing Sandi!
These are great tips! Self-care is so important especially during these times.
Thanks Lina! Yes! It definitely is!
These are great self-care and and refocusing tips.
Thank you, Cindy! ????
Such good reminders. I have found going for a walk has been so good for my soul.
Same here! Thank you for sharing Lisa!
This quarantine has done so much for my self-care. My dad always warned me to slow down and take time to breathe. It will be really hard to go back to my old pace after this. I’m trying hard to make new healthy habits that will stick with me.
Hey Charlene! I am glad to hear some good came out of this situation. ????
I make sure to write what I am grateful for, every day. I love this list! Thank you!
That is awesome Hillari! Thank you!!
This is a great list! I think I can add one more…SING. Now to make time to just DO it! š
Love that suggestion Ruth!
I constantly use the breathe deep method to calm down. It helps re-center my mind and body and think before acting. The one thing I could use is a self-care day but that is hard to do right now with an almost 2 year old running around.
That is so awesome that you use the breathe deep method, Stephanie. It makes such a difference, doesn’t it?