Wellness
4 Simple Strategies to De-Stress
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Stress. Everyone has it—and it’s a seemingly universal consensus that we all want a whole lot less of it. That’s why we’re all about eliminating that pesky visitor.
It all starts with alignment. Most people think they are stressed from being too busy, but the reality is they are unaligned. When we are aligned, it really doesn’t matter how busy we are because our time is spent productively. In this case, productive means in alignment with our goals, our values, and our authentic selves. When we aren’t spending our energy in ways that align accordingly, resistance builds.
To reduce stress, we first want to observe if energy is being blocked or if we are “busy-ing” ourselves, rather than using our time and energy meaningfully. Important side note:”meaningfully” looks different for everyone and will change for each of us in different phases of our lives.
Here are four ways to be better aligned and less stressed:
Elimination.
Eliminate conversations, foods, choices, and decisions that come from a place of “should.” These typically come from guilt, shame, worry, fear, comparison, and lack. We can’t grow in these spaces and energy spent there is energy away from growth.
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Elimination.
Eliminate conversations, foods, choices, and decisions that come from a place of “should.” These typically come from guilt, shame, worry, fear, comparison, and lack. We can’t grow in these spaces and energy spent there is energy away from growth.
Communicate clearly.
Too often we are afraid to assert our needs, expectations, goals, or perspective or we assume others know what they are. Remember, people aren’t mind readers. So, if there is something you want to accomplish or a boundary that you want observed; communicate it. This can actually be a great way to build and strengthen relationships—whether personal or professional.
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Communicate clearly.
Too often we are afraid to assert our needs, expectations, goals, or perspective or we assume others know what they are. Remember, people aren’t mind readers. So, if there is something you want to accomplish or a boundary that you want observed; communicate it. This can actually be a great way to build and strengthen relationships—whether personal or professional.
Think beyond the moment.
Take a step back (or two) and remember; nothing is urgent unless we attach urgency to it. Think big picture. How does this relate to your authentic goals and values? Does this need to be top priority? Or does something else better align with what you want and need? Getting out of the moment prevents kinks and prevents damage control down the road.
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Think beyond the moment.
Take a step back (or two) and remember; nothing is urgent unless we attach urgency to it. Think big picture. How does this relate to your authentic goals and values? Does this need to be top priority? Or does something else better align with what you want and need? Getting out of the moment prevents kinks and prevents damage control down the road.
Quiet your mind.
Try to dedicate three minutes to yourself each day, without your phone. Maybe it’s in the shower, in bed before you get up, in the car, on the train, during a run. Just find 180 seconds to check your alignment. Is how you are spending your time, your thoughts, and your energy aligned for you? If not, what can you shift? Watch how your life can change from just three minutes a day.
Want more wellness tips? Check out Move with Mooch and Mel, and follow them at @move.withmm on Instagram!
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Quiet your mind.
Try to dedicate three minutes to yourself each day, without your phone. Maybe it’s in the shower, in bed before you get up, in the car, on the train, during a run. Just find 180 seconds to check your alignment. Is how you are spending your time, your thoughts, and your energy aligned for you? If not, what can you shift? Watch how your life can change from just three minutes a day.
Want more wellness tips? Check out Move with Mooch and Mel, and follow them at @move.withmm on Instagram!
Fitness
Why I’m Stoked Surfing Will Debut in the Olympics
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For the first time ever, the globe will be watching surfing take center stage at the 2020 (postponed to July 2021) Olympics. People from all over the world will be appreciating the sport, many for the first time.
This symbolizes the surfing community breaking through centuries of negative stereotypes. Though conditions play a big part in the sport, the biggest hurdle the athletes will have to overcome to see success is mental. The winner will be the one who chooses their waves wisely with their understanding of the conditions and ability to intimidate and therefore overcome components. Meanwhile, they will be challenging themselves to emerge from crashing barrels, fly into the air, and land on the shifting surface gracefully. No big deal.
You’ve probably heard the invention of a wave pool, which creates the perfect man-made wave. In 2007, Kelly Slater founded his wave company with a passion to build the perfectly rideable wave at his surf ranch. It was debated whether the Olympics should be held in the ocean or on a manufactured wave, with many differing opinions on what would be right. The decision was made, and the event will take place in the sea, at Tsurigasaki Beach in Japan, about 40 miles east of Tokyo, where the rest of the 2021 games will be hosted.
As you watch, take a moment to reflect on the century of effort for this to happen. This initiative can be traced all the way back to the 1912 summer games that took place in Stockholm. Duke Kahanamoku, known as the father of modern surfing, won three gold medals in swimming, and while accepting his medal, he expressed that it was his dream to see surfing be added. To add fuel to the fire, International Surfing Association, recognized as the surfing world's governing authority by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), began lobbying for the inclusion of surfing in the Olympics in 1955.
The magic of surfing
Surfing is a multidimensional sport unlike any other. Nothing compares to paddling out to the serene silence that awaits beyond the breaking waves. Once you get out there, you immediately escape the many annoyances ingrained in everyday life—the constant notifications on your phone and laptop, your back-to-back schedule, answering to other people. You’re no longer on the time that your watch reads, you’re on mother nature’s time. You’re also no longer in control of your surroundings. Now, all you can do is surrender and wait for the next set to come, while trying to position yourself for when it does.
The high from catching the perfect wave is so addicting that surfers would fail on one hundred in a row just to catch that one. After you catch that perfect one, you replay it in your mind for the rest of the day.
A successful session is reliant on so many factors of mother nature—a force way bigger than us. For ideal conditions to exist, a good-sized swell must approach from the right direction, the wind must be flowing offshore, and you have to time your session right with the ebb and flow of the tide.
The sport is always teaching you life lessons. It is humbling, even if you’ve been practicing it for many years. One reason why it takes so long to master is that the conditions are going to be different every time you get out there. You might have caught a million yesterday, but today makes you feel like a kook because you can’t land one decent wave.
The community of people that you become a part of when you surf is special. A shared obsession with the ocean that brings you to dive into the water at dawn to get a session in bonds you quick. When you’re out there, you’ll find yourself interacting with people of all ages and backgrounds. People enjoy sharing the stoke of the sport. When you see someone out there teaching somebody new, you’ll encounter them cheering at the top of their lungs when they catch a good wave, and as you look around, you’ll see smiles all across the lineup. The other day, I caught a long wave in to be met with a cheering crowd of locals who frequent the spot that I do. When I got to shore, a local showed me their secret stash of hot packs to access in case I, or someone else, gets stung by a stingray when they aren’t around.
Being out in the ocean and abiding by her rules gives surfers a deep love and connection to nature. It’s common to see sea animals out there, like dolphins, stingrays, and fish. When you have an encounter, it’s a reminder that we are invading their territory. It sucks when you see trash floating in the water, or on the sand in its route to the water. It’s a sad reminder of the negative impact that humans can have on natural environments. It inspires you to pick up trash and advocate for sustainability so that we, as a collective, can take care of the beauty that we are lucky to have access to.
Tune in to see surfing break into the biggest international sporting event in the world beginning on Saturday, July 24th.
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