Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, once said, “Between stimulus and thought, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.”

And it's been shown that stress causes more wear on the body when associated with negative thoughts. Reframing your stress can create mental and physical resilience to any challenge that crosses your path.

So I created THIS HANDOUT for you to download and print out. It'll help you begin to recreate your stress stories and bring awareness around what you can and can't change.

GET IT HERE

If you loved this please comment below and let me know. Or if you want to share your NEW stress story with me, I'd love to hear it!

1. Limit time-wasting activities: Try this experiment, write down everything you do in a day. 35 minutes checking Instagram, 50 minutes catching up on RHOBH, 20 minutes picking out an outfit for the day. Don't alter your day to make you look good. Be honest with yourself and where you are spending your time. Take a look at it and I bet you'd be surprised at how many hours are spent on time-wasting activities. Try to cut them out for a week and voila! You will have saved yourself at least an hour of free time that you can dedicate to something more important. 
2. Incorporate a ritual: when you work from home your commute is as long as it takes you to walk downstairs to the kitchen to cook dinner. What works for me is to separate my work hours with a beginning and an end. That means setting designated times to sit down at my desk in the morning and close my laptop in the evening. And incorporating some kind of ritual to signify my body and mind that the day is done or getting starting. For me, that looks like working out, showering, and getting dressed in a cute outfit that I'd wear to a laid back work office environment. At the end of the day, I close my laptop and go downstairs to light a candle, turn on some music and change into my comfy clothes. A ritual helps turn off your work mode and helps your body unwind with predictable and concrete actions.
3. Set an auto-away on your laptop: this is soooo important. I used to check my emails 5+ times a day. But when I started to record how I was spending my time I found that most of it were browsing my inbox! No no no. So now I have an auto-responder with links to my website or services. And I check my email 2x a day. That's it. Once in the morning and once in the evening. 
4. Keep healthy snacks available: balance and health go hand in hand. When I know that I have a particularly eventful week ahead I stock up on quick snacks to keep me fueled throughout the day. That way I'm not picking up a chocolate donut at 3 pm. I think of all the foods I crave when I'm stuck at my desk; chocolate, ice cream, salty foods. And I swap them with better foods like grain-free granola, cashew yogurt, turkey sticks, sweet potato chips and lots of whole fruits. If you need something to snack on, you can't choose wrong!
5. Block out your calendar: do this a month ahead. It helps to have important dates written down beforehand. But then when you add those into the next month's calendar, go in with a black marker and block out one day a week for yourself. I mean scribble and fill the box in so that you can't write over it and it's obvious that those days are not to be messed with. Use that one day a week for whatever you choose (but not work). Maybe it's going to a museum with your hubby or taking the kids to the park. It's up to you to listen to your gut and decide.

And remember....there is NOONE that has it 100% figured out. You don't need to get it perfect, just get it started. I'd love to hear which one of these you're going to use this week! 

1. Add in calming techniques: meditation, yoga, and gratitude walks help alleviate stress and send signals to your second brain (your gut) that you are grounded and can take on what the day brings.
2. Revamp your diet: begin by writing down what you eat and how you feel for a week. Eliminate foods that aren’t making you feel amazing and swap ‘em with better options.
3. Focus on your digestion: think of rest and digest. In order for your gastric juices to absorb the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs...your gut needs time to rest.
4. Grow your wellness team: struggling with your mental health can feel v. lonely at times. What's helped me is building a wellness support team of people who are on my side. This includes therapists, close friends, holistic doctors, coaches, etc. People I can go to for various things I need help with.
5. Keep at least 2 days a week blocked in your calendar: when you're always focused on your goals and pleasing other people, you often forget to leave some time to yourself in your weekly schedule. As soon as you open your calendar, block out TWO days each week with a marker so you can't write over it. Those are days you will use to focus on your mental health. Fill these days with re-energizing activities like nature walks, reading a good book, going to therapy, visiting a local museum, etc.

I'd love to hear what tip you'll start with. Or maybe you're already doing some of these. Let's keep the convo going in the comments below!

1.Buy and pack WAY more snacks than you think you need.

I typically pack two bags full of snacks. That’s a little overboard. BUT it helps me feel supported when I can easily reach for something and know it’ll be good for my gut!

2.BYOM - Bring your own meal.

Research easy meals to pack on the go. I like things like Collard Green wraps or muffins that don’t require lots of napkins or cleanup. 😉

3.Make a commitment to eat veggies at every meal.

Order and cook veggies for every meal you eat. That might mean always asking the restaurant for a side of veggies because most places don’t give you enough! Remember 75% veggies is what you want to aim for.

4.Try to book a place that has a small kitchen or choose a healthy hotel.

You can research this ahead of time or call and ask what the offer. Some hotels now are super healthy and offer all kinds of options.

5.Plan out where you're eating ahead of time.

Frank and I do this for every trip. It takes the pressure off and lets us enjoy our vacations more. This past trip I did A LOT of research and found a vegan place in Nebraska. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had!

6.Bring a cooler.

You can buy one on Amazon that is easy to travel with. Use it to pack the things that are perishable like hard boiled eggs or your lunches! When you get to the hotel you can put it in the fridge to keep it cool and pack a Stasher bag with ice for the next day!

I hope you loved these tips and use them for your next trip. I promise it’ll make your life so much simpler and allow you to enjoy your vacation more without the stress of having an unhappy gut.