Don't Become Bridezilla, 3 Ways to Manage Stress Before Your Wedding
Marriage is one of the most exciting times in a person’s life, and it can also be one of the most stressful. According to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, a new marriage ranks in the top 10 of the most stressful life events -- up there with moving, a new job or a death in the family.
Many times, it is the bride-to-be who shoulders much of the planning of the wedding itself and her stress, which comes on top of the day-to-day family and job stress, can erupt in Bridezilla-like behaviors.
And while stress is unavoidable, every bride does have the power to manage her own reaction to it. And through managing her stress she can minimize the harmful effect cortisone - the stress hormone - has on her body...and avoid turning into a Bridezilla.
If you are a bride-to-be (or if you know a bride-to-be struggling with the stress) here are a 3 ways to manage your stress in order to keep Bridezilla at bay.
Make Time to Exercise
Your schedule is extra busy now with wedding planning and dress shopping, and it’s now more important than ever to make time for exercise. And it’s not just for the benefit of losing weight before the big day -- it’s because exercise helps you manage stress. The rush of endorphins and boost in mood that comes from just 20 minutes of exercise can be enough to help you manage your stress.
Quick, effective (and dare I say, fun) online workout videos are a great way to start your busy day off right in your own living room. Or explore online yoga videos which will help you both move your body and relax your mind before heading off to bed
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is important all the time and especially important during times of high stress. Getting the recommended 7 hours a night keeps you happier, healthier and you are better able to manage your reactions to adverse events so you can avoid your friends and family seeing you as a Bridezilla monster.
Unfortunately, stress and anxiety are the biggest causes of insomnia! So you may find that during your wedding planning you start to have trouble falling asleep even if you never had an issue before. To avoid this, familiarize yourself with the best practices around falling asleep faster, including allowing yourself a 60 minute wind down, getting regular exercise and wearing socks to bed.
Start to Meditate
Meditation is a great way to manage stress and to manage your reactions to stressful situations. Science as shown there are many health benefits of meditation including lower blood pressure, less inflammation and pain management, just to name a few. In fact, a regular meditation practice helps to shrink your “lizard brain” (the amygdala) and the areas of your brain associated with higher order thinking like concentration and decision making, becomes thicker. This benefit to your brain is seen after just 8 weeks -- so today is a great place to start.
Don’t feel nervous if you have never meditated before because if you can listen and follow directions, you can do guided meditation. Some guided meditations are more spiritual, like Fostering Mindfulness series with davidji, while others are more practical, like RELAX with Andrew Johnson - it’s just a matter of trying a few different ones out and learning what works best for you.
Your friends and family don’t want to see Bridezilla come out, so keep these 3 tips in mind to keep the stress down and the happy anticipation up!
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3 Easy Steps to Your New Meditation Habit
Marriage is one of the most exciting times in a person’s life, and it can also be one of the most stressful. According to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, a new marriage ranks in the top 10 of the most stressful life events -- up there with moving, a new job or a death in the family.
Many times, it is the bride-to-be who shoulders much of the planning of the wedding itself and her stress, which comes on top of the day-to-day family and job stress, can erupt in Bridezilla-like behaviors.
And while stress is unavoidable, every bride does have the power to manage her own reaction to it. And through managing her stress she can minimize the harmful effect cortisone - the stress hormone - has on her body...and avoid turning into a Bridezilla.
If you are a bride-to-be (or if you know a bride-to-be struggling with the stress) here are a 3 ways to manage your stress in order to keep Bridezilla at bay.
Make Time to Exercise
Your schedule is extra busy now with wedding planning and dress shopping, and it’s now more important than ever to make time for exercise. And it’s not just for the benefit of losing weight before the big day -- it’s because exercise helps you manage stress. The rush of endorphins and boost in mood that comes from just 20 minutes of exercise can be enough to help you manage your stress.
Quick, effective (and dare I say, fun) online workout videos are a great way to start your busy day off right in your own living room. Or explore online yoga videos which will help you both move your body and relax your mind before heading off to bed
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is important all the time and especially important during times of high stress. Getting the recommended 7 hours a night keeps you happier, healthier and you are better able to manage your reactions to adverse events so you can avoid your friends and family seeing you as a Bridezilla monster.
Unfortunately, stress and anxiety are the biggest causes of insomnia! So you may find that during your wedding planning you start to have trouble falling asleep even if you never had an issue before. To avoid this, familiarize yourself with the best practices around falling asleep faster, including allowing yourself a 60 minute wind down, getting regular exercise and wearing socks to bed.
Start to Meditate
Meditation is a great way to manage stress and to manage your reactions to stressful situations. Science as shown there are many health benefits of meditation including lower blood pressure, less inflammation and pain management, just to name a few. In fact, a regular meditation practice helps to shrink your “lizard brain” (the amygdala) and the areas of your brain associated with higher order thinking like concentration and decision making, becomes thicker. This benefit to your brain is seen after just 8 weeks -- so today is a great place to start.
Don’t feel nervous if you have never meditated before because if you can listen and follow directions, you can do guided meditation. Some guided meditations are more spiritual, like Fostering Mindfulness series with davidji, while others are more practical, like RELAX with Andrew Johnson - it’s just a matter of trying a few different ones out and learning what works best for you.
Your friends and family don’t want to see Bridezilla come out, so keep these 3 tips in mind to keep the stress down and the happy anticipation up!
Related Posts
3 Easy Steps to Your New Meditation Habit