Happy Wednesday, Friends! It's been absolutely way too long since my last installment, and I promise I'll get better with that! But yesterday, I took a trip to the dentist (one of my favorite things to do, actually) and while everything was in pretty excellent shape, my dentist noticed that there was evidence of me grinding my teeth.
Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering, "Why on Earth is Chasity sharing with us her tales of dental hygiene?" Well friend, because the grinding of teeth is usually directly connected to stress.
We love it, we hate it and some of us even thrive off of it — but the truth of the matter is that stress is unhealthy and can impact us in more ways than one. In that moment, sitting in the dentist chair, I had to sincerely think about the things that could (or do) mildly stress me out from time to time. The first thing that came to mind? Work.
Don't get me wrong -- I absolutely enjoy the work that I do. But as many social media strategists can tell you, our work does require us to be connected and "on" constantly. Interestingly enough, there was a recent study released that stated social media has more of an effect on women than men. Because so many of us stay glued to our iPhones, iPads and laptops, there's so surprise that we have the ability to internalize the things that we see as we scroll. And while I love my millennial generation dearly, we can sometimes have the tendency to jump to quickly to conclusions based on something we see on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. The second connection I made is that while I do work in social media, my primary field is public relations — which was listed as the 6th most stressful job in America by Forbes in 2014.
Some would think I'm doomed, but being the optimist that I am, I've come up with five ways you can de-stress after a long day of work:
1. Kick off your shoes and relax your feet — literally. I find myself heading straight to my computer as soon as I walk in my door, but there's so relieving about snatching off your shoes, throwing on some sweatpants and just sitting for a moment. I'm sure for many of us commuting to and from work is an adventure, so just take this personal moment to inhale and exhale.
2. Phone a friend or a family member. Once I've had a minute to catch up with myself, I always pick up the phone to chat with my mom, dad, and/or sisters. It's comforting to hear their voices, crack jokes and get the 4-1-1 on what happening in their lives. After chatting with them, I always feel re-energized and a bit calmer.
3. Read a book! Pour yourself a cup of tea (or in my case, a nice glass of wine) and pull out your favorite book. While it's tempting to watch TV for hours on end, we stare at screens all day and that's even more tiring for our eyes. Need suggestions for books to read? Peep my list of 15 Books For Millennials on 2015.
4. Write down your thoughts. I absolutely love to journal, and have been doing it since I was younger. I've collected so many cute notebooks over the years and just filled them with my thoughts, ideas and dreams. It's totally possible to get lost in yours thoughts by writing, and you'll be surprised how much better you feel once you've put everything on paper.
5. Exercise. Got a gym membership? Great! A favorite class to take at your local community center or dance studio? Even better. But because sometimes those things may be out of the way, I have learned to turn to YouTube for my daily workout. Cassey Ho of Blogilates as an encyclopedia of great workouts that range from 5 to 20 minutes. Not only is she encouraging, but she challenges you to push yourself in order to get the body you want! There's nothing like getting in a good work out before hitting the bed, and you'll sleep even better too!
So there you have it! How do you unwind after a long day at the office? Tweet me your methods, or leave a comment below!
— Chasity