When Sunday rolls around, do you stress out and find yourself getting anxious?

Maybe you feel like you can’t take a deep breath or you are walking in a bit of a fog?

Does it feel like the week ahead is overwhelming and you need ‘just ONE more day’?

If this is the case, you are not alone.

Many of us feel the blanket of stress start to cover us on Sundays.

While there are certain types of stress that are actually motivating and good for you, there are also not-so-good types of stress that can build up and take over your life if you let it.

I’ve spent years writing a zillion lists of to-do’s (I LOVE yellow sticky notes!). I find getting things out of my head and writing them down is very helpful, but I also needed to learn how to calm my nervous system down. I now turn to the help of natural remedies.

It’s helped me get to the root cause of my stress and I know it’ll help you too.

When you know what causes your stress and anxiety, you’ll be better able to recognize it and stop it from happening again in the future. Awareness IS the first step!

Here are some natural remedies that can help you reduce your stress:

1. Deep breathing techniques. Breathing deeply can work wonders when it comes to stress reduction. Your breathing is a connection between your conscious mind and the unconscious. When you’re stressed, you take more shallow and short breaths.

Counteract the stress, relax your body, and calm your mind with long, deep breaths. Inhale for 7 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 7 counts. This helps me tremendously. Not only does it pull you into the present, it also helps you calm your parasympathetic nervous system and ultimately calm you down.

2. Herbal remedies. Stress-reducing herbs include valerian, passionflower, and kava-kava. These remedies double as remedies for problems, such as insomnia and anxiety, because stress is the most common cause of these ailments. I love passionflower tea!

3. Watch what you put into your body. What you eat on a daily basis can directly affect the way you feel and have an impact on your stress levels. It’s important to eat nutritiously, maintain a balanced diet, and limit stimulating substances such as caffeine, especially later on in the day.

4. Make extra time for yourself. When you’re stressed, you may feel like there’s just not enough time in the day to accomplish everything that you’d like. This might lead you to cut out doing things for yourself even though they’re vitally important. Go out of your way to make extra time for yourself to reduce your stress and rejuvenate your mind and body. That might mean a walk outside or cruising the aisles of HomeGoods…kid-free! My favorite 🙂

5. Take a warm bath. A warm bath is a great natural way to leave the stresses of the day behind you. You can increase your bath’s stress-reducing benefits by experimenting with different aromatherapies through soaps, bath oils, or candles. This is my favorite Sunday ritual. I love adding a dash of lavender and ylang-ylang oils, as well as, a scoop of Epsom salts for the ultimate relaxing experience and best night’s sleep!

6. Break your routine with a relaxing activity. Try something new and bring in some excitement by breaking your routine to pursue a relaxing activity. It’s a great way to relieve your stress and breathe new life into a dull day. It doesn’t have to be a BIG activity that requires planning and coordinating. Just something that breaks your routine.

For me, a cup of tea and leisurely looking through one of the zillion Halloween/Holiday catalogs that are coming in the mail is, currently, my favorite break.

7. Maintain an exercise routine. Exercise is an excellent way to combat stress. Not only does it keep your body fit, it keeps your brain active. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain, which energize you and reduce your stress levels. A brisk walk can do the trick!

Try to get creative when it comes to discovering new ways to combat stress.

Your main goal is to avoid getting caught up in your stress. Rather than letting stress run your life, make the decision to be the one in charge.

You’ll soon be able to recognize when negative stress is taking over so you can turn to one of your natural remedies to banish it from your life for good!

Try one of the coping skills above and make the decision to not be a Sunday Stressor!