Today might be the high point in stress and anxiety for me, like many people around the country. We’re waiting to see the outcome of the election, my kids are supposed to start back at hybrid school in two weeks and the school board is meeting today to make a final decision, it’s the end of the first quarter so the girls have all kinds of test and projects that are due, and I’m already stressing about silly things for the holidays like getting my Christmas cards ordered in time. I barely slept last night because I couldn’t shut my brain off, so I knew that I would have to manage my day well to make it through today without eating all of the Halloween candy in the house or injuring my neck, which is what tends to happen to me when I get too stressed.

Here’s some expert advice and how I’m planning to implement it today:

Get Outside:

I started off with a walk outside with Trucks. We only went two miles, but I’ve read so much about how just getting outside lowers your cortisol levels, and it was so nice to get out, listen to a podcast and check out the changing colors of the leaves on the trees.

Exercise

Once I got the kids settled into school, I snuck down to the basement to do a quick workout because nothing creates endorphins and releases stress like moving your body. I alternate between Melissa Wood Health if I want something slower and calmer and Amanda Kloots if I want something more intense. Today I felt like I needed something that would exhaust my body and get the tension out, so I put on some loud music and jumped around to a 40 minute Amanda Kloots and it felt great.

Cleaning and Organizing

Once we make it through online learning today, I’m totally planning on cleaning and organizing. Having even one drawer perfectly organized and edited makes me feel like I have a much better handle on life. This article about how cleaning is very meditative and calming makes me feel like I’m not crazy about this-it’s a real thing and why so many people have enjoyed Marie Kondo-ing their lives or organized their pantries in rainbow color like the Home Edit.

Cooking Healthy-ish Comfort Food

For dinner tonight, I’m definitely going to want something cozy and easy. I’ll probably do one of the Half-Baked Harvest recipes that feel like take out, but are a little healthier. She has so many good options for those kind of recipes, like the Weeknight Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken Meatballs in the picture above, or the Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken and Brussel Sprouts, and the Weeknight Sesame Teriyaki Chicken with Ginger Rice. If you want to read more about how comfort food works, this was a great article that I found.

After that, I’m planning to have a cocktail, watch a show and go to bed early! Hopefully when we wake up tomorrow, things will feel better.