“The Struggle”
Monday is a cycle. You wake up and it’s Monday. You go to sleep and guess what? It’s Monday. How can we break that cycle? Because let’s be honest Monday is just not “it”. When you let the Monday blues build up all week, you can find yourself entering what I like to call “the struggle”.
My struggle looks like one of two scenarios. The first one involves me angrily lashing out at my boyfriend, and the occasional customer at work, for essentially no reason. When stress builds up we tend to take it out on others, sometimes all at once. It isn’t a good look, but thankfully it can be avoided. The second scenario involves me still in bed at noon, making the decision to give up despite three different deadlines for classes and work. Thankfully there happens to be a solution. There are a few solutions actually.
Here’s the breakdown for the best ways to decompress and let out all that stress:
Bath- time
I know it sounds simple, but a bath could change your whole mood. I try and take a bubble bath at least once a week. I put in epsom salt with lavender to relax my muscles, and bubble bath soap that smells good. I like bubble baths because playing with the bubbles can be real fun. Sometimes you need something simple and easy to distract your mind from all the things you have going on. I recommend taking a bath right before you go to bed.
Music!
If you live in NYC you can find musicians all over the place. Sitting outside and taking it all in is an amazing vibe. Getting lost in music can be super helpful. If live street performances aren’t as accessible because you live somewhere that is more rural or suburban, you could always enjoy a musical experience through the use of your headphones. Try taking a walk through somewhere scenic while listening to music that makes you feel happy. Prefer staying home? Crack open a window, put on some instrumental music, and just lay down with a book. However you do it, music can help you escape for a while and can even be healing.
Cooking Alone
Pick a comfort food recipe. For an extra sense of comfort I suggest you get into your underwear or PJs. It may sound a bit weird, but it’s so freeing. Gather your ingredients and get going. Chop away all that stress. Simmer away the anger. Put on your favorite dance album and get moving. At the end you’ll have a delicious meal and your body will thank you. Don’t forget to take a picture of your meal for your socials.
Meditation
People have practiced meditation for over 5,000 years. Why? Because it really works. The best part is how accessible it is to the world today. There are a few apps that are super helpful for meditation such as Calm, Insight Timer, and Unplug. I have used calm and it happens to be my favorite. Just 5-10 minutes of meditation a day can change your life. You will feel less stressed and become more mindful of when you need to take a deep breath once you make meditation a part of your life.
So, I have shared with you a few ways to unwind. Whatever you choose to add to your decompression “toolbox” is up to you. All these things work well, and many other things can work well for you too. The number one thing to remember is to take a deep breath. Things will always level out if you allow them to run their course.
P.S.
As recommended by my best friend, a bonus method to decompressing is going outside and throwing expired eggs at trees.
