One of those days

I'm sitting here at lunch listing to relaxation music. Why? Well, I'm having one of those days at my day job and I needed to walk away. It's important to know when you've had enough and more  important to acknowledge those feelings. 

Photo Credit: koratmember

I strongly believe that being kind to yourself leads to being kind to others. I have more patience when I take that time out. 

Stress is a fact of life so we might as well learn to work it out of our system. Sometimes it's not always possible to physically remove yourself from the situation, this is where a few handy dandy techniques can help.

1. Breathe - taking a few deep breaths can help you center yourself and expel some tension.
2. Lower Your Shoulders - when we tense up our shoulders tend to creep up to our ears. By stretching them down as far as possible you're helping to release some of that tension
3. Relaxing Music - I'm a big fan of listening to relaxing music. Sometimes popping in those ear buds for a few minutes can help
4. Smile or Laugh - when you smile and laugh it's hard to be in a bad mood.  You may feel silly at first but it's definitely worth a try.

If that doesn't work then as soon as you can, take a quick walk around the block while taking deep breaths.

The important thing is to be aware and use the subtle techniques before you are overwhelmed.