Stress-Free Wedding

The pressure of planning my wedding and having my mother-in-law in town for three months had me searching near and far for stress reducing tips. Yoga, Pilates, cutting out caffeine, etc. were some of the suggestions I found (and trust me, I tried them all) but they did not stop the constant headaches and insomnia.

Sensing the urgency, a friend gave me a handout she received in a Yoga class. It was titled 52 Proven Stress Reducers, provided by the National Headache Foundation. I can tell you, with authority, their method of attack to reduce stress really does work. Although all 52 tips were great, I found that the following ten helped me the most to get through the wedding and on to the honeymoon.

1.Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
2.Simplify, simplify, simplify…
3.Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.
4.Get enough sleep. If necessary, use an alarm clock to remind you to go to bed.
5.Allow yourself time - everyday - for privacy, quiet, and introspection.
6.Schedule a realistic day. Avoid the tendency to schedule back-to-back appointments; allow time between appointments for a breathing spell.
7.Every day, do something you really enjoy.
8.Writing your thoughts and feelings down (in a journal, or on paper to be thrown away) can help you clarify things and can give you a renewed perspective.
9.Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you can always know exactly where things are. Put things away where they belong and you won't have to go through the stress of losing things.
10.Learn to live one day at a time.

To take advantage of tips and helpful information regarding headaches, log onto http://www.headaches.org