During the summer, I checked out “Burnout” through Libby from my local library. I didn’t check it out because I felt I was burning out, but thought to myself “Well, now I’ll know the signs!”

Within the first couple chapters, I already learned something simple yet uncommonly talked about––breaking the stress response cycle. In essence, when we still feel wired after a stressful episode (in today’s world, it could mean anything from a high-stakes work meeting or feeling trapped in traffic), we haven’t broken the stress response cycle––the body still thinks it’s in a stressful environment. You might still experience a racing pulse, sweaty palms, or any other natural stress reaction long after you’ve returned home from a long commute or received kudos on a job well done on a stressful project.

The book dives into this on a deeper level, for a lot of daily stressors, there isn’t an immediate, natural break in the stress cycle where the body returns to it’s normal state. That’s because the stress reactions we face are still the same stress reactions humans faced many centuries ago where they were escaping predators or experiencing other physically stressful experiences. There would be a clear moment where you were no longer in imminent danger, and the body would return to its natural state.

And, if the stress response cycle isn’t broken, you’ll be carrying the weight of your stressors for extended periods of time. That accumulation and build-up of a constant state of stress is often what leads to burnout.

There’s always chatter around us about how to reduce stress or add self-care to your routine, but there’s rarely talk about how to break the stress response cycle. So here, paraphrased from the book, are 5 ways to bring yourself back to a balanced, normal state. As always, everyone will have a preference of what works well for them and how quickly an activity may bring them back to a normal state.

#1 – Physical Activity

Physical activity is one of the best ways, according to the book, to break the stress response cycle. Stress is a physical manifestation, so physical activity is a top choice for breaking the cycle. You don’t have to hit the gym, learn to box, or purchase an expensive membership to a fitness studio. Practically any form of physical activity counts. Dancing, walking, stretching, squeezing a stress ball, etc. are simple ways to bring in a form of physical activity.

#2 – Laughing

This is your excuse to sit on the couch and watch The Office for the rest of the evening. Just kidding. Laughing is a physical reaction that helps to release emotions! Whether your laughing with a friend or at the tv, it might be just what you need.

#3 – Expressing Creativity

Creative activities like painting, writing, knitting, coloring, etc. are great ways to focus on one thing and release stress. The ability to express creativity and experience flow state is part of why adult coloring books took off years ago. My take is if you’re in a creative profession, your creative hobby should be different than your day-to-day creative activities. That way, it’s not connected to work.

#4 – Crying

Ah, crying––arguably the most natural way to physically relieve stress. We’ve been crying since we were born. Growing up, we’re told that crying is for babies or something acceptable for one gender over another. Those beliefs shortchange all humans of the opportunity to engage in one of the most natural ways to release the stress we’re holding inside. If breaking the stress response cycle calls for crying, then feel empowered knowing you’re doing something positive for yourself.

#5 – Breathing

This one shouldn’t be too surprising. Meditation, breathing and mindfulness are widely discussed today, and are sometimes positioned as a silver bullet. Breathing is one of the physical ways we can control to regulate our nervous system. So, breathing is a great way to bring ourselves back to calmness. My take––some people need a few minutes of deep breathing while others need longer to benefit. Get started with deep breathing through a mindfulness app, YouTube, or simple box breathing techniques.

That’s it, those are the techniques! We all have different ways of dealing with stress––sometimes sitting on the couch and watching a funny show is far more appealing than exercising.

On a daily basis, I think of how I can incorporate one of these activities into my routine. Since I work from home, I use these techniques to transition my mind from work time to home time.

—

I found a ton of value in the book Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA. I recommend reading the book even if to just understand some of the driving forces behind burnout in today’s society and how it impacts women adversely. Personally, I found it fascinating and find myself thinking further about some of the statistics in the book. You don’t have to be on the verge of burnout to learn more!

The post 5 Ways to Break the Stress Response Cycle appeared first on thesassylife.

I’m not even going to pretend like I have posted somewhat recently. I’m also not going to pretend I’ll be publishing a new post on the daily from now on :)

I’m here to say hi and share a few thoughts––

There’s lots of talk on whether blogging is “worth it” anymore. Now that we all spend most of our time on social media, it begs the question of whether people actually want to read.

Well, I’m not really concerned with that. All I’ve wanted to do was use this space to share, so that’s what I’ll continue to do. When I can.

Between a full-time job and a full-time master’s program, an endeavor I decided to undertake during the pandemic, I’m spent. It’s been close to a year since I’ve been in this endeavor, but right now I have the creative mind space to come up for air.

I’ve had my nose buried in a computer all day every day, which means I’m doing zero cool things. But, I thought I’d share a couple of cool things with you anyway.

Favorite Finds

Voluspa Candles
I’m not the first person to discover these, but I got really into Voluspa Candles while staying home. The Baltic Amber scent has a subtly sweet fragrance that’s perfect for fall.

Slow Cooker Recipes
In an effort to cook healthier food at home even on busy days, I’ve been using my crockpot to make some simple chicken recipes. Dump recipes that include a single sauce and chicken thighs have been my favorite. Here are my favorite repeats: Slow Cooker Balsamic Tomato Basil Pulled Chicken from Real Food Whole Life, Crock Pot Chicken Thighs from A Southern Soul and Crockpot BBQ Chicken from Well Plated by Erin. Gentle reminder that you can also use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker.

Linen Bedding
Linen bedding is very trendy and instagrammable right now. I picked up this duvet cover set in the Terra Cotta color from Quince earlier in the year and it’s made my bed feel extra cozy. If you haven’t heard of Quince, they make high quality goods very similar to some of the other disruptive fashion and home brands out there.

star-crossed by Kacey Musgraves
Anyone in real life knows that not only have I been heavily anticipating this release, but that it’s on repeat non-stop at my place. I have a new favorite song every day as the album continues to grow on me. Loved the interview she did with Zane Lowe of Apple Music. She revealed more of her underlying thought process and inspiration behind each song and the album as a whole. Listen on Spotify here.

Air Fryer Hard-Boiled Eggs
I’ve been adding hard-boiled eggs to my breakfast. Weird flex, I know. It took only once for me to struggle with peeling the hard-boiled eggs for me to quit making them at home and just buying the cooked ones in the store. Last night, I decided to give making them in the air fryer (linked the one I use) a go, and I’m a fan! I used this recipe and found that most of the egg was intact post-peeling.

Organic Cotton Pajamas from Printfresh
I am absolutely HOOKED on the patterns from Printfresh. Lots of cute styles to pick from, and the material feels luxurious. I personally feel like it’s a splurge type of purchase but worthwhile. If you sign up for their emails or follow on social, you’re pretty likely to come across a rare but good promotion––that’s how I got my sets!

Bay Area Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurants
This SFist article lists some of the new Bib Gourmand restaurants in the Bay Area. In layman’s terms, Bib Gourmand = doesn’t technically qualify for a Michelin Star but good food. Been to a couple of these myself and have the urge to make my way through the list. My favorite part is that the food is great quality and not “Michelin Star” priced. Noteworthy if you’re from the area or plan on visiting.

That’s all for now! Time for me to get back to my low-key lifestyle!

-S

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

The post Coming Up For Air + Favorite Finds (err… #39?) appeared first on thesassylife.

How many of you started drinking more once we all had to start sheltering in place? I was in that camp, especially at the beginning of our stay-at-home order.

That first week, I ended up drinking maybe 4 or 5 of those 7 days. I went through (with some help) a pack of White Claw in about a week, which is much faster than our usual pace.

I started to feel less than my best self. I’ve noticed that especially with staying in all the time, I’m more susceptible to hangovers. So. I decided to stop drinking until further notice or at the very least, try out some other options.

One of those options was to create mocktail drinks for all those Zoom happy hours we all have on our calendars.

Behold, a very summery Strawberry Basil Fizz. It’s refreshing on a hot summer day, whether you’re on your balcony/patio or dare I say…at a summer barbecue with your friends? Or a baby shower? A summer picnic? What can I say, I’m an optimist and yes, I think someday we’ll be among friends again.

Making this drink was actually pretty fun. You can take out your stress on the strawberries, which just rewards you with a more flavorful mocktail.

You can easily customize the fizz to your taste if you’re looking for a sweeter drink, but I made this drink to be refreshing on a hot summer day.

Before I carry on further, I just want you to notice that I used a honey dipper/wand/stick to muddle up the fruit. That’s because that’s all I had on hand, and hey––you might need to get creative with your tools, too. I live in an apartment, not a Williams-Sonoma, so no––I won’t have all the right tools all the time.

If…you wanted to turn this drink alcoholic…you definitely can. May I suggest some vodka?

Enjoy your drink! Let me know how you like it.

The post Strawberry Basil Fizz Mocktail appeared first on thesassylife.

It’s now been about six weeks since we’ve been asked to follow shelter-in-place orders in the Bay Area. Freeways with even the worst rush hour have been barren while local sidewalks and trails have been filled with people on walks and enjoying the fresh air.

Life has looked different the past few weeks in a lot of ways for all of us. I have to say, the shift to being at home hasn’t been a huge shock to my system the way I know it has been for others who are now managing having their kids at home and making sure they’re doing their school assignments or even looking for work after being laid off. I’ve been able to continue working my corporate job from home with pretty minimal changes. Sure, some days might feel full of overlapping meetings and might end up looking like 10-12 hour days, but for the most part it’s been business as usual for my team.

Even though my commute has been removed from my daily routine (thank god!), I’ve still needed to prioritize what occupies my mental space and how I find joy and positivity during this time. For some of us, the idea of getting to stay home for weeks and weeks was an absolute dream, prior to the pandemic of course. So, in the moments where I have energy and am not feeling stressed or anxious, I get myself to get up and do the things I always wished I had time for.

Here’s how I’ve been spending my time and what I’ve been leaning on the past six weeks to keep myself grounded and quite frankly, able to function at a higher level. Check out “The ‘Stay Home’ List” here:

Create a “Fun” List

This is one of the first things I did when I learned we’d need to shelter-in-place and we should only go outside for essential needs. In a Google Sheet, I set up a serious spreadsheet to track the books I want to read, movies and TV shows I want to watch, recipes I want to try, etc. I listed everything I wanted to do in my spreadsheet. My fun list was great to reference when I would have a tough day of work and needed something to look forward to without using my remaining brain power to figure out what to do. Best of all, it’s been really satisfying to cross things off the list. Talk about dopamine or endorphins or whatever makes your brain feel happy.

Exercise Every Day

Yeah, yeah. Everyone and their mother has been talking about how important exercise and movement is right now. And they’re right. I’m wear an Apple Watch and the data shows the truth–even with exercise classes, I’m not meeting the calorie goal I’m typically used to meeting. Without the walking our daily routines provide, the workouts we give ourselves so much credit for might have less of an effect than we think. These days, I have to go out of my way to make sure I get a decent amount of movement, which means I need to schedule time to exercise.

I typically take barre classes and my local studio has a challenge this year to take 15 classes a month for 12 months. And you bet I’m part of that challenge and that not being able to get to the studio for class isn’t going to stop me. My studio hosts classes on livestream so I schedule some time each day to take class.

There are tons of resources right now for discounted or even free exercise classes/apps (like Orangetheory on YouTube, PopSugar or honestly Instagram.). I’ve got the Peloton app which provides a free 90-day trial and though I haven’t used it much, I’ve enjoyed the yoga class and the dance cardio class I’ve taken so far.

On the days I’m not taking barre classes, I love taking a long bike ride through the neighborhood.

If you’re feeling strong in the exercise arena and have things under control during this time, good work! I strive to get to your level some day. The next thing to try is tracking your food and seeing what healthy options you can make.

Read

There’s been no better time for me to work on my Goodreads challenge for 2020. Last year, I had a goal to read 24 books and didn’t make it. So I set my goal to 24 this year with the intention of exceeded my goal. To be completely honest, I was concerned with how I was going to meet my goal of 24 books. Well, looks like I’m on track right now, being 7 books ahead of schedule!

I’ve been using library apps like Libby and Hoopla to check out ebooks, audiobooks and magazines, which has been helpful in keeping me excited about reading since I only have a handful of books with me right now. I must say, it’s pretty fun to spend a Saturday morning listening to Jonathan Van Ness read his book “Over The Top” out loud via audiobook. And I highly recommend Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.

Gardening Indoors/Outdoors

It’s spring! This is the time to start your garden!! Except…it’s not easy to find a variety of vegetable plants right now. I’ve been spending time working our garden box and getting our plants to grow. We’re growing strawberries, tomatoes, orange chard, broccoli, sweet peas, rosemary, parsley and more, all of which I planted back in February before staying home.

But I’ve been bringing gardening inside as well. In addition to my seed starters which I’m using to grow cucumber plants since they’re my favorite in the summer, I got the idea from a friend to try growing vegetables from food scraps. Right now, I’ve got green onions in a mason jar and romaine lettuce sitting in a shallow plate with water, and I’ve been watching them grow for the past week or so. The green onions will keep growing a new supply as far as I know, but the romaine lettuce it’s pretty slow-going and won’t ever really yield a full head of lettuce. But it’s fun to watch! Celery, onions and garlic are also supposed to be able to grow from food scraps.

If you want to start a garden and are fine with ordering things online, you can definitely order seeds, potting soil, and planters to get started.

Hang Out With Friends, Online

I have to admit, I thought I was really clever when the shelter-in-place order came through, because within 15 minutes of learning about it, I set up an online happy hour with my friends from work. Then I felt like a trendsetter. Everyone wanted to do a virtual happy hours. Then I felt like I was doing 3/week, which was more socializing than I was doing before. It felt like an exercise in figuring out if I’m more introverted than I thought or something.

But I’ve been spending time hanging out with friends every week, especially friends I don’t get to see all the time because they live far away! Nothing like hanging out on a Saturday night with friends who live many, many miles away, since it’s literally impossible to do every Saturday unless you’ve got a big travel budget or your own private jet.

There have been a lot of online options for playing games with friends, which is great! I’ve heard of people playing Cards Against Humanity online. Or if you like role-playing games, I know there’s an option for an online version of Dungeons & Dragons if that’s your jam. My friends and I have been playing a lot of the Jackbox Party Pack games through Zoom every Saturday, which usually results in us belly-laughing and having a fun time together. Another time I went on the Houseparty app with friends and played some of the games on there. I have to say, it’s really entertaining to see what goofy drawings we come up with when we’re under time pressure!

Game nights and happy hours are cool, but so are movie nights with friends, Sunday brunches via webcam, and cooking contests/bakeoffs. Use the app Netflix Party or Watch2Gether to synchronize your screens.

Order Takeout

That’s right, some days you just need to order the damn takeout. Anyone else feel like they’re cooking constantly and it’s still not enough? Like how the recipe that makes 4 servings actually makes 2 big servings and there isn’t enough time in the day to cook, work and overall function? How do people do it?! And also plan healthy food options and eat healthy all the time while at home? I don’t have that type of discipline or that type of brain power to use on cooking every day. At least not right now. And sometimes, I just need some downtime and need to unwind. For some people, cooking helps them do just that. But not me, especially when I’m hungry.

Once a week, we order some takeout from local restaurants we haven’t yet tried and some of our usual favorites. It helps us to support local businesses that really need our money right now and helps me keep my sanity! Not to mention, the food makes my taste buds sing, which is nice.

Set Working Hours/Boundaries/Routines

Many of us are struggling with this right now, especially if you have a corporate job and are working from home. Whether you’re more junior in your career or have almost thirty years of experience under your belt, you’re probably working more hours and working at times you aren’t used to. Setting working hours is super important. I like keeping a schedule somewhere between 8-4 or 9-5 and then sign off after, unless there are meetings that require me to sign on before/after those hours. Then I adjust my hours further or give myself a longer lunch if that works out better.

It’s hard to fully shut out work if you’re eating dinner at the same dining table where you just had a stressful Zoom meeting. Work and home are blending together for most of us right now. Most of us don’t have the luxury of separating our work area and regular living area, so the best we can do is shut down at a certain time and pick it back up the next day, refreshed.

Even with friends and family, there might be a need to set boundaries and expectations. Just because we’re all at home doesn’t mean we suddenly have hours of time to devote to group texts, funny videos and more. Some of us still have work to do ;)

Try Something New

I’m not a big video games person. I enjoy them from time to time but I don’t typically have the time or energy to dive into a fun game and invest time in playing. During the past few weeks though, I’ve been trying to find games I really like to play on the Nintendo Switch and on my phone where I have Apple Arcade.

While I have NOT been playing Animal Crossing (I probably will buy it in the future), we bought the game Unraveled and started playing. On my phone I play games like Dots and Cards of Darkness which are cute and not a big time suck.

I also haven’t really dabbled in art in the past few years, so I took some time to work on my art/craft skills. One thing I did was crochet myself a beanie! When more yarn comes in, which honestly at this point feels like never, I plan to make some beanies for my friends.

At the beginning of all of us needing to stay home, Brit + Co was offering free creative classes! So I ended up taking a class on how to draw flowers which was awesome. I didn’t finish it yet but I learned a lot since I’m not really an illustrator or creative artist. Once more of my supplies come in, I’d be happy to purchase and finish taking the class. Other places to check out for online creative classes–Skillshare (paid membership) and CreativeLive (classes stream for free everyday, options to purchase classes).

Make Self-Care A Priority

What does self-care look like for you? Is it taking time in doing a 12-step skin routine? Drinking a warm, steamy cup of tea while wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket? Meditation? Looking at dog and puppy memes and sending them to your friends? Now is the time to be introspective. Look into what makes you feel refreshed that you can do at home. Personally, I find it refreshing when I focus on something completely for an hour or two. I find myself more centered. And I find long naps to be just as refreshing too.

Finding the Right Messages to Listen To

This one is very important and difficult for just about everyone to do. During this time, it’s really important to listen to the right messages and filter out the ones that are B.S.! It’s also really important to stay positive and share positive messages with family and friends. For me personally, I feel like a few negative thoughts can send me into a spiral of stress and anger these days.

I’d read Rachel Hollis’s books but about eight months ago or so, I started following her on social media and started watching her morning show, where for a half hour every weekday morning she and her husband Dave talk to the audience on Instagram Live about things big and small and talk a lot about self-care, setting goals, etc. It helps me start my day with the right tone and I look forward to it every morning. They’re hosting the Next 90 Challenge where you can take free classes on subjects like habits and leadership that’ll set you up for success and give you food for thought. Highly recommend if you’re looking for positive, helpful content right now.

In addition to following and consuming positive content that promotes self-growth, I’m tuning out most of the sensational news stories I’m seeing. I read the news when I’m ready to see what’s happening in the world but otherwise, I’m focusing my attention elsewhere. That’s a lot easier said than done, and I 1000% understand I’m in a place where I’m able to do that and not everyone has the same luxury. If anything, choose when you consume the news, even if you check it every day. We don’t realize how much power we give to the phone notifications.

That’s all I’ve got! Anything you’d add to the list? If you liked this list please share with your friends and family!

Stay sane and stay safe!

-S

The post The “Stay Home” List: Making It Through “Shelter-In-Place” appeared first on thesassylife.

Since we’ve been “sheltering-in-place” or “quarantining” as most of us are calling it, I’ve been a lot more relaxed about my eating habits than I would be otherwise. More sugar, more carbs, more cheese, and overall more comfort.

But one thing that’s been tough, and I can’t be the only one who feels this way, is that it’s hard to keep up with 3 healthy, balanced meals per day while working a corporate job from home. Grateful to be employed, but it can feel overwhelming at times. All the cooking and getting really creative with ingredients already on-hand to avoid going to the grocery store, plus all the dishes that accompany cooking, feels like a never-ending chore… Even though it’s the basis of existence…

So, when my sweet tooth rings the alarm and I’m looking for a sweet treat that’s not just Easter candy, it means I have to get really creative so that I’m not just eating spoonfuls of white sugar out of the bag. Yeah, I thought about it.

With only a few ingredients needed and options for some substitutions of course, you too could be salivating over these sweet and simple peanut butter cookies. From start to finish, it only takes about 30 minutes to go from “Hmm is my KitchenAid mixing bowl clean?” to “Okay, I should really stop at 2 cookies right now.”

A couple things to keep in mind with this recipe––it was only tested once and it was only tasted by two people. While we both liked it, there’s a chance it might not suite your taste whether it’s too sweet, oily, dry, etc. Please be kind in sharing your experience with the recipe and leave helpful comments for anyone else who could use your tips :)

The post Sweet & Simple Peanut Butter Cookies appeared first on thesassylife.