Five Ways To Stay Zen Instead of Yelling

If you lose it occasionally, find yourself yelling at a loved one, the kids or strangers who have cut you off in traffic – that’s pretty normal.

But if you find yourself yelling daily, feeling totally exasperated and worked up on numerous occasions throughout the day, then there is a lot you can do about that.

That pent up, anxious, angry feeling – that stressed, can’t quite catch your breathe state is caused by many things, from a refusal to slow down, to grief, to feeling stuck in your own life.

There are many times that life can get on top of you but you don’t have to let it turn you into a person that you don’t recognize. You don’t have to be that person that everyone steps on eggshells around and you don’t have to be that Mama that is always yelling and achieving nothing.

Here are just some of the things that you can do:

Time-Out

Yep, you send your kids there, but you totally need it too if you are going to lose it. Sometimes I just have to excuse myself and head to my room. I meditate, I put on a guided meditation that I have as an app on my phone, and I just listen and sit. It lowers my heart rate and improves my mood. I lock the door and make sure I’ve told my husband to keep the kids away. You may not want to meditate but if you are feeling on edge then take the time-out and do whatever you like to do that is quiet, alone time. Whether its surfing the net on your phone, reading the paper, a good book or chilling out listening to music – you need to do it.

Regularly Do Some Form Of Movement

Emotions don’t go anywhere if you don’t exercise. You need to literally shake them off. Get moving – go to the beach for a swim, play tennis, run, do handstands on the grass – make them move through you. In yoga we believe that there are energy systems in the body,72,000 little lines that can get blocked at anytime and if most of them are not loose and free then you get that feeling that you are absolutely going to burst. Yoga is designed to free that energy and let it run through your body. Yoga practices like Yin are specifically designed to remove those emotions that are stuck in your body, in your hips, the backs of your shoulders, your neck, your abdomen. When you have a tight body you are always wound up. So move. You know it makes you feel better.

Believe That You Too Deserve Free Time

Whether that is a class on the weekend, a night out with friends, a trip away with the girls – you actually do deserve it. You actually owe it to your family make that extra effort. Sometimes my husband actually says to me when I am in a bad mood, “Do you need to go to yoga or something?”. Everyone likes to be around someone who is happy, who has good energy, who is not going to go nuts over the slightest little thing. Free time, for just you, will help you get there.

Do A Clear Out

A cluttered house, a messy kitchen, bad vibes, bad moods can all be sorted out. This may actually be the source of all that pent up frustration. If you can’t look around your home space and be happy then you need to change it. Throw things out so you don’t have to clean them up all the time. Reduce your possessions. Change your artwork. Change your furniture around. Do a sage smudge (clears out bad vibes in the house). Stick on some upbeat music to dance around to. Change your state by changing the state of your dwelling. Sometimes on the weekend I literally clean to feel better – I know that I won’t feel relaxed until the clutter is gone, the benches are wiped down and the house is filled with music,  and happy hearts.

I will walk around the house with a sage stick, candles burning, Fleetwood Mac on in the background and a fresh coffee brewed. Then I will go from room to room making sure it’s the way I want it to look. It does absolute wonders for my perception of life and I feel much more loving towards my family – especially if they pitch in and help.

Treat Yourself Better

Without a good night’s sleep I am not someone you want to be around. If I have had too much nutrient deficient food, I can feel it. If I haven’t had enough playtime with my friends then  you will know it. If I haven’t meditated or been to yoga in a while then the baseline of my mood changes from permanently chilled to slightly hysterical.

There is an immense need to look after yourself until they become non-negotiables. You should be able to notice when you are not doing the right things for your body. If you don’t notice then you are in a permanent state of abuse of your body. You need to start treating yourself better simply because you are a beautiful human being and your body is a vehicle in which you will need for the rest of your life. You know what to do – eat more greens, drink more water, exercise daily, get in nature, go to sleep earlier, go out and catch a movie.

You treat your body right and it makes it so much easier to change your attitude and love your life.