Wednesday Wedding Tips!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, I am beginning a new series! Wednesday Wedding Tips. These may not occur EVERY Wednesday between now and my nuptials (there are a lot of Wednesdays between now and then!), but I promise at least one a month, ok?

Now, these can be anything from the silly (i.e., don't have a shotgun wedding and expect people not to put two and two together) to actually helpful tips.

Today's falls under the category of HELPFUL tips. :)

Stress can play a big role in planning a wedding. Personally, I have been uber stressed about something un-wedding related. The stress became so bad, it caused my chest muscles to go into spasm!

Thus, we need to remember just how badly stress can affect us - even with our health.

Tip #1 - BREATHE. I know it seems cliche. But, when we're stressed, we take shallow breaths, not allowing oxygen to get to all our muscles and organs. Take a few minutes and really breathe deeply. Take in air until you literally feel like you can't any more. Exhale it all, until there is nothing left. Keep doing this, and you might just find that your stress dissipates.

Tip #2 - Lavender. Lavender is a great scent to help you relax. Get lavender bath oil or body wash. My yoga teacher had this essential oil called "Stress Away." You roll it onto your wrists and chest and inhale the lavender scent. It's GREAT for helping you to fall asleep when you are rittled with anxiety.

Tip #3 - Writing. How appropo that a writer talks about writing, huh? Writing is a GREAT tool to vent anger, help conquer fear and of course, battle stress. Pound out your frustrations on the keyboard. Or, if you're feeling really stressed, hand-write it all out. Physical activity always helps. Gripping the pen can actually be a good release.

Tip #4 - Watch your food. We ALL crave chocolate or other bad things when we're stressed. I am as guilty as the next person. But girls and boys, we're getting married! We want to look good for our big day, right? If you're going to splurge, do so in moderation. When I've been craving chocolate, I'll eat a really chocolate-y fiber or granola bar. Or, I'll just have one big glass of chocolate soy or regular milk before bed. Thus, I tend to my craving, but I'm not over-doing it, either.

Stress is a kicker. I can attest to that with that awful chest spasm. It hurt tremendously! My doctor told me to use a heating pad on my chest a few times a day for about 20 minutes each sitting. That will help to relax the muscles. Doing that, or taking hot showers or baths can help you, too.

This is the day you profess to the world how much you love your significant other. Enjoy your day, don't stress. Ok? :)

Remember only...569 more days till I say "I do!"