I woke up this morning with 13 (non-spam) emails, two missed calls and nine text messages. Because I overslept, I had to skip my morning routine and jump straight into the day and my stomach is in knots. It's pretty much impossible to not have anxiety as a human living in the digital world because not only are we constantly worried about what crazy sh*t Donald Trump will do next, we also have to endure the constant dinging on our phones.
In a recent interview with Parade, Kelly Rowland said that in the past, she's been a sister in the overstressed struggle, but one practice helped her find redemption. As a wife, mother, sister, friend, and international superstar, the 38-year-old singer says that finding balance can be tough, but in the end, her sanity was worth it. The mother-of-one explained:
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"Stress leads to a lot of issues. You need to take some time every day, whether it's breathing or reading. But it's important to keep the stress level down. It depends on who you are. You have to find a way to keep those cortisone levels down."
Along with scheduling out a few moments for herself every day, Kelly says that meditation and deep breathing have done wonders when it comes to keeping her stress in check.
"Breathing can calm your body down so much. I've learned that from a guy who gave me a massage once. He told me to take a couple of deep breaths and picture myself on an ocean or whatever place brings me peace. You'd be surprised. Your heart slows down, and your body calms. You feel much better."
If you happen to be one of those people who say they don't have time for self-care, I call bullsh*t, and so does Kelly. According to her, we all make time for the things we want and the number one thing on our bucket list should be peace:
"You make time for the things you want to make time for. I need peace so I can make great decisions and communicate with my family. I don't want to bring stress inside of the home. That's one thing I really don't like."
After her mother went into cardiac arrest in 2014, Kelly took inventory of what was most important in her life and made a promise to herself to work out daily and keep her stress levels low. She told Bossip:
"I actually lost someone to heart disease. So it's really important for me to talk about it and get people to understand that this happens every single day."
Now, Kelly says that although she doesn't always get it right, she continually gives herself an A for effort every time she's able to put down her phone and focus on what really matters. The Honey Nut Cheerios ambassador told Parade:
"When I'm home, I try to put my phone down and look my son in the eyes or have a fun conversation with my husband. Sometimes those days of extra stress will happen. I don't get it completely right. But when you're able to do that, it helps tremendously."
You heard it from the queen herself, ladies. Put down the phone and take a minute to breathe, sis. It could ultimately save your life.
Read the full interview here!
Featured image by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Beautycon