“I used to blame everyone else for my stress. Then I took responsibility. I now know, I can not only create stress in my life, I can also create balance.” – Mia

In this world where busy is a badge of honor and FOMO (fear of missing out) is so real, I wanted to dive into a topic that comes up for a lot of us in the transition from summer to fall — stress.

It is hard to avoid with pressures at work, home and school. It is easy to let stress take over our body and minds. But I have also found whether or not I “feel stressed”  is more of a choice than I once thought.

Here are 10 behaviors that have helped me eliminate stress in my very full life — most of the time!

Say No. I do not have to volunteer for everything at school even though I am constantly told I should. I don’t have to say yes to a moms night out even though I really want to go. I don’t have to say yes to a second (or third) soccer league. I don’t even have to say yes to the travel team. I don’t have to say yes to a work project that will keep me up late at night. The things that really need to get done, will get done—but there is a lot that doesn't have to get done at all (or at least not by me—or you).

Take care of yourself first. Right now, every morning when I wake up, I go on a walk, write 3 pages and meditate for 5 minutes. It takes a tiny fraction of my day. On days when I forget, (because I sometimes I do), I feel the difference. I have had other seasons when I am focused on my sleep, my food or my relationships. Here are some things I have played with:

• Green smoothies
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• Water with lemon
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• Stretching
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• Reading a book
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• Making my lunch
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• Oil pulling
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• Dry brushing
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• Food supplements
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• A shower!
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• Brushing teeth
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• Blow drying hair
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• Salt scrub
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• Journaling
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• Hugging a child
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• Prepping food
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• Jumping rope
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• Hula hooping
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• Planning my day
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• Emailing a friend
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• Finding a new recipe
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• Shopping alone
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• Yoga
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• Organizing a drawer
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• Warm tea
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• Waking up early to be alone
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• Green juice.
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I love Nina Manolson’s Teaching of 10-10-10 — which is simply to spend 10 minutes 3 times a day to take care of yourself.

Notice if certain foods make you feel more on edge. Hello, gluten and dairy! Literally these foods made me sick. I’ve been gluten- and dairy-free for years now, and it’s made a difference. Still, I definitely indulge from time to time in not so healthy gluten-free stuff. This summer it was potato chips—and they made me stressed. What foods put you on edge? Maybe gluten or dairy don’t make you feel great either. Or maybe it’s sugar or coffee … start noticing. A simple food diary might help you pair emotions with food. We are all different, so this is your...