7 Tips for Managing Wedding Planning Stress
Planning a destination wedding? Stay Calm and Relax.
Our Chic Bahamas Culinary Nutritionist Lisa Dorfman is here to offer relaxation strategies.
Take a deep breath, stay calm and relax, you are not alone.
While planning a wedding abroad can be one of the most incredible experiences of your life, managing the details from a distance can be a daunting task for brides and families.
At Chic Bahamas Weddings, our experts help you to release the stress by creating a healthy space between you and the details. As the Chic Bahamas Wellness Coach, and author of the book Performance Nutrition for Tackling Stress, I am here to offer you a few simple strategies to help train you to deal with stress relating to your wedding day and for the rest of your life!
The Science of Stress
Stress evokes a cascade of physical, emotional, & hormonal responses, a nonspecific symptom or set of symptoms experienced uniquely by everyone. Even when stress is positive like planning for the most magical day of your life, organizing the details has the capacity to cause physical imbalances which can lead to a domino effect of consequences.
Additionally, some of us experience headaches, while others feel stomach distress or physical exhaustion. Stress can impact everything you normally do from your eating habits, exercise routine, and sleep habits. At worst it can zap you of the pleasure and excitement of your wedding day.
The body influences the mind, and vice versa—a fit body is part of a healthy mind. Mastering and managing the stress positively can strengthen your body, mind, and soul. Let’s get started.
7 Strategies for Managing Wedding Planning Stress
- Let Go and Relax. Allow our Chic Bahamas Wedding Experts to manage the details for you. They will help you to organize your special day into bite-size pieces, take your priorities and create a game plan that will work for you.
- Prioritize. Some experts call this compartmentalization. Taking each task into bite-size pieces is like enjoying each course in a meal, savoring the taste of every bite to enjoy the entirety of the dish.
- Stay in Routine. This includes your food habits, meal times, menu choices and fitness regimen. Don’t skip, under or overdo what you eat and how much you exercise. Staying in routine means staying in control = stress reduction.
- Write it down-Make a physical or mental list and check the completed tasks. There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment, a medal for completing each mile of your wedding marathon.
- Breathe-4, 7, 8….A quick fix when you feeling the heat of stress. Take a deep breath with a count of 4-hold the breath for a count of 7-release the breath for a count of 8. Repeat this 3 times. Research shows 4-7-8 can give you a sense of relief and feeling of calmness by helping you become more mindful, more present, better connected to your inner core and peaceful place.
- Set aside personal time. Self-care, spending time in anything you enjoy most—meditation, gardening, yoga, massage or prayer will recharge and nourish your mind and soul for your wedding day, forever and always.
- Get support- Most important, know you are not alone. At Chic Bahamas Weddings the team of hospitality, culinary and wellness experts will work 24/7 to make your wedding a stress free experience. We are here to provide you with resources and strategies to use in the months, weeks, days and hours leading up to your wedding day.
Lisa’s Nuptial Nuggets
Your Tool Kit for Reducing Destination Wedding Stress
Food—Eat small amounts of fiber-rich complex carbohydrates with small amounts of protein to keep the mind and body energized and satisfied. For quick energy, long lasting fuel, eat fresh veggies with low fat dip-bean, salsa or vinaigrette; fresh grapes or apple with a golf ball size portion of nuts; a handful of dried edamame or chickpeas; a cup of homemade or even a cup of soup or broth.
Ensuring a variety of colors and food options meals and snacks will fuel your body with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds like quercetin and resveratrol to reduce any stress-related aches and pains.
Incorporate Fitness
Fitness—Incorporate calming daily stretches to stay emotional limber, whether yoga, Pilates, or Shinrin Yoku—in Japanese means “forest bathing.” Taking a relaxing walk in a tree rich park or path has been shown to decrease blood pressure and decrease stress. Any exercise or movement that you enjoy can increase the endorphin release. The good feeling brain compound will help induce a feeling of calmness.
Complementary Healing Therapy—Spend quiet time in prayer, meditating, get a massage, or even illuminating a rose, lavender or sandalwood candle or apply the same aromatics in cream for a topical stress reducer.
About Lisa Dorfman
Lisa Dorfman, MS, RD, CSSD, CCMS, LMHC, FAND is an award-winning nutrition expert based in Miami, Florida. Lisa has built a global integrative culinary sports nutrition & performance private practice & corporate consulting business working with Olympian athletes, Fortune 500 corporate executives, movie actors & actresses, politicians, and prestigious luxury resorts such as Ritz Carlton, Sandals & Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Lisa designs, writes, and presents delicious dishes, menus, and diets for more than three decades and travels worldwide sharing the “gospel” of good food, fresh tastes, and plant-based cuisine. Her passion for food, fitness, emotional balance and for life is contagious and she shares that passion with her Chic Bahamas Wedding colleagues and guests.
Lisa is a wife and mom to three children and her dog Cookie and is an avid athlete devoted to running, swimming and all activities which nourish her body, mind, and soul.