Everyone experiences stress. Some of us experience it more than others which makes our ways of managing stress different from one another. But, that does not mean we can all expand our stress management tool belts from time to time! I have been going through an extremely stressful time (for many reasons) and have been in need of some anti-stress methods.
1. Take a deep breath.
This is a classic way to calm yourself down, but it works like a charm I promise you. That is where you should start. Take three to five deep breathes and do not let a single thought into your mind. Any thoughts you have when you are stressed will not do anything positive for you. Throw all your thoughts away and focus on breathing in and breathing out. That will lower your heart rate and allow you to compose yourself.
2. Think positively.
Now, think positively. But this, I mean to think about the positive things in your life. What makes you smile? What is going well in your life right now? What makes you genuinely happy? Allow yourself to be in those thoughts for a couple of minutes. Truly take in what it is in your life that is going well because the stress can make it appear as if nothing is going well at all. Everything in your world is a mess and it is time to regroup and remember that not everything is.
3. Spend some time alone.
I always like to be alone when I am stressed because the only person who can ultimately manage the stress is me. I can not rely on others to make it disappear for me and the only way to really learn to manage my stress is to be on my own. Use this time to your advantage though. This is also a time to go to the pool or beach with a good book, color, or watch tv. Something relaxing that will take your mind off what is stressing you out. I find going to the beach is my favorite thing to do when I am stressed. I love being in the sun!!
4. Listen to music.
I pair this with my alone time and love jamming out to my favorite playlists. Listening to music is a really positive way of relaxing yourself and just forgetting what was stressing you out for a period of time. Get lost in the music if you want — have a dance party! Whatever way you find that puts all your energy in a positive and fun direction.
5. Come up with a plan.
Now, you have gotten yourself relaxed and in a healthy, positive mindset. And it is also time to come up with a plan. Because at the end of the day, we know that the things that stress us out never completely go away. But, now that you are not stressed anymore, you can focus on the issues at hand and determine how you will deal with them. Create a plan! Once that plan is made, your issues will be so much smaller to handle.
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