Stress has become a normal part of most people’s lives. You may experience stress at work or at home, or you may feel anxious or uneasy when you watch the news. No matter where your stress comes from you need to learn how to deal with it in a healthy way. If you’re not careful, you could end up turning to substances to make you feel better, putting you at risk of developing a substance abuse problem.
If you’re feeling stressed, there’s no need to panic — or beat yourself up about it. Everyone goes through stressful periods at some point and learning how to cope in a healthy way is essential. Use the following skills the next time you feel overwhelmed and you should start to feel better!
If your stress and anxiety become unmanageable, don’t be afraid to seek treatment. Click here to learn more about our therapy options.
Tip 1: Take Care of Yourself
Don’t underestimate the power of taking good care of yourself in the face of stress. Simple things like eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep can go a long way. When you feel good physically, it can be easier to manage stressful situations. When you’re well-rested and well-nourished you can look at your stress more clearly.
Plus, exercise is a great way to release any pent-up nervous energy. If you don’t like working out you don’t need to force yourself to go to the gym every day. Simple things like going for a long walk or taking a moment to stretch can be very helpful!
While you’re taking care of yourself you should also take care of your environment. When there’s a pile of dishes in the sink and a stack of dirty laundry on your floor, you risk inadvertently overwhelming yourself.
Tip 2: Take Breaks From Your Phone
We’re all glued to our phones at all times these days, and while it can be a nice distraction and a great way to keep in touch, research shows that being constantly connected can cause stress. Using social media too often can also cause you to feel bad, and hours spent scrolling can take a toll on your mental well-being.
This is especially important as most of us get our news via social media — or at least online. If you find that current events tend to give you anxiety, it’s important to take breaks from reading, watching, and listening to the news. It’s not healthy to bombard yourself with doom and gloom via your smartphone. If you can, catch up on what’s going on in the world once or twice a day and leave it at that.
You may also want to consider setting aside certain moments to catch up with friends on social media rather than reaching for your phone every time you have a free moment. It may be difficult at first (some people even struggle with phone addiction), but it will get easier over time. You’ll also probably start to notice how good it feels to not have a screen in front of you at all times!
Tip 3: Talk to Someone
A lot of times our problems and issues can feel a lot worse than reality. If you’ve been going around in circles in your own head about something that’s been stressing you out, you may unintentionally make the problem a lot bigger than it is. It can help to get those thoughts and feelings out of your head by talking with someone you trust.
This can be a family member, a friend, or a licensed professional. There are several different types of therapy and treatment programs out there that are focused on stress management. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! When you’re feeling your best those around you will feel their best too. If you don’t want to get help for yourself, think about who else is negatively affected by your stress. This just may be the push you need to seek treatment!
If you’re feeling too nervous to talk to another person about what’s going on, you can start by writing it down in your journal. Again, simply getting those racing thoughts out of your head can work wonders.
Tip 4: Seek Out Meaningful Activities
Now, this tip is not to be confused with distracting yourself in order to combat stress. However, when you shift your attention away from what’s distressing you, you’ll start to feel better. If you’re passionate about reading, consider joining your local book club. If you like team sports, join a softball league. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to paint. Now’s a better time than ever to take art classes!
The point here is to fill your time with activities that interest you. If you do more of what you love, you’ll spend less time feeling stressed because you’ll be engaging in things that you enjoy. And, when you’re generally feeling good but find yourself in a stressful situation, you’ll be able to cope a lot better.
Tip 5: Try Meditation
Meditation has been around for centuries — and for good reason. Yes, it can be used as a moment of reflection and prayer. But, it can also be used to calm your nerves and help you feel more centered. Mindfulness exercises can help your body settle down and stop your mind from racing. Guided meditations can also help you train your mind to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
If you’ve never tried meditation you may feel intimidated which is completely normal. You don’t have to meditate for hours at a time right off the bat; just a few minutes a day is a great place to start. There are tons of resources on YouTube that you can use, and you can even download a meditation app. Our favorite is Balance. You can even commit to simply sitting in silence with your eyes closed for a minute or two to start.
Try implementing the tips above into your daily life and see if they make a difference. When you do, you’ll be well on your way to dealing with stress in a healthy way!