Lately I’ve been under way more stress than usual. I’m dealing with a break-up, I’m soon going to be moving to a new apartment, and I’ve recently gotten a lot more on my plate work-wise (a good thing, but definitely doesn’t help the stress level!). Stress really gets in the way of living a positively present life so I’ve been doing the best I can to combat the stress I’ve been feeling with tactics I’ve tried in the past and new ones that I’ve recently read or heard about.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve given all of these a try and have found them to be really helpful in removing (or at least distracting me from) the stress in my life. In particular, I’ve found the following to be really great at relieving stress: laughing (I’ve been watching The Big Bang Theory non-stop!), hanging out with friends, and yoga (which completely takes my mind off of stress because it’s so hard that I have to dedicate my full attention to it or else I’ll fall over!). That being said, I’ve given all of these a try and they truly help combat that nasty little demon known as stress, making it easier to stay positive in the present.
If you’re having a hard day (…or week … or month), give some of these tactics a try and see if they help relieve your stress. In particular, try to do one or two of them that you’ve never tried before. In trying out new stress-relieving tricks, I was able to discover new (and sometimes better!) ways to ease the whirring worries in my mind, and hopefully the same will happen for you too!
- Take lots of deep breaths (cliche, but it works!)
- Get a lil’ crafty (find ideas on Pinterest)
- Watch your favorite comedy movie or show
- Avoid checking your phone for one hour
- Give yoga a try (it’s helped me so much!)
- Sit in complete silence for 5-10 minutes
- Treat yourself to a soothing hand massage
- Do something you’ve never done before
- Indulge in a bubble bath and a good book
- Take a day-long staycation and do nothing
- Sip on some soothing hot (or iced) green tea
- Cuddle with a cute animal (like Barkley!)
- Have a crazy dance party by yourself
- Pamper yourself with mani/pedi or facial
- Give Progressive Muscle Relaxation a go
- Do a mind-absorbing crossword puzzle
- Look at photos of cute baby animals
- Listen to a playlist of your favorite songs
- Go for a walk in nature without your phone
- Inhale relaxing scents (like lavender)
- Call, text, or email your best friend
- Spend an afternoon being super lazy
- List 100 things you’re grateful for
One can never have too many stress-relieving tips or tricks, I say! So what do you do when you’re stressed out and can’t seem to stop your mind from wandering back to the past or worrying about the future? Any additional ideas for keeping it positive and cutting down on the stress? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!
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Great suggestions–I also like to visit the Humor section on Pinterest. Laughing really helps. (Big Bang is a comfort show for me, too!)
I just noticed that I feel more than usually stressed out right now, and I’m not sure what that’s about. When I feel this way, in addition to the things you’ve mentioned above, I often sit down with my journal and just vent about all that’s going on in my head and in my life. Sometimes that’s all it takes for me to feel better, and sometimes what I need to do to de-stress becomes apparent as I write.
Kathy – Great idea about checking out the humor section on Pinterest. I even have my own board http://www.pinterest.com/positivepresent/the-best-medicine filled with things that make me laugh and taking a look at it might be really helpful. I too try to vent via a journal but sometimes I find that it only makes me more stressed when I start focusing on all of the reasons why I’m stressed!
I just wanted to say that your emails pop up in my inbox every few weeks and they lifted me out of some super hard times. I recently went through what you are going through (end of a long term relationship, moving out on my own) and during the tough, stressful times, your emails acted as reminders to keep going, and to trust myself and that everything always works out for the best. You have helped more than you know xo
I feel like I’m in the same boat! My relationship ended about 2 months ago (and of course work got crazy around that time!). I actually found this blog when looking for ways to be more at peace with my situation and to live in the present, which can be extremely hard for me at times.
When my relationship ended I started journaling too but found I was only focused on the negative stuff so I starting writing daily about either anything good that happened that day or something I was thankful for. So instead of focusing on my breakup or my stressful day at work or my dog eating my carpet, I focused on how lucky I am to have a good job or how awesome my dog is the rest of the time!
Brenna – I’m so glad you came across Positively Present! I love your idea about journaling positive things or things to be grateful for. I’m going to try that today!
Kylie – I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been going through something similar (it totally sucks), but I’m so happy my emails have helped. Stay positive!
Just before I scrolled down to your list of ways to cope with stress I tried to think of some of my techniques and they are nearly 100% the same! 🙂 But I would like to add dancing and singing, just for yourself in your own space. And another thing is baking, which includes creativity with soothing scents and something sweet 🙂
Natalia – That’s awesome! Great minds think alike. Singing and dancing is a great one to add to the list too!