Too many tasks and not enough time to complete them have you chewing at what’s left of your nails? If you’re looking for healthy ways to lift your anxious spirits and overcome your stressful day, here are a few helpful tips.
Allow your thoughts to flow
Suppressing emotions associated with your stressed and frazzled thoughts can be incredibly harmful. Similar to shaking a bottle of Coca Cola, pressure builds, and it needs to spill over. It may feel uncomfortable at first but try to sit with your emotions, allow them to flow, and then move on. We often become trapped in our thoughts, so it’s best to acknowledge them and release them.
Don’t be afraid to talk to yourself
If you’re worried about feeling crazy – don’t. Sometimes calling a friend or a family member may not be an option, but at least you’ve got you. Calmly and gently talk yourself through your stress or anxiety. Once you find the root of your stress, think about the worst-case scenario and solutions on how to overcome them. However, the most important reminder you can have is that “everything will be okay” because it inevitably will.
Do some exercise
Okay, this may seem like a cliché, but exercise is amazing for releasing stress. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym doing ab exercise, but taking a short walk around the office or doing a few stretches are all helpful in offering some form of relief in a stressful situation. Remember, if your body is moving, the endorphins are flowing.
Eat Right
This may be another cliché, but one that needs to be reiterated. Research has shown that not having a proper diet is closely associated with increased stress levels. When we’re anxious and overwhelmed, we tend to reach for the sugary treats or fatty snacks to give us that “pick-me-up” we so desperately need. However, try to avoid them if you can. Instead, grab fruits, vegetables and fish, which are known to reduce the symptoms of stress.
Use a stress journal
Or simply a regular journal. There are incredible benefits to journaling, including organising your thoughts and relieving stress. A “brain dump” is a great way to dump all of your stress and anxiety onto the clean pages of your journal. Allow your thoughts to flow without giving them a second thought will help you to free up any tension and clear your mind.
Try some positive talks
Have you ever tried speaking nothing but positive things about yourself or your situation? It’s difficult, but that’s what you’re going to do! According to Healthline, talking positively to yourself, even for 10 minutes, will help to reduce stress and distress, improve your physical well-being and your immune function. Here are a few examples of how you can change negative self-talk into positive:
- Negative: I failed and embarrassed myself.
- Positive: I’m proud of myself for even trying. That took courage.
- Negative: I’ve never done this before and I’ll be bad at it.
- Positive: This is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn from others and grow.
Picture: Unsplash
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