Stress Reduction Tips

The key to reduce stress is to not let your mind and body become automatic. Awareness is the number one step in any journey to self healing. Since, how do you fix something that you don’t even recognize?

Naturally, not everything can be done in certain situations, but one shoul d try to combine different strategies in life.

1.      Add something beautiful to your life on a daily basis

Things that would make your views more “enjoyable”. You can add flowers, or redecorate your room, or simply cleaning up the house can leave you feeling refreshed.

2.      Do enjoyable activities whenever possible

Anything you enjoy should be the first thing you try to reduce stress.

3.      Walk, work, and eat at a relaxed pace

There is no real rush. Even if you have some work to be done, there is plenty of time to do them without rushing.

4.      Take a short break

Whenever you feel like you have to rush for some reason, always remember to take a short break to do nothing. Taking about 2 minutes to simply sit and breathe can do wonders.

5.      If possible, go outside at least once a day and notice simple things.

Don’t bring your phone, don’t listen to music, simply, don’t bring anything. Just enjoy the sound around you whether it’s the wind, passing cars, or people chattering. Just look at anything that appears. Notice your surrounding and be aware of what goes on.

6.      During the day, notice tension. Breathe deeply and gently stretch and relax.

Notice if a part of your body is stiff or sore. Stretch and relax that part of your body.

7.      If you notice your mind starts worrying about past or future, take a minute to breathe deeply and focus on what you can do today.

8.      Wear comfy and loose clothing when possible.

Make your body comfortable by wearing clothes that scream “freedom”

9.      Find a safe place or outlet to feel and express yourself.

We all need our own special ways to express ourselves. Spending time in your safe space is a simple thing, but what you do is also important. Express your anger through art, Express your sadness with music, express your happiness by making videos. Just be careful, express this in a safe space, not somewhere that there would be risk of critics or negative feedback of any kind.

10.   Maintain your health

Exercising and keeping what you eat healthy is important. How your body feels physically can determine how you feel. If your body is uncomfortable, so will your feelings.

11.   Do something new

We all get bored. Especially when we do the same thing day by day, even if that is the thing we like to do normally. Try new things that interest you and be brave to do so.

12.   Restrict Social Media Coverage

Sometimes seeing what’s out there, knowing that it can’t possibly be good news, will only add to your stress. Limiting yourself from negative sources is one thing to do to make sure you stay positive.

13.   Stay Connected

Opposite to the previous tip, connect yourself to things and people that make you positive. Avoiding problems is cool and all, but approach solutions too.

14.   Be creative

Sometimes a good thing does not have to be planned. Be creative in your approach and when the situastion allows, be impulsive in choosing what to do.

If you find yourself falling back into stressful habits, it is perfectly normal. That’s why combinations of different tactics make it NOT boring.

Parrable :

You are on a boat that is flowing down the river.  A hole appears on the bottom. What do you do?

Plug it? Then a hole appears again, plug it again while strolling down the river. You may not be able to control the river, you may not be able to control how fast you’re flowing, you can only try to survive until you reach the shore. Stress is like bursts of water from a hole in your life. We shouldn’t blame ourselves from letting the holes appear but we can plug the hole, even if we get a bit wet, and we try our best not to drown.

 

Thompson, R.A. (2003). Counseling Techniques (2nd ed.). New York : Taylor & Francis Books.