3 steps to control your stress
Let’s face it, life is stressful and the future doesn’t look to get any easier. Every new chapter comes with new stresses. Whether these stresses are family, dating, navigating personal traumas, political issues, being bombarded with consumerism, addiction to screens, physical health, the ever impossible beauty standards, feeling like you’re behind or not good enough, mental health issues, or the long list of professional stressors we haven’t even gotten to…the list goes on and on. Society tells us we aren’t good enough. We try but it’s easy to get caught up in the rat race of it all. From my perspective, the goal isn’t to be stress-free (because let’s be honest, certain types of stress can be beneficial and being stress free is virtually impossible) but the goal is to have easily accessible tools to help navigate stress when it happens. Below are 3 simple steps you can do when you experience stress this week.
77 percent of people experience stress that affects their physical health.
BREATH. Close your eyes, focus on your breath and elongate your exhale. Your exhale should be longer than your inhale. This engages your parasympathetic nervous system which regulates the relaxation, rest, and digestion branches of your system. In other words, elongating your exhales will relax your nervous system.
CONNECT. Talk with someone who brings you energy or makes you feel seen, heard, or understood. Go for a coffee date or connect over FaceTime. The opportunity to share your experiences and know you’re not alone should never be taken lightly. Somebody out there cares about you and would be happy to chat.
WRITE. Take 5 minutes to write yourself a thank you note. Thank and acknowledge yourself for making it this far in life. Thank yourself for waking up this morning, putting in your best effort, not giving up, or doing that thoughtful thing you did for your colleague. Whatever it is, thank yourself for it.