Stress.
The worst thing ever that we all have to deal with. Summer might seem like a stress-free time, but many people still have jobs, summer school or traveling. Since everyone experiences stress sometimes, here's a list of tips to cope when you want to rip your hair out and stomp and cry a little.
Take a bath.
Nothing sounds better than a warm bath with bubbles and a good book/magazine. I used to read those tween magazines while taking a bath
and let me tell you, those suckers can get your mind off anything. Stress has
no room when deciding who wore it best: T-Swift or Ri-Ri (
I know them well
enough for pet names
) (Rihanna every time, duh)?
Popping bubble wrap.
It gives you something to pinch and also it's very fun.
Listen to music.
Calming music can work wonders. Lying down in a dark room and putting on headphones usually blocks out stress for me. This is not the time for music that will get your heart racing or will scream into your ears. Beethoven where you at?
Coloring.
OK, many people I know swear by those adult coloring books but there are too many small lines and patterns that it’s easy to color outside of the lines (aka room for failure=stressed Dayna), but they might work for you! I personally like coloring books for like 2-3 year-olds, so basically simple shapes or images that I would rock coloring, because I’m not a toddler. These are the kind people usually like.
Tea.
There are so many herbal tea options that I’ve seen online that claim to reduce stress. A warm honey lemon tea is super soothing for me.
Watercoloring.
This is such an aesthetically pleasing form of art. Pros include that you can’t really mess up, even if your picture comes out looking funky you can claim it’s a modern form of artistic expression. The water makes sliding a brush over paper a really calming movement; painting the same pattern over and over again might relieve some tension.
Watch a show.
This is a no "Grey’s" area people. Sitcoms, animated movies or documentaries while lying in the dark can get your mind off of stress. For me, I like watching nature documentaries about jellyfish or something. How can you be anxious when you’re looking at a jellyfish on a screen? Like just look at them:
How regal.
Water.
I live in Florida, so finding a body of water to look at takes about 0.2 seconds. Watching a river run or listening to the sounds of waves are therapeutic activities. Personally, running my hands through water really calms me down, even if it is from a bathroom faucet.
Enjoy some art.
Appreciate all the beautiful things!
Pet an animal.
This only works if petting animals is relaxing or brings you joy. Find an old golden retriever and pet it while it grins at you. Just the thought of an old golden retriever is grinning at me makes me feel all of the good feelings in the world. Also, make sure the old grinning dog does not have diseases. Best case scenario buy an old grinning dog to pet that has had its shots.
Focus on the things you can control/keep perspective.
This is always super hard when you feel stressed, but do try to force yourself to think about the situation you are in and try to figure out if it is actually a big deal or not. People that have depression or anxiety issues sometimes use a method called cognitive behavioral therapy (learn more about that here), which is basically figuring out the link between your thoughts, feelings and actions. Figure out why you are feeling a certain way and how you can change your thoughts to produce a different feeling, thus changing your stressed actions. I like to keep perspective by saying, “If I do not do this thing, will I die?” The answer is usually no, so that calms me down. Making your own survival priority instead of homework kind of keeps things in perspective for me.
Stretch.
It's kind of like yoga, but you can do whatever moves you want.
Eat a healthy snack
Hunger makes stress worse. Taking a break from a stressful situation to prepare a snack and then eating it could give you the time you needed to step away from anxiety.
Essential oils.
Again, so many people I know swear by these, as do I. My mom used to put some kind of essential oil on my feet when I got stressed and it totally helped. Even if you are a non-believer, the smell alone will take your mind off of whatever you’re thinking about. Here are some. Also check out these bad boys.
Self love/patience.
Practicing self-love techniques really helps me when I’m feeling anxious about a situation. Pay attention to negative thoughts and then stop them before they turn into feelings. Recognize negativity by saying, “That was a bad thought,” and then change it into a good thought. I frequently give myself little pep talks or compliments in my head ( I’m not crazy, right?) when I make it through a stressful situation. For example, I sometimes get nervous in crowds, so I’ll say to myself, “You’re doing so well not freaking out right now! Good job Dayna!” OK this is really making me sound crazy but forcing myself to think positively about myself really helps, I promise! When it comes to stress, don’t compare yourself to others. When I survive being in crowds I can’t compare myself to others that don’t feel stressed in crowds, or else I’ll just feel sad. Recognize personal development and progress!
Dance.
Dance it out to a fun song or sing along in the car. Sweet moves translate into a stress free brain. Science.
Breathe.
I frequently close my eyes when I’m stressed to block out what is making me freak out, and then I focus on breathing deeply and slowly. It gets me restarted and calm before I try to handle what is happening. Here are some breathing exercises you can try.
Meditation/prayer.
Get into your spiritual side to get some peace. *hummmm*
Get in nature.
Walk around, breathe fresh air and listen to the sounds around you. Fine, you can play Pokémon Go if that helps.
Say no.
Signing up for too much than you can handle can be a major cause of stress. Recognize what can realistically be expected from you, and then say no to extra things.
Mutilation of objects.
Maybe I mean literally destroy something to get your tense energy out, or just squeeze a stress ball. I didn’t have one with me the other day when I was nervous, so I just tore up a piece of paper for a while. Giving your hands something to focus can help. I couldn’t have made it through my English class last year without my stress ball. It works people!
Hope these help! Let's make this summer the best yet by killing off stress for good.
