Life can often be full of uncertainties which can leave many feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Stress can mean that we don’t feel as happy or positive in our day to day lives, however, there are things you can do to get back to your usual self. If you are feeling stressed or think you may just need some positivity, then here are a few tips to keep you going!
1. Exercise – Physical activity helps boost your brain’s feel good endorphins. When you go for a hike or do a home workout the neurotransmitters will be released. You can find home plan ideas online, via YouTube, where there are a lot of personal trainers who have created home plans that you can use. However, if this isn’t something you would be interested in, going for a light jog will achieve the same feeling. Exercising is good for your mind and body as it gives you more energy and more motivation for the day. It’s best to do a workout in the morning or midday in order to prepare your mind for the day ahead.
2. Listen to music – Music helps calm the mind. Slow, quiet, classical music can help you wind down. However, if you would like to be in an upbeat and happy mood, it won’t hurt to blast out something a bit faster! Music can have a positive impact on both your emotions and body. Faster music will make you feel more positive, whilst the slower type of genres such as jazz or classical, can make you feel relaxed and can help manage stress.
3. Meditate – Meditation is the practice of where you focus your concentration on bringing yourself back into the moment. With practice, meditation can become one of the best ways to reduce stress and anxiety. Whilst you can’t control your thoughts, you can try to control how much power they have over you. This does not mean you should suppress them, but just remain calm and use your breathing to help control them and bring you back to the moment.
4. Go for a walk – As mentioned previously exercise is a good way to reduce stress. However, not many people enjoy intense work outs or running. When you feel like you are beginning to become stressed, it’s a good idea to go outside and take a walk. Calm down, take a deep breath in and soak up the nature.
5. Cook – Cooking, while being an essential part of life, can be a tool to distract from everyday stress. Tasks that require you to concentrate a good way to keep calm by distracting you from negative thoughts. When you are concentrating a lot of your energy and time goes into that one task. Finding a hobby can reduce stress especially if it is something you are passionate about.
6. Chores – It’s a good idea to find some household jobs that you’ve needed to attend to! Cleaning and focusing your energy into a certain job can help you keep your thoughts away from the stress.
7. Stress diary – Writing down all the negative and positive parts of your day can take some of the stressful thoughts out of your head and down onto the paper. This can help you judge the situation and reduce your negativity by comparing to the positive points.
8. Try to relax – Relax of an evening. Wind down. Consider putting on your favourite movie and taking a long hot bath with scented candles.
9. Eat well – Eating healthily can make sure you feel good! Feeling good about yourself can reduce stress. Make sure you have a lot of vitamins and are drinking a lot of water! A well-balanced and nutritious diet is one of the most important ingredients for good health.
10. Talk to someone – For talking to be most effective, make sure you choose a suitable person for this conversation. For example, there is no point talking to a two year old about work stress! Instead, speak to someone who would have a clear idea and can relate to the situation. This will reassure you that you are not alone and further stress can be removed with an outsider.
