Five things you NEED to do if you're feeling really stressed
Life can feel very stressful, and we all have those moments where we feel like something's missing - maybe even a tiny thing. We forget to take a little time for ourselves and our relationships with the people who are important to us. These are a few tips to make it a little bit easier to get through feeling overwhelmed or stressed out:
Stop filling up your day. Trying to distract yourself when you feel things are going wrong is tempting, but you need to do nothing! Just block a little bit of thinking time out in your diary. Ideas will come flooding in, slowly clearing away the fog of stress filling your mind. Just because you're working all day doesn't mean you must fill them with meetings.
Give yourself a break. When you're feeling down, don't forget that your body needs some love too! It helps to take some time off from work or study and plan something that fills up your cup. It doesn’t have to be something massive - even if it’s 30 minutes away from your everyday, it will help.
Put things back in perspective. For example, when I'm stressed, I like to go for a walk and step away from what I’m feeling stressed about - it helps my mind clear, and sometimes I find that just seeing trees or flowers lifts my mood straight away!
Don't reach for alcohol. Yes, sorry, but going for that G&T or half a bottle of wine at the end of a tough day isn't going to help. On the contrary, it might make things worse for you. Alcohol is a depressant that can interrupt your brain's sensors and serotonin levels. It might help to start with - kinda taking the edge off. But as that wears off, you'll feel more anxious than before you poured that drink.
Put your life mask on first. The analogy comes from being a passenger on a plane. The safety demonstration before takeoff will always remind you to put your life mask on before you start to help others. Because logically, you can only help others if you have made sure you're in the best place to help them. We should take this reminder when we're on the ground, too - yet so often, we forget to wear our life mask entirely and focus on helping others first.
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