Do you suffer from anxiety or anxious thoughts? Do you ever just feel so overwhelmed by all that is on your plate? Does your mind race and you feel that you do not have enough time? If any of those resonated with you, this blog today is for you! It is so easy to get swept up in the commotion of life and stress. Even if you live a virtually “stress-free” life, something stressful will probably come up every so often. Now that I’ve established that stress is kind of inevitable, next let’s focus on stress management.
Stress? Who is she?
I don’t think that stress can be categorized as all good or all bad. I think that stress is a part of life, sometimes it can push you towards your goals. Other times, it can send you down a spiral of despair. The important thing about stress is to know your triggers (as in, what stresses you out) and your reaction to stress. When you have an idea of what exactly stresses you out, it can be easier to prepare for those uncomfortable situations.
For example, I tend to get extremely overwhelmed and stressed when I have to sit down and start my writing process. All of these negative thoughts about inadequacy pop into my head. It can become debilitating. Because I know this, I plan before I write, put on a great peaceful Studio Ghibli YoutTube playlist, and have some tea or wine. Even then, the stress and anxiety still make their grand appearance. I have the choice to let it take control and stop my whole process because of fear. Or I can breathe it out and refocus.
Stress management ideas
- Focus on one thing at a time – multitasking is actually not real
- Breathing exercises
- Really end your day (for me: herbal tea + Palo santo + skincare routine) this should be something that relaxes you and forces you to slow down
- Light your favorite candle
- Drinking cool water
- Make a list and prioritize what is important to you
- Write a list of goals for the day before
- Get fresh air
- Listen to soothing music
- Remind yourself of who you are
- Phone a friend
- Check-in and describe how you are feeling (journal it, jot it, whatever feels best)
Make stress management your way
With the list above, I want you to know there is no right or wrong way to go about doing them. There is no set rule guide, but I can offer guidance. Whether you prefer writing things out by hand, doing it all digitally, or if you’re like me, going back and forth between the two – there is something to accommodate all of us. At first, I was so fixated on finding the perfect notebook, the right assortment of pens, and trying to make a professional and beautiful bullet journal to the point that planning became stressful. This is going to sound bad, but planning used to stress me out so badly that I would just wing it. Currently, I have expanded my horizons and decided to give the digital-sphere a try. What I love about having some of these resources app-accessible is the fact that I can have them with me and there’s basically no excuse for me to not utilize them. But if you love creating and beautifying your bullet journal, go on ahead! Pick the methods that makes it easiest for you to manage your stress. Lastly, here are two new apps I’ve begun using to help better manage my stress and anxiety and it helps my day go by so much smoother:
- Insight Timer – this has been a lifesaver! Meditations of all kinds, even super short ones for anxiety. Another cool thing about this resource is that live meditations are also available
- Tick Tick – a bare-bones list-making app that you can check off tasks as completed
- Moodtrack – this one is great because you can write long or short snippets, rate your mood, and you get a nice graph to see your ups and downs. This can help you spot stress triggers!