Stress Relievers

Stress is present in all parts of life: school, work, friendships and social media. Stress will never completely go away, but thankfully, there are techniques that can help manage it anywhere and anytime.

1. Breathing

This stress reliever is so simple, making it overlooked and significantly underestimated. Guided breathing and meditation have proven time and time again to slow down a heartbeat and clear the mind to handle any stressful situation in the best way possible. Meditation and breathing exercises have become so accessible over the past few years that you no longer have to spend money on an overpriced yoga class to find mental peace. You can find everything you need for this stress reliever in a video on YouTube. One of the most well-known and popular breathing exercises is the 4:6 method. Breathe in for 4 seconds and out for 6. After doing this for 5-10 minutes, you will have a clear mind and settled nerves. 

 2. Journaling 

Sometimes, all the mind needs is to vent. With 10 minutes, a pen and paper, just let yourself word vomit any concerns, nerves and stress weighing you down. When there's nothing but negativity clogging your mind, it will only increase stress and anxiety. This is why writing everything down lets you see everything on paper so that it is better than you've built it up in your head. This is why list-making is another great strategy; when you think of all the tasks you need to get done in one day, your mind will start building stress and anxiety, whereas prioritizing everything on a list makes the situation much more approachable and easy to accomplish.

 3. Social Contact

Moving in a different, more busy direction, social contact is a great way to relieve stress. You may think that a crowded environment wouldn't release tension. Still, when you distract yourself with a group of people or an activity you enjoy, you can subconsciously stop worrying and take your mind off of what's bothering you. An example of this is going to the movie theatre with some friends; watching a movie always directs your attention to what's happening in the film, and it's the perfect escape from reality; going with friends gives your mind a sense of community. When you are stressed, your mind isolates itself from people and only focuses on what's bothering you, making you more closed off to others. Socializing will pull your mind out of the negative isolation and give your mind a reset.

It's important to have stress relievers to relax and calm the mind when stress gets out of hand. These stress techniques can become more personal and modified to fit your needs as you use them and figure out what does and doesn't work. It is important to remind yourself to slow down, be present and take a break. 

More to come,

Big Sister