Ah, stress. My dear friend.
Stress is like that one lurking uncle whose main objective is to ask you what you plan to do with the rest of your life who somehow always gets stuck next to you at the Thanksgiving table. While it’s occasionally helpful to have this annoying but well-intending uncle bombard you with questions that force you to think about your life, he can also freak a person _out_ with his overwhelming presence.
In short, stress is a healthy and necessary evil. It’s what motivates us to be productive and accomplish our goals. However, if you don’t know how to channel your stress into something meaningful, it can feel like you’re drowning. So take a chill pill and follow these simple tips:
**Turn off your phone (gasp)**: Take a break from the never ending parade of emails and the cacophony of a group text and give your mind some time to breathe without the constant pressure to be on top of everything all the time. In the times we live in, impatience is rampant, and there appears to be no excuse for not responding with immediacy. Except there is an excuse: maintaining your sanity.
**Go for a walk**: Even mild exercise can boost your endorphins, making you feel lighter almost instantly. It’s also proven that walking outdoors activates your “involuntary attention,” the way your brain focuses on something while simultaneously having time for reflection.
**Breathe**: Deep breaths stimulate parasympathetic reactions in the body and lower your blood pressure.
**Eat a snack**: There’s a big difference in stress-bingeing an entire box of cereal and mindfully feeding your body. Nothing stresses your brain out more than feeling malnourished. Try an apple with peanut butter or a handful of nuts.
**Take a screen break**: Yep, this means everything. While watching a TV show or movie can certainly take your mind off of things, interacting too much with a bright little screen, especially at night, has been associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation.
**Play music**: Put on your favorite Pandora station or playlist, lay down on your bed, close your eyes and take a moment to focus on your music. Let your mind become fully immersed in listening.
**Take a bath/shower**: If you’re like me, taking a bath feels like going for a swim in a giant bowl of soup. But for some, the hot water and steam produced from a bath or shower is relaxing and refreshing, making you feel both calmer and more energized.
**Organize your space**: Sometimes the easiest way to make yourself feel like your life is somewhat put together is to make the space you’re in look its best. Simply picking up the clothes on your floor and putting them in their proper place will instantly make you feel accomplished.
**Set your mind to something**: Repetitive motions and patterns stimulate your mind while also allowing it to breathe. Try things like cooking, lifting weights, painting your nails or knitting. The simple concentration required for these tasks will switch your brain off of other thoughts for a little while.
**Laugh**: Keeping your sense of humor in a difficult situation is vital to your sanity. Although it’s easy to let a few slightly annoying things make you feel like you had a bad day, try to find some levity those situations.
Remember, stress is relative. While it may not alleviate your woes by reminding you that there will always be someone who has it worse and someone who has it better than you, try to keep your stress in perspective.