Managing Stress: Five Simple Techniques

As someone who has experienced stress for the majority of her life, managing stress is a must. I have struggled to find quick and easy tools to manage stress. I needed to make it stop. Immediately.

Do you find yourself so stressed that when you try to look up destress techniques you get even more stressed? With these simple 5 techniques, I will try to help you look no further. I hope that these simple and readily available techniques will serve you right when you need them most.

Do not worry; you do not need to purchase more merchandise to make your life stress-free (well, I cannot guarantee stress-free life, but we can manage it better together).

Establish a Healthy Routine

The first step should begin with creating a healthy routine and following a daily schedule. Think about it, when your daily activities are predictable you no longer have to worry about the "unknown". Healthy routines will yield a sense of structure, peace, and serenity.

Scheduled activities and planning minimizes stressful and unorganized lifestyle and helps remove unnecessary worries and feelings of anxiety. Can you still have unpredictable events that ruin your day and throw you off your feet? Of course. But don't panic.

Sticking to a routine and having an organized "life calendar" will help you cope with these events much more efficiently.

Breathing Exercises and Learning to Breathe Deeper

Breathing is something we are born to do. Literally, we begin the journey of life by taking our first breath. Why do we forget to breathe when we are stressed? I will not be taking you on the journey of science behind breathing while anxious or stressed, but I will tell you that you can use your breathing to manage your stress and anxiety.

I will mention that when we are stressed and anxious, our breath becomes laboured and we have difficulties "catching our breath", we also get rense all over our body. By focusing on our breath and paying attention more, we will achieve emotional and physical release.

Deep breathing improves circulation, regulates heart rate, helps muscles relax, and releases endorphins. The best part is that I do not have to teach you how to breathe; you already mastered it!

You can practice breathing exercises in the shower, while driving, at work, or anytime you feel your stress and anxiety rising. Feel free to practice it every day, all day!

Self-Care

Every time I bring self-care to a conversation or a therapy session, the answer is always the same - I don't have time for this. Another common answer is "self-care cost money".

When I ask people about self-care, they often refer to going to a spa, getting nails/hair done, or doing expensive retail therapy. This is NOT what self-care is all about.

Self-care should be something that you do for you, you deserve it. Self-care can mean many things to different people and my first go-to question is: what do you enjoy doing? What have you done in the past that made you feel joy and happiness?

Surprisingly enough, people often respond by making art, working out, going for a jog or a hike, and many more activities that do not include a fancy spa or other ways to dish out money. Self-care is self-explanatory - doing an act of self-care and caring for YOU.

Think about something you have not done in a while that made you feel good, even if it's brief. Make sure you pencil it into your new healthy routine and allow yourself time. Feel free to start with 2-3 days per week and then increase to daily activities. Have fun with this

Practising these 5 techniques may take time and effort on your part. Not all of them may work for you. But that is not important. The importance is that you tried. Keep trying and looking for what works best for you.

Be in touch if you wish for assistance or want to let me know if you have any de-stressing techniques that work best for you!