If you are anything like me then you're pretty busy.
You may feel like you have no time for anything you love because you're rushing around trying to get everything done.
Life can really busy and that can lead to a lot of stress. While yes a little bit of stress is good, if you are experiencing a high level of stress and its everyday then it can impede on your quality of life.
I'm not a doctor but i am someone who struggles with stress overload. These are some tips i found really help me.
Take these tips with a grain of salt. While these may all work for me, every person is different and you need to find strategies that work for you.
5 Tips for managing stress:
1. Breathing exercises.
Thats right, the number one tip everyone gives stright out of the gate. Not only can you do this technuique anywhere you are but its also backed by science. Scientists ran a study to study yoga-based breathing to help reduce stress. They published their findings in the Complementary Therapies in Medicine journal. The findings say that deep breathing significantly reduces psychological stress however, breathing ratios do not have a significant effect on stress reduction among healthy adults (Birdee et al, 2023).
2. Creative outlets.
Whenever i want a break from studying or have some free time at work i generally do a creative project. I find that doing things that requires the same pattern such as bracelet making or crochetting is a really good way to shut off the brain for a while. If you are confident in your abilities you can even watch a calming video or play white noise in the background.
3. White noise.
White noise is a good way to relax, at least it is for me. White noise has also been scientifically attrubuted to better sleep and concentration. So what is white noise? It, in layman terms, is background noise such as the hissing of the air conditioner or the soft pitter patter of rain. In scientific terms, white noise is a flat power spectural density of audible frequencies meaning the sound is equal and therefore will remain a consistant volumn. White noise can actually help with blocking out other noises and help with distraction and aid in sleep quality.
4. Eating healthier.
Another tip that most people say as well. However, this is easier said than done. When someone is stressed (at least this is the case for me) it can really bring down overall motivation. While a homecooked meal sounds good, it also takes so much time and effort whereas ordering food in is so much easier. Even more so when you don't have dependants or a significant other.
However, you can always add healthier foods into your busy life. This could mean pre-packing lunch the night before or having some fruit with your breakfast. Again, as i've said, this is easier said than done. People may need more support than others and coping is about finding good strategies that works for you.
5. Creating boundaries.
Boundaries are the standards you set for what behaviour you will tollerate from other people (and what they can expect from you) and yourself. They are there to keep both parties safe and are the foundation for building postive relationships. There are several types of boundaries: physcial, emotional, financial, spirtual, intecllectual and sexual.
When a boundary has been breached, your brain will send signals. Depending on the boundary it may come as physical 'alarm bells' or an emotional 'alarm bell'. This could mean, feeling uncomfortable, pressured and anxious and having a 'gut feeling' or internal intuition. You can also feel things such as shame, fear, guilt and sadness when a boundary has been crossed.
In order to set boundaries, you need to be self-aware. What are you not comfortable with in regards to your personal space? You must also talk to your friends and family about these boundaries by being assertive. Assertiveness is clearly and respectfully expressing your feelings to other people. It doesn't mean you are making demands but instead it is having others listen to you. Being able to keep boundaries is coming to terms with the umcomfortable in order to keep your own peace.
A take-away message:
I just want to say that while these are tips i generally use I am not perfect and i still mess up from time to time and thats ok. Recovery is not linear. You can take as much or as little time as you need.
When you are busy and stressed out it feels like a rock rolling donwhill. You feel like you can't stop and therefore have to maintain the business of life. But, it doesn't have to be like that.
Having chronic stress will eventually lead to burn-out. It can cause psychological disstress and mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.
If you need help and have no idea who to turn to, here is a hyperlink to a list of supports avaliable (this list is for Australian helplines only).
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-helplines
Health direct has listed helplines for people suffering from depression and dark thoughts, complex mental health issues, Aborginal and Torres Stright Islander support, loneliness, LGBTQ+ support, veterans and their loved ones, and people who need support for eating disorders.
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