Monday, August 3, 2020

How To Deal With Stress And Anxiety

I think it is safe to say that 2020 has been a pretty stressful year for more people than not. Along with dealing with the new lifestyle Covid-19 has presented us with, we still face the struggles of everyday life: work, school, family, finding a new balance, etc. 

Most of my stress and anxiety came with the last part of last year and the first bit of 2020. I was engaged for about half a year and ended up breaking things off. I eventually came to the realization that when all of a sudden someone is so willing to compromise your relationship with your family, friends, god, and yourself and is suddenly unsupportive of what you want to accomplish in life and unappreciative that is not the person who is supposed to be your life partner. It probably took me longer to come to that realization than it should have; at the time I was viewing a broken engagement as an embarrassment and a failure instead of viewing it as a smart decision. 

 

I can honestly say that was the most stressful time in my life thus far; my face was even swollen from the amount of stress. It seemed inescapable at the time, like it was lurking in every corner. It caused me inner turmoil, it caused turmoil within my family, the relationship just all the sudden became a murky lake I was no longer to navigate, and then the tasks of everyday life just seemed overwhelming at the time. I used to lay awake in bed till 3 in the morning trying to figure out why things changed so much, I was drinking an ungodly amount of coke, and just dealing with the stress of everything made me gain twenty pounds. 

 

Since then I’ve been able to reconnect with friends, concentrate on my well being a little more, and I met someone really nice. Every now and then though I do get overwhelmed with the thought of having a unknown future when I was on a path and knew what the future was going to look like. Then with Covide sometimes it just seems like life sometimes is at a standstill, which in itself can be a bit stressful.

 

Maybe not the most responsible thing to do, but I kind of took the month of July off and was a little selfish. I know for most people when something goes wrong in life they throw themselves into their work or a new hobby or passion. For me, as selfish as it sounds, I think I needed to throw myself into me for a little bit after spending so many months trying to appease everyone and play peacemaker and just trying to figure things out, I really neglected myself and my own wellbeing. I spent time exercising, catching up on sleep, and just doing things that I enjoy and in a sense found a path back to myself. 

 

So here are a few tips for dealing with stress that most definitely worked for me:

 

Sleep// I cannot stress the importance of sleep enough. The affect an appropriate amount of sleep versus an inappropriate amount of sleep has on your outlook and ability to process things is undeniably noticeable 

 

Exercise// Exercise has so many positives other than just a physical one. It helps me to process things faster, think more efficiently, and honestly just seems to put me in a better mood

 

Drinking Water// I have found that when I do not drink enough water or get enough sleep I snake on surgery things a lot more and just end up feeling kind of blah 

 

Accept Things and People for Who and What They Are// One of the biggest things I learned from last year is that sometimes the only real thing you have control over in certain situations is how you choose to react to them. On a level you are always going to accept that situations and people are who they are and sometimes that is all you can do

 

Unplug// Setting your phone, laptop, iPad, and other electronic devices off to the side 30-sih minutes before you go to bed makes such a difference in anxiety levels and allows you a better night’s rest

 

Spend Time with Family and Friends// Just being around friends, family and those who care about you honestly has a way of just naturally relieving stress 


Flowers// Flowers just have a way of brightening any room and any day. Aside from the ocean’s it’s one of the best gifts Mother Nature has to offer

 

Animals// if you’re like me and love animals you know how much a hug or silly pet moment can improve your mood and mindset 

 

Mindfulness// Make sure to stay in the moment and not get too ahead of yourself

 

Comfort food and movies// Just to make it clear, I do not think you should turn to food for comfort on a regular basis. Sometimes though you just need to have your favorite meal and sit down and watch your favorite movie and let whatever is causing you stress to fall away

 

Morning and Night Time Routine// Sometimes I have found that having a morning and night time routine can bring about a certain calmness depending on the day 

 

Let It Go// sometimes you can either hold on to a negative moment and become a prisoner of your own mind or find a way to let it go and move forward. More than not the past belongs in the past and that’s where it needs to stay

 

What are some things that help you decompress?



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