When you cuddle or touch your pet, your body releases oxytocin — a hormone linked to a positive mood. Hiking and camping are great options, but some people don’t enjoy — or have access to — these activities. Even in an urban area, you can seek out green spaces such as local parks, arboretums, and botanical gardens. If you find yourself procrastinating regularly, it may be helpful to make a to-do list organized by priority. Give yourself realistic deadlines and work your way down the list. Sometimes, adding an item to the list may help you feel better about it, even if it doesn’t get done immediately.
Two of these tools are designed for assessment and can help identify energy levels, the most effective ways to recharge, and how clients approach and reframe life events. The third tool is an exercise to help develop work–life boundaries. For example, do not accept all tasks or requests that come your way, learn to say no or delegate, do the most difficult task https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/13-common-myths-about-addiction-and-recovery/ first, and use a time-management system. One example of an effective time-management system is the Pomodoro technique, where you work for 25 minutes, take a five-minute break, and then after three cycles, take a longer break. Therefore, to reduce stress, we must identify our core values and how to align our behaviors to achieve, preserve, and satisfy them.
Healthy Coping
Some of the keys to good stress management are building emotional strength, being in control of your situation, having a good social network, and adopting a positive outlook. Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by carving out “me” time. Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession.
- Research by Skinner and Zimmer-Gembeck (2007) reviewed 44 studies and identified and structured common adaptive coping strategies.
- Work, family issues, health concerns, and financial obligations are parts of everyday life that commonly contribute to heightened stress levels.
- For example, you may take on a huge workload, pay bills or take care of your family.
- So, think about whether the stress is a buildup or related to a more long-term issue.
- Stress serves an important purpose — it enables us to respond quickly to threats and avoid danger.
Research has also found that, in many cases, putting your feelings into words, known as affect labeling, can help reduce the intensity of those emotions. This means that talking to a friend about the things that are causing your stress can actually make those feel less overwhelming. Research has also found that people who experience problems with anxiety are also more likely to struggle with sleep problems. People with sleep difficulties are at a higher risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder, a condition marked by excessive, persistent, and intrusive feelings of worry and anxiety.
Spend time with friends and family
When you face something that feels stressful your brain signals your body to release hormones that increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Stress can also change your body’s immune response and suppress your digestive system, reproductive system, and growth processes. It’s a complex reaction that can change how your brain controls your moods, motivations and fears.
If other people can take care of the task, why not let them? Let go of the desire to control or oversee every little step. You’ll be letting go of unnecessary stress in the process. Keep in mind that the people you talk to don’t have to be able to fix your stress.
Overcome Languishing & Flourish: A Positive Psychology Guide
Several vitamins and minerals play an important role in your body’s stress response and mood regulation. As such, a deficiency in one or more nutrients may affect your mental health and ability to cope with stress. Moving your body on a regular basis balances the nervous system and increases blood healthy ways to cope with stress circulation, helping to flush out stress hormones. Any kind of exercise can lower stress and improve your mood ― just pick activities that you enjoy and make it a regular habit. Sharing our time with others is sometimes just what we need to boost our mood or change our perspective on things.
Feel empowered to say no or move plans around when your body tells you to. Nourishing your mental health will help you connect more deeply with others, reduce anxiety and boost your confidence. Small things you can do right now will make a difference, and it won’t cost a thing. Also, just like brushing teeth is not a replacement for going to the dentist, this micropractice should not be a replacement for therapy or more intensive mental health care.
How to stay healthy during a drought
Our thresholds for how much stress we can endure differ from one person to the next. There are many ways you might decide to tackle a problem head-on and eliminate the source of your stress. In some cases, that may mean changing your behavior or creating a plan that helps you know what action you’re going to take. Try to put things in perspective by asking if the cause of your stress will matter a year from now, or if it’s worth the health problems that stress can cause.