Have you ever been told to stress less or take a chill pill? Us too. Problem is, when you’re living a busy life, it can be hard to find ways to de-stress that actually work for you. In recognition of Mental Health Month, we’ve put together 10 daily de-stress hacks to keep you feeling cool, calm & collected (no matter how hectic your day is).
Visualise your stress
As stress is often a feeling you can’t quite visualise, it often seems hard to grasp or manage. Take control of this feeling by closing your eyes and creating a mental image of your stress. Finally, practice some deep breathing and visualise your stress shrinking and disappearing each time you breathe out until it’s completely gone.
Laugh
Laughter really is the best medicine. It helps lower the tension your body is feeling and improves the health of your heart (We’re serious! Look it up). Watch a Jim Carrey movie or hang out with the funniest person you know and watch yourself forget about your worries.
Exercise
Find a form of physical activity that you actually enjoy and just do it! Exercise can be one of the greatest stress reliefs ever. It helps blow off steam and releases your endorphins so that you can return in a new frame of mind.
List it down, then rip it up.
Have you got something weighing heavily on your mind? Make a list of everything that’s stressing you out and then seperate the list into things you can and cannot control. More often than not, you’ll find that you’re stressing about things beyond your control. Finally, once you’ve got a plan in place to manage what you can control, rip up the list for some stress relief (it works wonders!).
Take control of the controllables
As most of our stress can come from situations beyond our control, take on an activity you have full control over like cooking or organising! Follow the steps and enjoy the process along the way.
Go for a drive
If you’re working from home or have the ability to step out of the office, going for a drive is a great way to clear your mind and take you out of the work environment. Why not even try putting on your favourite music to put you in a good mood!
Meditate
Don’t knock it until you try it! When you feel the tension rising, sit down, in a comfortable and safe space and practice deep breathing and meditative exercises. Be in the moment noticing everything around you and just observe without reacting. You won’t regret it!
Immerse yourself in a hobbie
Get creative! Jump in the kitchen and cook up a storm, dig for those old texters and draw or engage in some serious retail therapy. Whatever it is that you love, sit down and shift your focus away from the stress at hand.
Eat well
We are all guilty of gravitating towards comfort foods. Our food intake is often linked with our mood. This is why we feel down in the dumps when we eat cookie dough for dinner. Whilst this does sound appetising, it is never the best option for our health. Healthy eating is renowned for improving energy, productivity and mental health.
Let it out
Stress is often the result of not letting it out. One of the easiest ways to release stress is just by letting out a primal scream. Can’t do that in the office? Sigh. We all do it. Then on your way home, sing along to your favourite tune and get those endorphins pumping.