Managing Stress

Stress is common. The cost of living continues to increase, causing financial stress. An abundance of digital devices keep many tasks and things to do constantly in our awareness. Stress can affect the duration and quality of sleep. Stress can affect us physiologically - stress can make us feel tired, irritable and can weaken our immune systems. 

There are many things to do to begin to work through stress. 

Beginning to use body calming strategies such as deep breathing or mindfulness strategies can begin to calm the stress that you feel in your body. As you work through body calming, there are many additional strategies you can begin to use to adapt to stress.

Pay attention to what you are eating

In stress, people often turn to unhealthy food to attempt to feel less stress. Different diets can affect one's level of stress - so paying attention to what you are eating helps to begin to adjust stress levels over time.

Exercise

Stress can lead people to want to relax and do nothing. Exercise is not the first thought for many people when they feel a lot of stress. However, moving forward with small steps of exercise and building from there can begin to adjust stress levels over time.

Establish Boundaries

Stress can clouds one's ability to say no and make healthy choices. In stress, it can be difficult to define what you want to do and your life to be overcrowded with things that you find stressful and feel like you can't say no to.

Rest

Stress can be a signal of the need for some rest - for some rest and rejuvenation in your life. Think about what helps you to feel better and lean into those things. 

Seeking More Help?

Sometimes managing stress can feel overwhelming - this is where it can be helpful to seek professional help. Seeing a family doctor can help to navigate any underlying health conditions and seeking a therapist can help to have a safe place to work through strategies for managing stress.

If you feel some need to adjust how you manage stress, reach out today and one of our therapists will help support you as you navigate stress in new ways.

Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash