12 Ways to Combat Stress

On Thursday night, I was about to have a breakdown. The stress had officially gotten to me. Massive headache, body shaking, seconds from collapsing to the floor and breaking down into a full-blown ugly cry. I was SO stressed out from everything this new lifestyle is bringing. Don’t get me wrong, I love it! But with a new job, moving, and trying to get this blog off the ground, the last month has been incredibly intimidating and just plain defeating.

So I reached out on my Instagram page and asked for the best stress relief tips from my followers. My typical deep breathing was just not working. Lemme tell you, my Insta-tribe might be small, but every single one of them are so amazing. Comments and messages from so many different people – all well wishes and good thoughts to get me through that terrible feeling of defeat.

Given the response I received, of course I had to write about it. I’ve written a lot about mental clarity and mental health so far. You can see one of my posts about mental health here! Mental health is so important for overall wellbeing and overall health. Something that cannot be ignored.

We All Stress!

About the little things, about the big things – stress is so predominant in our lives’ today. Some of us get worked up more easily than others, some of us go absolutely crazy over the littlest things. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what it’s about or the magnitude – stressful situations call for some basic tips to get through it without those awful anxiety attacks. Today I’m going to provide you with some of my own tips and some of the tips offered to me during my (almost) breakdown.

Advice From My Followers

I am so insanely appreciative for my blogging friends and followers every day, but last Thursday brought a whole new level of thankfulness. Everyone was so quick to reach out with simple tips that helped me through a very rough night.

Some of the tips they shared include:

• Go for a walk
• Take deep breaths
• Do one thing for yourself
• Take it one day at a time
• Journal your thoughts
• Drink some hot tea
• Meditate

I mean really, how good are these things? They’re each so simple, don’t take much time, and oh so helpful! Even just doing one of these things can help immensely in the midst of a looming anxiety attack. By making some hot tea, taking a few deep breaths, and journaling for about three minutes, I felt like a new woman.

My Advice

A lot of the tips I tend to preach about are included in the bullet points above. But there are some things I learned during my last stress induced breakdown – things we’re told since our teen years but that we never really think about once it’s actually happening.

• Cry it out
  • It’s okay to cry! Even if you don’t know what you’re crying about, it lets all the stresses and negative feelings out.
• Go for a run
• Write down everything you’re thankful for
  • Check out one of the cutest journals I’ve found lately!
• Meditate/Deep breathing exercises
• Separate yourself from the issue
  • Try to recognize the magnitude, no matter how big or small, of the things that are stressing you out. Let yourself realize that you are so much bigger (and stronger) than the problem.
• Listen to music
  • Lay back, eyes closed, and just veg out. Try a 30 Day Trial for Amazon Music here!
• Get some fresh air
  • Rain or shine, just go outside, take 5 deep breaths, and soak in the fresh air.
• Spend some time alone
  • With the TV off, music silenced – just completely alone. This will help your mind to clear, allowing any overstimulation to cease.

Many of these tips are very simple, once again. I know it’s sometimes hard to think about ways to unwind when your body is tensing up, feeling like you’re spiraling into crazy. If nothing else, just breathe! Small sips of air, followed by huge exhales. Literally blow off that steam that’s building up inside. I guarantee you will benefit immensely by creating this one habit.

Is It More than You Realize?

Sometimes anxiety may start to take over and make it difficult to live each day. If you notice yourself starting to struggle with every day tasks because they’re causing too much stress, it may be time to seek help from a professional. With the overstimulation we’re each faced with every single day, depression and anxiety are more common in our society than we realize. It also never hurts to ask a family member if depression and anxiety run in your family. The more you know, the better off you’ll be about working through these tough situations.

Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor or set up some time to talk to someone who can help you make sense of the feelings you’re having.

Your Turn!

How do you recover from an anxiety attack? What do you do to stop a breakdown in its tracks? Share with me! Any and all tips are welcome! We’re all in this together so let’s help one another in any way we can.