Stress buster activities

All month long, we’ve been talking about Stress because May is Mental Health Awareness month.  Here are some stress buster activities to help your mental health.

Stress affects

Stress affects all of us throughout our lives.  Whether it’s physical, emotional, behavioral or cognitive, the stress is affecting you.  If you don’t do anything about it, it can take a toll on your body and mind in the form of disease or depression.  The longer we let it go on, the worse it becomes so it’s a good idea to take steps to manage the stress.  Below are some things to try.

Stress buster activities I love

Here are some of my favorite things to do when I’m feeling stressed.

• Staying busy – the best thing for me to do when I’m stressed is to have something to do.  The last thing I want to do is ruminate and having a constant thought loop in my head about what’s bothering me – that’s not helpful for anything because worrying doesn’t make it go away.  The reason I like to have something else to do is that I find when I am doing something other than worrying about what’s bothering me is that I often figure out a solution to my problem.  That’s much more productive than sitting around thinking about something!
• Journal – there are times when I don’t feel like I can reach out to people – it’s just the way I am sometimes.  When that happens, I write about it in my journal.  It helps to get my thoughts and feelings on paper so that I can sort through it.  It really does help.
• Hobbies – when I’m feeling stressed, depressed, or down, I work on any number of hobbies – whether it be gardening, sewing, or baking.  It helps me stay busy and it gets me into a flow.  When I get in the zone, solutions just come to me.  It’s amazing!
• Give myself permission to feel the feelings.  We often feel that we shouldn’t cry or feel bad but these are normal feelings / reactions.  I let myself have these feelings because it’s OK to feel the way we do but I don’t let it overtake me.  Feel it and deal with it.  I can’t cry all day about it but if I cry because I feel sad for a few minutes, I find I feel just a little bit better.
• Talk – hopefully you have a trusted friend or partner you can talk to.  Whenever I can’t sort through my feelings, I will talk to someone.  Getting it out helps you to find solutions because others can give suggestions or offer to help in some way.
• Laughing – laughing helps relieve stress, but you don’t even have to take my word for it.  The Mayo Clinic thinks so too!

Check out this funny meme by WeKnowMemes

Other stress buster activities to try

Here are some other suggestions you can try:

• Spend time with others – plan some activities together or if someone invited you to an outing, go!
• Don’t make huge life decisions.  When we’re feeling stressed, it’s best not to make rash decisions.
• Rest – sometimes we just need some time.  Don’t overdo things – just relax.
• Eat well – during times of stress, people either eat too much or not enough.  Eat well-balanced meals when you can.  If you tend to overeat, do your best to eat better.  If you tend to not feel like eating, make smaller meals so you get the nutrition you need.
• Breathing – when we’re stressed, it can be hard to breathe.  We may take short, shallow breaths – it is better to take long, deep breathes.  Try this suggestion – inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8.

Conclusion

Just remember, it’s normal and OK to feel stressed – just don’t let it overtake you.  Work through it and know that it will pass.