What is stress and how can we cope with it in healthy ways?
Well, we’re glad you asked. Stress is defined as “That which arises when the pressure placed upon an individual exceeds the capacity of that individual to cope.” Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
Stress may come from work, finances, family, natural disasters, health issues, disruption of routine, life transitions, or even being put in new situations. Check out this Stress Questionnaire to see how stress is affecting your life.
How we cope with stress depends on our upbringing, experience, and overall mental health. Many of us learned how to cope with stress on our own through trial and error, but there are tools to help manage stress better and faster. Let’s dig into some simple ways to manage stress, and start to incorporate them into our lives.
- Write your stressors down- for those who need organization
Putting your thoughts into words when it comes to stress can help you understand where that stress comes from and how to help reduce its effect on you.
Make a list of your stressors, starting with the one that causes the most effect on you, and work down to the least affecting. From there, make a to-do list of ways you can shake loose some of those stressors while
- Take a mindfulness moment- for when you have trouble focusing
We often get so wrapped up in what we have to get done, that we find it difficult to move forward.
Take a moment to center yourself and clear your mind, setting the stage for powerful focus after.
New to mindfulness? No worries! Try looking up breathing techniques, yoga, mindfulness sessions like these, or even downloading a mindfulness app.
- Make a list of priorities, not details- for the perfectionist
Sometimes done is better than perfect. Some of us focus intensely on the fine details, and the fact is that there are times when those details aren’t as important as the big picture.
A helpful tool to try when you find yourself seeking perfection when it isn’t necessary is making a list of priorities and deadlines to stay on track. You could do this with a program like Notion or Trello, sticky notes, organizing folders on your computer, or whatever works for you.
Don’t let finding the perfect decorations keep you from booking a caterer for your event, or spend so much time planning dinners for the week that you forget to plan for tonight.
There will be times in everyone’s life when stress feels like it is consuming you, and in those times it is important to know what resources are there to help. At Bacon Street, we are here for adolescents, teens, and young adults as well as their families to help reduce stress and create healthy coping technics. If you’re interested in learning more about our counseling services, click here.