How did you do it!?

I was just doing an honest audit of myself a few days ago and I realized that sometimes small trivial matters had gotten to me. For some odd reason, I was getting stressed over things I should not. So naturally, I started doing things that would not only help me cope with the stress I had but also make it easier for me to handle them. Here’s what helped me, in no certain order!

1) Breathing. When I start feeling stressed I will stop what I am doing, take a deep breath, and  just tell myself to calm down. As my cousin Maranda would say, “it’s not that deep”. This may sound funny but it works. Once I controlled my breathing my stress level would go waaay down.

2) Singing. If it stresses me out, I will sing it out. Singing not only makes my situation fun but it also takes my focus off the stress or the problem I have. Next thing you know, my problems become something trivial. Seriously, try it out a couple of times!

3) Be productive. For me I found that a lot of stress I had was related to everything I did not get done! I made it a point to give myself an hour or two after I get off work to to complete what I needed to do and it helped with my stress

4) Projects! Those things I wanted to do but I’ve been pushing off for a while, I started to work on. This made me feel really good, relieved some stress I had and really made a difference in how I felt.

5) Goodbye TV! I used to get off work and turn the television right on.  All I did was vegetate and did not actually address the stress. That may be your release. However, for those who may be looking at TV as a distraction to not addressing your stress: try leaving it off for an hour or two. Replace it with something that is productive like reading or working on a project!

6) Good ole’ vitamin D! The sun really makes you feel better. Get some sun. Take a 30 minute walk. Go on a bike ride. Find a quiet place and lay down. For me, going outside was a giant key to removing my stress. The more you stay inside the more the stress or anxiety can build up. So let some stress out!

Hope some of these helped out. However, I am genuinely interested in what has helped you overcome any stress or anxiety you’ve had. Plus, it may help someone looking in the comment section for any tips!

Thanks so much for reading guys!