In modern days, everything is about speed, even stress relief - doesn’t it sound stressful already? :D
Since we are talking about “quick” ways, we need to be straight to the points here. When you feel stressed and want a quick relief, the first thing you need is to be aware of your own stress and feelings, then, you can choose the following options, out of many:
Take a very deep breath, so big that you can feel your chest and tummy expanding, then release it slowing in a steady count of 7. Repeat 10 times or until your can feel the difference. In every breath, notice your inhale and exhale, pay attention to your body movement.
Write down the stressful feelings on a small piece of paper, rip the paper, then throw it into the bin.
Take a sip of cold water slowly, feel the water goes from your lips to your tongue, throat, and inside of your chest, bring your attention to the water, and the feeling of it inside you. Take a few more sips if you can start feeling a bit less stressed.
Find a small object to focus on. Any small object near you, a pen cap, a paper clip, a little pebble, look at it as if you have never seen such thing, notice the colour, the pattern, how it feels, describe it to yourself as much as you can. This is a way to sooth your mind, to calm down.
If there is no small object around, you may carry a small charm with you everywhere you go, and you remind yourself, whenever you see that charm, you remember to relax.
And if you don’t carry any small object with you, simply use a word to tell yourself to let go, as simple as “relax”, “om”, or “peace”.
Interestingly, moving your body helps to calm down. For example if you are at work in the office, you feel very stressed, try to do a few quick movements like jumping on the spot, sprinting on the spot, or use the staircase to run up and down fast for a few minutes.
If all of the above won’t work for you, find someone nearby, or call a friend, and say "thank you" to him/her. Or, just say to yourself “I am thankful for this difficult situation so that I can grow and learn”. Gratitude helps to reduce stress and anxiety, feeling grateful often promotes mental well-being in general.
However, quick ways can only help you make quick relief. For long term, you need to develop habits and life style that benefit your well-being overall, we will talk about that in the next article.
References:
Knightsmith, P. (2020). Cards Against Anxiety. Quarto Publishing.
Harvard Health Publishing Online Learning: Stress Management
Yvonne Lee
Experienced and result-oriented well-being facilitator, focuses on enhancing individuals’ resilience at work and balance in mental health. Combining over two decades of business background and counselling experience, Yvonne applies various therapeutic approaches to work with youth and adult individuals to achieve improvements and rebalance.
https://www.rebalance.asia/talk-to-a-listener
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