How to manage stress: Stress is natural, but if it’s not acknowledged or managed, it can be debilitating to one’s everyday life.Stress management involves various techniques that can help individuals cope with and reduce stress levels.
We’ve rounded up six ways to manage stress and examples of women-owned companies offering new methods to restore well-being and calmness in fraught times.
Take care of your physical health.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but one of the best ways to keep stress at bay is to exercise via walking, jogging, gardening, or anything that gets you active.
“Virtually any form of physical activity can act as a stress reliever,” says the Mayo Clinic, adding that exercise pumps up your feel-good endorphins and other natural neural chemicals.
Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also helps.
Attend regular therapy or counseling.
Therapy can be beneficial for anyone, even those who don’t have a mental health disorder. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many therapy services have turned virtual, making it easier than ever to attend regular sessions over phone calls or video chat.
Practice meditation.
Meditation is another common way to manage stress, focusing on relaxing the mind. It’s been practiced for thousands of years, but of course, there are new ways to find your zen.
Keep a journal.
There are many ways to journal that can benefit your mental health and relieve stressors in your life daily affirmations, venting, writing out gratitude, manifestation, and more.
For those new to journaling and who don’t know where to begin, there are many guided journals or mental health workbooks to get started.
Maintain a routine.
Similar to journaling, sometimes maintaining a schedule or planning your day out in the mornings can help prevent stressors.
Writing in a physical planner not your online Google Calendar can help you remember all of the things you need to do that day, week, month, or year, and it allows you to take a break from your screens, even just for 10 minutes.
Many planners have different focuses, including self-care, mindfulness, and physical activity.
Surround yourself with as much “good” news as you can.
The news cycle can be ugly. Constantly reading or hearing about the worst things going on in the world can seriously be detrimental to one’s mental health. But positive things are happening in the world, too.