One of THOSE Days.

Ever have “one of those days” when everything seems to have gone wrong, and you just want to scream, break something or shutdown? We’ve all had stressful days and some days can really overstress us where relief is needed. It may seem like you deserve something to compensate for your day like heading to happy hour, treating yourself to a big slice of cake or having a smoke, but these are all less-than-healthy ways to deal with stress. When things are bleak, desperate or downright bad it’s normal to look for a quick dose of something pleasurable. Dealing with unhealthy behaviors just adds to stress by creating new problems.  So we do we still do them?

Most of the time we don’t believe anything else will get us through. It’s very difficult to simple stop bad habits; the better way is to replace them.  Unhealthy habits serve a need in our life, when we stop the habit we still have the need. Next time you are stressed or bored and feel the need to numb or soothe yourself choose a substitute for your bad habit. Below is a list of poor choices vs. healthier ways to feel better. 

As long as there is stress in our lives, we will need ways to cope with it. Eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, having a support system in place and practicing skills such as keeping a positive frame of mind will leave you more resilient and better able to deal with stressful situations and bounce back quicker when they arise.