Some people try to deal with stress by using unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol or eating, which don’t address the source of the anxiety. Learning to manage stress directly is a key part of breaking bad habits or battling addiction.
Here are a few tips and ideas to practice:
- Pay attention to how stress affects your body. Physical symptoms can include headache, back pain, fatigue, stomach issues, change of appetite, rapid heartbeat or sweating.
- Take a few slow breathes in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Get Moving. Physical activity, like a short walk, releases natural chemicals that help elevate your mood and reduce stress.
- Talk. Share your feelings with someone you trust.
- Shift your focus from multitasking to what is going on in the present moment and accept it, without judgement.
Some stresses are unavoidable. Accept the things you can’t change. Many things in life are beyond our control. Focus on the things you can control, such as the way you choose to react.
“Very often, a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.” A.C. Benson