Healthy ways to Manage Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are emotions we often experience that cause us to feel a tightening in our body, making it harder to breathe, and bringing in negative thoughts. While experiencing these emotions from time to time is completely normal and serves a purpose, we can not allow these feelings to dictate our lives. This blog post will explore the different ways we can manage and control our stress and anxiety.
Take a minute to pause and think: When experiencing stress and anxiety it is important to pause and understand why we are feeling this way. Doing so will allow us to pinpoint what is causing our stress and anxiety and help us figure out what to do next.
Breathing exercises/ meditation: Take a minute to purposefully control your breathing. Doing so will allow you to focus on one specific thing and slow down you’re thinking and your heart rate. Meditation does the same exact thing; it allows you to intentionally think about one thing without outside distractions and other thoughts.
Get up and move: Sometimes the best way to release any pent-up anxiety and stress is to get up and move. Whether it be going for a walk/ run, going to the gym, or swimming, getting out that extra energy can help us release any unresolved or stress-inducing thoughts or emotions.
Getting enough sleep & eating a well-balanced meal: I know, I know you hear it often enough. Get 8 hours of sleep and eat healthily. As much as we don’t like to hear it, getting the right amount of sleep and eating right fuels our body with the right kind of energy that will propel us through the day. When we have that healthy energy we are less likely to become anxious and stressed because our bodies are charged and primed to take on difficult tasks.
Accept that you cannot control everything: We as humans have the instinct to want to be in control of everything in our lives, that way nothing can stop us from what we want to do. Unfortunately, it is not realistic for us to be able to control everything. We have to take accountability for ourselves, but also realize that there is a variable of life that will constantly be unknown. That can be scary to understand that we don’t have control of a lot of things, but we can find solace in the things we can control, ourselves and our reactions.
Positive Self-Talk: One great way to manage our stress and anxiety is to work on our positive self-talk. When we hear those negative voices making us anxious, we can combat them with positive thoughts or accept that we made a mistake and move forward without getting stuck in that negative loop. A great way to combat those anxious thoughts is to think about all the things you are grateful for at that moment or what you have done great so far today. Doing so will not only get rid of those negative thoughts, but it will also boost your self-esteem.
Self-Care: Finally, keeping up with your own self-care regimen will help keep your stress and anxiety at bay. We often think of self-care as taking bubble baths and relaxing, but it isn’t only that. Self-care is about evaluating where you are and what your needs are and taking the time to meet those needs. Just like getting enough sleep and eating a balanced meal, self-care allows your body to recharge with the right kind of energy you need to get through the day without being stressed out and anxious.
Although we may never be able to get rid of stress and anxiety, we have the tools to better manage those feelings. Utilizing these tools will allow us to not become overwhelmed when we feel anxious and stressed out. Instead, we will be better able to analyze where these feelings are coming from and meet whatever need is not being meant.
By Bailey McConnell, MFTI
Resources
Powell, T., & Enright, S. (2015). Anxiety and stress management. Routledge.
Ratanasiripong, P., Park, J. F., Ratanasiripong, N., & Kathalae, D. (2015). Stress and anxiety management in nursing students: Biofeedback and mindfulness meditation. Journal of Nursing Education, 54(9), 520-524.
Tips to Manage Anxiety and Stress. Anxiety & Depression Association of America. (2021, September 28). Retrieved from https://adaa.org/tips
Van den Bergh, O. (2021). Principles and practice of stress management. Guilford Publications.
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