Working in a toxic environment means I have to deal with stress every single day. Yes, every single day, including weekends. I know weekends were made for relaxation and to take a break from work but for me it was different. I used to spend my weekends, sick to my stomach, my anxiety at its highest – thinking that I have to deal with a different amount of stress again when Monday comes. And being in that position over and over again was just mentally and emotionally draining.
No matter how much we ignore and deny it, Stress still runs almost half of our days. From getting ready for work or school, on lunch breaks and even before we go to bed. Almost everything that we do has a certain amount of stress attached to it. Stress surrounds our daily lives and sometimes, no matter how much we run from it – it is still thrown at us at every corner.
After being diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and having experienced so much panic attacks, I wanted to learn how to manage stress effectively and keep it as far away from me as possible.
My life will probably never be stress-free, since sometimes stress is something that challenges us and helps us grow(As long as it is at a reasonable level) but I still wanted to look for ways that I can easily do every day that’ll help me manage stress positively. And I wanted to share this with you too.
That’s why today, I have decided to share with you 6 Positive Daily Habits that has helped me live a less stressful life. Check them out!
Breathe
Simple yet effective. I used to think that breathing exercises were silly until I’ve tried it then I realized that I was totally wrong. Breathing exercises help you focus, it slows down all our whirling thoughts and gives you a sense of clarity.
Now, every time I catch myself in a very stressful situation and when a million worry thoughts are popping through my head, I take a step back, pause and breathe. Doing this gives me instant relaxation and a clearer mind.
Express your feelings
I always have this tendency to hide what I feel, I don’t know if it’s my own defense mechanism but instead of talking about it, I choose to run from it. I choose to just ignore it and get on with my life. But doing this was only destroying me rather than helping me. It was only adding more stress to my life.
So, if you are also doing this, you need to stop. The more we keep our feelings bottled-up, the more stress it adds to our life and remember, we can only take so much until eventually all our feelings and anxiety eats us alive. Start by acknowledging what you feel and try talking to someone you trust – doing this will make everything so much lighter.
Set Healthy Boundaries
No matter how much we deny it but oftentimes, we always end up committing to things that we don’t even want to. And the moment you start to over commit to things, the more stress you become.
When I was still working, I applied for a promotion. I did that not because it’s what I wanted but because it’s what other people wanted me to do. And after getting the promotion, the more stressful my life became. I was constantly having anxieties, I developed panic attacks – I basically fell apart.
That’s why I’ve realized how important it is to always set healthy boundaries for yourself. If you are not okay in taking that project, don’t. Don’t be afraid to say NO. Recognize and do the things that you like, things that makes you feel good.
Take a Break
Almost all of us live a fast-paced life. We are always on the go. Always doing this, finishing that, we barely even have time to enjoy our lunch. If you have a busy schedule set for the day, try scheduling a break in between, – give yourself a break even just for 5 or 10 minutes.
Every time l feel like I have too much on my plate when everything just feels too overwhelming for me, I always see to it to set a reminder on my phone to take a mini-break for at least 5 to 7 minutes. Doing this gives me a chance to breathe and re-focus. It allows me to be more present in the situation and it even helps me become more productive.
Live at the present moment
Sometimes, we always find ourselves fixating on something that has already happened or even something that has not happen or may not even happen instead of focusing at the present moment. Doing this robes our chance of enjoyment, happiness, and relaxation.
Like what I did, I usually spent my days off stressing over work instead of enjoying and relaxing. I didn’t benefit from doing that in any way possible. It didn’t help lessen the stress that I felt when Monday came; it just robbed my chance of really enjoying the weekends.
So, instead of thinking about what happened and what’s going to happen, learn to live in your time zone. Be present at the moment – you’ll be surprised as to how life-changing this can be!
Practice Self-Care
Remember the saying,”you can’t pour from an empty cup”, well that is definitely true. You can’t expect you to function 24/7 if you don’t know how to take care of yourself.
I had my fair share of forgetting self-care, I took it for granted and I never really knew how important it was until I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. I forgot to take care of myself; I gave and gave until there was nothing left. That took so much toll on me.
So, no matter how busy you are, always find time to do something that you love. Something that fills your soul, something that relaxes you mentally, physically and spiritually. It could be as simple as reading a book or going for a walk. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, as long as it makes you feel good then that’s definitely enough.
I understand that incorporating these habits into our daily lives is not something that’ll happen overnight but we don’t have to master everything at once. Baby steps. Try to choose at least one habit and try to do it straight for a whole week; the results will definitely surprise you. So, try some of these habits today and let me know how it goes!
What about you? What do you do to manage stress? Let me know in the comment section below or send me an email, I would love to hear from you!