Here at Cognitive Psychiatry, we talk quite often about stress; how it is triggered, things you can do to manage it, and symptoms of it. Today we want to lend a few useful, easy stress management tips that you can begin practicing right away with your work so that you can enjoy more of your life.
1. Get Organized
An organized mind is one at ease. Organization is a great step in becoming stress-free, or to at least become better at managing it. This process isn’t just good for your work environment and workload, it is essential to be organized in your life’s activities and priorities as well. When you are clear and organized on your tasks for the day, you are better equipped to deal with them, and you know what needs to be taken away from your task list, or how much you can add to it.
2. Pull Back
As we mentioned in getting organized, knowing how much you can take in one day can greatly reduce the appearance of stress. If you know you simply have too much on your plate, reduce the amount of activities you have yourself vested in. This could mean putting on hold that weekly book club meeting, a coffee date with a friend, or even a run. While running is a great way to relieve stress, if you find yourself rushing the experience, hyper-focusing on what needs to be done next, or feeling guilty for taking time to partake in the activity, is should be deemed unnecessary for a while until your schedule begins to calm down.
3. Meditate
Meditation is a great way to get focused on positive thinking. This does not have to only be done during the last 5 minutes of your Yoga class, but can even be done sitting in your office chair, or in bed before you get up in the morning. Take a few minutes to close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and systematically begin to clear your mind. When you practice meditation regularly, it will become easier for you to achieve peace and calm as a result.
4. Pay Attention to Yourself
Paying attention to yourself should happen everyday, regardless of your stress levels, but is especially important at the peak of your stress. This can happen in the form of rewarding yourself for tasks you know were especially challenging or stressful for you. You can also do this by making sure that you are getting regular exercise, enough sleep, and the proper nutrition to sustain your body. Finally, pay attention to when you are at a breaking point and allow yourself a break from the task at hand and a release if necessary.
Do you consistently find yourself in crisis mode with your stress? Are you finding it increasingly difficult to manage your stress levels? We here at Cognitive Psychiatry would love to help you find ways to better manage your stress so that you can relax and enjoy life’s moments to the fullest. Give us a call today!
Live Mentally Healthy,
Cognitive Psychiatry of Chapel Hill