The following is an entry to UBC’s Thrive Blog Challenge (UBC’s mental health awareness week Oct. 17-21):
Over the years I’ve realized I can’t get rid of stress. Here are some things I do to limit how bad it gets.
- Remind myself that stress is normal.
- Let myself be comfortable with some level of stress and not get caught up in the cycle of stressing about stressing out.
- Take some deep breaths; 4 sec in, 4 sec hold, 4 sec out, 4 sec wait, repeat etc. Breathe deeply into your belly, not just your chest. This will help lower your heart rate to calm you down.
- Picture the worst thing that could happen, because usually it’s not that bad.
- Get a good night’s rest, eat healthily and exercise. You’d be surprised how much these simple things can affect stress, anxiety and mood.