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Just Breathe

Just Breathe

just-breathe-thumbEveryone has had stressful situations where they feel like if they don’t get out of the room soon, they are going to explode. Well, why don’t you? Even if you are busy, it is always a good idea to take a break. It might seem like a good idea at the time to just buckle down and work for hours on end until you get a project done. However doing this can actually hurt your productivity. Without taking a break, you can start to feel overwhelmed and get stressed out. Sometimes this gets so bad to the point where you can barely even work anymore.

I find it is a good idea to take a break every hour or two while working on a big project. This can help avoid stress, and keep your mind clear and working well. These do not have to be big breaks, nor should they be if you are on a deadline. Something simple such as having a short conversation with a friend, grabbing a snack, or getting a drink work great.

This technique can also work great in stressful social situations. We have all found ourselves in situations where someone is really making us mad, and we would really like to give them a piece of our mind. However this is not a good idea, and it might lead to losing your job or important relationships. Leaving the room and taking a short break is the best thing to do to avoid saying something you will regret later.

However you cannot always leave the room. Sometimes you are in a meeting, someone is explaining something that you need to hear, or you just feel rude leaving the room. Someone is still making you angry though, and you feel like you are about to explode, but you don’t really see a good way of being able to exit the room. In this situation all you can really do is take a deep breath and hope for the best. Then, when the time is right, go and take your break, you deserve it.

Wind Down

Wind Down

wind-down-thumbEveryone has a lot on their minds. From work, errands, children, problems, or just whatever else they need to get done, they have a lot running through their head. People lead very busy lives, and often it is hard for them to get to sleep because the days events are still running through their heads. You do need this sleep though, and your life will become even more stressful if you are not properly rested.

Fortunately there is a pretty simple way to help this problem. Try to plan some time into your schedule everyday to just lay around and relax. Now I know this sounds easier said than done, but just sitting around doing a relaxing activity for 10 minutes before bed can make it much easier to sleep. It is probably better to stay up for 10 minutes relaxing, than it is to toss and turn for an hour because you didn’t have a chance to clear your head. Overall those 10 extra minutes might make you have a better night’s sleep.

Activities such as watching TV at a low volume, listening relaxing music, or going online work great for me, but you need to find what works for you personally. The important thing is to avoid activities that might make you excited. Things such as playing video games, listening to loud music or gossiping with friends on the phone are probably not good to do if you are about to go to sleep.

Also try to avoid confrontations several hours before bed. There’s really nothing that is worse for a good nights sleep than getting in a fight. However if this does happen, try to do something relaxing that makes you happy as soon as possible. It sounds simple, but honestly this usually helps me in these situations.

Getting a good nights sleep is very important in leading a less stressful life.  Probably one of the most important ways you can get a good nights sleep is winding down at the end of the day.  If you have slept well, your day might be much easier to take on. You also might also make better, more informed desicions since you have a clearer head.

Walk It Off

Walk It Off

walk-it-offYou always hear about the physical health benefits of walking, however there can also be many emotional and mental health benefits to walking.  Everybody has had those days where everything seems to be going wrong, and you feel like you just need to get away from everything for awhile. Taking a short walk can sometimes be the perfect way to get away from everything for a little bit and clear your head.

Sometimes even going for a walk as short as 10 minutes can help. I’m not sure if it’s the sunshine, or the outdoors, or just taking a break from everything, but walking always makes me feel a little better no matter how stressed I am.

Walking with a friend can sometimes make you feel even better than if you are just by yourself. They can be there to lend an ear, and help you out. Although maybe all you really need is someone to make you laugh, and realize that things will improve.

If you are looking for more intense activity, a nice run or bike ride can also do the trick. Not only can this help your mental health, but if done regularly, it can also help improve your physical health. This in turn can possibly also make you happier, because you feel better about your body.

However what happens in the winter? You certainly can’t go for a walk or bike ride when its below zero out. In these cases getting in your car and going for a drive can work just as well. Playing some calming music while doing this can also help your mind escape from the days stresses. Be aware though, that with gas prices this can get expensive, and driving in several inches of snow if you don’t have to, would not be something I would recommend either.

Whether it be by walking, biking, or driving, sometimes we just need to get away from life for awhile and clear our heads. Taking some time out once in awhile to do some light physical activity or even just go for a drive can help calm you down and gather your thoughts. This might even cause you to be able to think clearer and make more productive use of your time.  This can lead to more happiness because you will be able to do more of what you really want.

Mellow Out

Mellow Out

mellow-outWe all have those days where we swear if we get yelled at again, or the printer jams up one more time we feel like are going to snap. Well there’s less violent ways of dealing with those situations, other than punching your boss in the face or taking a hammer to the printer. I find one of the best things to do when you are stressed is to listen to some mellow music. The right album or song can just seem to melt away your stresses. Sometimes it can almost seem to take you to another reality where everything is calm and good.

Different people listen to different things to calm down depending on their individual tastes. Try out different albums from your music collection and find out what works for you. Also you can try talking to other people, and find out what music calms them down. Switching up your calm down music every once in awhile is good. If you listen to the same cd all the time, eventually you might get sick of it, and it might stop calming you down. Another thing you could do is if you find that a certain cd really seems to work for you, go online or to your local library and see if that band has any other cds.

Getting a good pair of noise canceling headphones is also good idea to help reduce stress while listening to music. It can block out external distractions and stressors, making it easier to calm down and relax.

Listening to the right music can sometimes calm you down no matter how mad you are, and make it much easier to deal with those things that were stressing you out. You might even come to realize that the stupid thing which made you so angry, wasn’t even worth getting mad about in the first place.