When It's Too Overwhelming

Effective Stress-Relief Strategies You Can Do Anywhere

Let's be real, with everything that is happening in our life right now, stress is a part of life. The news cycles, the never-ending changes in restrictions, and the uncertainty of the economy keep eating up our mental peace.

We must learn to live with the circumstance we cannot control and focus on what we can control. What we can do, however, is to be ready to do activities that can calm our minds and bodies when it gets too overwhelming. There are activities we can do at home like sleeping for 24 hours, or binge-watching a new series.

But not all options are easy to do or accessible to do outside of your home. So it's so helpful to have a variety of stress-relieving strategies ready for use. Depending on your circumstances, use these to help you overcome the chaos.

Try These Strategies You Can Do Anywhere

If you are waiting for results or exasperated by the behaviour of others around you, it's important to use these tools that can lower your stress levels right now. Short term strategies are not designed to alleviate chronic stress but can help with those moments when you get so overpowered by stress. These strategies should be performed anywhere.

1. Take a short vacation in your mind. Guided imagery is the practice of focusing on an image in your mind. It is thinking of a happy place and picturing yourself in that location. Try thinking of a beach and listening to the waves of the ocean. You may also listen to an audio recording with a voice guiding you through a peaceful scene.

2. Meditate. This can be practised without rolling open the mat. Develop a mantra you can repeat in your mind and take slow deep breaths. Or if the moment becomes too overwhelming, focus on what you can see, hear, taste, or touch. If you are prone to overthinking, remind yourself of some grounding reality and focus on breathing.

3. Take a Walk. Or if you can, consider sprinting. Exercise is a fast-acting stress reliever, you may feel the results instantly. Get a change of scenery and some fresh air. If you are stuck at home, try walking outside to get a little bit of fresh air. Walking allows you to release some muscle tension.

4. Write or Create Art. Express your emotions in a healthy but non-toxic way. Writing allows you to formulate your words without releasing vexing thoughts to others. Keep a notebook or throw the notes after. Even if you are not artistic, working with pens, papers, and colour can refresh your mind.

When it's too overwhelming, try these strategies to refresh your health.