It’s no question that we’re living during an extremely stressful time. There is so much uncertainty and many of us are feeling extremely overwhelmed. Now more than ever, we need to make sure we’re taking the time to slow down and de-stress. Keep reading for 10 ways to relax when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
- Make a list of things you can control
- It’s tempting to focus on things that we have absolutely no control over. But there are plenty of things we can control such as what we’re going to eat for dinner, what workout online class you’re going to take, etc. Focusing on what we can control and working on achieving small daily goals can make life feel less overwhelming. Here’s an example of my list:
- Things I Can Control Today
- The state of my friendships
- Daily goal: Call or text a friend I haven’t spoken to this week
- Working towards my savings goal
- Daily goal: I will not make any unnecessary purchases today
- Having a consistent sleep schedule
- Daily goal: Get into bed by 11 pm
- Having healthy habits
- Daily goal: Drink 6-8 glasses of water
- The state of my friendships
- Things I Can Control Today
- It’s tempting to focus on things that we have absolutely no control over. But there are plenty of things we can control such as what we’re going to eat for dinner, what workout online class you’re going to take, etc. Focusing on what we can control and working on achieving small daily goals can make life feel less overwhelming. Here’s an example of my list:
- Work on a creative project
- If you’ve been ruminating about how stressed you are, it can be extremely beneficial to work on a creative project. When you focus on the project and enter a flow state, the negative thoughts won’t be the focus and you can feel some relief.
- Do a quick 10 minute meditation
- It works. Trust me. There’s no need to spend an hour meditating. Just take 10 minutes. It has changed my life. I want it to change yours.
- Take a really nice hot shower
- Taking a hot shower and cleaning yourself can make you feel “reset”, refreshed and de-stressed. Bonus points if you use a great smelling body wash or pamper yourself with some exfoliating.
- Make yourself a nice beverage or enjoy a snack mindfully
- Put the phone down and enjoy the moment. Take the time to really be present and enjoy the beverage. My favorite is a nice hot cup of tea. Just holding it in my hands and feeling the warmth of the cup automatically makes me breathe a little deeper and feel de-stressed.
- Have you gotten dressed, eaten, and drank enough water today? If not, take the time to do each of those things.
- When we feel overwhelmed or stressed, we sometimes neglect ourselves. Taking the time to get dressed, have a healthy meal and drink enough water can really improve your mindset.
- Listen to a relaxing playlist and play a video game
- Get out of your mind with some leisure time. There are many relaxing YouTube or Spotify playlists to choose from. Play your favorite game (or find a fun app on your phone) and set the mood with a relaxing playlist
- Dance/shake it out
- You know how dogs shake when they feel anxious? One of the best ways to “shake off” a stressed out mood is to literally shake or dance it out. Put on your favorite song and move your body.
- Allow yourself to feel the negative emotion
- Don’t beat yourself up for feeling this way. Treat yourself with compassion. Sometimes we can get pissed off at ourselves for feeling so overwhelmed and stressed, which causes even more negative emotion. Forgive yourself for feeling this way.
- Take a nap
- Sleep is a wonderful thing and can make you feel like you’re hitting the “reset” button on the day. Sometimes all we need is to take a quick nap and wake up feeling like we have a fresh start.
I hope these tips help you overcome your overwhelm and de-stress you. It will all be okay and remember you are not alone.
