5 Ways to Navigate Stress
Whether you’re leading a multi-million dollar organization, creating art that brings the community together, or fighting for life alongside a loved one, stress has likely become a familiar foe.
Rather than carry stress with you or ignore it all together, hoping its effect won’t devastate your efforts, here are five things you can do to make it through another day with a little more resilience and peace.
Look UP.
In the modern world, most of our days are spent looking at a screen or down at our keyboard. We become so zeroed in on a micro level that we can lose sight of the life happening around us - continuing on without our attention. So, look up. Look outside the windows at the sky. Heck, step outside and open up your five senses. Grow your awareness of the vast and intricate movements and sounds around you.
Drop your shoulders and loosen your jaw.
Have you ever noticed how much tension you’re holding in your body? Oftentimes, we clench our jaw and press our tongue to the roof of our mouths without even realizing it! Does your neck feel tense? What about your shoulders or back? Imagine feeling that tension melt away. The spine is a strong centerpiece of your entire body. Think about the muscles surrounding your bones that could be tightening or clenching without necessity. Give your muscles permission to relax and trust your skeletal structure to help hold you.
Write it down
There is wisdom in writing down your thoughts or to-do list. Make space in your mind by decluttering your thoughts. You don’t have to empty your mind, but capture what is there and offload it somewhere you can return to, if needed. I recommend using an actual pen and paper. Again, we already spend so much time staring at a lit up screen. Take a break from LED and grab some good old fashioned office supplies. Literally all you need is a small notebook and something to write with. Go a step further and pick out a color of ink that makes you happy. Life is too short to stick with blue or black ink when we aren’t signing official documents. Keep it with you so you can write when your mind feels overwhelmed. Remember, nobody else has to read this - it’s for you.
Play music
Seriously. Find some tunes that stir your soul and spark some genuine joy. For this exercise, try to veer away from slow piano, thrashing screamo, or emotional love songs. Those are all great in their respective ways, but the point here is to spark new energy and feel lighter than you do right now. Perhaps, you’ll even find yourself moving to the beat which is GREAT for unlocking that tension we talked about and reminding your soul it doesn’t have to be so serious all the time.
Go somewhere
Take a break. Change the scene. Whether you’re working from home or in a hospital, take the time you can to change the environment you’re in. Go to a café, take a walk outside, hop on a plane and go to the beach or mountains for a weekend. Regardless of where you’re at or what you can afford to shift, reset your nervous system by changing the scene.
I hope you find these suggestions helpful!
Let us know how its going by sending a message on our contact page. Seriously, we’d LOVE to hear from you.
Most importantly, keep breathing.
Deeper, still.
