1. Ask for help
Asking for help can be difficult for some people, firstly, admitting you need help is hard enough, but to ask someone else can be difficult. But a problem shared is a problem halved. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it actually takes strength and courage to reach out when we need it. Asking for help can show a strength on your part to grow from the situation and also shows respect to others for asking for their knowledge, win win.
2. Let go of what you can’t control
A benefit of letting go of what we cannot control is improved mental health for you, which also means less stress. When we focus on things that are out of our control we are wasting our time and energy, and also makes us unhappy and can create a negative spiral. We cannot control every situation in life, the only thing we are in control of is how we react to things. Learn to take a step back, breathe, count to 10, and like the song says, Let it go.
3. Celebrate when things go well
Not everything in life is going to go our way unfortunately, but remembering that there is growth in the down times, we learn from hard times. That’s why when we do get a win in life, no matter how big or how small we must celebrate and acknowledge them. As humans we naturally see problems and easily punish ourselves which adds to our stress levels and mental health, which is why celebrating any type of win is important for our mental health and self-esteem. A wins a win, give yourself the credit when it’s due. You are worth it.
4. Make time for exercise
It has been proven that exercise decreases stress levels in the bloody and releases endorphins throughout the body which makes you feel happier. Exercise increases self-esteem and self-confidence by improving endurance to losing weight and increasing muscle tone, so both mental and physical benefits. Exercise can also help produce better sleeping habits too. Exercise is a scientifically proven mood booster, decreasing both depression and anxiety. Enough said.
5. Live in the present moment
We cannot change the past, and we cannot predict the future, so, there is no real point in living in either of those spaces. Being caught up in a past action does no ones mental health any good, same goes for overwhelming ourselves with what could be, they are both things that we do not have control over, we can only focus and control the here and now, so let’s just focus on that and learn to enjoy the present, as it is a gift. The health benefits of living in the present moment include, lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression and an improved sense of well-being.
6. Hang out with your furry friend/pet
Spending quality time hanging out with your pet has be proven to reduce blood pressure, which is one measure of stress, if your blood pressure is high one reason for this can be because of stress, so spending time with your pet can lower your blood pressure there by relieving your stress levels. Pets also provide real therapy for us humans, they help us step outside our own heads and allow us to be present in the moment.
7. Going for a walk with a friend
This stress less tips covers 2 crucial stress relievers, one, the exercise element which we all know can reduce our stress levels be releasing endorphins which helps makes us feel happier, and is great for our physical health, and two, is the fact that it help with our mental health with connecting with a friend, connection is very important, conversations can be had and things can be spoken about that wouldn’t normally get spoken about, which I huge bonus for mental health. Talking your worries out is great for the soul.
8. Think progress not perfection
All of us are in search of the perfect life, but guess what, it doesn’t exist. We all make mistakes, we are supposed to. Our search for perfection can actually slow us down, can stop us from exploring new ways to try things because of fear of failure. Focusing on our progress and what have achieved already can motivate you to keep moving forward, it can encourage a positive mindset of wanting to learn, it also gives you more reasons to celebrate your achievements. Plus is more sustainable.
9. Listen to your favourite music
Music is food for the soul, music therapy is wonderful thing, music can trigger a whole range of emotions, it can make you happy, sad, excited, energised, music is the universal language, music can take you places inside your mind, hearing a particular song can take you back in your mind to the first place you ever heard that song. Music can take you away from your troubles and remind you of who you are and where you have been, music is powerful. Listening to music releases hormones inside our body that can relief symptoms of stress and anxiety, so PUMP IT UP LOUD!
10. Do one nice thing for yourself everyday
Self-care is so important in today’s world, self-care is not you being selfish, self-care is a necessity. We all live different lives, with different amounts of stressful situations in our daily lives, this is why taken time out for ourselves every day is so important for our mental and physical health. We are constantly looking to help others and do right by others, which we should, but do we ever take 5 for our needs? We need to learn to refill our own cookie jar, meaning that our helping ways are like cookies, if we keep dishing them out without replacing them, sooner or later the jar will be empty and we will have nothing left to give. Treat yourself, you know why? Because you are worth it.
Written by Ryan Tanti | The Y NSW
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