5 Tips For Daily Management of Stress & Anxiety

No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to live a stress-free life. This Article will go over 5 Tips For Daily Management of Stress & Anxiety. Sometimes it’s the little things that get in the way, like being late for work or spilling coffee on your favorite sweater. Sometimes stress is caused by something much bigger, like the end of a relationship, bad news from a family member, or losing a job. Whether it’s just a blip on your daily radar or a bigger life-change that’s hard to deal with, building your coping skills and stress management tools can help you get through life’s challenges without succumbing to the chaos and craziness that anxiety can bring.

Here are 5 simple things you can do on a daily basis to help manage your stress and minimize your anxiety, no matter what’s going on in your life.

1. MEDITATION.

I know, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of meditation before, but you don’t need to be sitting in a quiet room with your legs crossed to experience the state of meditation: a state of presence, acceptance, and reflection.

The state of meditation can be experienced anywhere. While driving to work, doing a shower meditation (yes, this is a real thing!), eating dinner, reflecting over a quiet cup of tea, journaling, walking in nature, or even whilst engaging in your favorite activity like singing or dancing.

>>here is a post about some of our favorite apps that include meditation

2. 3 QUICK THINGS.

Take a couple of moments each night to write down simple three things you are grateful for.

A daily practice of gratitude increases psychological wellbeing, improves physical health and even enhances personal relationships.

“Based on my research so far, I believe gratitude’s capacity to ameliorate suffering…does not stem from our ability to “think happy thoughts” or deny reality. Instead, its benefits likely stem from the same functions that it serves in other aspects of our lives: It brings us together, raises awareness of what we have, and impels us to consider how we can recognize and spread human goodness.” — Neuroscientist Glenn Fox, Ph.D.

3. PODCASTS.

This is a super easy way to explore greater calm. You can listen on your way to and from work, while cleaning, exercising, or doing other tasks. Here are some recommendations below. (If you don’t have IOS/Apple products, you can find these podcasts on various android podcast apps too).

• Caffeine for the Soul with Michael Neill → an espresso-sized podcast. With each episode between 5 and 10 minutes, you can certainly fit these mindful explorations into your daily routine.
• The Anxiety Coaches Podcast → 20 minute episodes with practical how-to’s on coping with anxiety and panic.
• What We Should Have Learned in School with Amy Leo → a podcast series with both short and longer podcasts designed to cultivate greater psychological freedom and resilience.
• 10% Happier with Dan Harris → A podcast on meditation. He also has a free introductory “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” series on his website.
• Waking Up: The Neuroscience of Awareness → An exploration of the neuroscience of being human in a simple, easy-to-understand way.

4. LAUGHTER REALLY IS GOOD MEDICINE.

Watch spoofs on YouTube. Watch cute animal videos on Facebook. Enjoy an episode of your favorite sitcom. Check out stand-up comics or even this guy.

Daily laughter really does reduce stress, improves mood, and will even boost your immune system in the process!

5. MAKING STRESS YOUR FRIEND.

What?! This may seem counterintuitive, but thinking about how bad stress is for us, only makes us feel well…more stressed! In How to Make Stress Your Friend, Kelly McGonigal shares that one study showed that a 43% increased risk of premature death was only true if a person also believed that stress was bad for one’s health. Meaning, the other people in the study who experienced a lot of stress, but didn’t think it was bad for their health, did not have the same stress-related health issues as those who believed stress was bad for them. If you’re not sure how to shift how you relate to stress, check out another one of our blog posts to read more about self-compassion and how to heal your inner critic!.

In conclusion, you are definitely not alone in your journey! Furthermore, there is nothing inherently bad about or wrong with you. You are a human being who is experiencing very human sensations, like stress and anxiety. It is common to worry about the future or feel overwhelmed.

People who tend to be outwardly successful and internally peaceful often focus on only one task at a time, listen to themselves when they need to rest, and lean into their innate ability to have new thoughts when solving problems instead of relying on rumination or trying to predict the future (which it turns out, us human beings are pretty bad at anyways).

So reach out. Connect with others. Speak with a therapist at Lincoln Park Therapy Group. Find ways to deepen your understanding of being human to reduce the frequency and intensity of your stressful or anxious feelings by starting with these tips. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.