We all deal with stress. Every day, we all have different stressors that affect us in multiple ways. And each and every one of us deal with our stress in a different way. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have stress. But we all do, and we have to find a way to deal with it.
When I get stressed, the first thing I want to do is eat. Plain and simple. For most of 2012, I ate my way through stress. Did it help? There’s an immediate sense of feeling better, honestly, but eating didn’t help what was causing my stress.
Since I started 2013 by going back to Weight Watchers and making the decision to take better care of myself, I’ve found different ways of dealing with stress, most of the time… And while none of these actually get rid of the stress, it’s a good feeling to know that I am not sabotaging my body by eating my way to oblivion.
So, what do I do to relieve stress?
- Hot yoga – I really cannot say enough about hot yoga. I wish I could go more. I love to sweat it all out, the stretching, and the amazing feeling when it’s done. And I sleep amazing afterwards. I wish I had tried it sooner.
- Run / Walk – really this should say “just move it”. Exercise really does wonders for stress. It makes me forget about what I’m stressing over, or at least realize that’s it’s likely I am stressing over something TOO much. I tend to worry to the extreme and working out calms that.
- Do things for ME – this can be anything. Shopping, reading, lunch out, anything that gets my mind off what I’m stressing over. Sometimes laying around being lazy is not good for stress and worry because it gives me more time to think about what is bothering me.
- Set goals – I love to have something to work towards. A goal weight, a race to look forward to, a new time to beat, something that pushes me and gives my brain something to focus on.
- Focus on the good, not the bad – this can be hard. Quite often, the bad can totally overshadow the good and it’s easy to forget so many other things that you can smile about.
- BE POSITIVE – I truly cannot stand negativity and I believe that if you think negatively, than that is exactly what you get. It can’t hurt to be positive and think good thoughts. Try it sometime…
All of these things are good for your mental health, for your happiness.
My dad used to drive me NUTS when something went wrong or we needed to resolve a problem and he would say, “it’s no big deal”. I didn’t understand how he could just brush it off like that and know that it would be okay, that it would all work out.
I’m not sure when I realized that positivity would get me much farther than negativity, but it’s definitely been in the last couple of years. Somehow, someway, things will always work out. My mantra throughout the last few years has been…
There have been nights when I wake up with anxiety over whatever is bothering me and I will literally repeat this to myself over and over again in my head. Be positive!
So, no matter what obstacles, challenges, troubles, and more you are up against, remember that it will pass. And there are things you can do to combat that stress. Don’t let it take over your body. Get out there and move, do something you enjoy, and focus on the good!
How do you deal with stress in your life? Do you have a personal mantra you’d like to share?
No personal mantra for stress. But I work out and run and can’t imagine NOT doing it. I think I’ll go crazy!
I love your list! I totally relate to all of this. Retail therapy helps me too hahaha 🙂
I too use to use food as my stress eliminator. Not only did I gain weight, but I got depressed, and began having anxiety attacks on a daily basis. All because the food I was eating was not the best food for me. Do we ever go for the healthy stuff when we are stressed? NO Love your list! It all works great for me, although I have not tried Hot Yoga yet. I no longer look to food for comfort and it feels great!! Step away from the sugar! LOL
I don’t have a personal mantra but I follow in your same belief that everything will work out. I used to stress out severely over things that were silly. I remember in high school nearly having heart palpitations from forgetting to do a homework assignment but it always worked out that the teacher would be absent, we’d have study time in an earlier class, or the teacher would just forget about collecting it or going over it. At first I thought these things were just coincidences and I was lucky but then I realized that these things happen all the time. When something goes wrong, you will always find a solution as long as you stay positive and look for solution opportunities.
Focusing on the good instead of the bad has been one of my ongoing new years resolutions, and it really helps me calm down when I feel stressed. I like to exercise when I feel bad because it always puts me in a better mood. I also like to tell myself that it could always be worse- because almost all of the time, it could.
Yoga and working out is high on my list of destressers. After 2 years of hot yoga, I don’t even yell at traffic anymore. Deep breathing and doing my nails are up there too. I like to whisper, “Every little thing is gonna be alright” to myself.
My favorite stress relief is a good run. But a glass of wine or reading a good book works wonders too. I think yoga would be good if I ever would go consistently.
Nothing calms stress more for me than running. After a good run, things always feel like they are going to work out and they usually do. I also hold the belief that all things will work out. Even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.
Losing myself in making art – or playing with my kid are the top 2. A good walk (doc doesn’t let me run anymore) or netflix marathon of something BBCworks too
Today this is a post I NEEDED. My car window shattered, the cat puked on the floor, and I had a rought night at work. For some reason I took today as a rest day from working out and I know why I had the inclination to. I needed to be prepared for the whirlwind afternoon/night that was going to be thrown at me. I love yoga. Corpse pose definitely helps me get rid of a whole tirade of stress! (and a big glass of sangria)