Collaborative Post
No matter what age you are, or what your particular circumstances are in life, it’s a universal fact that things just get stressful from time to time.
For parents, many of the stresses of life will revolve around struggling to do the best for their children, while handling any unexpected circumstances that might arise. For teenagers, life stress may come in the form of drama with members of the opposite sex, episodes of bullying, difficulty in class, and all the usual interpersonal dynamics that contribute to teen angst.
Whatever happens to be stressing you in life, it’s important to be able to get back to basics and re-establish balance, when you begin to notice that things are getting a bit too much.
Here are a few tips.
Upgrade your sleep routine and clear your bedroom of distractions
Getting a good night’s sleep can wash away many of the stresses of everyday life, as if by magic. Not only that, but it may even help to dissolve the sources of that stress, through boosting your problem-solving abilities and cognitive function.
As the sleep researcher Matthew Walker points out in his bestselling book “Why We Sleep, even moderate sleep deprivation for a week will mess with your hormonal balance so much that you’d be classed as “pre-diabetic” by your family GP.
If you want to relax and re-establish balance in your life, look into getting silentnight mattresses and other sleep aids, and clearing your bedroom of distractions. Then, when evening falls, get into bed with a good book, dim the lights, and start winding down early.
Turn down the “volume” down on life (do things more intentionally, and reduce the amount of distraction)
When the “volume” on life is too high, stress and anxiety tend to result naturally.
“Volume” here doesn’t refer to actual volume, as in listening to loud music. Instead, it refers to the level of distraction you’re subjected to on an everyday basis, with information coming at you from every direction, and from an array of different sources.
By turning the “volume” down – or in other words, switching off the TV, turning off the computer, relaxing, and simplifying, you can find the space to live in a more intentional and deliberate manner, and are likely to find that the stress just melts away.
Re-prioritise – make sure you’re spending at least a bit of time every day doing something that you care about
Stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions inevitably rise when you hate what you’re doing with your day, and can’t see any good reason to get out of bed in the morning.
We all have to attend to duties and responsibilities that we don’t really enjoy, but they should be counterbalanced by things that we do enjoy, and especially by things that we find meaningful.
If you’re very stressed, in particular, re-prioritise and focus on spending at least a bit of time every day doing something that you genuinely care about. When you’re motivated in this way, you’re likely to find that you’re a lot more resilient across the board.
What are your tips for when you are feeling stressed?
What a useful summary. I find it impossible to take a few minutes to breathe slowly and relax when I am busy and stressed.
Other options such as reprioritising are a better option. Teaching children to do the same is also a good idea.
lots of good advice. I try to use breathing techniques when I am feeling stressed or anxious.
Been the same here – invaluable tips to help us out
Great advice and tips here – thank you very much