Feeling stressed and overwhelmed is a common response to life and all the things that come with it. Feeling stuck in a constant state of intense and high stress does not have to be common in your life, though. High levels of stress, particularly unmanaged, can cause many symptoms, including:
- Increased anxiety symptoms, including worry, restlessness, and difficulty controlling thoughts
- Increased feelings of being down/depressed
- Panic or anxiety attacks
- Changes in sleep
- Changes in appetite (either increased or lack thereof)
- Headaches, migraines, stomach aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Being irritable or on edge
- Lack of interest in doing activities you once enjoyed
- Decreased performance in work and other roles
- Strain in relationships
To reduce the likelihood of experiencing these symptoms and to get relief faster, it’s important to properly manage your stress. The goal is not to live a life where you are never stressed, which is highly unrealistic, but instead to feel in control and able to manage stress when it arises. Here are some quick and effective coping tools to help you reduce stress now:
- Prioritize tasks and focus on one thing at a time. Stress can rise when you are trying to do too many things at once, are taking on more responsibility than you can feasibly handle, and are not focusing on just one thing at a time.
- Be compassionate with yourself. When feeling overwhelmed and weighted down by stress, positive self-talk and self-compassion are often nowhere to be found. It’s important to be compassionate with yourself, remind yourself that you’ve got this, and be kind.
- Ask for help. While this may be challenging for some, asking for help is a great way to get some extra support and reduce your stress load. What you are trying to accomplish as one person may very well be able to be done by 2 or even 3 people.
- Set realistic expectations. Sometimes stress is directly impacted by your expectations, specifically high or unrealistic ones. Be honest with yourself about what is realistic for you to accomplish given your time and resources.
- Focus on what you can control. Stress is heightened the more you focus on trying to control the very things you do not have control over. Instead, your energy is better focused on what is within your control. This means focusing on things you can directly fix, accomplish, change, solve, or complete.
- Reduce rumination on things outside of your control. Time and energy are wasted when you focus too much on things that are outside of your control. Instead, it’s helpful to conserve your energy and time and put them into focusing on what you are directly responsible for.
- Use healthy coping tools. Stress can be greatly reduced when you are using healthy ways to cope. Talk about what you’re experiencing, go for a walk, journal, communicate your needs, and set boundaries, to name a few.
- Stop using avoidance when you’re stressed. Avoiding things when you’re stressed adds MORE stress. It’s important to not use avoidance as a coping tool. Avoidance can look like: scrolling on social media, procrastination, alcohol or other substance use, excessive sleeping, and pretending problems are not there.
- Seek support. If you are struggling to get your stress level under control, seeking support now to help you learn additional tools and begin implementing them can be incredibly impactful. Reach out today to learn how I can help.
While we can’t eliminate all stress from your life, it is possible to reduce your stress load and feel less overwhelmed. Try the tools below and see how helpful they can be for you!