Healthy Ways to Deal With Stress

So if we are being honest, this post is a little ironic for me to be writing. This is because I might be worlds most prone person to anxiety and stress. Even over the smallest things. BUT the main reason I write these blogs and post on my fitness accounts is to address the fact that there is always someone out there that is dealing (or not dealing with) the same things that you go through every day. 

Now about stress. I would say that my severe stress began when I was in college, whether it was due to being overwhelmed by school, being nervous about making sone type of involvement opportunity, or not feeling good enough when it came to others on campus. But what is crazy is that I expected this stress to go away when I graduated. But alas, it just changed into things I am not dealing with in the "real world." Stress has a funny way of masking itself to make sure it is always there somehow. 

           That being said, when it comes to anxiety there are definitely better ways to deal with it than others. So that is what I am here to address- the good ways to help your anxiety and the things to avoid. Essentially the do's and don'ts of coping with stress. 

Do-Try to engage in some physical activity. I have personally had times when I feel that settling of anxiety coming over me that I have thrown on my tennis shoes and just run. Running as fast and long as I can until my lungs are burning and my legs are aching. But there is something about that feeling of pushing all of the over-thinking and negative feelings out of my body until all that is left is pure exhaustion. That being said others might find it better to preform a lower impact form of physical activity like biking or taking their dog for a walk. But the purpose is that physical activity can actual metabolize excessive stress hormones and help bring you back down to a more relaxed state. 

Don't- Over indulge on food or alcohol. It is easy when you are feeling stressed to go to the pantry and pull out your favorite junk foods with the mind set of "I deserve these right now." Although I am a big believer in little "happies" to cheer you up, when you are stressed it is easy to over do it. Make sure you are not compensating your physical state with your emotional one. 

Do- Try some relaxing activities or exercises. This could be anything from going and getting a massage to help release the tension building up in your muscles or simply taking a moment to close your eyes and breathe. There is incredible power in being able to regain your control in a stressful situation by bringing your mind to a better state of relaxation. 

Don't- Take time off from everything. Just because you are stressed and overwhelmed do not use this as an excuse to drop everything you have going on. In the moment it might feel good to try and forget about everything, but it is going to make it that much harder (and quite frankly more overwhelming) when you try and come back to everything. Short breaks are one thing, but coming back to it all later is a different story.

Do-Talk it out and be done. Sometimes the best thing we need to deal with our stress is to talk it out with a close friend or family member. To rant for a brief moment about how everything is effecting you. But the important thing is not to let this talk turn into a long venting session. Do not dwell in the negative and repeat the stress over and over again- it just gives the anxiety more power. Instead, get it all out and then come up with strategies on how to deal with it. Go ahead and move on to the positive. 

Don't - Try and deal with it alone and let it overwhelm you even more. I am beyond guilty of this- of bottling things up and then letting them consume me. DON'T be me. This is the worst thing you can do because not only is it unhealthy for your emotional stability, it effects everything. Even physical aspects like your ability to sleep and your mental health. 

Do- Find the best things for yourself. The simple truth is that there is not one solution for every person to deal with their stress. Everyone is different and everyone deals with things differently. Sometimes your ability to deal with stress is going to change, but it is all about being able to regroup and figure out what is going to work. Do not turn to the negatives and bad habits with the excuse "I am just stressed, I won't do this once the stress goes away." Because if you start it when you are stressed you will find it hard to give it up even when things are going well. 

So when you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed with anxiety- try some of these healthy stress tips! And always remember things are going to get better, they always do. YOU can do it. 

-ICF