Mindful Minutes: Stress Management
Stress management is about understanding how you react to stress and is an important part of our ongoing well being. Learning how to manage our stress in healthy ways can help us be more present in our lives, experience less anxiety, and improves our overall daily life. While a little bit of stress can be beneficial, by increasing motivation and helping you achieve your goals, it is important to manage stress, so it does not become an ongoing problem for you.
Below are some ways you can use mindfulness to help reduce stress in your life:
Do a body scan: Next time you notice stress starting to build, do a ‘body scan’ by bringing attention to your physical self. Start by focusing on your toes and slowly move your attention over your feet, lower legs, knees, uppers legs and so on, through your entire body. Try not to judge any parts of your body or label sensations as good or bad. Simply notice as much as you can about your body.
Mindfully acknowledge your worries: Try looking at your worries with an open-mind and without judgement. Notice what is worrying you, acknowledge it, and work on letting it go. Taking deep intentional breathes can help you with this exercise.
Brainstorm solutions: Grab a pen and paper and identify all the options you have to move forward from your problem. This task can help you feel productive and solution-focused rather than being lost in stressful thoughts.
Notice your senses: If you notice stress escalating, try this simple mindfulness practice: Notice 5 things you can see; 4 things you can feel; 3 things you can hear; 2 things you can smell; and 1 thing you can taste.
Put your problem into perspective: Take a step back and ask yourself if your problem will still matter to you in a week, month or year. Problems can sometimes seem more important than they truly are and you can relieve stress by simply getting some perspective.
Remember: “smile. breath. and go slowly.” - Thich Nhat Hanh