How to Manage Stress through Self-Care
Stress is something we all experience in some form or another. For this reason it is key to learn how to respond well to daily stress. Stress can come from a variety of sources such as work, changes or pressure. Often people tend to neglect their personal needs and focus strictly on the responsibilities of life. Many people have the belief that self-care is a luxury, rather than a priority. Self-care is an important part of managing stress. Developing an effective routine or skill to manage stress will serve you for many years to come.
Prevention
Handling challenges and stressful situations are extremely difficult to tackle when you are already mentally and physically exhausted. In other words, you have a higher ability to handle stress when feeling rested and energized. Evaluating your priorities will help you make better decisions on where to devote your time. Try to imagine yourself a few years down the road and ask where you should have dedicated your time. Will you have wished you dedicated more time in academics or family relationships? When you have your priorities listed out you can begin to cut out the things of lower importance.
Consider taking on less activities and set apart some time to relax. Before you engage in a new activity you can ask whether it will contribute or detract from your overall well-being. Will the activity cause stress that can be avoided by not participating at all? Saying no when you feel overwhelmed or stressed can go a long way for your physical and mental wellness. After a stressful day, seek out activities that help you unwind and replenish.
Below are the different types of self-care that you should focus on:
Physical Self-Care
A strong connection between your body and mind exists. This means that if your body is well taken care of your mind will also feel better. If your mind feels better, then you can improve your thinking and outlook on situations. Physical self-care includes things such as fueling your body, exercise and sleep. You can ask yourself these questions to assess how you are doing:
- Are you getting sufficient sleep?
- Is your diet providing proper nutrition?
- Are you exercising frequently?
- Are you taking charge of your physical wellness?
After you consider these questions you can look at where you may need to improve.
Mental Self-Care
Your thoughts and what fills your mind has a great influence on your psychological wellness. Mental self-care includes activities that keep your mind sharp and attentive. Mind games that involve words or puzzles allow you to exercise your mind. Learning about subjects that interest or inspire you are great ways to fuel your mind.
It is also essential that you maintain a healthy inner dialogue. This means practicing acceptance and turning your negative thoughts into a positive dialogue. This can be done by seeking out evidence that the negative thoughts are not true. Here are a couple questions to ask yourself in regards to mental self-care:
- Are you participating in activities that are mentally stimulating?
- Are you being proactive in order to stay mentally sharp?
The mind is just like a muscle and needs to be exercised in order to stay sharp.
Emotional Self-Care
It is important to develop healthy coping skills in order to combat negative emotions. Stress, anger and sadness are uncomfortable emotions that can be difficult to regulate. Emotional self-care can be practiced through expressing yourself frequently. If you do not have someone nearby to express your feelings you can set apart a leisure time to process your activities. Ask yourself the following:
- Are you practicing healthy ways to process your emotions?
- What activities are you participating in to help you feel recharged?
Create a Personal Self-Care Plan
It is important to understand that the needs of each individual are unique. A plan should also be adjusted at different times in your life. Consider all of the factors in your life and experiment with what works best for you. Change does not occur quickly or easily. You may consider starting by focusing on one aspect at a time. You may also want to implement wellness products into your self-care plan.