De-stress: You Deserve It

Unfortunately, life is filled with everyday stressors, so everyone gets stressed. However, no one deserves it. Since you've been trying your hardest, you've earned a break. Here are some tips and tricks and what I've learned to help you deal with the stress you've accumulated.

Try these small activities:

• Drink some tea (or your fav drink)
• The best calming teas are Chamomile, Lavender, Green, Peppermint, and Rose
• Read something
• It can be a book, a blog post, or even a news story
• Some of my favorites are Milk and Honey, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Looking for Alaska
• Shower/Bathe
• Bath bombs and salts are always helpful and fun
• I always recommend Lush for bath bombs and Bath and Body Works for bath salts
• Yoga
• I advise going to a hot yoga class. They make your body feel great and put your mind at ease. As long as you identify why you're there and that you want to be there it can be really helpful. It also gets you out of the house.
• Go for a Walk
• Walking can give you time to think, clear your head, and make a plan. Just make sure you go somewhere safe and that someone knows where you are.
• Listen to Music
• Music is calming and in my experience can always make you happier. Even if you don't feel like it put on some of your favorite songs and be sure to sing along. I promise something as small as singing out loud can help.
• If you're looking for some calming music, try this playlist.
• Talk to someone
• A friend, a family member, a therapist, or in severe cases the suicide hotline (1-800-273-8255). They'll always answer and you do deserve to be talked to.
• If you would rather keep things to yourself you can always journal as well. Just make sure it's in a fun journal that you enjoy using.
• Draw/Color
• I'm not very artistically inclined, so I prefer to doodle or fill in a zen coloring page.
• Go to Bed
• If you're stressed because you're trying to finish something, forget it. It may be hard but it will benefit you more in the end if you just go to bed. Either things will work out or the worst case scenario will happen and you'll move on.
• If you're not rushing to finish something it's always nice to take a short nap. It will allow you to reset and wake up with a new mindset for the tasks ahead.
• At home Spa Treatments
• Face masks always help me relax. They even make destress face masks now. There's also many other at home remedies you can find on Pinterest.
• Light a Candle
• If you have a favorite scent choose that one first, however, there are also many naturally calming scents. Try eucalyptus, spearmint, lavender, honeysuckle, or vanilla.
• Meditate
• If you go to a yoga center they generally offer meditation classes as well. If you prefer to stay home there are also plenty of apps you can use to follow along to.

Don't do these:

• Get on Social Media
• Social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter will most likely make you feel worse. Seeing what other people are supposedly out doing will make you compare yourself and your life to theirs. Most posts and pages are made to seem better than they actually are anyway.
• Go for a Drive
• Drives can be helpful and relaxing for some people, but it can also provide opportunities for you to hurt yourself or others whether it's intentional or not.
• Watch TV.
• It may help you and if it does go for it, but for me, it usually makes things worse. I feel like I keep wasting more and more time which in turn adds to the stress.
• Continue to Think about it
• Try some grounding techniques or anything you can do to keep your mind off the stress you feel. Do not continually feel your pulse that will only remind you of it.

Exercises and Techniques:

These should either help you get your mind off your emotions, stay away from furthering the situation, or understand that it will be okay.

• Worst Case Scenario- think of the worst possible thing that could happen and then what you would do next to make it okay. Ex—not finishing your homework/studying enough so you think you're going to fail a math test. You do fail the test and end up getting an F in the class. In turn, you don't get into the college you want. Resolution: you go to another college and work hard and still get into the profession that you want.
• This exercise will allow you to take control of your thoughts. Most people when there are stressed unintentionally think of the worst case scenario. This way you can turn you downward spiraling thoughts up again by understand that even if the worst does happen you will still be okay.
• ABD Feelings- find a notebook and some pens you like then review a feeling vocabulary and write down 3-5 feelings you felt that day or the previous day. Don't think about it too much. After you pick the feelings you feel fit best, write down A) why you felt that way/ what triggered the emotion, B) what thoughts you had during that time, and D) what you did or could've done that would have made you feel better (as long as it is in your control).
• Continually review and write down your feelings every day. This will help you by making D more prominent if your life. Soon enough you'll be able to recognize your feelings as they're happening and realize what you can control at the time to make yourself feel better.
• Breathing Methods- there are many different breathing methods, so you just have to find the one that works for you. The goal is to focus on the time that your breathing so you have something else to think about and to slow your breathing to a reasonable pace. I generally use 2 breathing methods (time can be modified for either):
• 7/11 - inhale for 7 seconds and then exhale for 11 seconds
• Hold - inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 7, and then exhale for 8
• 5,4,3,2,1- this is a grounding method intended to bring you back to reality to focus on your surroundings and current state rather than a possible present state. Look around you and find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

Now that you've done everything you can and need to do and nothing that you can't or shouldn't, there's only one thing left.

Remember:

• Putting yourself first isn't selfish it's necessary.
• It's okay to cry.
• Your feelings are valid.
• You are strong and capable of many wonderful things.
• You matter.
• Self-care comes first.
• Better things are coming.
• You're doing your best and it is enough.