your reflect stress test results
Our team has compiled a list of strategies that can help you manage the minor stress in your life and help you institute good practices that will position you best deal with future stress.
Please keep in mind, these are not meant to be clinical recommendations but are rather general guidelines based extensive research in the field.
Stress often creeps up on us gradually — work starts getting busy, so we deprioritize things that make us happy, see fewer friends, and start to order takeout more. Cutting those small things can have a reinforcing effect to making us even more unhappy.
One way to break this cycle before it starts is by finding something you enjoy doing and making it a habit. Research has shown that the things we do affect the way we feel. When you spend time in activities that you find enjoyable, you tend to feel less distressed and are happier.
Keep a running list of the things you know you like to do (even if they seem small) and to make time for at least one of them a day. For some, it’s reading the newspaper in the morning; for others, it’s calling their mom on their way home from work. By implementing these habits when your stress is under control, you have something to hold onto when life gets busier.
And if you find yourself continuing to miss out on these activities, it’s a good sign your stress has gotten worse and that you need to find more specific tactics to manage stress, which can be found on our blog.
Our busy lives can cause millions of thoughts to swirl in our heads — questions about the past, worries about the future. Those can add unnecessary stress, prompting our bodies to switch on ‘fight or flight’ response as if there was an immediate threat.
Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist concept involving being conscious and aware of the present. It’s grown more popular recently as people have searched for ways to become more grounded and happy. In addition to relieving stress, it’s been shown to treat anxiety, depression, couple’s conflict, and more.
One helpful mindfulness technique involves meditation, or the practice of quieting the mind through breathing. Find a few minutes to sit quietly and focus on your breadth. Close your eyes and alternate between deep breaths in and deep breaths out. Try to calm any thoughts that may come into your mind by refocusing on the breath. If you need additional help here are a few great mindfulness apps that can help you develop good habits.
Devoting even just 5 minutes each morning to this practice can be hugely beneficial. If you find your stress levels flaring up during the day, take a few minutes to find a quiet place to hit the pause button (like a conference room or quiet spot in the house between kid’s naps). It can do wonders to clear thoughts, reduce stress, and re-energize you.
