10 Ways to Relieve Stress and Feel Good

1. Change the external situations that cause the stress when possible

2. Change your reaction when you can’t change the situation
3. Make time for self reflection and put effort towards understanding yourself better
4. Clarify which thought patterns get trigged by stressful situations (discomfort with unknown, need for control, pessimism, negative self talk, unrealistic expectations, perfectionism, lack of assertiveness etc)
5. Discover ways to challenge those thought patterns, so they don’t have so much control
6. Define coping strategies (i.e take 3 deep breaths before answering the phone)
7. Learn how to relax. Strengthen your relaxation response (state of restfulness that is the opposite of stress response). Practice techniques such as deep breathing, yoga and meditation
8. Allocate time for fun filled activities
9. Take care of your body (improve eating, sleeping, drinking and exercise habits)
10. Invest in your psychological and emotional health. Reducing stress requires effort. Dealing with thoughts and feelings requires intention and consistency.  I happen to know a good shrink! 😉

If you follow these steps, you will reduce your everyday stress levels, boost your feelings of joy and satisfaction, while increasing your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure.