5 Ways to Channel Your Stress

We all have stress to deal with between work, friends, home life, or whatever else you have going on. All of those little stresses can build up fairly quickly, and before you know it, it’s one big mess of stress. If you hold onto that stress it can make your days miserable. So what do you do when you’re feeling down? Here are five things that you can do to hopefully improve your mentality.

1. Don't get discouraged when things don't go your way.

When something unexpected occurs, it can lead you to feel sad or even helpless. You may feel bad about yourself and stay in a sad state of mind. Instead, you should work on figuring out how you can fix or cope with that problem. If you remain in that mindset then you can end up being destructive to your body/mentality. Sometimes you need to realize that your life is yours and that no one can ever change that. Separate yourself from those people that are causing those stresses. That separation could be all you need to start feeling better.

2. Don't forget to smile.

Something that you can do is leave the situation (leave the room), and for a few seconds, just force yourself to smile. No matter how frustrating that sounds in the moment, forcing yourself to smile can improve your mood. It is proven by many studies that this works, so If you look yourself in the mirror and smile, the smile almost gives you a pep talk saying that you are OK and you will continue to be no matter what.

3. Do what makes you happy.

For me, when I am upset, I like to get into the kitchen and bake or cook something new. I will sometimes spend entire days slaving away in the kitchen. You may be thinking, "Tiffany, how is that relaxing at all?" The honest answer is I have no idea. Something about being in the kitchen allows me to cancel out the rest of the world. It feels like this one thing needs to be completed, and when that one little task is completed, it gives me a feeling of accomplishment that feels amazing when you are down. No matter what you truly enjoy doing, just get up and go do it. Sometimes when you are feeling your worst, all you want to do is crawl into bed and do nothing. Wallowing in that dread will inevitably do nothing. Instead, get up and do what you love, because once you are doing it you will feel that positive energy and you will begin to feel better.

4. Get inspired to do something new.

Is there something that has been sitting in the back of your mind? Some new project you have wanted to start up and you’ve never come around to doing it? Well there is no better time than the present! You can channel your stress into making something; for me, it was this blog. I’ve always wanted to make one, and now, instead of focusing all of my energy into overthinking every molecule of my life, I chose to write this. So try starting something new, it just might be enough to alleviate all your stress.

5. Try to exercise.

When you are feeling extra stressed, sometimes pumping out a good run is the best way to feel better. You don’t necessarily have to get outside either. You could workout to a video, do yoga, or even meditate. But when you can get outside, you should definitely take advantage of it. Seeing all the life outside helps stimulate your mind more, making it easier to distract yourself. So get up and get moving because I guarantee afterwards you will feel amazing.