7 tried and tested tips for coping with stress

Time management

Stress often arises from the feeling of not having enough time. For this reason, people run on the way to work. This can save time. Over time, the breaks get shorter until eventually there are no breaks at all.

Much can be easily remedied through good time management. For example, on Sundays you can plan your week and mentally adjust to it. For example, you can also write down small 5-minute breaks and which favorite songs you would like to listen to during this time.

Sorting your tasks by relevance and urgency can also help prevent stress.

A time buffer ensures that you won’t be in a pinch if an unplanned task or distraction comes up.

Be optimistic

Stress is a natural reaction of your body to a demand that you perceive as stressful. For example, in the same situation you are in, another person may be completely relaxed.

This depends on many factors, such as experiences, inner attitude and your resources. So a lot is up to your perception and evaluation. You are in control of how you respond to the stress trigger (called a stressor).

Approaching a situation negatively causes stress. Perfectionism causes your stress level to rise. A positive and optimistic attitude can help lower your stress level. Perfection is paralyzing and no one can achieve it. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them.

To think optimistically does not mean to banish all negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts are something quite normal. But most of the time they are not true.

Our brains were designed for us to survive, not for us to have fun all the time.

With the right positive mindset, you can become more calm and confident in the long run. This makes you react much more optimistically in stressful situations.

Meditation and breathing exercises

Meditation not only promotes your balance, it also increases your ability to concentrate. That is why meditation is considered an effective remedy for stress.

A little practice is required at the beginning. If you are not used to meditating, you can quickly drift away mentally. But with a little practice, you’ll soon notice how inner peace sets in and you don’t fly off the handle so quickly anymore.

If you’re ever in a real hurry and want to relax quickly, you can do that, even in your office chair:

Assume a posture that is comfortable for you

Relax your shoulders and neck (both areas are often unconsciously tense during stress).

Close your eyes

Let your breath flow in its natural rhythm for another 2-3 breaths

Focus on your breathing and slowly banish your thoughts from your mind

Take a deep breath while counting to four

Hold your breath while counting to 7

Breathe out deeply while counting to 8

Then you breathe in again

By focusing on your breathing and counting, your thoughts come to rest.

If a thought does pop up in between, that’s perfectly fine.

You may take note of him and then address him after the exercise.
Just redirect your focus back to your breathing.

After 1-2 minutes, you should notice your stress level dropping.

Breaks

A break is not something you have to earn by overworking, overachieving, and exhausting yourself!

You’re taking a break because you’re on fire for your job or self-employment and want to give it the best you can!

Take plenty of time for breaks. During this time, it’s also okay if you consciously do nothing. Take the pressure out. Enjoy the free time! If you put pressure on yourself during your break and constantly think about your work and projects, you’ll come out of your break more stressed than when you started it.

After the right break, you will notice how you have more energy and you feel much more motivated.

Yoga

It doesn’t have to be the 6 week yoga course! On YouTube you can find numerous tutorials on the topic of “office chair yoga”. These are exercises that you can do quickly, easily and with little effort, on your office chair.

Yoga not only relieves stress. You’re also training your ability to relax here.

Read books

The University of Sussex has found that just 6 minutes of reading can reduce stress levels by up to 68%.

The background is that here you can completely immerse yourself in the text and completely forget about your surroundings.

Movement

Regular exercise and especially sports help to reduce stress. It can even be good and important to release pent-up energy! Because without exercise, stress hormones, e.g. cortisol, cannot be sufficiently reduced.

Besides, sitting for too long is harmful for your body and the news or Netflix again lead to sensory overload.

Bonus tips for stress management:

Relaxation techniques

Autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation can additionally help reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Conversations

Talking with family or friends about worries and concerns should relieve most tensions. Often, solutions to problems can be found together.

Conclusion

With the right stress management tactics, you can finally go through your daily life relaxed again! As you can see, just a handful of simple behaviors help minimize stress. Start incorporating one of these ideas into your daily routine right away. You can add more suggestions as you go along. I wish you all the best and a relaxing time!