The following coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run. Here are the most important things to AVOID when coping with stress:
– Smoking
– Drinking too much
– Bingeing on junk or comfort food
– Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
– Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
– Using pills or drugs to relax
– Sleeping too much
– Procrastinating
– Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
– Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence).
Instead of coping with your stress using the above methods, here are two approaches that will make you much healthier and happier.
#1. Proactive Approach
Try modifying your behavior or mindset BEFORE the stressful situation can occur. To illustrate, let’s imagine you are moving to a new home. It will be a pretty stressful event! Healthy proactive responses would include:
– Making a plan for moving day
– Gathering all packing supplies in one area
– Asking friends and close family for help with packing, moving, and/or unpacking
– Carefully labeling boxes with their contents
– Hiring a competent cleaner to prepare your new home and/or clean your old home
– Arranging child carers for moving day
– And of course, buying snacks and refreshments for any friends who come to help!
#2. Reactive Approach
Try controlling your behavior or mindset DURING or AFTER the initial stress has occurred. Using the same scenario of moving to a new home, healthy reactive responses would include:
– Taking rest breaks when you need to
– Reminding yourself that you won’t feel unsettled for long
– Focusing on the positive benefits of the move: what excites you about your new place?
Ideally, you should practice both proactive and reactive approaches. Irrespective of the event (be it a job transition, a health crisis, or a move), you can prepare yourself ahead of time with active strategies, then use your healthy responsive strategies in the moment and afterwards.
To help keep your day as stress-free as possible, here are a few more things to remember each and every day:
- Count your blessings and say thank you!
- Be kind to yourself and others.
- Stay focused.
- Keep evolving.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- Instead of looking at what’s depressing, look at what’s a blessing.
- Stay away from senseless drama, negative people, and discouraging conversations.
- Never give up!
- Take time to just breathe.
- Follow your heart.
- Believe in yourself.
- Do what you love and trust your journey!
