Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another Fan Request. I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving. Please, sit down, grab some tea or coffee, and enjoy the article.
Healthy routines to help cope with stress… Very good topic, Reader. Thank you for requesting it. It came to me at a time when dealing with stress was difficult for me, so thanks for the reminder that there are ways to cope with stress.
Last weekend, I caught a nasty cold that forced me to stay in bed for three days straight. I was sick for about a week, and on the days I felt well enough to move around, I was cleaning my room and working on my WIP. I basically took an unwanted, and unexpected, break.
Prior to me getting sick, I was dealing with a lot of stress. Stress caused entirely by my own perspective and expectations. Some of these unrealistic and unnecessary stresses that I dwelled on include; school, work, my future, writing… I felt like there wasn’t enough time in the day to deal with all of it. And then of course I would feel stressed out because I could see myself stressing. So, it wasn’t a big surprise when I got sick.
“If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worryng will do you no good.” -Shantideva
The stress was weighing on me every day, distracting me from living in the present moment and making me want to rush everything so that I can jump to the next task on my calender. As if I completed everything on my to-do list, there wouldn’t be anything else after. But of course, this is never the case.
Life is busy. Life can be difficult. Life can be stressful, painful, unpleasent. But it also can be happy, peaceful, joyful. It depends on how you look at your life. Your view of life is the only thing that can change how you react to it. I find myself stressing over the many things in my life, using so much of my energy and at the end of the day, I feel numb and empty. This doesn’t have to be a reality. You can be busy, but you don’t have to be stressed about it.
The Reader who sent me this topic idea, had said ‘healthy routines to help cope with stress for teens'. I didn’t add it in the title because these routines can help adults as well, I believe. Teenagers are very stressed creatures. Trust me, I know. There’s so much happening all at once in just a few short years, and at the same time they say enjoy your youth and you’re only young once. It’s exhausting!
But, again, you don’t have to be stressed. Nothing is going to change when you become an adult. Instead of the things that are stressing us out now, there will be other things that we’ll worry about. Instead of worrying about graduating, we’ll be worrying about paying bills. Get where I’m going?
Peace isn’t earned or gained from finishing stressful tasks. It’s all about your reaction to life. If you look at your next exam like it’s the most dreadful, stressful thing in your present moment, then it will be just that.
Stress is unavoidable. Life is always throwing stress in our paths. But it’s all up to you how it affects you. Below are a few healthy routines that I’m starting to add to my days, and maybe you can start practicing them too.
In the morning, before you start your day, take some time for yourself. Maybe take a shower, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, go for a walk outside. Clear your head. Once you feel ready, bring out paper and pen, and start creating an idea on how you want your day to go, and write a few things you hope to get done. Don’t hold too many expectations, though. Start small. If you do more than you wrote, then that’s great and you’ll feel double productive at the end of the day.
Take a break in the middle of your day. This can be your lunch break, or whenever you feel is the halfway mark in your routine. Take a break to reflect on what you’ve done already and what is left to do. Maybe take a walk outside, get some fresh air. Before getting back to work, look at your plan again.
At the end of the day, clear your mind. Let go of whatever you did or didn’t do in the day. There’s always tomorrow for anything that didn’t get completed. Before going to bed, take thirty minutes to an hour to really wind down and center yourself. This doesn’t mean watching TV or playing on your phone, either.
What are some healthy routines that help you cope with stress? Thank you for reading this week’s post. Be sure to give it a like, and share it with your friends! Oh, and did you know I’m on social media? Follow me @kait_the_writer.
I agree with Kristina, 'Great post'. What I took away from your blog, was to take time. Which seems kind of odd when you feel under stress, you usually feel that way because you don’t think you have time, time to get things done that you think need to be done immediately. However if you take time, to put your thoughts together, to take a deep breath, and realize it can all be done, then the stress definitely goes down. Nice perspective Kate… Good reminder to all of us to slow down just a bit.
Great post, Kait! I (try my best to) implement daily reading when I get done with work and classes to help clear my mind and unwind from a long day. Lately, I've gotten into tea brewing as well, and will mindfully brew and steep my tea, being present while I smell and drink all of the flavors. Furthermore, having a tidy space and clean floors eases my stress and makes my room feel welcoming and comfortable, perfect for relaxing.