We are in uncertain times right now. Many pieces of our environment are in turmoil. It is times like these that we need to depend on healthy coping mechanisms to get us through, prevail, and even grow from the experiences.
By depending on a social support system, like your family, colleagues, coworkers, and friends, you can voice concerns that are important to you on a regular basis. Saying your concerns out loud and knowing that others are empathetic with you creates a feeling of belonging. Knowing that you are not alone in the world can decrease many stresses. Think about a time in your past when you were feeling a crisis situation. After talking with someone that had been in a similar situation and seeing him or her succeed increased the hope and lessened the stress. Spend more quality time with those you love.
Journaling is a great way to relieve stress in a personal aspect without any interpretations and interactions with others. If there are things that you do not feel comfortable sharing with others, get a piece of paper and write it down. It is very liberating.
Burn off stress by working out. An ideal way to prevent stress from building up and to help clear your thoughts is to do something that you love. By exercising, you are increasing oxygen and blood flow to muscles and your brain. This allows you to think more clearly and process thoughts more effectively. It gives you time to cool down and is one of the healthiest things you can do to prevent stress-provoked diseases like heart disease and cancer.
Create predictability in some aspects of your life. When the external environment becomes unsteady, you need to have safe places to relieve stress. Have routines in your daily life, which will generate consistency in some aspects of your life.
