Today is National Stress Awareness Day and, a day focussed on identifying and reducing the stress factors in life. This year has been exceptional in creating conversations and awareness around mental health. We recently had a conversation on Malini’s Girl Tribe on Facebook where the ladies shared their tried-and-tested ways to manage stress, and the suggestions were incredible and very helpful.
Read on to know some ways to manage stress in an effective and maybe even slightly uncommon way!
1. Surround Yourself With Good Food
Let’s be honest, food solves everything. A popular way to relieve your stress is to cook or order in a delicious meal. Eating good food leads to the release of dopamine, which is the happiness hormone and instantly elevates your mood. Whether it’s a fancy gourmet burger or a buttery plate of pav bhaji, your stress levels will decrease.
2. Watch Tom And Jerry
Tom and Jerry is a cult classic and an integral part of our childhood as well as adulthood. It’s absolutely hilarious! Nothing shoos away stress better than a good laugh, which is why watching Tom And Jerry or any other comedy show will immediately make you feel better.
3. Unleash Your Inner Marie Kondo
A messy desk, room and mind add to your stress. Plus, it’s really ugly to look at. Decluttering your surroundings is a great way to alleviate your stress. It’s soothing, distracting and cleans up your mess (pun intended). It helps you focus on tidying up, which reduces stress levels. Unless you stumble upon old unpaid bills, then your stress isn’t going anywhere.
4. Fire Up Some ASMR
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a pleasantly soothing sensation we feel after listening to certain sounds. Tearing paper, tapping on metal, slurping from a straw, scratching and whispering are examples of sounds that produce tingles in our brains, which spread throughout our body. This is extremely satisfying, calming and relaxing. These ASMR videos are all over YouTube. It’s weird that someone biting into a crunchy wafer can calm you down, but it is what it is!
5. Speed Dial Your Bestie
Talking it out and venting to someone is extremely helpful. So if you are stressed and unable to cope with it, just call your best friend, sister, father or whoever you feel close to. Someone who will listen. Due to COVID-19, they may not offer you their physical shoulder to cry on, but they may give you an ear to vent to.
6. Meditate, Relax And Meditate Some More
Drink calming tea, light some vanilla-scented candles, do some yoga or even put on a soothing face mask and sip on wine. Calm yourself down by completely relaxing and focusing on your peacefulness. It really does help manage stress. Plus, you will feel super bougie!
7. Let Out A Good Cry
Contrary to popular opinion, crying is not a sign of weakness or submission. It’s just an expression. Crying it out can ironically make you feel better. It’s a form of venting and does help manage stress. A quick and effective cry will do wonders for you. Pushpa, we love tears. Let them flow.
8. Take A Walk
Walks are proven to help clear your head. Breathing fresh air (with a mask on, obviously) can be great for managing stress and making you feel better. Go for a stroll around your house, and you are sure to feel great.
9. Put On Good Music
Whether it’s a song by Kishore Kumar, Prateek Kuhad or ACDC, it can help reduce your stress. Jamming to your favourite music is an excellent way to reduce your stress and feel good. Sing along even if you sound like a dying cat, dance with your two left feet and completely vibe with your music. It will help, trust us.
Stress, while extremely common, can be very dangerous. It has the power to affect your mind and body. Knowing how to manage it is extremely important. However, if you find yourself struggling to get it under control to a point where it is negatively affecting you, please do seek professional help. Take it seriously and do not brush it off.
How do you manage your stress? Please share it with us in the comments below!
Join Malini’s Girl Tribe on Facebook and Instagram to be a part of fun conversations!