#1 Smile
Smile!… A smile can bring warmth to the dreariest of situations. So often, we are challenged by the everyday obligations of work and life and finding the right balance between the two. Unfortunately, these stresses become such a part of our daily routine that we can sometimes miss their adverse effects on us physically, mentally, and spiritually.
#2 Breathe
It is important to stop, take a moment, and simply breathe. Slowly inhale through your nose, and exhale out your mouth. One deep breath can lower our stress levels, increase happiness, and re-center our brains so that we are ready for any task.
#3 Get Engaged
Stuck in a rut? Divert your attention to something exciting you may not have engaged in recently or ever before. Just a small change in routine can be enough to resuscitate a passion long forgotten. Perhaps you love to read, but work life and home life don’t often afford you that simple luxury; make time for it again. Take a walk. Learn a new skill. It’s essential to make time for activities that bring you joy and peace and to try new things. Look for wonder in your daily life, and create some when it’s not there. Try to remember all the things you have to be grateful for.
#4 Acknowledgement, Perspective, and Creative Solutions
April is National Stress Awareness Month. This theme is intended to bring awareness to the impacts of stress. Trying to manage your professional life and personal life at the same time can be tough. Recent studies show that 26% of respondents anticipate feeling much more stressed in 2023 with worsened mental health, but this does not have to be the case!
Stopping to acknowledge stressful moments and alleviating those feelings of anxiety can often be done by looking at the situation from a different perspective and coming up with a creative solution. That project that you’ve been working on and can’t quite seem to complete might be easier with the assistance of a trusted friend or colleague.
#5 Healthy Relationships
Reaching out and communicating your needs for assistance to others may not always be easy, but it can provide a world of relief. Keeping healthy relationships is very important. Simply laughing with a friend, loved one, or coworker can improve your health.
Laughter elevates your oxygen-rich air intake while stimulating your heart, lungs, and muscles. Laughter also increases the endorphins released by your brain. So go ahead, laugh a little!
No matter what fulfilling activity you choose to partake in, enjoy it to the fullest! Stop to smell the roses, read a book, paint a picture, or call a friend. Whatever brings you joy is sure to relieve your stress response, so smile and put a little joy back into the life of someone else, too!
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