Calm in Chaos: How to Manage Stress with Simple Ideas

Everyone experiences stress at some point in their lives. It’s a natural response to facing major life changes, uncertainty, or ongoing challenges. This can look like a looming deadline, a change of environment, changes in work-life, relational problems, or trying to make ends meet. Stress can activate your body’s “fight or flight” response, increasing cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, this can negatively impact your health. There can be physical symptoms like sweaty palms, digestive issues, heart racing, headaches, or fatigue.

Chronic stress can lead to long-term adverse health issues like cardiovascular issues, issues with your sleep, and a weakened immune system. There are also mental symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, increased anxiety, or restlessness associated with stress. Recognizing the signs of stress is the first step. Here are some simple and practical tips to help you manage it.

Stress Management:

Breathing exercises can be helpful when looking for short-term relief. When people become stressed, our body’s “fight or flight” response activates, which typically means you begin sweating, shallow breathing, and heart racing. Breathing exercise helps regulate your body’s “fight or flight” response by taking control of your breathing and slowing it down (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). It also helps reduce your cortisol (or stress hormone), which induces these physical reactions, and lowers your blood pressure (WebMD, n.d.). This allows your body to realize that you are safe, and you begin to feel less stressed.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

While either laying down or sitting up, place one hand on your chest and one on your belly, focus on the movement as you breathe. Inhale through your nose, making sure that your belly expands rather than your chest. Move your chest as little as possible. Then blow out with your lips puckered, almost as if blowing something hot. Repeat as needed (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.).
Click Here to watch a video by New York Presbyterian on Diaphragmatic Breathing.

2. Box Breathing

Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, then wait for 4 seconds before repeating. Many people begin to feel relaxed after 30 seconds (WebMD, n.d.).
Click Here to watch a video by Headspace on Box Breathing.

3. 4-7-8 Breathing

A Yoga-based technique, a practice called pranayama, or “focusing on the breath”. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8 seconds (Cleveland Clinic, 2023).
Click Here to watch a video of 4-7-8 Breathing by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Setting Boundaries

A long-term way to help reduce your overall stress is to set boundaries. Breathing exercises are great, but they are for short-term relief. Setting boundaries can help you advocate for yourself and improve your quality of life long-term. Like the breathing exercises, these are skills to be practiced, and it is easier said than done, but practice leads to progress.

1. Set Expectations

Ask yourself what your wants and needs are in the situation. Once you know what you are looking for, use effective communication like “I” statements, letting people in your life know how you are feeling and why the boundary is necessary to foster a healthier relationship with them. Remember, boundaries are an act of love and not hate.

2. Be Assertive

While this can be especially challenging, this is not being mean or rude. You are maintaining previously set expectations. Not asserting yourself can lead to people not respecting the boundaries you set.

3. Say “No!”

Learning to say no is difficult, especially when you feel like people are depending on you. However, if you tend to people-please, or are afraid to say no at work or in relationships, you may experience stress due to overextending yourself. Constantly saying yes to things you may not want to do can result in you feeling overwhelmed (Mayo Clinic Health System, 2021).

Engaging in Community Support

Finally, engaging in community support is something very important for reducing stress. As humans, we naturally crave connections with others, so engaging with a support system while doing an enjoyable activity may reduce stress.

1. Support System

Your support system is usually people who are closest to you. This can be your family, friends, chosen families, or anyone you enjoy spending time with.

2. Join Local Communities

This can include activities you enjoy, which can be book clubs, exercise groups, even volunteering, attending your place of worship if you are religious/spiritual, etc.

3. Therapy

Speaking with a therapist or participating in group therapy may also help manage your stress by providing coping skills specifically tailored to you and creating a sense of community because you do not have to combat stress alone.

Conclusion

Stress can seem unmanageable at times, but with the right tools and supports in place, you can learn to recognize the warning signs and manage your stress. At Wellness Tree Counseling, we are here to help you manage stress by providing you with the tools and support you need! Contact us today to book your intake screening call.

About Wellness Tree Counseling...

Our mission at Wellness Tree Counseling is to promote wellness through a culturally sensitive lens so that individuals, families and communities are encouraged to rise to their full potential and engage life in meaningful ways.

Our vision is to provide the BIPOC community with comprehensive holistic care that empowers and equips them with skills to work toward improved mental health and well-being. We take great pride in treating the whole-person.

At Wellness Tree Counseling, we value treating our clients and community with C.A.R.E. (Compassion, Affirming, Respect, & Empathy).

To learn more about our services, please visit www.wellnesstreecounseling.com