It’s normal to feel stressed right now. This article will help you learn how to de-stress by taking time to unwind and connect, staying organized and structured, and keeping your life balanced.
If you’re feeling stressed right now, you’re not alone.
Stress is a natural thing. Up to a point, it can actually be good for you, improving your concentration and helping you feel motivated.
Unfortunately, the effects of stress can add up. After a certain point you can become overwhelmed and your ability to cope with stress can become weakened. This is the kind of stress that has negative effects on your health.
This is the level of stress you might be dealing with in the face of a pandemic, especially if you’re constantly exposed to bad news and uncertainty. With so much uncertainty, change, and worry in the world right now, it’s entirely understandable to be experiencing more stress than normal.
What’s there to do about stress?
When you’re dealing with stress, it’s important to take an active role in managing and recovering from it.
In TOVI, we have 3 main areas of focus when it comes to helping you de-stress.
Taking time to unwind and connect
Decompressing, taking a breather, slowing down, stepping back are ways that you can manage stress and recover. There aren’t any rules for unwinding, so go ahead and explore your own!
The key to unwinding is finding something that helps you relax and free yourself from your stress. This can mean unwinding for a bit after work, getting outside when you’re feeling overwhelmed, meditating, or just reading a book for a bit before bed!
Another key part of unwinding is connecting with others. You’ve probably heard this everywhere, but humans really are social creatures. Interacting with others can help you manage stress. You might be surprised at how powerful a call or a text can be!
Staying organized and structured
When your life is chaotic and messy, it can cause even more stress than you’re already feeling. This is extra important when you’re stuck at home. A little mess can quickly become a big deal!
This doesn’t just mean cleaning up your kitchen, it can also mean making a list of all the things you need to get done or creating a schedule to keep track of your day.
Keeping your life balanced
Life in isolation is full of extremes. Keeping everything in balance can be challenging.
A big cause of stress for many people is balancing work and home, while you’re at home! It can be difficult to keep your home-life and your work-life balanced in a normal situation, let alone if you’re working at home! Maintaining a clean workspace and taking regular breaks are two simple ways to get started with a work-life balance.
Another source of problems for many people is the balance between caring for others and caring for yourself. This can be a huge challenge, but there are little ways to help. Just 5 minutes to yourself can be a powerful way to de-stress.
It might be a scary time…
But you’re not alone. You can manage the stress you’re feeling, even if it’s with one baby step at a time.
Whether you need a place to create structure, a community to connect to, or inspiration on how to unwind, The TOVI app can help! Download today – it's free!
Reviewed by: Lorena Ruci, PhD, Registered Psychotherapist