Question: How do you manage stress?

A Monday morning seemed like the ideal time to post this question. How do you manage the stresses in life?

“You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.” – Paulo Coelho

Stress is one of those things that builds up over time, and then manifest in ways that forces you to deal with it head on. For me, stress usually shows up on my face first (hello, pimple) or some a health issue (lack of sleep and headaches). These are just small ways of my body telling me “hey, can we work through this?!”

And if left unchecked too long, stress can certainly develop into longer form, more serious issues.

Everyone works through their stresses in different ways. Personally, I tend to lean towards the following when I’m feeling especially stressed out:

Spending time alone

Self reflection does wonders for me. Coming home to an empty apartment, laying in bed with a few candles lit and either a good book, good episode or some peace and quiet my ideal stress fighter. Just having a moment to take a few deep breaths, shut the world out and center myself helps me clear my head and think logically.

When I’m stressed out, all of my thoughts cloud my head at once and it’s harder to make any decisions or move forward.

Cooking a meal

Maybe it’s the distraction, or maybe it’s anticipating eating something really tasty, but cooking always helps me relieve stress. And it’s not just making the meal that does it. Everything from chopping and prep work to washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen after helps me de-stress.

Again, likely a distraction but it certainly works.

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A shower and a nap

A hot steamy shower and a nice nap can do wonders even if you aren’t stressed out. Again, just a way to clear my head and settle my thoughts before tackling my issues as best I can.

But what about you? How do you process and manage your stress? Leave a comment and let me and other readers know!

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