When you don’t get enough sleep or your sleep cycle is disturbed, it can leave you prone to stress (especially if you’re already a worrier). Sleep allows your muscles and brain to relax and repair themselves so you can start the day with a lower “baseline” anxiety. Even small disturbances in your sleep can drastically affect your memory, judgment, and mood. Get the sleep you need to help you stay calm throughout the day.  The recommendation for adults is between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. This figure is higher for adolescents.  People who don’t get enough sleep report symptoms of stress, such as feeling irritable, angry, or overwhelmed, much more than people who get enough sleep.  Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every night, including weekends. This will help your body regulate your sleep.  Avoid napping after 5 PM, heavy dinners, stimulants in the evening, and blue-light screens before bed. These can all interfere with your ability to get a good night’s sleep. Caffeine is a stimulant that can help you feel more alert and energetic, but it also exaggerates your body’s stress responses. If you must drink caffeine, try to avoid drinking more than 200mg a day (about two cups of brewed coffee). Don’t drink caffeine after 5 PM to avoid interfering with your sleep cycle.  Stimulants also disturb your sleep cycles.  Alcohol is a depressant which means that it reduces tension or stress in the body and slows reactions. However, using alcohol as a way to rid of stress is a bad idea because your anxiety will return once the alcohol is out of your system (and alcohol won’t address your root problems). Additionally, intoxication may make stress worse for you or others. It may make it easier to fall asleep, but it also seriously disturbs your REM sleep, leaving you feeling tired, hungover, and worn-out the next day.  If you do drink alcohol, make sure you do it in moderation. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that if you are male, you should not drink more than 4 drinks in one day and no more than 14 drinks per week. If you are female, do not drink more than 3 drinks in one day and no more than 7 drinks per week.  A “standard drink” may be less than you think. The NIAAA defines one drink as 12 ounces of regular beer, 8-9 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof spirits.  Nicotine is also a powerful stimulant that exaggerates your body’s stress responses. Smoking is very bad for your health, and the longer you smoke, the worse the damage is. Be aware, though, that quitting smoking can be very stressful itself, so quitting during a period of high stress may not be the best idea. Exposure to negativity too often can encourage your brain to make negative thinking a habit. This obviously won’t do much for the calm mindset you’re looking to cultivate!  Sometimes, people need to vent. This is perfectly healthy. However, make sure that the complaining doesn’t go on for too long. Even 30 minutes of a stressful experience like listening to someone else complain can elevate your stress hormones.  If you are in a situation where you can’t avoid the negativity, such as at work, try to make a quiet “safe place” for yourself mentally. Retreat there when the pressure gets too much. Obviously, you can’t avoid all the stress in your life. Experiencing stress and unpleasant events is just part of being human. However, you may be able to reduce those stressors with a few changes. If you can reduce the amount of stress in your life even in small ways, it can help you handle the other upsetting stuff that you can’t avoid.  Try “outsmarting” things that upset you. For example, if the long line at the grocery store after work frustrates you, try going later at night. If rush hour gets your blood boiling, try leaving a little earlier. Look for the silver lining. When you can reframe experiences so that you can get something positive out of them, you increase your ability to handle stress. For example, if you had car trouble and had to run to catch the bus to get to school, consider: you got some exercise and a story out of it. It’s not the silver-est of linings, but it’s better than focusing on how upsetting the event was. Studies have shown that having a strong social support network of friends, family, and loved ones can promote a sense of belonging and security. It can even boost your feelings of self-confidence and self-worth.  One study showed that having a “best friend” to share your emotions with can dramatically decrease the stress hormone cortisol in your body. It also helps buffer your experience of negativity from unpleasant events.  Have fun with others. Studies show that having a good time with loved ones can help reduce your feelings of anger and increase your feelings of positivity.  If you can laugh with friends, it’s even better. Laughter releases endorphins, those mood-boosting chemicals in your brain that make you feel happy. It can even increase your body’s ability to tolerate physical pain!  Make sure you spend time with positive people. Humans can “catch” emotions from other people just like we catch colds. If you hang out with people who are focused on their stress and negativity, it’ll affect you. On the flip side, if you hang out with people who focus on supporting each other in positive, healthy ways, you’ll feel better. Meditation is about stopping to be in the present moment, still and accepting. Studies have shown that practicing meditation can promote relaxation, feelings of well-being, even boost your immune system. It can even help rewire your brain’s stress responses. There are many types of meditation, although a lot of research has been done in support of “mindfulness meditation.” Aim to practice meditation for 30 minutes each day -- you’ll see significant results in as little as two weeks.  Begin by finding a quiet place without distractions. Don’t have the TV or computer on. Try to give yourself a minimum of 15 minutes to meditate, although 30 is even better.  Close your eyes and take a few deep cleansing breaths. Continue breathing deeply and evenly as you meditate. Imagine yourself as an outside witness to your thoughts. Watch them go by and acknowledge them without trying to judge them as “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong.” (This can take some practice. That’s okay.) Ask yourself some questions to help guide your meditation. Begin by asking “What are my senses telling me?” Notice what you hear, smell, and feel. For example, is the room cold or warm? Do you hear birds, the whir of a dishwasher? Ask yourself “What is my body doing?” Notice any tension (or relaxation) you feel in your body without judging it. Ask yourself “What are my thoughts doing?” Notice whether they are critical, accepting, worried, etc. It can be easy to get swept up into a cycle of judging yourself for not meditating “well enough.” Allow yourself to notice your thoughts without judging yourself for them. Ask yourself “What are my emotions doing?” How are you feeling right now? Stressed, calm, sad, content? Mindfulness has received a lot of scientific attention recently. Numerous research studies show that it can help promote calmness, help you feel able to regulate your emotions, change how you respond to things, even increase your ability to handle pain. Mindfulness focuses on being aware of your thoughts and experiences in the moment, without judgement. It can take a little practice, but using mindfulness techniques can help you calm down quickly and promote a general sense of well-being.  Try the “raisin meditation.” Mindfulness focuses on awareness of your experiences in the present moment without judgment. Believe it or not, you can practice your mindfulness with a handful of raisins in 5 minutes a day. Engage your senses. Hold the raisin. Turn it over in your fingers. Notice how it feels in your hand. Notice its texture. Take a good look at it. Examine its colors, its ridges, its variations. Smell it, noticing the aroma. Place the raisin in your mouth. Notice how it feels in your mouth without chewing. Does your mouth water? Can you taste anything? Now begin chewing. Notice how the flavor develops. Notice the texture in your mouth as you eat it. As you swallow, notice the movement of your muscles as you do so.   Take a mindful walk. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the stresses of daily life that we don’t notice the beauty all around us. Focusing on being aware of what you experience while you’re out on a walk can help build mindfulness skills.Take a walk on your own. As you walk, try to notice as many details as you can. Use all of your senses. Imagine that you are an explorer from another world who has never seen this place before. Notice the colors, smells, sounds, etc., around you. As you notice each detail, mindfully acknowledge it to yourself, such as “I am aware that I’m seeing a beautiful red flower.” Notice how these experiences make you feel.
تم بالقدر الكافي. حدد كمية الكافيين والكحوليات والنيكوتين. تجنب السلبية عندما تستطيع. تجنب الضغط عندما تستطيع ذلك. اقض بعض الوقت مع أشخاص تحبهم. تأمل. مارس التأمل اليقظ.