Chill, bro!
Money. Friends. Assignments. Girlfriends. Boyfriends. Parents. Marks.
There are so many challenges that we face in our everyday lives, and with it comes the unavoidable build-up of stress. This is our body’s response to threats and challenges, keeping us on our toes and sharpening our senses which can push us to focus on the assignment the night before it is due or even to be that little bit stronger. But, beyond a point the changes it makes to our mental and physical states can be quite harmful.
When we experience stress it can have a drastic effect on the way that we feel often making us moody, irritable, frustrated and anxious. It can also manifest as different physical effects: headaches, backaches, changes to our hunger level, indigestion and difficulty in sleeping.
So how do we manage stress??
Relax.
Take time out from the daily grind to chill out by doing what you love to do, be it: going for a walk, watching a movie, catching up with some friends, taking a nice long hot shower, etc. It may sound easy and the obvious things to do, but it’s amazing how easily we can become tied up in our stressful situation and just forget! Other techniques which we can employ to decrease our stress levels include practising breathing techniques and meditating.
Something have you stressed out? Looking for ways to de-stress and chill out? Join us on the ReachOut forums on Monday the 23rd of July, 8pm AEST.
Hope to see you there!
What do you normally do to relieve yourself of stress? Are there certain techniques you've used before?
I like to try some exercise, writing things down, mindfulness meditation, drinking a cup of tea, having a hot bath, listening to music, venting to someone, trying to change my thinking about the stressor and just chilling out/ doing things to take my mind off it (reading, watching tv etc.). Or if it's something I can change I'll try and do something about it!
I find it helpful to acknowlwdge the stress and kind of go "OK, it's here, I'm stressed, now I need to calm down and use this energy to get shit done"
And I reeeaalllyyy try to get early nights!
@michine wrote:
Great advice guys! I especially like the talking it out option. Usually I try to catch up with a close mate and just talk their ear off, which usually helps me bring my problems back to reality rather than having them fester in my head. They usually do the same as well, it's not all one sided 😛
Yay for helpful convos with friends!
Great suggestions everyone!
Now we have something a bit different. The next question also involves a relaxation task.
Take a moment to turn off your screen and if you can your lights. Try to clear your mind of any thoughts by focusing on your breathing taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth for a couple of minutes. Report back to us, how do you feel?
Take a moment to turn off your screen and if you can your lights. Try to clear your mind of any thoughts by focusing on your breathing taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth for a couple of minutes. Report back to us, how do you feel?
It was nice to be able to sit and do nothing for a bit, but I found it very hard to switch my mind off! I launched into worrying abour work without even realising and only just managed to pull myself out of it about 30 seconds before my time was up! I clearly need more practice. I feel a bit tired now lol.
@delicatedreamer wrote:
Take a moment to turn off your screen and if you can your lights. Try to clear your mind of any thoughts by focusing on your breathing taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth for a couple of minutes. Report back to us, how do you feel?
It was nice to be able to sit and do nothing for a bit, but I found it very hard to switch my mind off! I launched into worrying abour work without even realising and only just managed to pull myself out of it about 30 seconds before my time was up! I clearly need more practice. I feel a bit tired now lol.
It's great that it prompted you to stop for a bit. I know what you mean about wandering thoughts though. It can be rather difficult to switch off altogether sometimes but I think even just a bit more relaxation can be good.
I should practice that more too.
Take a moment to turn off your screen and if you can your lights. Try to clear your mind of any thoughts by focusing on your breathing taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth for a couple of minutes. Report back to us, how do you feel?
To be honest, I said to myself "I shall do this" and then I completely forgot (or I was in fact to afraid to relax). It is common for me to avoid chilling out. I keep thinking I just gotta "GO GO GO"
@Doris I think that's one of the hardest things about relaxing, the first step! Maybe next tim eyou could close your eyes or soemthing instead of turning the light off (it can help to just do one part of the exercise the furst time!)
Took me a while to stop being annoyed at the ticking of my clock! I really feel as though my head is lighter and less muddled, also a bit more alive?
@ DD: That's a shame, it took me a bit of time as well.
If you want some alternative techniques to help you check out progressive relaxation. I've only recently heard of it myself but keen to try it!
@Doris: Looks like a lot of us have problems with just letting everything go, even for just a brief period of time!
@Doris: Could it help if you had something to prompt/motivate you such as Smiling Mind?
Haha looks like the questioner has become the questioned! I like it!
I think we can do so by understanding that the benefits of it far outweigh any disadvantage it may present as we are just taking a few minutes of our time and as a result really reenergising ourselves and coming out with a clearer perspective.
@Michine: It's like having a devil sitting on one shoulder and an angel on the other and they debate away next to my ears. I guess I need that angel to stick around more often because the devil is winning. Or, I could put the foot down and go "Hey Doris, let's chillax no?"
@Doris wrote:
@LUTW. I have an account in Smiling Mind. Been awhile since I did some mindfulness.
@michine: It's like having a devil sitting on one shoulder and an angel on the other and they debate away next to my ears. I guess I need that angel to stick around more often because the devil is winning. Or, I could put the foot down and go "Hey Doris, let's chillax no?"
Me too, actually. I should start doing it again.
@Doris: Your Q actually helps lead us onto the next question, in regards to what should we do if these techniques aren't working?
If you've tried to deal with stress on your own but it's still impacting your life a lot, where could you turn to next?
If you've tried to deal with stress on your own but it's still impacting your life a lot, where could you turn to next?
Chat to friends, talk to family or if you need more help lifeline, kids help line, headspace or a psychologist could be a good thing to try next.
KHL or another helpline (or online chat), your local headspace centre, a trusted family member or friend, your GP or another professional (such as a psychologist) or websites like RO to get more information.
@delicatedreamer wrote:
If you've tried to deal with stress on your own but it's still impacting your life a lot, where could you turn to next?
KHL or another helpline (or online chat), your local headspace centre, a trusted family member or friend, your GP or another professional (such as a psychologist) or websites like RO to get more information.
🙂 Forgot to mention GP and RO- glad you remembered!
Great discussion tonight everyone! 😄
We've got just one last question for you:
What will you take away from tonight? OR what is your number one tip for managing stress?
What will you take away from tonight? OR what is your number one tip for managing stress?
I'll take away that I need to learn to relax more and take the time to clear my head and focus on my breathing more often. Also to go back and try Smiling Mind again!
Meditate!
So little time, but it can really do wonders to your mental state!
Thanks for joining us guys and making it a lively discussion.
Enjoy the rest of your night 🙂
Without further ado, here is the summary:
In our daily lives so many things tend to stress us out. A few of the more common ones we discussed today were:
- Procrastination: wasting our time away rather than working towards our goals and ambitions
- School/ Uni: the constant influx of assessment after assessment
- Change
Although we may not always be aware even the little things can stress us out leaving us to feel strained and exhausted!
One of the major detriments of stress is the effect that it has on our mental state. Rather than boosting us, it tends to affect us in more negative ways causing us to feel apathetic, irritable, frustrated and emotional.
Another major downside is that it also affects our physical health. One particular effect is the way it can influence our appetites leading us to either over indulge or go hungry. Sleep is also commonly affected, although the results may vary, with some people feeling exhausted and as a result tending to sleep more while others may not be able to turn off their brains, being plagued by constant thoughts.
So how do we manage our stress?
Relax. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes we become so overwhelmed and enveloped in our own situations that we loose focus of our own needs. We can relax by so many different means: listening to music, going for a run, talking it out, the list goes on.
Another very useful technique is meditation. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, but involves the same process of letting go for a brief period of time our worries and thoughts.
If you are having trouble de-stressing there are aids such as smiling mind which can help you as well as our good old relaxation factsheets.
