7 Simple Ways to Manage Stress and Restore Your Inner Balance

Blog

May 19

Recently, I have found myself on the verge of burnout. Balancing work and personal responsibilities has felt overwhelming at times, as though I am neglecting myself in order to keep up with everyday tasks. Sometimes it feels like life has become less about living and more about keeping up with the piling responsibilities.

Stress is something we all deal with - it’s inevitable. But the way we choose to manage it shapes who we are and how we handle those stressful situations. Over the years, I’ve tried many different techniques to help myself feel at peace during times of stress. I’ve tried controlling every single aspect of my life, which inevitably made me feel even more stressed and burnt out. On the other end, I’ve done nothing for days. Bed rotting definitely did not help; it just resulted in things piling up.

What I now realize about dealing with stress is that it’s not about taking the extreme approach to things, nor is it creating the perfect schedule, but it’s about tuning in and finding small, supportive self-care practices that actually work for your life - right here, right now. The fun part is that it can vary from day to day, depending on what fits your needs and schedule.

Below are some of the ways that have helped me manage stress. All of these can be incorporated into a 15-minute break throughout your workday.

7 Simple Ways to Manage Stress

1. 🍄 Connect & Ground Yourself:

Take a break for a couple of minutes to find your breath and connect to your body.
You can begin to ground into the present moment with the box breathing technique. Take a deep breath in for four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for four counts, hold for four counts, and repeat until you feel your nervous system calm down. This technique helps quiet your fight-or-flight response and bring you back to your body. (Check out 09: Anxiety Relief: Healing Anxious Thoughts, Social Anxiety, and the Fear of the Future)

2. 📝 Let Your Feelings Flow:

When you start feeling overwhelmed, take a minute to write down your thoughts and feelings. Don’t judge what comes up, just let it flow and give those emotions space to exist on the paper. Let your thoughts land on the page without overthinking; sometimes, clarity comes simply from releasing the clutter in our minds.

3. 🌱 Go for a Quick Walk:

Take 10-15 minutes to get out of your routine space and move around. Especially if you work an office job, it is helpful to get up and move around to clear your head. Even better if you can go outside and get some sunshine! ☀️

4. ☕️ Herbal Teas:

Sometimes a relaxing tea such as chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm can help our bodies relax. Some of my favorites are lavender, mint, and chamomile!

5. 🎧 Music:

Listening to music can help reset our nervous system. Listen to your favorite playlist or calming/instrumental music. It can help shift that tense stressful energy.

6. 🫶 Spontaneous Gratitude List

Sometimes in the midst of everyday chaos we forget about the small things around us. This is one of my favorite pick-me-ups when I feel unmotivated and lost.

Create a gratitude list of about 10-15 things you are grateful for. Take a minute to think about the small things and people in your life. This helps you recenter your motivation.

7. 📚 Reading Break

I truly believe a reading break is a must! I usually try to take a 15-minute reading break throughout my work day. It gives me that small break to think and focus on something besides work.

Pick out your favorite book or a book you have been wanting to read and set out 5 - 15 minutes to just read. Take in the storyline and set the worries aside for that time.