Quick Stress Busters: Activities to Calm Your Mind on Busy Days
Busy days are overwhelming, be they personal or professional. This feeling can start to convert into stress, leaving you devastated, thereby affecting your performance and efficiency. However, it is not a no-escape situation, and you can handle it with a few quick stress-bursting hacks.
The secret is hidden in your mind only. You just have to channel your senses in the right way to get rid of stressful situations in no time. Thus, you can get back to your moment and give your 100% to what really matters. Without stretching it too much, let’s discuss the activities that can kill your stress, especially on your busy days.
What is Stress? Defining The Term
When dealing with stress, we need to understand the term in the first place. Stress is how we respond or react in an undesirable or unfavourable situation. When we feel that the situation around us is not in our control or we cannot manage it, our body strives to adopt these changes and try to overcome an overwhelming situation. However, when things go out of hand, it becomes really difficult to cope with stress. When you feel pressured or overwhelmed for a long period of time, it is termed chronic stress and can have detrimental effects on your body and mental health.
Can Does it Look Like?
- Irritable
- Angry
- Overwhelmed
- Anxious
- Nervous
- Afraid
- Headaches
- Trouble sleeping
Possible Reasons Behind Stress
It is imperative to know what is giving rise to a problem in a quest to resolve it. Similarly, to effectively address and relieve stress, you need to know what’s causing it. Some of the common reasons that can evoke a stressful situation are:
- Lack of work satisfaction or a toxic workplace.
- Difficulty in managing your personal and professional life together.
- Too much workload or responsibilities.
- Failing to achieve your targets can lead to guilt and depression.
- Setting unreal expectations and failing to meet them.
- Harassment or bullying at the workplace.
- After facing an embarrassing situation, you can’t shift your thoughts.
- Coping with the loss of a loved one.
- Regular arguments with your spouse.
- Financial distress affects your personal life.
Effective Ways Of Stress Management
Now that we have seen some common reasons behind stress, let’s advance to find some effective ways to deal with them. It is possible that you can have your own unique reasons; however, there are some effective ways that help in almost every situation.
1: Muscle Stretching & Relaxation
Check if your muscles are sore or tense. Thereafter, you need to stretch different muscle groups, such as legs, back, stomach, etc. Once done, relax and perform this process to stretch your whole body. This exercise is proven to alleviate the signs of stress and offers many other health benefits.
2: Take Deep Breath
Taking deep breaths lets you control your mind and body and enables you to deal with a stressful situation efficiently. Besides, it also facilitates the psychological system in the body and thus reduces blood pressure and heart rate. You have to breathe into your belly or diaphragm to relieve your stress.
3: Step Out
Stepping out is another quick and effective way to reduce stress. Embracing your natural environment shifts your focus from the stress. If you are stressed about something, just step out and take a walk in a natural environment and avoid being in a confined space. At your workplace, too, take small breaks, step out, and look as far as you can. Allowing yourself “Me Time” is also an instant escape from stress.
4: Make A Priority List
Sometimes, unfinished tasks get piled up and cause you stress. In such a situation, creating a To-do list can be very helpful. Writing them down is a better way to eliminate the vagueness and helps you set them in your priority order. At least it is a good way to start when so much is on your plate.
5: Perform Meditation
Meditation is one of the most effective ways to calm your senses and attain mental peace and balance. Once relaxed, you will find yourself in a better position to deal with your stress issues. Situations are not always favourable; however, maintaining inner peace through Meditation can help you conquer your mental stress.
6: Listen Your Favourite Music
Music is a powerful weapon to kill your stress. It can revive you mentally and emotionally and give you the strength to fight. Listening to fast or upbeat music fills your heart with joy and hope. Slow music, on the other hand, relaxes your muscles and calms your mind. Having your favourite song list handy can be helpful in a stressful situation.
7: Seek Professional Counselling
Sometimes, the extent of the stress is more than what you think. People often don’t realize that they are living in stress, and it becomes an integral part of their lives. However, reaching out to a professional counsellor lets you determine the signs and symptoms of stress you have been experiencing for a long time. Reflect Within offers counselling and therapy for stress to manage it efficiently and improve your overall mental health.
Ms. Prachi Tripathi(M.A. P.G. DIP, UK) CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST & PSYCHOTHERAPIST (FOUNDER)
SWAPNIL BHOPI 
Ms. Kasturi Roy
Ms. Nidhi Karia
Ms. Neha Bhansali
Dr. Avinash De Souza