Christmas is just around the corner, and sometimes it seems like people fall into two groups at this time of year. While the first group has had all their gifts taken care of since October, the second is gripped by panic and dread at the thought of last-minute gift shopping. Although Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace and tranquility, it seems we still can’t truly take that to heart and repeatedly let ourselves get swept up in the December rush.
But it’s not just about Christmas. We routinely let stress get to us at work or at home as well. Newspaper articles or debates with friends make us anxious. Can we even imagine life without stress?
Stress Then and Now
What one person finds stressful may not evoke such strong negative feelings in another. What we consider stressful is entirely individual and depends on our personal resilience, past experiences, and interpretation of a given situation.
In the context of a stressful situation, we speak of the “fight or flight” response (English fight or flight). The physical sensations we experience during heightened stress (rapid breathing, increased body temperature, narrowed perception) therefore have evolutionary significance. Our body is thus preparing for a demanding action—either to attack or to flee. This mechanism has protected us for millennia, but we are unable to make full use of it in the everyday problems of today. Examples include workplace stress or a poor financial situation. A fight-or-flight response isn’t impossible in these situations, but it inevitably leads to further stressful situations (job loss, homelessness, legal action for bodily harm, etc.).
However, there are ways to effectively reduce our stress and discomfort. In this article, we’ll offer you five strategies. For some, you’ll need a pen and paper; others will require immediate action; and still others will be a long-term process. It’s not necessary to follow all five principles, and the order in which you apply them is also up to you.
1. Take Control of Your Thoughts
The very way we think about the events of our daily lives can have a negative impact on our mental well-being. Some thoughts can take on a life of their own, and not only do they clutter our minds with their pointlessness, but they can even cause us great harm. It is therefore helpful to realize that these are often just thoughts, impressions, and assumptions—not undeniable facts.
So, examine your thoughts using the following questions:
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Is there any evidence that contradicts the unshakable certainty of this thought?
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What would I say to a friend who had the same thought in a similar situation?
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What do I gain and what do I lose by thinking this way?
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How will I feel about this situation in six months?
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Is there another way to look at this situation?
Try applying these questions to your thoughts, and you’ll likely be surprised at how few of them hold up. By labeling a thought as unnecessary, it will lose its hold on you, and your anxiety levels will begin to drop.
2. Look for a solution
It’s hard to try to solve a problem when you’re in over your head. One way to relieve stress during difficult times is to practice these three steps:
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Acknowledge the problem and write it down on paper.
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Make a list of possible solutions to this problem.
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Choose the solution that seems best to you at that moment and put it into action.
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If the result isn’t satisfactory, choose another solution from the list.
3. Limit the time you spend worrying
Stress is closely linked to feelings of unease, worry, and anxiety. Often, the mind is unable to switch off and calm down. Dwelling on distress can become a daily part of how you perceive the reality around you. Therefore, another way to reduce the intensity of anxiety is to cut back on the time you devote to intrusive thoughts.
How can you do this? Set aside a short period of time to focus on your worries. This could be, for example, 10 minutes a day sometime in the afternoon. If a worry comes to mind at any other time during the day, write it down and address it only during the 10 minutes set aside for worries. Thanks to this habit, you’ll not only lower your stress levels throughout the day, but you’ll also prove to yourself that you can now keep those once-intrusive thoughts under control.
4. Rest and Breathe
Finding time to rest is very important. You can, for example, pursue your hobbies, read a book, or take a solo walk in the woods. It’s simply any activity that brings you joy. Without taking the occasional break to unwind, even everyday events can easily wear us out, and many things can cause us anxiety.
A good way to calm your body and reduce anxiety is to control your breathing—its rhythm and intensity. One of the typical symptoms of anxiety is a change in breathing, which becomes rapid and shallow. If you notice this change in a stressful situation, focus on slowing down and deepening your breath. You’ll feel the results almost immediately. The advantage of this technique is that you can practice it almost anytime and anywhere, and you don’t need any tools to do so. Often, those around you won’t even notice that you’re working on your breathing. There are a wide variety of breathing techniques; we wrote about one of them here.
5. Get to Know Yourself and Share
To manage anxiety, it’s extremely important to understand yourself. Where you’re headed in life, what you want to achieve, and what makes you happy. It’s important—and often overlooked—to accept yourself just as you are. Don’t stress about what you could have achieved or who you could have become.
It’s helpful to share your inner thoughts with someone close to you whom you trust. Feeling isolated is definitely not the right mindset for mental well-being. So try opening up. You may feel shy at first, but you’ll likely soon discover that the people around you are also going through difficult times. And sharing your feelings can significantly ease your anxiety.
In Conclusion
The five strategies mentioned above will help you better manage your anxiety. However, don’t forget that change doesn’t happen overnight. There may even be some difficult moments along the way. It’s a long-term process that requires a lot of energy. But as they say—the most important thing is the first step. And don’t give up.
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