Everybody is different. What is relaxing for one person, might cause stress for someone else. Look for a way to relaxe that works for you. You have no idea yet? That is OK, you will eventually, by trying different things! Get inspired by today’s article, where we tell you what we do to prevent and reduce stress.
Babette:
Sharing your worries, mindfulness and taking care of myself, for example by cooking, sleeping, gardening, sports, walking, having sex or going into the sun and nature. Both to reduce and to prevent stress. To prevent stress, I also prepare ‘To-Do’s lists’ to get a good overview and I make sure I have nice things to look forward to. I make sure there is a healthy balance between effort and relaxation.
Tim (Coach):
When I feel stressed, I make time for relaxation. Exercising, meeting friends, an evening on the couch. Everything to shut down the stressful thoughts!
Selin (Coach):
Listening and playing (piano) music helps me to calm down. Also talking about the stress with my parents and friends helps me, to share my ‘worries’ so that I know that I am not alone. And I like to see my friends and and do fun stuff, every cloud has a silver lining!
Sanne (Coach):
I make lists of things I have to do. This gives me a clear overview and satisfies me when I finish a task. When I sum everything up on paper, it is mostly not as bad as it seemed before. If I still feel stressed, I take a break and do something else. Another assignment, a drink, talk or walk or run for awhile.
Paul (Coach):
When I suffer from work-related stress, I like to do my work as good as possible, so I will get rid of the stress. To accomplish this I put on some music that energises me, I take something to drink and I make sure I stop working when I am starting to feel hungry.
Leonid (Web Developer):
When it comes to stress, I believe that it’s better to be prepared for it in advance than trying to cope with it right on the spot when it breaks out. After all, stress is nothing else but my reaction to things that happen to me, so being emotionally stable means being more stress-resistant.
I find creative activities such as making music and drawing to be very helpful. Each time I finish a drawing or a musical piece I feel like I achieved something. That feeling stays with me for a couple of days and it makes work-related problems feel less dreadful.
Another tool under my belt is physical activity. I discovered that an evening walk of 40-60 minutes makes me feel much more in control over my life the next day, and so there is less room left for the workplace stress to crawl into.
Alexander (Marketing):
Stress is mostly the result of a heavy workload. If I am starting to feel pressured, I like to take a step back. Literally, mostly. A little walk, a trip to the supermarket, an extra fitness training. That gives my mind some space, so I can sort things out again.
What also helps me is to shut the world out for awhile: put on my headphones and block a part off my day to finish some tasks. Eating something every three hours helps me to stabilize my energylevel and gives me a moment to relax.
Lisa (final editor):
When life gets too much, I plan a date with my friends to get some stuff off my chest. It feels as a relieve to share your worries. Next to that, I always try to focus on my mental well-being: not only when I experience stress. Sports, dancing, yoga, but also drawing and painting contribute to my resistance against stress. Me time is a must to recharge!
What do you do to relax?
