Life is stressful for everyone, but when your mental health suffers, it feels like life is harder for you than for others. There are days where even getting out of bed is difficult, and when handling daily stressors feels impossible. Below are some suggestions to help you feel less stressed.
- Schedule each day. It’s easy for anyone to get overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done in a day. And if you suffer from anxiety or depression, it can feel impossible. It helps to prioritize time. Every morning, or sometimes the day before, plan your day by writing down what you need to do and when you’ll do it. Plan when you work, eat, take breaks, workout, etc. to ensure everything gets done.
- Set alarms or timers. Part of our anxiety always stems from what’s next or if you’ll have time to do everything that needs to get done. Forcing you into the future and out of the present. Simple ways to remedy this is to set an alarm or a timer. That way, you can put time out of my mind until it goes off. Only then look at the next thing on your schedule.
- Only check email at certain times of the day. Checking emails regularly may create a constant state of anxiety. Maybe consider checking emails midday and at the end of the day. That way, you can address issues as needed without letting it take over your thoughts. Try not to check emails after your workday is over or on the weekends.
- Set boundaries. Trying to meet the needs of others while working can be difficult. It’s easy to let the needs of others overwhelm you, place demands on you and slow you down. Try to be mindful of what is expected of you, and part of that is not letting others pressure you into making a decision. Even if it’s about something simple. As soon as you start to get overwhelmed, confused, dizzy by their requests, you know it’s time to stop engaging and to kindly let them know you will get back with them later that day, or even the next.
- Finish one task before beginning another. This sounds easy, but it’s not, particularly if you have anxiety. Part of having anxiety is fighting the urge to future-think: letting your mind run into all the things you’ll have to do and, again, taking you out of the present. If you find yourself thinking of what’s next, bring yourself back to the task at hand, reminding yourself that everything that needs to get done will.
- Make lists. Anxiety can be a good thing when it’s reminding you of things that need to be done in the future, but when you’re busy during the workday, it can feel overwhelming. Keeping lists is one way to quell this.
- Take breaks. Sometimes we tend to go on autopilot when working, thinking that if you just push myself to get everything done, then it’ll be done. But then you are left to deal with yourself after, the person who exists behind the work machine. So take breaks by scheduling them and don’t lose yourself throughout the day.
- Move. Movement is important, without it, you will become overwhelmed very quickly. Practice yoga before even beginning your workday, walk, stretch, or jump on my mini trampoline throughout the day, and I run or walk at night.
- Hydrate. Especially when you are busy working, it can be easy to forget to drink enough water, but forgetting makes everything worse.
- Eat. It’s also easy to forget to eat when working. If you have good fuel you don’t function.
- Put your mental, physical and emotional health first. Everyone says not to come into work when you’re sick, but we’re all guilty of it. And you might feel sick just from being mentally or emotionally drained. But when you aren’t well and you push yourself, nothing good comes out of it. So take mental health breaks. Be mindful of what your body is telling you.