3 healthy coping mechanisms for managing stress

Stress is a part of everyone’s life. Whether it’s a big assignment coming up, watching a loved one battle sickness or wondering how the bills will be paid. It almost seems like there’s no escape. About one third of the US population lives with extreme stress and the number continues to rise. Unfortunately, stress is unavoidable. It can present itself in different ways and have a negative effect on one’s health, relationships and ability to function, among other things. But how we cope with stress makes all the difference.

When experiencing immense amounts of stress from various aspects of my life recently, I wasn’t able to function productively and my body nearly shut down. After realizing the damage done, and with the support of loved ones, I took action for the sake of my health and wellbeing by implementing healthy coping mechanisms into my life. A few months later, I noticed a big change in different aspects of my life - physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is when I understood that stress would remain, but how I chose to cope with it would be the deciding factor of my quality of life.

We have the power to reduce and cope with our stress. Here are some of the healthy coping mechanisms I implemented.

Scheduling Breaks

Busy schedules are inevitable, everyone is occupied with something at any given time of the day. While keeping yourself busy is great, it is critical to schedule mandatory breaks for yourself. Treating them as mandatory tasks, instead of privileges you will receive once everything is completed, will avoid stress buildup and allow mental resets. These breaks can range 10 minutes every hour to an hour long every couple of hours, depending on a person’s working style.

Finding things you love doing to incorporate within these breaks allows you to look forward to something, mimicking a reward system. In shorter breaks, I enjoy doing mindful breathing exercises and in longer breaks I would workout to release sweat. I immediately feel refreshed after stepping away and taking the time I need which overall improves my productivity and quality of work alongside my mental and physical wellbeing.

The most difficult aspect of taking a break is recognizing when you need one and understanding this is not a waste of time. It’s actually a time saver long term. Recognizing your stress signals and when you need a break can take a while but according to those signals, you are able to efficiently schedule in your breaks. These signs can include difficulty concentrating, lack of motivation, decreased energy levels, and more. Whenever I felt frustrated I knew it was time to step away because I would continue to waste time if I endlessly stared at what needed to be done.

It is hard to pry away from the responsibilities in the moment, but it is a form of preventative care that is worth it when looking back.

Connecting with Loved Ones

Maintaining relationships with those you love, whether these individuals are your family or friends, is important when dealing with stress. Having a sense of community provides emotional support and motivation in daily life. Building these connections can be helpful in stressful times because these relationships are typically the first ones present for you when you need them and truly empathize with your situation.

Loved ones can also be a place to vent and release everything on your mind. They might also provide a helpful perspective on how to deal with the things that are stressful to you. Having people you are comfortable with that you can share your problem with reduces stress levels overall because you are not wrestling through them alone within yourself. From a scientific perspective, having social support is associated with increased levels of the hormone oxytocin which induces anti-stress-like effects and stimulates a calming response.

Whenever I feel excessively stressed, I share my problems and difficulties with my mother or sister because they give me great advice and are people whom I trust the most. Instantly afterwards, I feel this burden lifting off my shoulders and a relieving feeling rushing through my body simply because I released the stress buildup within myself. It is all about finding the right community, group, or individual you trust and maintain a relationship with them - which is easier in modern times given the reach of advanced technology.

Feeling Your Feelings

As crucial as it is to discover ways to reduce stress levels, it is equally important to take time and sort your stress by going through your feelings by yourself. This concept seems quite confusing at first and counterintuitive when discussing stress reduction but it does the exact opposite. Mustering the courage to face adversity directly and face your feelings one by one is powerful and results in reduced stress levels.

This requires digging deep within yourself to understand what exactly it is you are feeling. Stress is oftentimes a combination of multiple feelings at once which can be overwhelming to approach. But by identifying and approaching each emotion individually helps organize your thoughts and figure out exactly what’s stressing you out.. Each emotion is dealt with in a different way, which is why sorting through them is important in improving your overall well being.

This can be done in multiple ways, I personally like to write out my feelings in a journal I keep. I brain dump everything I feel at that moment and make separate lists/mind maps which address each feeling so I know how to move forward. I am a creative person and utilizing my creativity through colors and journaling is my form of therapeutic activity. Finding what works best for you when sorting through your own chaotic mind can assist with coping with stress in a healthy manner.

Esha Ahmed

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