Your Everyday Guide To Surviving Stress

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ys I felt lazy, I went for a 30-minutes walk. I didn’t overthink or made it unnecessarily complicated (who needs additional complications when they’re already stressed?). There were no external pressures to lose weight or gain muscle or look a certain way. Simple and consistent movement was my daily target.3. I prayed/meditated — It may not be for everyone, but I am naturally drawn to connecting with my spirituality. Both in good times and bad. My faith in God helped me feel hopeful. It healed me. It gave me comfort and courage at the same time. I was able to find strength in being vulnerable. Praying made me feel truly wholesome.4. I minimized my social media use — Surprisingly, this one was not too hard for me. I quickly realized that the mindless scrolling and an overload of useless information were serving no purpose inside my already exhausted mind. I did not want to crowd my thoughts. I did not want to see what others were saying and doing and posting. Not after a joyous breakfast, a magical workout, and a wholesome prayer. I put my phone away and it allowed beautiful ideas and thoughts to grow (this article being one of them).5. I talked to my loved ones — I chose to make time and effort connecting with my family and friends. It did not have to be long conversations each time. But it had to be consistent. I made sure I was there for them and they were there for me, in whatever strange ways possible. Sharing our sorrows and joys. It was reassuring. It felt like I was not alone in this. It felt like I was cared for and had others to care about. And although there were times, I felt extremely frustrated I could not meet them, staying in touch was always like a warm hug I needed to feel better.6. I slept for a minimum of 7 hours — Seriously. Try sleeping 7–8 hours every night with no distractions close to bedtime. An unfragmented, deep sleep can do wonders to your brain and body. It took me 30 years to realize that. Minimizing my overall social media use helped me with this one because without the usual visit to Instagram/Facebook in bed, I either read something informational, wrote something personal or listened to something helpful.7. I wrote — Call it journalling, keepi

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ng a diary or just random scribbling, but I made a conscious effort of writing everyday. At first it felt a little chore-like, but after a week of it, I would wait for the moment I could sit down with my notepad and a cup of tea. To make sure I was doing this for my own pleasure (and not as a forceful habit), I kept everything about it flexible. Some times I woke up and wrote for 20 minutes about what I wanted to accomplish that day, some times I just penned down my raw feelings in under 5 minutes right before sleeping. It made me connect with myself in a completely new way.8. I practiced mindfulness— This has been one of my most prized newly developed habit. Developing a connection with my inner self (my real thoughts and emotions) was revolutionary for me. I began by simply shutting out all the noise outside, being alone with myself and reflecting. I reflected on on who I truly am (my characteristics, my strengths and my weaknesses), what I truly want (my career aspirations and my life goals) and how I want to navigate myself through this world. Looking at yourself with such a clear lens gives you mind-blowing insights. It helped me accept changes, it helped me be less anxious around these changes and it helped me be content even when I couldn’t control or stop these changes.None of these are out of this world, never-before-heard-of things. None of the above made my struggles disappear. They didn’t magically solve my problems. They didn’t completely eliminate all stresses from my life. But it was never my intention for them to do any of that.These habits were created to add positive values and gratitude to my life. They allowed me to develop true love for myself and for my current state of life (as opposed to constantly running after a desired future self and prospective life). Through these habits, I was able to accept, process and move on with bad moments and truly appreciate the good ones with all my heart. From simply feeling emotions and instantly reacting to them, I started acknowledging emotions and identifying their sources. Doing this fulfilled me so completely, I was finally able to think beyond myself and pour goodness to others. And that my friends, is my ideal way of surviving through stressful times.</article></body>

Your Everyday Guide To Surviving Stress

Basic habits for complicated times.

2020 was a tough year. For me. For you. For millions of others who got sick, who lost jobs and businesses, who saw their loved ones dying, who stayed locked up inside their homes for months on end, and who could barely keep it together.

I felt like I could barely keep it together.

So, it became only necessary that I do somethings that could help me feel more at peace with myself and my environment. The more things spiraled down in the outside world, the more I focused inside myself to find anchors. Anchors for my emotional, physical and mental health. I did these things and continue to do them through the second (and the third) wave, the millionth lockdown, and the never-ending challenges life throws.

1. I had breakfast — Yep. Simple but so impactful. I ate a big, hearty breakfast. Every single day. Mashed avocado on toast with scrambled eggs, a hot bowl of oats topped with almonds and a drizzle of honey, yogurt mixed with granola and fruits — I started my mornings with nutritious food that filled me up and brought me joy. I enjoyed planning it, relished preparing it and LOVED devouring every bite of it. Of course, a hot cup of tea always accompanied. It was amazing how just a healthy meal inside my body early in the morning changed my perspective on things I encountered throughout the day, both good and bad.

2. I excercised — This one kind of makes logical sense. We all know about the happy hormones physical activity releases. I witnessed them first-hand. With thousands of at-home workout videos available online, I picked 30-minutes ones and followed along every other day. Regularly. I often found myself smiling through the sweat. It was like magic. On the days I felt lazy, I went for a 30-minutes walk. I didn’t overthink or made it unnecessarily complicated (who needs additional complications when they’re already stressed?). There were no external pressures to lose weight or gain muscle or look a certain way. Simple and consistent movement was my daily target.

3. I prayed/meditated — It may not be for everyone, but I am naturally drawn to connecting with my spirituality. Both in good times and bad. My faith in God helped me feel hopeful. It healed me. It gave me comfort and courage at the same time. I was able to find strength in being vulnerable. Praying made me feel truly wholesome.

4. I minimized my social media use — Surprisingly, this one was not too hard for me. I quickly realized that the mindless scrolling and an overload of useless information were serving no purpose inside my already exhausted mind. I did not want to crowd my thoughts. I did not want to see what others were saying and doing and posting. Not after a joyous breakfast, a magical workout, and a wholesome prayer. I put my phone away and it allowed beautiful ideas and thoughts to grow (this article being one of them).

5. I talked to my loved ones — I chose to make time and effort connecting with my family and friends. It did not have to be long conversations each time. But it had to be consistent. I made sure I was there for them and they were there for me, in whatever strange ways possible. Sharing our sorrows and joys. It was reassuring. It felt like I was not alone in this. It felt like I was cared for and had others to care about. And although there were times, I felt extremely frustrated I could not meet them, staying in touch was always like a warm hug I needed to feel better.

6. I slept for a minimum of 7 hours — Seriously. Try sleeping 7–8 hours every night with no distractions close to bedtime. An unfragmented, deep sleep can do wonders to your brain and body. It took me 30 years to realize that. Minimizing my overall social media use helped me with this one because without the usual visit to Instagram/Facebook in bed, I either read something informational, wrote something personal or listened to something helpful.

7. I wrote — Call it journalling, keeping a diary or just random scribbling, but I made a conscious effort of writing everyday. At first it felt a little chore-like, but after a week of it, I would wait for the moment I could sit down with my notepad and a cup of tea. To make sure I was doing this for my own pleasure (and not as a forceful habit), I kept everything about it flexible. Some times I woke up and wrote for 20 minutes about what I wanted to accomplish that day, some times I just penned down my raw feelings in under 5 minutes right before sleeping. It made me connect with myself in a completely new way.

8. I practiced mindfulness— This has been one of my most prized newly developed habit. Developing a connection with my inner self (my real thoughts and emotions) was revolutionary for me. I began by simply shutting out all the noise outside, being alone with myself and reflecting. I reflected on on who I truly am (my characteristics, my strengths and my weaknesses), what I truly want (my career aspirations and my life goals) and how I want to navigate myself through this world. Looking at yourself with such a clear lens gives you mind-blowing insights. It helped me accept changes, it helped me be less anxious around these changes and it helped me be content even when I couldn’t control or stop these changes.

None of these are out of this world, never-before-heard-of things. None of the above made my struggles disappear. They didn’t magically solve my problems. They didn’t completely eliminate all stresses from my life. But it was never my intention for them to do any of that.

These habits were created to add positive values and gratitude to my life. They allowed me to develop true love for myself and for my current state of life (as opposed to constantly running after a desired future self and prospective life). Through these habits, I was able to accept, process and move on with bad moments and truly appreciate the good ones with all my heart. From simply feeling emotions and instantly reacting to them, I started acknowledging emotions and identifying their sources. Doing this fulfilled me so completely, I was finally able to think beyond myself and pour goodness to others. And that my friends, is my ideal way of surviving through stressful times.