11 Strategies to Manage Stress

One of the most common struggles in the modern world is stress. The world moves faster than it used to. Several hundred years ago, we had fewer options. You would be born into a town, only know the people in your village, take up your family profession, and marry someone who lived nearby.

While that sort of life may sound boring, it was simpler. There were fewer choices, and with fewer choices, comes less stress. In the world today you have limitless choices of where to live, where to eat, where to go to school, where to work, and whom to date. You can jump on a plane and be on the other side of the world. You can log onto an app and meet limitless people to date. You can go online and order anything you want.

All of these choices can make your life busy. You have responsibilities at work, at home, and with friends. If you add in hobbies, vacations, and the seasonal holidays, you can easily begin to feel overwhelmed. Tack on church and volunteering to the mix, and it’s easy for the stress of your life to swallow you whole. That’s why we need strategies to manage stress.

11 Strategies to Manage Stress

1. Make a Daily and Weekly Routine

This is the first strategy because it will shape all of your other strategies. Building structure into your days and weeks is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to deal with stress. You can tailor it personally to yourself. Maybe you’re an early bird and like to sit down to journal and write out your to-do list for the day. Or maybe you’re a night owl and like to reflect on your day in the evening while laying out your plan for tomorrow. Either way, you will seriously benefit from setting up a routine for your day.

2. Rely on God

In the routine, you will want to create space to connect with God. This will look different for different people. Some will connect with Him through reading scripture. Others will find him through prayer and quiet. While others will connect more deeply through worship. Each of these practices is a way to connect with God and is beneficial. Acknowledging your need for God’s help is the first step toward releasing and managing your stress.

3. Clear Your Head

Part of this routine needs to be clearing your head. Whether it is journaling, listening to music, or taking a walk, find something that helps you clear your head so you can think clearly. Creating some uncluttered headspace will give you time to think about what you need to do for the day and what is most important. If you never create time to clear your head, it’s easy to live from a place of reaction, rather than proactively planning what you want to do.

4. Create a Plan

Another piece of your routine needs to be creating a plan. Don’t just try to work harder. Instead, to help deal with stress, isolate what’s causing it. Is it a big project at work? Or that hard conversation you know you need to have with your brother?

Once you clear your head, plan to tackle the thing that’s really bothering you. If you can’t take care of it immediately, then plan to take care of something else for the day. Accomplishing a goal will help you resolve some tension.

5. Prepare for a Crisis

Some days are harder than others. So sometimes you may need more than your routine. You need to be prepared with a plan for the days your boss assigns you a last-minute project or a loved one gets a bad diagnosis. Without a plan, you can only react and hope for the best, but with a specific crisis plan, you can face even the worst stress storm.

Some things you will want to include in this plan are simple breathing exercises. These are a way to quickly manage your stress anywhere and anytime. Even stepping back and taking three deep breaths is a powerful way to take control of your feelings. Your crisis plan might also include a song you listen to, breaking away to take a quick walk, or even meditating.

6. Figure Out What Works for You

There are limitless articles, self-help books, and coaches who want to tell you how to manage your stress. Many of these can be tremendously helpful but remember that this is about you. If one strategy isn’t working, then try another. If one piece of advice is getting in your way, ignore it. This isn’t about trying to fit into the box of someone else’s success, it’s about finding what works for you. So, don’t be afraid to try different ideas, even if they sound foreign to you.

7. Get Moving

Build exercise into your routine. This may sound cliché, but it works. Exercise helps you to physically resolve some of your stress, keeps you healthy, and can improve your mood.

This doesn’t mean you need to run a marathon. Even 30 minutes a day of walking can help affect your mood and health. Also, if you live disciplined in one area of your life, it is easier to be disciplined in other areas.

8. Avoid scrolling

Social media is a great invention, but it can have some rough side effects. First, the light from the screen is hard on your eyes which can lead to headaches and affect your sleep. Second, social media can harm your mental state. It is the breeding ground for comparison which often leads to depression and anxiety. Instead of aimlessly scrolling, set times to check your social media and respond to friends and family, then stay away from the screen.

9. Open Up

Stress is exceptionally hard to manage on your own. And when you feel overwhelmed by stress, it can feel hard to articulate what is causing it. Once you take time in your routine and can identify the source of your stress, reach out to a friend or family member. Sometimes just talking to another person can help alleviate the stress. Make sure this is someone you can trust and who won’t add to your stress. Having someone to talk to will remind you that you aren’t alone.

10. Find Something You Love

One of the best ways to resolve stress is to replace it with something you love. If you are feeling the weight of an upcoming family gathering or discussion with your boss, sometimes it best to do something to get your mind off it. Maybe for you hiking in the woods relaxes you or maybe it’s getting coffee with a friend. Find something you enjoy to help combat the stress.

11. Eat Better

What we eat might not seem connected to stress, but it is. If you eat poorly, it can make you feel worse and contribute to your feelings of stress. Eating can also be a method to try to resolve your stress. You may be tempted to overeat in the face of stress. Or maybe you will lose your appetite completely. However you respond, having a healthy diet will help you feel good and keep you away from stress eating

Conclusion

Stress doesn’t need to control your life, but it easily can if you don’t have a plan. The choices and responsibilities can easily begin to feel like too much. However, if you create healthy routines and strategies to manage stress that clear your head, keep you focused, and keep you in shape, then you can easily overcome the stress in your life. Like anything good in life, it will require hard work and perseverance, but it is possible.

If you need help implementing strategies to manage stress, feel free to schedule an appointment with one of the counselors at Westlake Christian Counseling. We would be happy to help!