What are the most effective self-care techniques for reducing stress?

Easier said than done, but this is the formula I find most effective when possible: 1. Quality sleep 2. Healthy diet 3. Work life, personal life balance 4. Exercise - strength and cardio 5. Brain chemical and hormone balance (affected by all of the above) Can be stabilized with medication if necessary. 6. When overwhelmed by stress or anxiety, BREATH! There are lots of books on "breath work." If you can control your breathing, you can control your body. 7. NATURE! Getting "grounded" in nature resets, replenishes, revitalizes and reenergizes. Spend some time outside, in nature, breathing, thinking, and being grateful. 8. Don't try to control it if it is outside your control. It will work itself out. Be well! :-) Michael Julian

Evaluate the environment, activity & people around you. Take notice of how your body responds, mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally.

Self Care - Remember, if your stress from work bleeds into your home life, your stress from your home life will bleed into your work. Separate the two, turn the phone off, take time for your family. It allows you to come at your work with a renewed sense of energy instead of continuously carrying stress back and forth.

I know it sounds like the go to catch phrase, but exercise is key to reducing my stress levels. When you're not getting anywhere with a project or deal, being able to see progression with your health and fitness gives the motivation and energy to see it through.

Surround yourself with trustworthy mates, ensure your mags are near full load minus one (so it doesn’t jam). Keep silent until you don’t have to. Learn and know the environment. Make thorough plans and ensure all agree and take part in developing said plans. Stay the plan but have exit options and “what if” side plans. Pick your targets and practice trigger discipline, don’t waste rounds. Accomplish the objective, go over what went right/wrong. Celebrate and reward your people.

Managing my time effectively has been a game-changer for me, especially since I discovered the Pomodoro Technique. I used to feel overwhelmed by lengthy tasks and lofty goals, but breaking my work into focused, short bursts has allowed me to tackle tasks with renewed vigor and less fatigue.

Time management is a crucial ability for improving your work results. Time management is also beneficial in achieving a better work-life balance.

While setting up your work schedule, set time aside for yourself. Take a few 5-10 sessions to just sit, breathe, meditate, whatever. For decades people had “smoke breaks”, take a fresh air break.

Time, like money, is something we do not have an endless supply of and needs to be managed very carefully. There are daily implied and expressed tasks we must complete and account for in our schedule. Depending on your task saturation, establishing a backwards plan prior to the next day can ease any burden but be sure to always include periods of rest (breaks) in order to regain focus and divert your attention briefly so as to not burn yourself out. Establishing daily goals too helps with time management as we are fairly good at completion estimation in our chosen fields of work. Tackle each goal one at a time, complete and then move onto the next one.

It never ceases to amaze me how easily I forget the immense power of connecting to the breath. Even a quick few slow, deep breaths immediately releases some tension. ?????? Whether you use squared breathing, or any other inhalation: exhalation ratio, learning to regularly use breathing techniques is a fantastic self-care tool that can be practiced ANYWHERE!! You can also immediately feel the physical “letting go,” which helps in refocusing afterward. There are many tools that can be used to assist in breathing (and any number of relaxation techniques: guided meditation, etc), but my all time favorite is the Calm app! ????♀??? Happy Breathing!! ????

Take casual walks to move, circulate blood and take a mental break. Gentle stretches, self massage and engaging in causal short light hearted conversations are also options.

I find this important for myself. I need to move my mindset from work to home. And stop myself from working. On top of that I also need to do home admin/responsibilities and after that version of home based work has ended I need to find time for myself to relax. We all do!! Do you??

Breathing techniques work for me... In through the nose and out through the mouth.... Counting ten in and ten out... The martial arts techniques of mouth breathing does not work for me...

While I am a OSWF (Original Star Wars Fan), I will channel Mr. Spock here. I had no reason to stress over a recent situation. I had all the bases covered to respond and none of my basic needs would be affected by an adverse outcome. Logically speaking, there was no need to get emotional. But emotional I became, knocking me out of the game for almost half a day. The next day as I regrouped, I felt disappointed that I allowed myself to waste time and energy on the issue. It was not logical to choose to spin on this issue. No matter what I tried-a bath, a walk, nothing worked to bring me back. But if I would have spent more time with my brain, engaging in some useful mantra's, journaling, I could have saved myself some gray hairs and neurons.

This is another example of things we should be teaching our youth, stress mitigation along with the expect management and effective communication. All can be clearer as reduced adrenaline and cortisol can keep you from making or saying things simply due to being amped up.

Engage in physical activity for sure! Going for a walk, can help reduce stress levels. Exercise releases endorphins, which are known to boost mood and reduce anxiety.

Establishing and sticking with a physical routine forces you to shift focus so you don’t get tunnel vision. Mentally that shift in focus allows time to take another perspective at problems. Weight lifting forces a focus on muscle control while gaining all the physiological benefits.

Physical activity is important to our mental health. Finding the time can sometimes be complicated but necessary. It can vary from a walk, run, or job to playing outside with your kids, hiking a trail, or taking an exercise class. Whichever you choose, when done consistently, can help give you energy, improve your mood, and relieve stress.

Incorporer l'entra?nement physique à une routine quotidienne aide assurément à réduire le stress et à dépenser sainement de l'énergie. Le sport aide à focaliser sur les différents aspects plus stressants qui ponctuent une journée, permettant souvent de dégager des solutions. La dépense d'énergie en crée d'autre !

Those around us know when we’re struggling whether we tell them or not. Open up to people you trust, and let them know you’re okay. If you’re not okay, let them know that too. Trauma is personal, but that doesn’t mean you have to face it alone.

Effective techniques for reducing stress include practicing mindfulness through activities like meditation or deep breathing, engaging in regular physical exercise, maintaining a balanced diet, setting realistic goals, prioritizing tasks, and ensuring sufficient sleep. Additionally, taking breaks, seeking social support, and learning to say no when necessary can contribute to stress reduction.

Too many people are still stuck in the mindset that I have to be tough and carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. If I have learned anything from working through my PTSD, it's I need a friend or friends and councillors to walk with me through my journey of recognition and acceptance of the events which have shaped my life as well understand that I had little to no control over them. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well it takes a Medical team and alot of support to handle stress and anxiety.

Physical activity especially can help in terms of physical health and mental health as one has the opportunity to regain energy and refresh mentally as one walks

One thing I find it helpful is the saying, A problem shared is half solved. Morover after sharing it means we are more capable of finding help or be understood for the reason of our behavioral change or motivated rather to cope up

Journaling and recorded notes are also ways to help reduce stress, and conduct self care. Listening to audiobooks, and mindset audio visuals resources can also be helpful.

Take action. Understand the situation, identify the stressors and have an insightful situational awareness. Think the classic "fear is the pathway to the dark side, fear leads you to anger, anger leads you to hate, hate leads you to suffering" Master Yoda

Effective stress-reduction techniques include deep breathing exercises, meditation, regular physical activity, proper sleep, and time management. Experiment with different methods to find what works best for you.

Most employers make a big thing at interviews of prioritisation skills then once you start work just piles on, and with each new priority the previous ones get pushed to one side. This is particularly true when working part-time, when the issues would stress a full time team. Ways to manage this are manifold, but for me and since being ill in 2022/23, my priorities have been to ensure that I reduce my stress. To do lists just form a spider-diagram of crossing out and reprioritising as the next issue arises. I manage my stress now by managing the expectations of those with demanding my time, whether that be upwards or sideways. A polite reality check at the outset goes a long way to explain why work may not always be possible in quick time.

Lift up the cares of your heart and the burdens of your mind in prayer to God Almighty. Someone once said “Do not worry about an unknown world when we have an all-knowing God.” I found God and that saying when I was younger and it’s been helpful to me and validated in my life for others over myself. First, pray.