6 Ways to Increase Well-Being During Stressful Times

During this time of uncertainty and threat it is easy to get overwhelmed by feelings of worry, stress, and helplessness. Stress is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.” Stress is the way by which your body experiences and manages external pressures, whether they are mental or physical.

Below are 6 proven ways to increase your well-being during stressful times.

1.    Name It to Tame It

Science repeatedly shows those quickest to recover from distress are those who can identify how they are feeling and put those feeling into words. Brain scans show verbal information immediately diminishes the power of these negative emotions, improving well-being and enhancing decision making skills. The simple act of naming your emotion helps your brain move it from the areas of your brain that are equipped to address physical threat to the more rational parts that serve you in problem solving, relationships, and creativity.

Labeling a feeling takes it from an unspecified feeling of threat to a tangible word allowing you to mindfully manage the level of emotion you display. As Daniel Siegel says, “Name it to tame it” in reference to how labeling an emotion takes away its power over us allowing you to regain control. Below are three effective ways for naming your stresses.

• Talk to a trusted friend about how you feel and why - Feeling heard is extremely effective at sorting out your thoughts and helping you regain perspective and see the situation more positively.
• Identify and write down your feelings- There is power in writing because it helps you return to your neutral state and diminish negative emotions.
• Go somewhere where you can say out loud what you are feeling - This helps create a degree of separation between who you are and how you are feeling.

2.     Define What You Can Control

Identify which aspects of the situation you have control and which you don’t. The point is to define the stresses that we have to let go of because they’re out of our hands, while at the same time identifying the areas where our efforts will have a real impact. This clarity can help us to focus our energy on activities that matter. By tackling one small challenge at a time – a narrow circle slowly expands outward – we focus our actions on things that have a direct effect on our desired outcomes.

Stephen Covey’s Circle of Influence provides a practical framework for when you need to challenge feelings of helplessness by identifying actions, attitudes, and activities within your control or influence that will enable you to improve the situation. Identify what you can control and then take action.

3.     Breathe 

We have an intuitive understanding that our breath can calm our mind and emotions. Most of us have either told others or been told ourselves to "take a deep breath” when encountering difficult situations. Most clinical psychologists and medical doctors use some kind of breathing practice with patients. However, because breathing happens automatically, many of us don’t give the breath as much attention as it deserves and have not learned to harness its full potential to calm our minds and emotions.

One of the reasons breathing can change how you feel is that emotions and breathing are closely connected. Researcher Pierre Phillipot made two profound discoveries about the connection between breathing and emotions.

• Your breathing mimics your emotions. This one is fairly simple to understand. When you are excited, you breathe quickly and in a shallow manner; when you are calm and relaxed, you draw in slow, deep breaths.
• Your emotions mimic your breathing. That means we can change how we feel by using our breath. If you want to get worked up quickly, start taking in fast, shallow breaths; if you want to calm down, take in slow, deep ones. 

Given the fact that it is so difficult to change your emotions using thoughts alone - try "talking yourself out of" intense fear, anger or anxiety - learning to use your breath becomes a very powerful tool. You can learn to "breathe" your way through negative emotions.

4.      Conscious Acts of Kindness

Acts of altruism – giving to or helping out friends and strangers alike decreases stress and contributes to enhanced mental health. People who do this report feeling much happier and this feeling can last for days after the good deed is done. It also has the additional benefit of helping people that need support from others during their difficult times. A true win/win.

5.      Exercise

Make sure that exercise is part of your daily routine. Exercise is proven to work just as well as anti-depressants in reducing anxiety and depression. Exercise improves motivation, feelings of mastery, reduces stress and anxiety, and helps us get into productive emotional state. Exercise is considered by health professionals as one of the best ways to maintain mental health and reduce stress.

6.      Meditate

Meditation, yoga and other relaxation techniques have all proved effective for reducing stress, improving sleep, building stronger immune functions and increasing well-being. There are plenty of online guided meditations and yoga routines geared specifically to help reduce stress.

These are 6 practical ways to help reduce stress and improve well-being during our most difficult times. What are the things that you do to increase your well-being during stressful times?

Your reactions, shares, and comments are always appreciated. If you found value in this article, please send me a connection request so you can have access to future articles and posts.