Co-authored by Grace Kwan from Teleschope.sg
Ever tried to de-stress by Binge-watching Netflix series, scrolling through TikTok mindlessly and looking at somewhat wholesome memes?
While those might serve as temporary escape from your stress situation, learning to deal with stress properly is essential in maintaining a healthy state of mind!
In this article, we will share 3 proven ways to find your inner peace.
1. Try bullet journaling (otherwise known as Bujo)
Journaling is a stress management tool as bullet journaling can help you organise your thoughts. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, constantly on your toes, journaling can help you put things into perspective and have a clearer picture as to what is happening to you emotionally. Bullet journaling is a creative outlet to help reduce your anxiety and stress levels.
Penning down your thoughts also forces you to slow down and identify the root cause of your stress. Is it your upcoming exam? Conflict with friends? Managing parent's expectations? (we have just the podcast episode for you!)
Analyse that root cause and determine whether it is something that you can actually change or something that is out of your control (ie: how somebody else thinks of you or exam papers that have already been submitted).
For items that you can actively work on, go for it and do your best. Giving your best effort means that you can have no regret and hence there is little need to stress over it anymore. You did what you could, to the best of your ability. Hang your head high regardless of the outcome or result and don't worry about it!
For items that you have no control over, accept it and move on. Regardless of much hard you worry over the issue, nothing is going to change. Learning to let go is not easy but do your mental health a favour and go easy on yourself!
And don't take yourself too seriously :)
2. Eliminate the stressors
How you perceive and think about a stressor can make a big impact on how you respond. Sometimes, the thoughts you are facing get overwhelming. Thus, it is important to evaluate whether you can change the situation that is causing you stress, perhaps by reducing your workload that is causing your emotional burden, giving up those high expectations and asking for help.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but rather, a sign of awareness. No one in this world has ever lived their life without getting help from others. We as humans depend on each other for emotional support. Talking to a friend or peer often helps to relieve the bottled up emotions which can get very stifling!
"You be surprised how many of your friends are going through the same thing as you."
Acting tough and putting on a strong façade can only go so far. Being vulnerable and be willing to accept help is a very effective way to eliminate the stressor and help you get yourself back on track mentally.
3. Meditation
Meditation is a mindfulness-based stress reduction method. You've probably hear of it but have you actually tried it before? You will be amazed!
Mindfulness has two main parts, attention and acceptance.
For mindfulness to take effect, you have to
Concentrate on your breathing,
Be aware of your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body and the feelings you are experiencing
Slowly letting go of your worries and anxieties
You can easily find some YouTube videos to get start and Spotify have plenty of playlist for meditation.
You don't need an hour for this. 5-10 mins is sufficient for beginners and it will greatly help to reduce your stress level.
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness, this link will be helpful for you!
Above are 3 psychologically proven ways to cope with stress!
Mindfulness enables you to concentrate on your surroundings, your thoughts and your feelings, enabling your whole body to relax. By eradicating stressors and trying bullet journaling, you can get this emotional burden off your chest and put things into perspective.
Try them out today and let us know whether they work for you!
This article was co-written by OVERMUGGED & Teleschope.sg.
Teleschope.sg is a platform for secondary school students to find out more their post secondary options and to learn more about JCs, Polys, ITEs and Arts Institutions!
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