We’ve all dealt with stress at some point or another. Every future resident and staff member at our Austin student apartments know that uncomfortable feeling of too much stress. While some stress can be healthy (i.e. eustress), distress can have a negative impact not just on the body, but also on our relationships, careers, and other parts of our daily lives. But luckily, when you understand what’s causing your stress, there’s a lot you can do to manage it healthily, both in the short term and in the long term. Read on to see our top 6 tips for managing stress!
Short Term: Try a Breathing Exercise
Sometimes, simply attending mindfully to the rhythm of our breathing can make a huge difference in our short-term stress levels. One of the best parts of this tip is that you can use it whenever and wherever, whether at home in your Austin student apartment or in the middle of class.
There are lots of breathing exercises you can try, so experiment to find which relaxes you the most. In general, breathing deeply from your diaphragm (not just from your chest) and exhaling for longer than you inhale helps relax the body most. Depending on your environment, you can also experiment with letting out an audible sigh on the exhale—it might sound silly, but it really works!
Short Term: Get a Change of Scenery
Sometimes, you just need a quick break. Staying in one place, laser-focused on the circumstance that’s causing your stress may often feel like it’s the responsible thing to do, but it’s not always the best call for either your productivity or your health.
When you can, get up, leave the area where you’ve been stressing out, and treat yourself to a quick break, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Go on a short walk around West Campus, get out in nature, or take a relaxing bath or shower. These simple actions can dramatically reduce short-term stress and help you return to your daily routine more rejuvenated and better able to face what’s stressful.
Short Term/Long Term: Try Meditating
Meditation is a tried-and-true stress management tool and can have powerful effects both in the short term and in the long run. Mindfulness meditation can take many forms, but in general, it helps you feel grounded in the present moment, intervenes in unhealthy ruminations or negative thought spirals, and allows you to experience the present moment in a different way. Meditation has also been shown to have positive mental and physical health effects in the long term when used regularly over time.
If you’re not sure how to start meditating, there are lots of free resources available for guided meditation! Headspace is a popular app that you can try for free, but YouTube is also a rich source of guided meditations that are easy to access and use.
Short Term/Long Term: Share Your Feelings
Almost nothing makes stress harder to handle than bottling it all up inside you. Talking to someone about your stress can make all the difference, even if you only share a tiny part of your experience. Not only are we hard-wired to take comfort in social connections, but venting is a great way to turn what feels like a boundless, nebulous stress idea into a more tangible, concrete problem that feels easier to confront. Plus, sharing your feelings might even give you the opportunity to get some useful advice or practical assistance that helps you with the problem at hand. At the very least, it’s likely to help you get the worst of the stress off your chest and allow you to focus on what will make things better.
When you can’t or prefer not to share your feelings with another person, journaling is a great option that helps you get things off your chest and into words, even if no one but you is there to read it.
Long Term: Talk to a Professional
There’s no shame in getting some professional help if stress begins to feel overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to ask a professional for their perspective or assistance, whether that’s sharing your experience with your GP, setting up time with a licensed counselor, or working with a psychiatrist in cases where medication may be recommended. Whatever your needs, they’re worthy of attention and care.
Long Term: Revisit Your Priorities
If busyness or lack of fulfillment is part of the problem, it might be time to cut something out that no longer serves you. Maybe it’s that club you never really enjoyed or that writing group you dread every week. Maybe you need to simply reduce the frequency of a regular engagement, or just learn to start saying “I’m sorry, I can’t this time” when someone presents you with a new opportunity or asks for your time and attention. In more challenging cases, it might even mean cutting someone out of your life. Whatever your personal circumstance, taking a look at your current routines, obligations, and relationships and asking “how can I make this more fulfilling and less stressful?” is a great place to start.
That’s it for our stress management tips! If you appreciated this post and would like to see more of our tips, recommendations, and features, be sure to bookmark our blog page for easy access to future posts! And make sure you’re following us on Instagram so you stay in the know about special offers and community updates for future residents of our new student apartments in Austin.