We’ve all dealt with stress at some point or another, doubly so during the pandemic and sometimes triply so during the holiday season and end-of-year rush. Every resident and neighbor of our houses for rent in Owasso knows that uncomfortable feeling of too much stress. Admittedly, some stress can be healthy (i.e. eustress), but distress can have a negative impact not just on the body, but also on our relationships, careers, and other parts of our daily lives. 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 on our short-term stress levels. One of the best parts of this tip is that you can use it whenever and wherever, whether at your home for rent in Owasso or in a meeting at the office.

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 our Tulsa homes for rent, 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 (or even just writing things down in a journal) 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.

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 book club you never really enjoyed or that committee 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 found this post helpful, be sure to bookmark our blog page for easy access to future posts. Before long we’ll have another blog post up, but in the meantime, make sure you’re following Legacy Living on Facebook so you never miss our special events, promotions, and community updates!