Life can be stressful sometimes, but it can also mess with your health, happiness, and productivity. When you know you’ll be facing a stressful situation, like a deadline, a presentation, or a tough conversation, you may feel anxious, nervous, or overwhelmed. But don’t worry, there are some things you can do to chill out and deal with stress better. Here are some tips on how to chill out when you know you’ll be freaking out.
1. Plan ahead
One of the best ways to reduce stress is to plan ahead and think of possible problems or challenges. This can help you get ready mentally and emotionally for the situation, and avoid any nasty surprises or complications. According to neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, planning ahead can also help you avoid making dumb mistakes in stressful situations, when your thinking gets cloudy by cortisol, a hormone that makes you less rational and logical. He suggests using a technique called **prospective hindsight**, which means imagining that the stressful event has already happened and asking yourself what went wrong and how you could have avoided it. This can help you figure out the most likely sources of stress and come up with solutions or backup plans in advance.
2. Breathe deeply
Another easy but effective way to calm yourself down in a stressful situation is to breathe deeply. Deep breathing can help you lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension, as well as turn on your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation and recovery. To practice deep breathing, inhale slowly through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth for four seconds. Do this for a few minutes until you feel calmer.
3. Focus on your senses
When you’re stressed, you may tend to focus on the negative thoughts and emotions that are going through your mind. But this can make you feel more anxious and overwhelmed. A better way to cope with stress is to focus on your senses and bring your attention to the present moment. You can do this by noticing what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch around you. For example, you can look at a picture that makes you happy, listen to some relaxing music, smell some soothing essential oils (like lavender), taste some mint gum or chocolate, or touch something soft or warm. Focusing on your senses can help you distract yourself from the stressor and calm your nervous system.
4. Relax your muscles
Stress can also cause physical tension in your muscles, which can lead to headaches, backaches, or other pains. To relieve this tension, you can try to relax your muscles using some techniques like progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), yoga, stretching, or massage. PMR involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in your body one by one, starting from your toes and moving up to your head. Yoga involves doing various poses that can improve your flexibility, balance, and strength. Stretching involves moving your joints and muscles in different directions to increase their range of motion. Massage involves applying pressure or rubbing different parts of your body to improve blood flow and reduce pain.
5. Get some exercise
Exercise is another great way to cope with stress because it can boost your mood, energy, and confidence. Exercise can also release endorphins, which are natural chemicals that make you feel good and reduce pain. Exercise can also help you burn off some of the extra cortisol that is produced by stress. You don’t have to do anything too hard or tiring; even a brisk walk or a bike ride can help you chill out and clear your mind.
Conclusion
Stress is unavoidable in life, but it doesn’t have to ruin your day or affect your performance. By planning ahead, breathing deeply, focusing on your senses, relaxing your muscles, and getting some exercise, you can chill out and deal with stress better. Remember that stress is temporary and that you have the power to control how you react to it.
