Prevent Stress

Do you ever feel tense or anxious? Do these feelings tend to dominate your day? Analyze the primary source of stress in your life. Is it your thinking, your habits, your circumstances, or your early emotional history that triggers stress?

Strategies for self-soothing can help you recover after a distressing interchange, or renew your spirits at the end of a busy day. They can help you maintain a steady, serene frame of mind, and increase your resilience in the face of stress.

Look for ways to tackle stress:

Build in breaks in your day for keeping your stress levels low.
Recall a particular event that captured feelings of being cherished and comforted, or of mastery and strength. Enjoy the recollection without trying to achieve any particular goal.
Go biking, running, or attend an exercise class. Work up a sweat, take a hot shower, then collapse onto your bed and savor the feelings of fatigue and relaxation.
Devote some time to aimless puttering - time spent with no goals in mind.
Hug a stuffed animal, or connect with an object associated with a secure time in your life.
Arrange for an hour - or even 15 minutes - of total solitude.
Get involved in a craft, create art, or cook something...just for the pleasure of it.
Go for a drive and concentrate on the sights and sounds around you.
Leaf through a photo album and reminisce about some of the funny or happy times you've had.
Go through some harmless routine you enjoy. Drink a cup of tea while sitting in your favorite chair with your favorite quilt over your legs. Draw calm from the regularity of the routine, as well as from its content.

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