How To Calm Yourself Down When You Feel Stressed

How To Calm Yourself Down When You Feel Stressed

Sudden waves of stress can stop you in tracks and make you unproductive. However, these tips and tricks can help you in calming yourself down during anxiety or stress!

Too much of any kind of stress can overwhelm you beyond limits. And before you realise it, It sneaks up on you and slowly eats you up inside your head. This is why it's very important to calm yourself down and relax your mind and body when you catch yourself in such situations. Even if you find yourself completely overwhelmed for some reason, it needs to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Now the question is - how do you destress yourself? We're going to tell you all about it right here. 

How to Calm Yourself Down From Stress and Anxiety?

Calming yourself should be your priority when you feel that a particular situation is taking away too much from you. You need to feel at ease, mentally and physically, when stress and anxiety take over. This brings us to the topic of how to make yourself calm and happy in a difficult situation.

  • Admit That You're Anxious or Stressed:

    First and foremost, it's crucial to accept that you're feeling a certain way, which isn't the best. Allow yourself to say that you're anxious, angry or stressed. When you state how you feel and allow yourself to express, the anxiety or stress in you will automatically start to settle down eventually.
     
  • Breathe:
    Once you've admitted to yourself that you're stressed or anxious, take control over your breathing pattern. You might have noticed that in difficult situations that stress you out or make you feel overwhelmed, you take quick, shallow breaths. This sends a message to your brain to switch on its fight-or-flight mode. That's the single most reason why it's so important to consciously breathe deeply. All you have to do is breathe in, count to three and slowly breathe out. Do it as many times as you'd like to calm yourself down, and you'll see how much of a difference just conscious breathing can make to your mind and body.

  • Reframe Your Thoughts:

    When you're stressed or anxious, you might get irrational and negative thoughts that don't make sense. When you experience these thoughts, take a pause and ask yourself:
    - Is what I'm thinking going to really happen?
    - Is this rational thinking?
    - What's the worst that can happen?
    - Can I handle it if things get worse?
    Once you ask yourself any of these questions, you'll realise you're reframing your thinking. So the next time you wonder how to calm yourself from anxiety or stress, ask yourself these questions and it will give you a newer perspective.
     
  • Release the Stress or Anxiety:
    Pick any activity that helps you release your negative emotions. It could be running, dancing, exercising, etc. Any kind of positive physical activity releases serotonin which helps you calm down and feel better. But you should avoid physically strenuous activities like punching walls or screaming. These will not help your negative emotions, but make things worse instead.

  • Think Things Through:

    When you're in a critical situation, have a mantra that you can use. Make sure it's something that you find extremely helpful. Saying things like, "This is not going to matter to me in the next few hours or days", "This isn't even important to take so much of my energy", or "I will not allow this person/situation to steal my peace of mind" will automatically make you feel at ease. This also lets you shift your focus from what you're currently feeling to what you should be doing to deal with that situation.

  • Visualise Your Calm State:
    If you're in a stressful situation and find yourself questioning how to calm yourself down, this tip is definitely going to help. Take deep breaths, close your eyes and picture yourself in the calmest state of mind. Visualise your relaxed body and imagine yourself working efficiently through a stressful situation by staying calm and focused. When you create a mental picture of what it looks like when you’re calm, your mind will also make that imagination turn into reality and you will feel less anxious, and stress in just a few minutes.

  • Shift Your Focus:

    If a situation is troubling your mind, take yourself out of it as soon as you can. Leave that situation, look in another direction altogether, walk out of the room if needed and get some fresh air or sit with yourself for a while. This will give you time to make better decisions. You won't react your best if you're stressed or anxious which might spoil things for you even further. Hence, taking yourself out of the situation completely will help you get a newer perspective and take better control of that situation.

  • Write Things Down:

    Maintaining a journal, notepad or even a diary to jot down everything that you're feeling and experiencing is one of the best ways to calm yourself down instantly. Don't worry about complete sentences, punctuation or spelling errors - just write your heart out. Writing helps you get all your negative thoughts out of your head and down to the paper. You can also make it a daily practice to empty your mind and make room for newer and better thoughts and feelings.

  • Fuel Your Body:

    There will be times when you experience more stress and anxiousness just because you've not fueled your body enough in the entire day. This is why you should quickly grab a snack, munch on fruit or hydrate yourself when you're in one of these situations that drive you crazy. It's important to slow down and get your tummy filled every couple of hours to remain sane and focused at all times. 

Conclusion:

In today's world where every single person leads a hectic life, it's almost impossible to not feel stressed, overwhelmed or anxious from time to time. But, if you have a few tips and tricks under your sleeve that can calm you down instantly, you will be able to handle difficult situations with much ease and maturity. All you need is a little patience and a lot of effort.

Also our articles such as yoga for stress relief, does stress cause hair loss and stress effects on skin to get relaxed and pamper yourself at home.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

  • How can I calm myself instantly?
    One of the easiest and quickest ways to calm yourself instantly is to take deep breaths at least five to seven times. If that isn't enough, start jotting your thoughts out on a piece of paper. This will allow you to get rid of all your negative energies. Getting some fresh air and walking out of a stressful situation can also calm you down instantly.

  • How can I calm my anxiety naturally?
    Here are some natural ways that will help calm your anxiety:
    - Keep your mind and body active with regular exercising, dancing, running, walking, etc.
    - Avoid drinking alcohol as it is a natural sedative
    - Reduce your caffeine intake as it can aggravate your anxiety
    - Get some rest or good hours of sleep
    - Eat healthily and follow a decent diet