If you haven’t read part 1 of this article series, check it out here! So, you did everything you could to prepare ahead of time, but you’re still feeling stressed out. Don’t worry, there are still more effective ways to overcome your stress and recover. We’ll cover a couple of them here in part 2, including a special guided meditation!
Deep Breathing
This is a tip that most people know about, but seldom use.
It’s helpful to think about it like this. You know how when you’re feeling ashamed or upset, your body naturally crumples? When you feel sad, you hunch over more than usual. When you cry, you bury your face in your hands or want to curl up and make yourself small. But when you’re excited, you might throw your arms in the air. Think about how Olympians look when they win a gold medal.
Well, the opposite is also true: your body impacts how you feel. That’s why deep breathing is so effective; you can change the way you feel by changing your body!
- Start off by sitting up straight.
- Take a deep breath in for four seconds
- Hold it for four seconds
- Slowly release it over eight seconds.
- Do this at least three times.
You’ll notice that you feel calmer almost immediately. You can use this technique to handle stressful situations in the moment, so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Guided Meditation
Another great way to calm yourself down is with a simple meditation.
If typical meditations don’t work for you, you might enjoy trying this method of guided meditation. Instead of focusing on a clear head, guided meditation helps you relax and go to your personal happy place.
- Start off sitting or lying comfortably, and allow your eyes to close. Notice the way your body feels.
- Are you holding any tension in your body? Pay special attention to your jaw, eyebrows, and shoulders. These are common places to hold tension.
- Take a slow, deep breath in and focus on those areas. Imagine that as you breathe out, you expel the tension from your body. With every breath, your body becomes more and more relaxed.
- Now, take a moment to imagine the most comforting place you can think of. This might be in a memory or in an imagined place. It might be a nearby park, or sleeping on a cloud. You can be as fantastical or as grounded as you want. This place is entirely your own.
- As you imagine this place, pay special attention to the colours and textures. What are the main colours that you see? What textures do you feel in this place?
- Maybe you’re on the beach, feeling the sand between your toes and a gentle sea breeze across your body.
- What sounds and smells make up this place?
- As you imagine this special place, it becomes more and more vivid.
- Spend as long as you want in your happy place. Then, when you’re ready, slowly reacquaint yourself with reality. Feel the chair or bed beneath you, and become aware of yourself in the world.
- The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can return to this private, peaceful place.
So, here are all of our strategies to help you deal with holiday stress! These tips will help you keep from getting as stressed out this year. If stress does sneak up on you, you’ll know how to handle it! Best of luck.