Some tips on overcoming stress and feelings of overwhelm, from personal experience as a graduate student and entrepreneur!
We’ve all been there. We have a million things running through our minds. We begin thinking of all the things we need to get done and all the things we haven’t done yet. We feel every muscle in our body tighten, as that overwhelm begins rising up. Overcoming stress. Sometimes it can seem impossible, especially in the moment.
Throughout my masters program, feeling overwhelmed was a daily thing. And now as a young entrepreneur trying to follow her passions… stress is still a very real thing in my life. And overcoming it, overcoming stress, is something I’ve had to learn to do. Stress is natural, but if you let it take hold in your life and take you down, it can really hurt you. And it will always hold you back from the best YOU that you can be.
Here’s MY top three tips for overcoming stress and overwhelm in a video!
But I also wanted to share OTHERS tips on overcoming stress and anxiety, as everyone finds their own solutions that work. SO after looking all over the internet and asking YOU guys on instagram...
Here are FIVE Tips for Overcoming Stress & Anxiety from Others!
- Remember the BIG picture – take a step back from the specific situation or thing causing you stress. Think, will this really matter down the road (or even happen!). From another perspective, instead of thinking of the task as “ugh I HAVE to write this paper for school”, think of it in the grand scheme of, “writing this paper will help me in my future through xyz”. Knowing there is a greater purpose behind why you’re doing it, will help decrease the stress.
- Have Self Compassion – A lot of times, we are hardest on ourselves. I often get overwhelmed thinking of how much MORE I could be doing (typically after following into comparison), versus celebrating all my little wins and what I have already done. Having compassion on yourself can really help in overcoming the stress you feel about all you “still need to do” daily.
- Eliminate Daily Decisions that Add Unnecessary Stress Through Routines: I found this one SO helpful and practical. We make TONS of decisions daily, thousands. But a lot of times we are wasting our energy on things that don’t matter, such as picking out what we should wear, what we should eat, ect. Some of the greatest business men and entrepreneurs, have even said in articles like this, that they wear the same thing every day to avoid wasting energy on decisions that don’t matter, so that they have energy for what matters (avoiding overwhelm and overcoming stress).
- Exercise: As a past competitive runner, I loved seeing this one as a top way to overcome stress, because it definitely helps me. I don’t run any more much, but when I’m super stressed, I ALWAYS get out and either go on a run or go workout…or even just breathe in some fresh air on a walk!
- Declutter: Having a cluttered desk or work space, can add overwhelm to your life before the day even gets started! Try to take an hour to declutter your space, whether that be at home or at work, to create a more peaceful, productive-friendly environment.
But I have to say, it was great seeing the most prevalent tip on overcoming stress, was one I mentioned I do in my video…so make sure you watch the video above!
How do YOU overcome stress of daily life??