No. 1 Share something that makes you laugh
Facebook is a great place to share funny photos. It's what many of us live for these days, and according to mental health experts, sharing something that makes you laugh is just what the doctor ordered. There are plenty of sites out there loaded with funny photos just begging to be shared. Try www.funnywallphotos.com or www.killmydaynow.com, and there are many more sites when you search Google.
Dog shaming seems to be one way that owners are getting a good laugh at their pooch's expense. Be warned, you may find photos from these sites irresistibly cute. Try out these sites. www.dog-shame.com www.shameyourpet.com www.dog-shaming.com
Tip - want to make it even more stress free?
Take the photos yourself. It'll get you seeing life in a different perspective.
No. 2 Swim in the ocean
Have you ever seen anyone without a smile at the beach? Not even when the sand gets inside their bikini bottom and all through their hair, not even when the waves dump them and they suck on lungfuls of salty water, not even when they burn from too much sun and the ice cream melts too fast and runs down their fingers, it's like it's impossible to be down in the dumps at the beach. According to Health Benefit of Water, ocean water contains many minerals needed by your body to help heal and detoxify. Warm baths have been attributed to stress reduction also, but the minerals in the ocean water decrease stress and increase a sense of well-being better. .
Water temperature plays a major role in your emotional health. Cool water soothes the nerves while warmer water soothes the muscles. Salt water is also noted to improve the quality of sleep.
No. 3 Remember that we all make mistakes
We all make mistakes. When you make a mistake, the first thing you need to do is admit it to yourself. There's no point lying to yourself about the mistake. It happened. You need to deal with it and get past it and not let it grip you in terror. You also need to understand that it's not always easy to admit a mistake to someone else. Maybe you have an overbearing parent or a control-freak friend or a stuck-up teacher, there may be people in your life that make you feel as if they're just waiting for you to slip up so they can pounce on you. Dwelling on whether or not you should admit your mistake can place even more stress on you.
It can take a great deal of inner-strength and confidence to openly admit to a mistake. With practice this gets easier. And when you eventually go into the workforce, your employers will value your accountability and honesty. And most importantly, never try to cover up a mistake with a lie. The only thing that can't be fixed easily when you make a mistake is the damage caused by the lies used to cover it up.
No. 4 Say no when you need to
You don't have to be a "yes" person all the time. It's mission impossible. School, friends, chores, parents...everybody wants you to do something for them and sometimes all you want to do is something for yourself. It isn't selfish to say no and take time out to recharge your batteries. It's totally normal to say no to someone, even if they think you're bonkers.
There are good ways to say no, and bad ways because nobody likes to be told no. Try starting with something positive. For example, start with "I really like the idea of doing that" and then you can deliver the no blow "but I can't do that this afternoon" and you can finish off with a promise to do it another time. Whatever you do, don't lie about having something else to do. You're likely to get caught. If you're pushed to give a reason, it's perfectly fine to say, "Look, I've got a lot on at the moment and I just need some time to clear my head." You could even explain how you're gonna do this, "I'm gonna listen to this new CD while taking a hot bath and then I'll watch DVDs and eat loads of chocolate". Heck, you may even convince your friend to take a time out, too.
No. 5 Cook a meal from scratch
With all the apps and smart phones and search engines, it's easy to forget that humans were connected to the universe before they were connected to the internet. One of the best ways to reconnect with the universe is to do something very basic and very simple.
Humans have reconnected with Mother Nature for centuries. The idea that we connect with higher powers through the many different spaces we inhabit is an ancient one. Many believe that cooking a meal in the home can encourage good vibrations. For those who believe in magic, giving a gift to mother earth is a means of ensuring the spell works. Mother Nature likes gifts you have made yourself, like a chocolate cake. Even if you don't believe in magic, there is something wonderful that can be gained from cooking a meal from scratch - you get to eat it. Yummo.
Here's a simple scones recipe to try.
Scones
150 ml milk
150 ml thickened cream3 cups self raising flour
pinch salt
dash sugar
1 egg
Turn oven on to 200 degrees celcius / 390 degrees fahrenheit
Mix wet ingredients
Mix dry ingredients
Combine
Knead dough for 30 seconds - don't over knead the dough
Bake in an oven for 10 minutes or until golden
Serve with jam/jelly and whipped cream
Tip - Cooking a meal has other benefits. You may have a parent that is sick with flu or needs to rest from a trip to the hospital. You may want to treat some friends one weekend. You may even want to impress a boy or girl with your hidden talent.
No. 6 Tell someone you love them
Love is a positive emotion. It lifts our spirits. But if you're stressed, this might not be the best time to put yourself in the possible line of fire by telling someone you have a crush on that you love them. If you're in a steady relationship and you've already expressed your feelings, telling them you love them can be a great boost to your spirits, especially when they tell you they love you back.
If you're not in a steady relationship, you'd be safer to tell a parent, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a sibling or even a close friend just how much they mean to you. Whoever you decide on, telling something that you love them, or even just that they mean the world to you, can be done is ways only limited by your imagination.
Give them a greeting card - the act of giving is as powerful as the act of recieving. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside when we do something good. Who knows, you might even get a card in return or start a new tradition.
Frame a photo - by framing a favorite photo you are capturing a happy moment. If you have lots of happy moments you can put them into a montage and share that with your special person.
Tip - why not combine these two ideas and make your own greeting card using your favorite photo?
No. 7 Play your favorite song
Music is a great way to chill out. Music is personal. Songs speak to each of us in a different way and it's this connection that can help beat stress. Listening to your favorite songs helps to wash away anxiety in a similar way to physical activity. Music also acts as a distraction which can take your mind off the thing that's stressing you out. One of the great benefits of music is that is can be used while you conduct your regular activities such as:
Cleaning your room - if you tell yourself that you only need to clean for a certain amount of songs and then you can be done, you may work more efficiently, and even come to look forward to doing the job.
Before going to sleep - playing music as you drift off is one way to counteract the effects of stress by taking your mind off of what’s troubling you, slowing down your breathing, and soothing your mind.
While eating - soothing music can trigger the relaxation response, which can lower cortisol levels, making it easier to digest food.
While cooking - if you put on some music that you enjoy, cooking becomes a fun activity rather than a chore.
Other times music can be played is when you're walking, driving, exercising, and getting ready for school or a date
No. 8 Do more of what's important to you
Sometimes what can be causing you stress isn't what you're doing, but what you're not doing. Some people feel that they're destined for one thing and end up falling or getting pushed into something else. Casey Stoner is an Australian professional motorcycle racer, best known for being a two-time MotoGP World Champion, in 2007 and 2011 . Stoner is retiring at the age of 27 because racing is no longer important to him. Knowing what's important in life and doing it can relieve a huge burden off your shoulders.
Mark Twain once said: “Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than by the things you did do.”
Doing what's important can be a tricky task to accomplish as it can take a lifetime for some people to even realize what it is that's important to them. But if you really want to do something, you should think about ways to achieve it, even if it only volunteering in the field you're interested in.
No. 9 Bee proud of who you are
Wouldn't it be great if everyone was positive and happy all the time? Instead, people can be chronically unhappy, jealous, fearful, prejudiced, or a host of other negative things.
People who are unhappy with their own lives are likely to project their own hatred and anger onto others. People who are jealous are likely to say nasty things to hurt someone who has worked very hard for their success.
Think of this as the Bee game:
Bee proud of who you are Bee positive
Bee yourself
Bee happy
Bee with good friends and get rid of the bad ones
Bee prepared to ignore hateful comments from others
Bee confident and base your confidence on real achievements
Tip - Bee proud without hurting others. If someone shows you a photo of their prize-winning cat, say it's a great photo. Don't play the one-up game and say your cat won that award ten times already.
No. 10 Celebrate when things go well
So you aced that exam. Feels good, doesn't it? So it should. You've accomplished something great and now it's time to celebrate. Celebrating the small things is something that can be done daily and is a great tool to overcome stress. Celebrating can be as simple as catching up with a few friends to throwing a party and letting the whole world know that things are going great. Try as many of these ideas as you can. They'll all make you feel good.
- Go out for pizza or icecream with friends
- Participate in some retail therapy
- Go on a picnic
- Sing in the rain. Yes, sometimes rain is a good thing and singing in the rain can be freeing and fun
- Buy yourself flowers or buy someone else flowers
- Random acts of kindess are a way of celebrating and they have the added benefit of helping others .
- Compliment someone. Mark Twain once said he could live for a month on one good compliment. Who can you compliment today?
- Watch the sun set or sun rise with someone you like/love
- Plan a party and invite everyone you know
- Make a shrine to your success with images, photos, words, objects and leave it where you can see it everyday, like the fridge or above your bed
How's this for a random act of kindness?
At 8:05 a.m. on July 6, a 32-year-old mother of two pulled up to the Steamin' Bean drive-through window and did something nice for someone else. She paid $3.50 for the 16-ounce latte ordered by the customer in the car behind her. When that stranger learned about the act of kindness, she did the same thing for the next customer. And so it has gone for 12 days now at the Blue Springs coffee shop.
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