Here are some evidence-based tips on how to deal with stress after attending a major event
Stress isn’t good for your well-being. If it gets to the point of affecting your physical and psychological state, then what you need to do is adopt self-care activities. Taking an active role in your well-being will do wonders for your health and wellness compared to doing nothing or taking on unhealthy coping mechanisms. Developing a self-care routine for yourself involving proper sleep, nutrition, movement, and support networks after every stressful event is one such example. With that, here are some more tips on how best to de-stress that you may not have been doing before—backed by research.
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Do a body scan meditation
The body scan meditation is a type of mindfulness practice involving deep breaths and self-reflection. According to research, daily mindfulness-based interventions like this can help reduce stress, as well as improve your mood. Body scan meditations are simple, too!
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To do it, just sit or lie down somewhere comfortable and quiet, then close your eyes and breathe deeply. Following that, mentally scan each part of your body from the bottom to the top and look out for any tension. If you discover tension, spend time with it, relax your muscles, and visualize the tension leaving that specific part of your body. Repeat this as many times as needed, then leave the meditative state when it’s not.
Spend time in nature
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Spending time in nature by sitting or walking in forested areas has also been shown to lessen stress and mental health strain. According to a review, as little as 10 to 20 minutes of time spent sitting or walking in nature has a beneficial effect on college-aged adults’ mental health, but that the same amount of time spent outdoors in urbanized settings does not have the same benefits.
Journal it out
Routine journaling also has a reported positive effect on people’s mental health. For the duration of a 12-week study, researchers found that patients, after doing their Web-based writing sessions, had “decreased mental distress and increased well-being relative to baseline.” This is referred to as positive affect journaling or PAJ, which is an emotion-focused self-regulation intervention. Answering questions like “What are you grateful for?” and “What made you happy today?” in your journal can help you out in your day-to-day.
Workout a bit
No matter how stressed you get, start or continue doing exercises you enjoy to get your daily movements in. That’s because physical exercise has proven benefits for people suffering from a number of chronic diseases, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression.
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Besides mind-body exercises like pilates and yoga, aerobic exercises like walking and cycling have also been recommended to help manage emotions. According to one study using a six-week aerobic exercise intervention, regular physical activity and cardiovascular fitness can help improve mental health and well-being among university students.
Make time for hobbies
Hustle culture has us convinced that time not spent on work is time wasted, but that’s simply not the case. Making time for enjoyable leisure activities such as hobbies is proven to be beneficial during and after periods of stress. Researchers also found that people who “engaged in more frequent enjoyable leisure activities had better psychological and physical functioning.”
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So, if you’re stressed out from social events or overwhelmed at work, try out our tips! Even if they don’t immediately help you de-stress, adopting these healthy habits as part of your daily self-care routine will eventually benefit your overall well-being.
