Healthy and Unhealthy Ways to Cope with Stress and Anxiety

Have struggled with feeling overwhelmed by life’s demand and feel like you just can’t keep up?

Do you have excessive worries of doom and gloom about the future?

Do your muscles feel tense and are you short of breathe?

If so, it is possible that you are experiencing the effects of stress and anxiety.

Here are some basic dos and don’t to manage these feelings:

4 Do Nots 

1. Don’t take on more responsibility. The feeling of being overwhelmed, tired, and cranky may be your body’s way of communicating to you that you need a break. Instead of taking on more responsibility, why don’t you think about what you can say “No” to or what you can delay.
2. Don’t escape your responsibilities by avoiding work, school, social or family events. If escape and avoidance becomes your go to coping strategy, it will be harder to get back on track.
3. Don’t binge eat, drink alcohol, or abuse substances. It’s likely may end up a bigger problem to face. Notice that while you may experience these urges you can find the strength to resist them. These feelings may be an indication that stress and anxiety levels are too intense and rather it is an opportunity to find healthier solutions.
4. Don’t give into urges to become overly dependent on others. This may be another escape and avoidance behavior and if you are catching on here, you will learn that avoidance and escape is not a healthy solution.

4 Dos

1. Do work to find your strong voice. What do you feel? What do you think? What do you want? Practice communicating this using “I” statements.
2. Do plan and communicate what you are willing and not willing to do.  When you assert your needs, your needs will be heard.
3. Do take care of yourself. Eat healthy foods, exercise regularly and make it fun, get enough sleep, find a balance between alone time and socializing, engage in art, music, and entertaining activities.
4. Even when you don’t think you can do something, ask yourself why it is important to you and if you have a good enough reason, find the strength to do it for yourself.

If you are are unable to function in various areas of your life such as school, work, family, friends, self care then it may be an indication that your symptoms are severe and you would benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Please click on the Book Online Now icon below and schedule an initial phone consultation to see if therapy can help you.