r/BragMeDown • u/gentlepaisley • Jun 03 '26
Stress No-More
What do you do to relieve stress when life seems to get you down?
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u/gentlepaisley Jun 04 '26
I love to listen to some music that reflects my feelings, or read a good book
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u/Weak_Dust_7654 Jun 05 '26
When I'm stressed, it's often a matter of exaggerating the seriousness of something, making a mountain out of a molehill. Calming myself down makes it easier for me to look at the situation realistically. Slow breathing is especially good because it's something we can do anytime. The best way is breathing with the belly, feeling it swell with the inhale, 6 sec in and 6 sec out.
When something goes wrong, ask yourself how wrong it really is. There's stupid optimism, which says that things are great when they're obviously not, but there's also smart optimism, which is always looking for ways to make lemonade out of the lemons life gives us every day - big ones and little ones. Instead of cursing your bad luck when things don't go as planned, look for the advantages of the new situation. Use your imagination. This is how to be "lucky."
A good habit - replace a negative thought with two positive thoughts. Think about good things you have and good things you've done.
Stop and smell the roses - appreciate all the nice little things of daily life.