Even more stress busting tips!

There are so many unique ways to help you work through feelings of stress that we just had to write another list following our Ten tips to reduce stress. Consider this round two, by no means second best tips to combat stressful thoughts and feelings but additional exercises you can partake in to help you fight those feelings.

Stress can look very different for everyone so hopefully this additional list of helpful tips and ideas for you to try out will come in handy when fighting that frustrating feeling.

Tailor your social media: Engage with more positive content to feed the algorithm. The goal is to create a social media news feed filled with uplifting content that promotes positivity rather than elicits negative thoughts and emotions. How do you do this? Unfollow negative accounts, pages and like the content you want to see more of. Over time your newsfeed will update and change to reflect your interests.

Get creative: Partake in some arts and crafts. Whether its drawing, colouring or knitting. Sometimes getting creative can do great things for our stress levels by boosting our mood and giving us a fun and targeted task that is soothing on our mind and an interesting challenge.

Get comfy with a good movie: Whether you rent a film you’ve been dying to see, head to the cinema to watch the newest blockbuster, or stick on an older classic. Getting comfortable with snacks and a good film can be the perfect way to block those irritating thoughts causing stress for just a few hours and give you a reprieve from feelings of overwhelming emotion.

Engage in some mindful meditation: Meditating can help quiet your mind and put you into a state of calm, stillness, and rest, relaxing the body and reducing feelings of stress. Find some useful information on how to practice mindful meditation here.

Get active and work up a sweat with some high intensity activity: Go for a run, a bike ride or a local HIIT class. Exercise has fantastic mood busting effects and can-do great things for alleviating stress. Did you know we have a physical activity group that meets weekly in the Gateshead area?  If you would like to get involved, please get in touch.

Be around animals and nature: Meet the newest member of our South of Tyne Wellbeing group. This cute doggo was brought to the group by one of our members. He wasn’t happy when we didn’t pay attention to him, so he decided to join in with the conversation! 

Having a lively dog in the group definitely kept the session fun and entertaining and we all had a laugh and felt better with our animal companion there – and maybe there’s a reason for that. Research shows spending time with pets and other animals helps reduce stress levels and loneliness.

If you’re feeling stressed or lonely, why not spend time with an animal or two? If you don’t own a pet, why not feed the birds, go to a community farm, volunteer as a dog walker at your local animal shelter, or visit a Pets@Home pet corner! 

Would you like to read our original list of Ten tips to reduce stress? You can find it here: https://www.tynesidemind.org.uk/selfcare-and-wellbeing/relaxation/ten-tips-to-reduce-stress/