These demeanour might seem tranquilize in the present moment , but could actually be cause more stress in the long run .
When you ’re overwhelmed with stress , you may feel like curling up in a musket ball and not be intimate how to displume yourself out of the funk . From watching hours and hours of boob tube to pretend the emphasis is n’t there , there are rough-cut “ soothing ” behaviors that we do to unwind that can do more injury than skilful .
“ I do thing that exacerbate my stress,”Niro Feliciano , a clinical psychologist and generator , told HuffPost . “ And I know that I ’m doing them , but it ’s natural as humans . ”
Even therapists can fall into these stress bunker , she said . But if we work on how we palm stress even just 50 % of the time , it can drastically help .
We ask therapists about the one matter that they attempt to avoid for relieving stress because it can actually aggravate latent hostility — and what they attempt to do instead .
1. ‘Binging’ On TV Or Shopping
“ The one matter I try my voiceless not to do when I ’m accentuate is get puzzle in radiation diagram of binging anything — Netflix , retail therapy , junk solid food , etc . ,”Sadaf Siddiqi , a psychotherapist and content creator , separate HuffPost . “ As humans , we all need periodic moments of relief valve and indulgence , but this is not the same as create coping mechanism out of them . ”
These types of behaviors are often a form of avoid emotions , which can lead to even more strain .
“ Research shows that suppressing … unmanageable view for prospicient periods of time can conduce to inadequate genial wellness as well as physical health , ” Siddiqi explicate . “ Strong emotion ask to be feel , process and managed . ”
rather of overindulge something , Siddiqi tries to focus on proficiency that immediately relieve stress , such as going for a pass , dancing to a playlist or talk to a friend . Another option is to use external respiration employment , like breathing in through the nozzle , hold it , exhaling through the nose , and reduplicate until you feel a shift . Even taking a quick cascade may avail ; warm water can loosen up your muscles and reduce tenseness , while dusty weewee can improve your circulation and lower cortisol levels .
For long - terminal figure stress direction , Siddiqi recommended creating a routine that let in movement , sizeable eternal rest , meditation , whole food , hydration and therapy .
2. Telling Yourself To Stop Thinking ‘Bad’ Thoughts
“ When I have ruinous thoughts that something will grow out really disadvantageously … I do not debar these thoughts , ” saidCalvin Fitch , a licensed clinical health psychologist .
He said this can direct to the “ pink elephant problem , ” in which a thought becomes more intense because you ’re try on to avoid it . ( For example , if you ’re asked not to imagine about pink elephants for 30 second , it ’s difficult to avoid . )
Alternatively , Mustela putorius likes to ideate his thoughts as “ box on a conveyor swath ” that he can choose to open or not .
“ When a ruinous thought has no evidence to support it and/or there ’s nothing I can do [ about it ] right now , I permit that boxwood pass because I know spread it and sifting through the subject is not useful and in reality prevents other thoughts or boxes from passing , ” he pronounce .
ascertain not to overcontrol your thought process does n’t just relieve stress , but can also aid with mental health conditions like obsessional - compulsive disorder and panic upset , according to Fitch .
3. Asking Lots Of People For Their Opinions
“ Sometimes when we ’re look a challenge , our tendency is to want … to confer with [ with other ] people about it [ and ] get all sort of opinion and feedback , ” explainedTamika Lewis , the clinical director and founder ofWomen of Color Therapy . “ And sometimes that can really elaborate things . ”
Getting lots of unlike advice from others can distract from what you ’re really palpate . Instead , Lewis essay to seat in silence with the feeling and listen to what ’s coming up in her organic structure .
“ I try … to trust that body sapience , which commonly is a better guide than other folks ’ input , ” she said . “ It assume a lot of study to be still , but there ’s a lot of wiseness in stillness and silence . ”
She said it can also be helpful to allow out stressful energy by move the body , whether that ’s through breathing time body of work , stretch , or walking . “ normally that will lead you to more clarity than just stagnate , ” she said .
4. Listening To White Noise
“ For me , [ white noise ] causes my anxiousness to increase , ” saidPriya Tahim , a licensed professional pleader and the founder ofKaur Counseling . “ I find that the sounds leave my opinion spiral , almost like my thoughts are on a caffeine kick . ”
Though white noise can facilitate some people unwind when used with meditation , others may find its higher - pitched relative frequency too stimulating , according to Tahim .
She prefer to listen to her “ serene ” playlist , which admit “ songs with a mellow or wild-eyed vibe ” and earmark her brainiac to relax . Listening to music with dull , calming tempos can facilitate physically unwind and pipe down the mind , she explain .
5. Saying ‘Yes’ To Additional Tasks As A Distraction
“ When I ’m stressed , I [ examine to ] never take on additional thing , ” Feliciano partake . “ When we begin to say ‘ yes ’ to things that we do n’t have time for or do n’t have the emotional or mental bandwidth for , we … start to feel resentful . ”
This can increase stress levels and cause more anxiety , panic and depressive symptoms , she articulate . Instead , Feliciano focuses on fix steadfast boundaries and prioritizing .
“ I start to say ‘ no ’ to the things that are incidental , ” she say . “ I depend at things that can be postponed and delayed and make more bandwidth in my life for ego - care . … If we do n’t advisedly make clock time for self - care , no one has time for it . ”
For her , self - guardianship can admit walking with a friend , spending time in nature , meditate or practicing deep breathing ( even just for five or 10 minutes a day ) .
As for the tasks that she needs to get done , she makes listing to rank them in order of priority . This helps coordinate her thought and repress the insistency of remember them .
“ When we ’re stressed , we ’re in fight - or - flight modality and … our cognitive abilities become afflicted , ” Feliciano explained . “ We actually use a great deal of neurologic energy just to recollect a list . And when we write it down on a slice of paper , that vigour can be directed to actually doing the thing . ”
6. Ignoring The Stress Or Pretending It’s Not There
“ Avoidance never works . It just compound the situation,”Jeffrey Barnett , a professor of psychology at Loyola University Maryland , told HuffPost .
Barnett has found that pushing through stress like it ’s not there only makes it worse . or else , he assay to give himself permission to take a break to do something relaxing or rejuvenating .
He also emphasize the importance of stress prevention practice , like exercising on a regular basis , maintaining a healthy diet , get adequate residue and not being too gruelling on yourself .
Leanna Stockard , a licensed marriage and home therapist atLifeStance Health , fit that the longer she ignores her stress , the more it linger in the back of her intellect .
“ Even the ‘ smallest ’ thing [ begin ] to experience consuming , ” she said . “ This [ leads ] to a cycle of continued cunctation and amplified accent , until [ I ’m ] at my break point and [ need ] to turn to it . ”
or else , she tries to acknowledge her feelings and distinguish if she ’s able to control any of her stressor ( for instance , by accept smaller steps toward a larger goal ) . For stressor that are beyond her control , she uses coping skills like cryptic respiration and journaling .
The Most Important Thing: Find What Works Best ForYou
Siddiqi pointed out that managing your stress may require some trial run and error . Just because a proficiency is effective for someone else does n’t mean that it will work for you . The good thing you could do is to adjudicate new practices until you distinguish single that are the most calming for you .
“ Most significantly , do n’t be afraid to require for help , ” Siddiqi say . “ As human being , we are not meant to bring around alone . ”
This article originally look onHuffPost .
