Take a deep breath. First and foremost, take a deep breath and try to put everything into perspective. Most of the time, the things that cause me stress really aren’t as big a deal as they seem or feel. But I let them build up in my mind until they become so much more worrisome. When I start to feel this way I literally stop, hit pause on what I’m doing, set everything to the side, and take a deep breath. 

Clean up your space. Something that helps me to de-stress and clear my mind is organizing and cleaning up my personal space. Whether that be my house, my office, or even my car. I always have a clearer mind when the area around me is in order. Even if I’m not at home but I know my house is a mess, it bothers me. For me, a jumbled space is a jumbled mind. So when I find myself feeling overwhelmed, I’ll find a good stopping point and set my work aside. Then I’ll systematically clean things up, even if it means going room by room until everything is back in its place. Sometimes doing this means I’ll have to work late or longer but it does wonders for my mood and productivity level. It also helps me to have an aesthetically pleasing surroundings. For example, I finally put together my office this weekend with a desk, pink chair, pretty floral arrangement, and organized files. Now I can work in a clean, beautiful space without distraction or constant thinking that I need to make myself an office. Finding order and organization keeps my stress at bay. For those with anxiety, you know this it can bring about feelings of not being in control. So taking control, even if it means cleaning your house, can be very helpful.

Make a to-do list. Another helpful method of controlling stress or a feeling of being overwhelmed is to make a list. It’s basically the same thing as cleaning your office or home but in this case, your mind. You can make lists of all sorts of things. Your household chores, work tasks, personal appointments, goals, achievements, etc. Getting them out of your head and onto paper (or electronically) can clear the chaos. Tasks and to-dos can quickly build up during the week, inducing not only stress, but a feeling of being incredibly overwhelmed. I know how easy it is to become distracted while working on a project by thoughts of all the other thing that need to get done. And soon it becomes hard to concentrate on the task at hand. I like making my to-do lists on paper because it’s easy for me to visual… writing things down helps me to remember, I can highlight them when completed, cross them off if I don’t need to do them, and can crumple up the paper and throw it away when I’m done.

Take time for yourself. I’ve always taken on too much and given myself too little in the way of self-care. I’ve come to realize that self-care is so important and can actually work wonders for productivity. For example, yesterday I had planned on working through my Sunday but then I told myself it was okay to take some time for myself to relax. I ended up waking up at 9 AM and spent the day watching numerous episodes of Reign on Netflix while drinking glazed donut coffee and eating chocolate hazelnut Oreos. Then I took a leisurely shower, answered messages while wearing a hydrating mask, curled my hair, self-tanned, and then spent more time watching Netflix. And after, I didn’t feel guilty at all because I knew I would wake up today refreshed and ready to work. It was a great stress release to let myself do nothing… nothing but what I wanted to do. And days like that are so good for the soul and the mind. 

Reward yourself. If all else fails, and you have the means, treat yourself! Whether it’s to a manicure, a massage, a cheat day full of candy, or a new pair of shoes… reward yourself for all your successes and achievements. I’m not saying you should get in the habit of quelling your anxiety with shopping, as I used to solve my problems with purchases (that’s a slippery slope), but every once and a while it’s totally okay! Rewarding your efforts is a reminder that good things come for your hard work and perseverance. And if wearing those new pumps gets you pumped (lol) about going to work, I count that as a stress relieving success!