When facing demands, shift your mindset from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I just need to show up and live according to my values and share information.’ This approach automatically makes situations less stressful by focusing on purpose rather than overwhelming expectations.
Reduce stress by learning to think more flexibly and allowing physical sensations to be present without judgment. This helps you move from feeling overwhelmed to having a plan and strategically approaching challenges.
Prevent acute stress from becoming chronic by learning to unhook from incessantly re-experiencing upsetting incidents. This kindness to yourself stops the cycle of replaying events and their physical effects, transforming chronic stress into something temporary.
Instead of trying to stop overthinking entirely, create specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive goals. For example, commit to not thinking about work during specific hours to be more present with family or for personal time.
Designate a specific, limited ‘rumination time’ (e.g., 4:00-4:20 PM) to open up all your worries with full attention. This transforms an all-day stress habit into a mindful, controlled session, often making worries feel boring or less incessant.
Engage in expressive writing by detailing a distressing event with full emotions, exploring how it affected your past and present life. This deep processing, done for three days, can significantly reduce rumination and depression by allowing yourself to truly feel and gain closure.
When stuck in rumination, quickly get absorbed in something else, even simple sensory observations like noticing three sights, three sounds, and three sensations. This helps you re-enter the moment and provides a quick reset from stressful thoughts.
Practice cognitive diffusion by taking your thoughts lightly, seeing them as ‘Plato rather than cement.’ A favorite technique is singing your unhelpful thoughts to a familiar tune, which can make them lose their grip and remind you they are just combinations of letters and sounds.
Identify which of the three states of mind (emotion, reasonable, wise) you are currently in. Simply labeling your state, such as ’emotion mind,’ can help you take a step back and see more clearly, preventing you from taking unhelpful thoughts too seriously.
To integrate facts, feelings, and intuition, practice accessing ‘wise mind’ by slowing down, breathing in ‘wise’ and out ‘mind,’ and leaning into the pauses between breaths. This helps counteract the reactive, fast, and impulsive nature of emotion mind.
For a quick physiological reset, submerge your face in a salad bowl full of ice water for 30 seconds while holding your breath (avoid if you have a heart condition). This activates the vagus nerve, slowing your heart rate and redirecting blood flow to quiet the mind and regulate the body.
Slow your breathing down to five seconds for an inhale and five seconds for an exhale. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to calm and regulate your body and mind.
Employ the TIP acronym for intense urges or overthinking: Temperature (ice face), Intense Exercise (90 seconds of squat jumps/burpees), Paced Breathing (5-second in/out), and Progressive Muscle Relaxation (tensing and releasing muscles). This combination quickly changes your chemistry and bodily response to high-stress situations.
Approach life with willingness (‘hell yes’) rather than willfulness (‘hell no’), especially in situations beyond your control like traffic. This attitude embodies acceptance and helps you be more effective and agreeable, aligning your actions with your values.
Take time to reflect on your fundamental core beliefs about yourself and others (e.g., ‘I’m unlovable,’ ‘people can’t be trusted’). Getting clear on these beliefs helps you recognize when they are triggered and how they influence your behavior.
Once you identify your core beliefs, purposefully act in ways that transcend them, especially when they are triggered. For example, if you believe you don’t belong, actively pursue communities you wish to join, or if you believe others can’t be trusted, strategically lean in to increase trust.
Instead of dreading stressful situations, ‘cope ahead’ by mentally and logistically preparing for things to go right. Imagine yourself successfully navigating a difficult conversation or situation, as mental rehearsal uses the same brain parts needed for actual performance.
If you anticipate specific physical symptoms of panic (e.g., racing heart, shortness of breath) in stressful situations, deliberately recreate those symptoms in a safe space. This helps you develop a ‘been there, done that’ attitude, reducing catastrophic interpretations and fostering learned optimism about their temporary nature.
When feeling overwhelmed or acting problematically, use the STOP acronym: Slow down, Take a step back, Observe, and Proceed mindfully. This quick technique helps you gain awareness and control, allowing for more effective responses.
To ground yourself, dig your heels into the floor, feeling the earth’s support, and perform a quick three-point check: ‘What am I thinking? What am I feeling? What am I doing right now?’ This brings awareness back to the present moment and what is helpful.
Adopt a ‘half-smiling’ facial expression by slightly raising the upper corners of your lips. This automatically releases tension in your brow and makes it difficult to get lost in judgmental thoughts or overthinking, promoting a sense of serenity.
When an emotion is not serving you, do the opposite of what it compels you to do. If you feel tired and don’t want to go to the gym, go; if you feel annoyed, lead with kindness. This allows you to design and embody the life you want to live.
Engage in a three-minute mindfulness practice daily, which is a treatment found to be as helpful as antidepressants in preventing relapse into depression. This accessible meditation can be found on platforms like YouTube or specific apps.
If prescribed benzodiazepines for severe panic, consider using them as a temporary ‘bridge’ to facilitate exposure therapy, rather than as a standing dose. This strategy allows you to gradually face fears while tapering medication, promoting self-mastery and avoiding dependence.