Stress Less Hack: Get Back on Track
Getting distracted can cost you time, and lost time adds to your stress. Timers are a great way to minimize lost time. For example, if you’re working on an essay and tend to go down the Wiki hole when you do online research, set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer sounds, ask yourself, “Am I still doing what I was doing when I set the timer?” If the answer is Yes, set the timer for another 5 minutes and keep working. If the answer is no, reset the timer for another 5 minutes and return to the essay. This way, if you go down the Wiki hole, you only lose 5 minutes, rather than 30 or 40 minutes, or more. You can use the timer on your phone but it’s better to use an inexpensive timer on a lanyard or string that you can hang around your neck. That way, if you walk away from your phone, you’ll hear the timer because it’s on your body. Stress Less: A Teen’s Guide to a Calm Chill Life
Stress Less Hack: Hum to Relax
Slow, deep breathing is a great way to stimulate the vagus nerve and relax your body, but there are other ways to stimulate this nerve. For example, you may not believe this, but singing and humming activate the vagus nerve. Even gargling can stimulate it. So, next time you’re feeling stressed, hum or sing your favorite tune or, if you’re alone and stressed, gargle your orange juice. Stress Less: A Teen’s Guide to a Calm Chill Life
Stress Less Hack: Two Tennis Balls
Try this stress-release skill to de-stress quickly. It combines releasing muscle tension and visualization. Here’s how it works. Grab two tennis balls, one in each hand. If you don’t have tennis balls, use balled-up washcloths or socks. Now, close your eyes and squeeze the tennis balls as you imagine squeezing toothpaste out of a tube or juice out of a lemon. Squeeze as you count to 5, then release as you spread open your hands. Squeeze again as you count to 5, then release as you spread open your hands. Repeat three times. With practice, you’ll bring on the relaxation response in a few seconds just by imagining squeezing the toothpaste or lemon and then spreading open your hands. Stress Less: A Teen’s Guide to a Calm Chill Life