10 Tips to Reduce Stress Quickly During COVID19
To say that these days of social distancing, quarantine, economic crisis, and COVID19 are stressful times would be the understatement of a pandemic! We’re all looking for ways to manage stress during this time, so we turned to our Harper Therapy team for 10 Tips to Reduce Stress Quickly During COVID19.
Chris:
I am the type of person that needs to be busy, I have found that working on tasks at home, home projects, give me a sense of accomplishment, feeling of control, and keep me active and looking forward. Wall repair, paint touch ups, organizing / sorting / cleaning draws, cabinets, etc. It is free, helps me work through resistance, and focus on what I have, not what I don’t have.
Cooking - my Nana always said that cooking involves love. We have been taking the time to plan and prepare meals and also teach my kids how to cook. It is healthy, productive and cost effective.
Sex and intimacy, less to do on a daily basis, more time together, why not. Touch feels good, sharing feels good, it is a great way to be present and connect on a mental, physical, and emotional level, it is definitely a good way to reduce stress.
Yiara:
Breathing and doing the 3...2...1 grounding and refocus technique. Breathing through nose and out through mouth, as I am identifying 3 things I can hear (auditory), 3 things I can feel (tactile), 3 things I can see (visual). Then going to 2 things I can hear, feel, see, then going to 1 thing I can hear, feel, see. All the time breathing deeply and consciously. If you journal right after this exercise, you will notice how much more relaxed your mind and body feel.
During this period of work from home, at the end of the day my eyes are tired of looking at the computer. Too tired to read, which usually relaxes me, so I have opted to get audiobooks from the library and/or listen to podcasts for at least 30 minutes.
View the world through child’s eyes. My 5 year old gives me perspective. She doesn’t know exactly what is going on, yet she adjusts to e-learning while enjoying seeing her friends via computer and doing her homework right after. She is dancing it out and singing all the Disney songs she knows. So I am belting out songs and having serious dance offs with her to let the body release pent up energy. It's totally one of my favorite ways to reduce the stress I'm feeling!
Jennifer:
Go for a walk and engage in some mindfulness activities. During the walk listen to your favorite music or take time to notice your surroundings without music. Ex: notice colors and how many pink colors you notice, what sounds you hear or what you smell
Listen to a guided meditation app or podcast and listen to cues on how to monitor your breath and let go of tension you are holding in your body
Give yourself permission to take time to color, draw or do something creative to get your mind off anxious thoughts you are holding and allow your mind to focus on task at hand
Yolanda:
Schedule a therapy appointment. Harper Therapy is open and scheduling online sessions during this time of social distancing. If you’ve been in therapy before, you know how helpful it can be to meet with someone who can offer you a different perspective and fresh tools to handle the stressors in your life. Online therapy is JUST AS HELPFUL and can be a game-changer to get you through this time. If you’ve never been in therapy before, but are feeling overwhelmed with trying to face this uniquely difficult citation on your own, now’s the time to give therapy a try. You’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll feel after a session.
Harper Therapy is scheduling online sessions at this time. You can find out more about our services by visiting www.harpertherapy.com. If you’d like to find out how our skilled to can help with your specific needs, call 813-434-3639 to schedule a FREE consultation.
