Stressed Out? Chill Out.

Written by Khang Dang

That’s what a lot of people will say to you. A lot of people will tell you that you need to calm down and take a breather. People will tell you that things may not be great now, but it’ll always improve. People will tell you that these things will fix themselves and that all you have to do is sit back and relax. Stress can come in many different forms. I cannot predict or actively understand what may be happening in your life, and it is what sets us apart. While I cannot give you definitive ways to cure your stress, I can give you different outlets and different ways to think about this.

Stress is not one-dimensional. It is dynamic in the way that it can always change, and different indicators and factors can play into it. Of course, people will often have good intentions when telling you to take a breather. Even with good intent, it’s not always going to work.

There are many ways that you can tackle stress, especially with the mid-term panic that just passed over many of us. People are incredibly stressed over the big tests that they have, whether that means the tests administered in school or the big ones that seemingly decide the fate of your future.

As hard as this is gonna be, remember that stress is just a deceptively simple obstacle that you will have to endure for the entirety of your life. It’s not easy to really back out of it, especially if it is something that will stick with you like a little guy on your shoulder.

The way I like to see it is that stress isn’t exactly an obstacle. It isn’t something you can just fix. It is a part of us. No matter what we try to do, it is something that we can’t get rid of completely.

While I can’t get rid of your stress, I can tell you different ways that you can live happily whilst still managing:

1. You can channel your stress in many ways: you can use it for productivity and orientation.
   1. Productivity comes in different ways. While I do not recommend immediately getting back into the cause of your stress, I suggest that you decide to be productive in another shape and form.
      1. Production can help with self-betterment. The biggest thing that we want at the end of the day, is to make progress. It is the miniscule details that make an appearance in our own lives. That can be about working out, journaling, drawing, any skills that you would like to improve on.
      2. Choose a form of productivity that can help you feel good about yourself, because at the end of the day, you are still getting something done. Give yourself a pat on the back.
   2. Orientation, which means grounding yourself. Meditation, listening to the sound of your breathing, feeling your pulse, doing all these things to remember that you are still here. Despite everything, it is still you who is here.
      1. Take time to remember that your life is still yours. No matter what happens, you can still find yourself.
      2. Use all five senses and ground yourself, center yourself and remember where you are.

Remember, someone is still rooting for you.

But take the time to root for yourself, remember that you are still cared for and loved.

Take responsibility for yourself.

You will succeed, but give yourself the time to breathe.

Featured image by Emily Gaudet.