For some of us, this has been and will be the most stressful period of our lives. The pandemic and the accompanying repercussions are more than enough to wreak havoc on anyone’s sense of inner peace and bliss, making many experience anxiety and stress more than ever. Whether you’ve lost your job, a loved one (and many have lost more than one beloved person in their life), or you’re in constant fear because you have a chronic illness – this is the moment that has put all our stress-busting strategies to the ultimate test.
Have yours failed? For the most part, the strategies we’ve used for ordinary circumstances and what we can safely consider minimally stressful moments in life cannot help us cope with what’s going on right now. To help you find your own way of defeating stress and experiencing calm once again, we’ve created a list of tried and tested options that can help you lead a life of less stress, even in the midst of a pandemic.
CBD-based opportunities
When you’re under so much stress that your ordinary meditation just doesn’t cut it anymore, you can try infusing your meditations with CBD. If it’s legal in your country, you’ll likely find all kinds of alternatives to smoking cannabis, which is a great way to protect your lungs while retaining the perks of the stress-busting cannabinoids.
You can try edibles, oil, or tinctures, all of which are designed to give you just the right dose of your daily calm without causing any negative side effects. Combined with meditation, CBD can help you ditch negative thoughts and soothe yourself in times of stress.
Tobacco-free vaping instead of smoking
Too many people reach for cigarettes when they’re under tons of stress – it’s a powerful habit that’s hard to abandon. So why not try to replace it with something healthier, more pleasurable, and much better for the people around you, too? It turns out, tobacco is not the only source of nicotine to give you that soothing sensation typical for smoking.
You can switch to tobacco-free nicotine vaping with different flavors, refreshing as well as calming, and without the harmful impact caused by smoking. Made in safe and controlled ways, tobacco-free nicotine is a safer alternative that allows you to retain the ritual, but with a more flavorful, healthier edge. Add to that, people around you won’t complain about the smell, because unlike tobacco smoke, flavored vape also comes with pleasant fragrances.
Journaling to process your thoughts
When our thoughts are overwhelming, we tend to let them take over and spiral out of control. Although it’s impossible to completely control our thoughts, we can at the very least become better at understanding what leads to those anxious patterns. To do that, you can try journaling in a diary or your computer, to put your thoughts on paper, give them a coherent form, and think about them from a different perspective.
You can try freewriting, writing about your dreams, or simply have a morning routine when you spend 15 minutes outlining your worries for the day. Taking a mindful approach to journaling can help you understand yourself better, and over time, you’ll be able to recognize self-destructive thinking patterns that add more stress to your days, and change the language you use to describe yourself and your days.
Online guided yoga
We all know that being physically active can be a wonderful way to boost confidence, energy, and a feeling of positivity. Regular exercise can indeed reduce stress for the long haul, but it’s important to note that not every kind of workout fits every personality out there. So, maybe you haven’t found a gym-based program that inspires you, but then again, perhaps you cannot attend the right classes now that the pandemic is limiting your movements.
Instead, you can try online yoga classes that have both that element of a balanced workout, but also a soothing impact on your mind and soul. Yoga incorporates dedicated breathing exercises and meditative asanas that help you eliminate tension and negativity, but you also provide your body that much-needed stretching and mobility work that most of us need, spending our time sitting at home.
Essential oils in many shapes and forms
Whether you’re in the middle of spring cleaning your home, or you want to get a better night’s sleep, Mother Nature often has the perfect solution for you. In recent years, people have started using fragrant essential oils in many different forms to alleviate stress and curb the feelings of anxiety that could be causing their insomnia, tension headaches, and the like. You’ll find people swear by different applications, so you can try different options until you find what suits you the most.
Valerian and lavender are two of the most common options used today. Some like aromatherapy in a traditional sense, but you can also find diffusers that will make your space smell divine while providing that same calming effect. Then again, you can try candles that can both provide the scent and transform the atmosphere in your home – both wonderful for reducing stress. A few drops of lavender on your pillowcase can also do the trick!
Stress triggers are a natural part of the human experience. We’ll always come across situations that push us outside of our comfort zone, but some of them can become invaluable learning experiences, helping us improve how we react to stress in the first place. These are some of the less conventional, but extremely cherished options that can help you cope. Even more so, they can help you set the stage for a calmer life based on peace of mind and serenity, so that you can pursue your goals and go through difficult situations with the right mindset, ready for new challenges in life.
