Stress Management, Drink, Drugs and Habits
My complete lack of understanding of just how exactly to manage stress led me to some very dark and lonely roads in my life. I turned gambling, drinking, drugs and god only knows what other subconscious self sabotaging nonsense as a means of coping with stress.
All of these outlets had the uncanny ability of increasing my levels of stress by adding several unhealthy helpings of consequences such as paranoia, guilt, reputation destruction, depression and shame just to name a few. I truly believed at the time I was just a “fuck up” and when things got stressful I found a way to exit, if this meant turning my life upside down so I had an excuse to quit things…so be it.
Over indulgence in bad habits led me to search out methods to change. The pain of not changing was becoming unbearable, I wasn’t sure exactly if I had an addictive personality, a discipline problem or perhaps a combination of the two. All I did know was I needed to manage my stress differently instead of turning to the bottle or the dust in the bag.
There are several things I changed in my life to escape these soul crushing vices but the adoption of several key habits was single handily the thing that changed my life.
“You win the morning, You win the day”
By the time 3pm rolls around it’s too late to try and apply positive habits to your day. Life has already bombarded you with problems, your energy is low, tiredness and stress are often at their highest and you’re likely to reach for that bottle soon enough. It is only before our day truly begins we are with blessed with the opportunity to put ourselves in the correct mindset to tackle life’s problems.
My Routine
7.30AM — Rise and Read
When I wake up I take a few minutes to get myself together and then immediately read something that preaches purpose over pleasure. This is often stoic teachings or self improvement material from a few select authors. I am inherently negative in the morning so feeding my mind with positivity, philosophy and purpose driven reading material is a must.
8.00AM- Cold Shower
Apart from the health benefits of improving blood circulation and just the general feeling of being more alert I take cold showers for another reason. The main reason is that I really don’t want to take them at all, there is not one day I want to get in that freezing cold shower but I do anyway….I repeat, I DO IT ANYWAY. I am training my brain to do things even when I feel uncomfortable. I always leave the shower with a little smirk on my face because when I am done it truly feels like I have overcome something.
8.20AM- Large Breakfast
Several studies have been conducted on the relationship between breakfast consumption and mental health with conflicting results. In many studies skipping breakfast was positively associated with odds of depression, stress and psychological distress in all age groups and anxiety in adolescence.
8.45AM — Meditate
I could write for days on the benefits of meditation but for me the daily practice of meditation lowers my anxiety, declutters my mind, improves my general mood and allows me to cope with life’s daily struggles in a calm a productive way. Meditation is truly a gift for the overactive and anxious mind.
9AM — Work
By the time work rolls around I have several wins in my belt, my confidence is high, my mind is calm and I am ready to face the day. When difficult or stressful situations arise in work I now see them as an opportunity for growth as a opposed to a opportunity for self sabotage myself and escape.
12 Noon — Exercise
Working remotely I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to exercise on my lunch break . It would be disingenuous to say I do this daily, currently it’s 3 days a week and something I need to level up in.
Changing the routine
I have switched up my routine on several occasions and I am planning to make some changes to it again in the near future again. Waking up earlier and stacking more wins before my day begins being the overall goal. That being said all of the habits I mentioned above will still be a must. They are the core habits that led me off that dark depressing road to a more hopeful and loving place.
I hope you enjoyed the read and if you are going through a difficult time please try and adopt some of these habits as your own.
