How to Keep Your Head Above Water in Stressful Times
Experiencing stress is nothing we can control. But we do have the power to calm ourselves in trying times. Here are 5 tools to keep a cool head when chaos comes knocking
Party in my head: Every last thought scrambling in and out, jockeying for position, wooing for attention. The most reveling among them keep coming back for all they’ve forgotten, wanting to give it another shot, painting the brain red. A royal thought storm.
In such states of mind, when I become aware of all the construction sites of my life at once, I get my hands on paper and pen and write it all down. Every little issue. From “Where is my life going?” to “I don’t want to write that email” to “The undertone of my lipstick is too yellow.” Facing the long list of bothersome items, the rush of panic is epic. But brief. Because I also have a folder — “Ouch Folder,” I call it — in which I collect all such lists I’ve written in the past, with every single item crossed out. It’s a stark reminder that even the biggest dilemmas and pettiest monstrosities will be solved and settled eventually.
Aaaaand exhale.
We can’t change getting hit by stressful moments from time to time. When our amygdala — an area of…
