Avoid stimulants: If you are stressed, you should avoid all caffeine and alcohol - this includes chocolate! Nicotine is bad too, but quitting smoking is hard when under extreme stress.
Avoid unhealthy stress-coping mechanisms: Avoid alcohol and drugs, anxiety pills, overeating, oversleeping, procrastinating, withdrawing from friends.
Avoid negativity and pessimism: Don’t talk negatively and don’t spend time with others who do.
Don’t be too busy: It is a poor coping mechanism to fill every minute of the day with activities to avoid facing the source of your stress, including avoiding your feelings.
Get a good night’s sleep: Sometimes, a single night of 8-10 hours of sleep can relax and rejuvenate, and help you conquer that stress. Make sure to plan in nights and days to get the sleep you need when you have too many in a row that are shallow sleep or not enough.
Keep a positive journal: 1) for gratitude, writing down what you are grateful for, and to whom you are grateful. This is a good ritual in order to feel those good feelings over and over, releasing thoughts and feelings of unhappy or stressful experiences from the day. Read to them out loud what you have written. 2)You can also keep a joy journal, writing down the names and reasons that others made a difference in your life, or, to write down stories and experiences that make you laugh and feel good; felt love or moved by someone or something. These practices also support your adrenal system to be healthier, affecting your whole body positively.
Get out of yourself: Listen to your ideas for helping others and turn thoughts into action — make a donation, volunteer, write a letter, join an organization, enlist your friends.
Keep a health and wellness journal: Keep a calendar and write about your physical ups an downs to keep track of irregular health and possible need for a visit to your doctor (it’s too easy to dismiss physical issues if they are not written down and tracked.)
See your doctor: Routine check ups are great. Prevention is the best medicine.
Write it out: When you feel stressed about something, sit down and write it out. Organizing your thoughts helps to take the emotions out and may lead to the solutions and the “aha!” you’ve been seeking - and you will feel better.
