Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Everyone feels stress or anxiety from time to time.
Stress is often a general response to an external cause. Stress goes away when the situation resolves. Stress can be both positive and negative. It may inspire you to meet a deadline, or it may cause you to lose sleep.
Anxiety is often internal and is a reaction to stress. Anxiety can be constant and can often interfere with how you live day to day life.
Here are some ways you can cope with stress and anxiety:
- Keep a journal.
- Download an app that provides relaxation exercises (such as deep breathing or visualization) or tips for practicing mindfulness, which is a psychological process of actively paying attention to the present moment.
- Exercise, and make sure you are eating healthy, regular meals.
- Stick to a sleep routine, and make sure you are getting enough sleep.
- Avoid drinking excess caffeine such as soft drinks or coffee.
- Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts.
- Reach out to your friends or family members who help you cope in a positive way.
If you or a loved one need more help, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This service connects people with trained crisis counselors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text 988 or chat at https://988lifeline.org/. For more information on mental health, please visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/.