Stress management methods include

Will you feel more comfortable after using it? Will there be any additional burden?

When I was working as an e-commerce operator in 2022 to rush for the 618 promotion, I slept less than 4 hours a day for 16 consecutive days. The Chinese Psychological Society's 2023 survey on the mental state of working people also supports this: 62.7% of the respondents have tried at least 3 stress management methods, but less than 20% can persist for more than one month. The reason why most people give up is that "they are more anxious because they cannot complete the required tasks."

Let’s talk about the most urgent situation first: you are now facing the 8th version of the plan, your boss will hold a review meeting in 5 minutes, WeChat is still posting the customer’s revision opinions, and your heart is beating so fast. Don’t think about long-term planning at this time. Methods that can quickly pull you back from the edge of collapse are good methods. The one I use most often is three 478 breaths: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale slowly for 8 seconds. Most of the time, I can suppress my soaring heart rate after doing it. Of course, some people say that this method is useless. Some researchers from the cognitive behavioral school even pointed out that for some people with acute anxiety attacks, deliberately controlling breathing will aggravate the feeling of suffocation. Then you can clench your fists and hold them for 10 seconds before suddenly releasing them, or go to the bathroom and slap your face twice with cold water, or even secretly go to the stairwell and yell twice. As long as it does not affect others, there is no standard answer to how to do it.

If you have been unable to get motivated in the past week or two, slumped on the sofa after get off work and stayed in a daze until midnight, and feel tired no matter what you do, then your body is sending you a signal that you need to make mid-term adjustments. I have tried the "stress list method" that is very popular on the Internet before: take a piece of white paper and write down all the things that make you upset, no matter how big or small. It can be as big as "I have to pay back the 8,000 mortgage payment next month" or as small as "The cat's litter box hasn't been shoveled in three days." When you write it down, you will find that half of the things are unreasonable worries that have not happened yet, and 80% of the remaining half are small things that can be solved in 10 minutes. Of course, this method is not suitable for everyone. My former colleague said that the longer she queued, the more annoying she became. She cried when she looked at a page full of to-dos. Later, she simply gave up all "scientific methods" and walked around the company for 20 minutes after get off work every day. While walking, she complained to her friends about the idiot Party A. After walking for half a month, she returned to her best state. The core essence is actually the same: either break down the vague anxiety into specific problems that can be solved, or temporarily withdraw your attention from the source of stress and give your brain a different runway to breathe.

As for the long-term stress management system, there is no need to follow other people's templates. Many popular science says that aerobic exercise for more than 30 minutes three times a week can steadily increase serotonin levels and reduce basal cortisol. This does have physiological basis, but if you hate running, don’t force yourself to suffer. I have a friend who forced herself to run 5 kilometers every morning in order to reduce stress. During the run, all she could think about was "Why do I have to get up and suffer like this?" After running for half a month, her insomnia worsened. Later, she changed to taking pottery classes twice a week, playing with mud on her hands, and falling asleep when she got home. Half a year later, her cortisol level dropped directly to the normal range during the physical examination. Some people like to write a diary every week to review their emotions, and some people like to save up enough vacation time and go live in the mountains for two days without signal. My current way to reduce stress is to watch silly cat videos for 10 minutes every day before going to bed. Regardless of whether the method sounds "advanced", as long as it can keep you in a stable emotional state for a long time, it is the most suitable for you.

By the way, if you have tried many methods to no avail, and have had insomnia for more than half a month, can't eat, and are no longer interested in the things you used to like, don't force yourself to do it. Talk to a professional psychological counselor. This is not a shameful thing. It's the same as seeing a doctor when you have a cold. There is no single perfect answer to stress management. Your comfort is more important than anything else.