Welcome Back! I Don't Know About You Guys, but when I'm in the midst of a big project or personal change I tend to put HUGE amounts of stress, on my self! I try to keep my thoughts under control and my high expectations down but when things don't go as I hope, I can be really hard on myself. As I get older, I've learned to get a bit better at dealing! So today, I'm sharing ways to deal with self-inflicted stress! Scroll down for more!

So I've been hinting at the fact that I'm going through quite a bit of a change in my life. And with this change, comes stress, anxiety, no sleep and feelings of failure all coming from within (my own thoughts). I've had to get creative during my university days and I've come up with a few different ways to deal with stress, some you've heard of, others might sound a little crazy, can't hurt to try. So, let's dive in!

Ever found yourself stressing yourself out more than anyone else?! I HAVE! So tonight I'm sharing my 10 Ways of dealing with Pressure and Self Inflicted Stress! Click here and learn how to just...CHILL!

EVALUATE. DON'T SPECULATE: If you're worrying about the way things might go...you're only doing yourself further disservice. You're hindering your own success but worrying about the coulda's. The more you prepare/study, the better off you will be where you don't have to worry about failing, and rather knowing and believing in your success!
PACE YOURSELF: The beauty of taking on something new, is you usually have the date of necessary completion. Which means you're usually given ample opportunity to pace yourself and set yourself up for success! If you don't get enough time to prepare yourself the way you'd like, make due with what you have and set out your "POA" - plan of action, if you weren't given one before. There's nothing like feeling like you have a plan and steps to take next!
STOP + BREATH + LISTEN: My thoughts of fear and anxiety can quickly run wild! So What I usually do (which has come with a lot of practice but helps SO MUCH) is stop whatever I'm doing, sit back, take a few deep breaths in and out and recall my last thoughts. Recognize what they're saying, HOW they're making me feel and the EMOTION they're coming from. I then begin to backtrack and rebutle my own negative thoughts. Sometimes the negative thoughts get out of control, but if you try you can always pull them back in and gain control!
THINK IT POSITIVE: In the midst of all the negative thoughts, once I've recognized my thoughts and regained control I FLOOD my mind with positive thoughts about what it is I'm doing. Positive thoughts are always stronger than negative thoughts, you just have to be able to pull them in!
GET OUTTA MY HEAD: When I'm unable to get a hold of my thoughts, I take some time to just stop thinking for a while. This means (unfortunately) doing some mindless movie/tv watching! I'll usually pick something that requires me to pay attention, no That 70's Show binge watching for the 10th time, that's too easy. Get your mind focused on something completely different!
GET OUTTA THE HOUSE: Another temporary stress reliever is a physical activity. Going to the gym is high on my list, or doing ANY activity that requires your energy! Been wanting to go to the escape room, head there! Wanted to try out that new krav maga class or ax throwing, DO IT! Go DO SOMETHING to first, take a break from what you're likely wrapped up in every other hour of the day and, secondly, to get your temperature rising and maybe even release some endorphin's! Sometime stepping away is JUST what someone needs to regain control!
DANCE IT OUT: Nothing releases endorphin's like dancing! I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK YOU CAN OR CAN'T.....DANCE. Play one of those songs you know you can always shake it to and just shake it off, shake the fear, anxiety, worry, just shake it all off and dance around!
TAKE SOME TIME TO R&R: A bubble bath. A hot shower, a face mask and some soothing music. Take some time to let your mind rest and take CARE OF YOUR BODY as well. There's nothing like settling in and just letting your body relax. You need to rejuvenate before you can get back to whatever it is you're stressing yourself about.
TALK IT OUT: Boyfriend? Mom? Bestie around? Talk out your worries. Confide in people. Let them be the listening ear your need. Sometimes just talking about what is troubling you helps you to move on! Get it out. Scream it out. Cry it out. Just release it from your mind so you can go on thinking of other things!
WRITE IT OUT: Sometimes writing it out helps you feel like you're moving these thoughts from your mind, to the paper and once they're there, they're released. Sometimes I'll do this and give myself ONE LAST CRY....and then I fight myself to never go backwards. Once you're stuck in an unhealthy cycle, it's the hardest cycle to break.

So do yourself a favor, and TRUST yourself. Allow yourself the time needed to get through this without giving yourself a crushing amount of pressure....you're only hurting yourself!!

I hope this post helps you get through your final exams, get through writing that essay, applying for that job, starting that course. YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO IT OR ELSE YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO THE SITUATION IN THE FIRS PLACE. So, why let doubt to creep in now!!!