23 Sep Inner Peace in the Midst of Outer Chaos
via Psychology Today by Suzanne Degges-White
Let’s start with the basics. To manage stress and be able to respond effectively to unexpected or unpleasant events, you need to take care of the only tool you have—your body. The best way to do this is by practicing these four key activities:
- Eat right
- Build movement and exercise into your daily schedule
- Get plenty of sleep
- Breathe
These can be hard to accomplish when we’re stressed, but practicing these basic health-promoting behaviors can really change your attitude, your mood, and your physical health!
Stop trying to be a mind reader (and don’t expect others to read your mind, either). This will just generate fears about what others are thinking that make us feel a lot worse than we’d feel if we had the satisfaction of asking a person what they are feeling and thinking.
Accept the things you cannot control or alter. First, recognize that you don’t have to control everything in your life or in the lives of those you care about. It’s just not achievable and will leave you feeling that you just didn’t do “enough.” Don’t feed the part of you that makes you feel worse about yourself!
Invest in your social support network—the value your “A team” plays in your life cannot be overstated. Connections to others support our emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. Being a part of a network of supportive friends and family strongly correlates with our sense of mattering. And when we feel that we matter to others, our feelings of happiness, safety, and security increase. Needing to ask for help does not denote failure, it actually indicates success. You’re seeking out and utilizing resources that support your well-being. Remember the gameshow, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”? Even though “phoning a friend” when you’re down won’t actually make you a “millionaire,” it can make you feel like a “million bucks” when you need a friendly ear or supportive shoulder!
… keep reading the full & original article HERE
#happiness #happy #happier #psychology #innerpeace #peace #calm