Stress is a reaction to a demand placed on you. This can become negative when it becomes chronic and prevents you from doing other things. To help deal with stress you can occupy your mind by exercising, doing something creative, and having a conversation.
Exercise
Exercise has more than just physical benefits. It also has many benefits for your mental state and relieving stress. Stress can take over your mind and make it hard for you to relax and function. Exercise helps to occupy your mind because it gives you physical challenges instead. You will focus less on what you are stressed about and more on the task at hand. It will help to increase your self-confidence and will cause your brain to release endorphins which will help increase your mood and relieve stress. Exercise can also have a social component that can help you have positive social interactions.
Do Something Creative
Just like exercise, doing something creative can shift your attention away from your stress and focus on the task at hand. Being creative can channel your energy into a positive activity. While you are doing something creative you may also achieve the state of flow. This is defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist as “the optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best”. During this state, your body will decrease cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase dopamine and serotonin which increase good feelings.
Have a Conversation
When you are stressed, it can help to have a meaningful conversation with someone about something not related to your stress. Having a conversation with someone stimulates different parts of your brain, such as the language and emotional components, which means that you will be more invested in the conversation than in your stress. The conversation needs to be interesting enough and with someone who is also invested in the conversation so you can keep it up for at least a few minutes. This will help you to forget about your worries and instead focus on the conversation.
Stress can be debilitating and prevent you from being productive. There are so many ways that you can help, including doing things that help to occupy your mind. When you shift your focus away from the stress and to something else, you can relieve the negative effects of stress on your body and increase feelings of well-being.
Check out this article on keeping your brain healthy and mentally fit!