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In a time where everyone is hustling and striving to be an entrepreneur and do their own thing, it’s easy to forget to take time to yourself and relax. I’ve found myself in more than one scenario where I’ve bitten off more than I can chew and ended up drowning in work and stress. Over the years, I’ve picked up some tricks here and there that I found were helpful for when I felt anxious or stressed out about my workload or life in general. I know plenty of people who struggle with some level of anxiety or stress so I thought I’d share my tips in hopes they’ll help you if you’re ever in need of some chilling out! 

How I Deal with Anxiety and Stress

Use the Headspace App/Calm App

I know a lot of people who still think these apps are hoax-y but I will personally tell you that they are GREAT. And no I am not getting paid to say this! I first discovered guided meditation apps in my first year of university. I, like the rest of the nay-sayers, thought that this was super lame and a huge waste of time. I definitely do not use the app every day but I’ve found myself reaching for the app at least twice a month for the past year. I mainly enjoy using the app before bed to direct my mind to a place of rest. I used to be someone who struggles with thinking about WAY too many things before sleeping—and have found myself lying awake for hours at a time thinking about nothing and everything. Thankfully I have gotten past that phase in my life and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. But even so, I still really enjoy using the app to clear my mind before falling asleep. I’ve noticed that doing so ensures I have a long, deep sleep every time. ??

Do Yoga

Much like the meditation apps, yoga helps with anxiety because it forces you to breathe while giving you the much-needed tension-relief with stretching. Now I’m not saying you should get down in a downward dog before you head into an interview (although that may not be the worst idea… just do it at home). But giving yourself the time to center yourself with yoga every day could definitely play a huge part in preventing anxiety from ever happening.

I’ve also enjoyed practicing yoga after a long stressful day to re-center myself and promote relaxation in my body and mind before bed. I am a girl who loves and treasures her sleep, so anything that will help me get shut eye until day light is a winner in my books.

Go for a long walk

This is something that definitely isn’t for everyone but is something that has really worked for me. Whenever I am feeling a lot of anxiety, for whatever reason, I like to just get outside, plug in my headphones, and just start walking. My walks range from minutes to hours. I try not to give myself a time limit, and just walk until I am feeling better.

This works for me because it gives me plenty of time to figure whatever it is I need to figure out while providing me with lots and lots of fresh air.

Apply a lotion with a calming scent

I got sent the Lush Sleepy Body Lotion and pretty much learned that this stuff is like crack to me. The light scent of lavender, tonka, and cocoa butter creates a perfect relaxing body lotion. I’ve made it a ritual of mine to slather this stuff all over my body before bed to give myself the most relaxed, deep, aromatherapy sleep ever. It’s definitely called Sleepy for a reason! If there was a candle in this scent I would have it burning constantly.

The lotion consistency is super creamy and is a heavier moisturizer so I wouldn’t recommend applying this right before putting on clothes or going out. But for an at-home body lotion, this is the puuuurfect product.

Running Your Wrists Under Cold Water

This is one that I saw on a TV show and decided to try one day when I was all out of options. It’s definitely the weirdest one out of the bunch but was actually very effective. All you do for this is one is:

  • Turn on the faucet to cold
  • Let the water run until it’s cold
  • Run you wrists underneath the streaming cold water
  • Take ten deep breaths

Warning: your wrists will get VERY cold. But for some reason this has worked every time I’ve tried and it has quickly become a great way to get some instant anxiety relief.

So those are my tips and tricks to relieving stress and anxiety! If you have any tricks that you love, share them with me in the comments below or tweet me @angelzhng.

Until next time,

Angel Zheng

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