Category Stress

Diet Tips to Help Manage Your Stress Naturally – Managing stress naturally often begins with your eating habits. There are certain foods you should be avoiding, such as caffeine and high amounts of sugar, because they tend to make stress worse over time. However, there are also a lot of diet recommendations for stress relief, including the following foods.

Eat More Complex Carbs

Diet Tips to Help Manage Your Stress Naturally – The good thing about this diet tip is that not only will it help with stress, but it is a good healthy dieting guideline to keep for overall health and even weight loss. Complex carbs take longer to digest, which can help you maintain your energy and stabilize blood sugar levels. They include whole grain and whole wheat bread, pasta, cereal, and rice. Having some oatmeal or overnight oats can also be great if you are trying to eat more complex carbs. You want to try and avoid refined carbs, like white bread, white rice, and regular pasta.

Load Up on Veggies | Diet Tips to Help Manage Your Stress Naturally

Have Some Dark Chocolate | Diet Tips to Help Manage Your Stress Naturally

Diet Tips to Help Manage Your Stress Naturally – Believe it or not, there are some sweet treats you can have if you want to reduce your stress, but you should go for the dark chocolate varieties. While you often want to indulge in a lot of sweet candies and baked goods, the temporary stress relief can lead to a lot more issues. However, dark chocolate is good for you, tends to be lower in fat and calories, and also has tons of antioxidants. These antioxidants will help to balance out the stress hormones in our body, thus reducing your stress levels.

Choose Fatty Fish | Diet Tips to Help Manage Your Stress Naturally

Diet Tips to Help Manage Your Stress Naturally – For lunch or dinner, try to add some fatty fish at least 2-3 days a week. It is low in fat and high in protein, plus it is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. These are also high up on the list of nutrients that help with excessive amounts of stress. Try fatty fish like tuna, salmon, and mackerel.

Therapy in Brandon  

If you find that you’re feeling stuck more than often, or you’re noticing that your anxiety or trauma is especially high during the winter season, know that you’re not alone, we encourage you to reach out. Our counsellor here at Bliss Counselling & Wellness Centre have experience working with anxiety, stress, grief, trauma, depression, and so much more. We offer both in-person and online services. To learn more, reach out to us at 431-302-8803, or go here and fill out an online form!

Journaling Tips – Your teens and pre-teens are dealing with a lot of different emotions, and could use a way to release those emotions and thoughts in a safe way. Journaling can do that for them, and it is so flexible and easy to do, that it really is great for all adolescents. Here are some tips to help your teens start journaling.

Start Small | Journaling Tips

Journaling doesn’t have to be an all-encompassing activity; you can start small by taking just five or ten minutes each day to write down your thoughts. You might want to start by writing about what happened during the day or how you were feeling, then you can move on from there. Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start; just let your words flow freely and see where they take you.

Find a Journal You Love | Journaling Tips

Use Different Writing Tools, Stickers, and Embellishments

Journaling Tips – In addition to the journal and writing tools, you can get them some other tools as well. Teens who are on the creative side might want to add more color, doodles, or designs to their journal pages. This is super easy to do with colored pencils, watercolors, embellishments, stickers, and other similar items. These can be really inexpensive, and make a huge difference in how motivated your teens are to use their journal.

Keep Your Journal Private | Journaling Tips

Journaling Tips – It is really important that you make a promise to your teens that their journals will remain private and confidential. If they have any fears of someone (like a younger sibling) reading their journals, they won’t be as open and honest as they could be, which does diminish some of the potential benefits of this writing practice. Give them somewhere they can lock up their journals, or even get a diary with a key if they would feel more comfortable with that.

Writing Ideas | Journaling Tips

Journaling Tips – There are a lot of journal prompts out there, but many of them are geared towards adults. For teens and pre-teens, look for journal prompts about school, friends, getting ready for college, and this sort of thing. Here are some examples of great writing topics for teens:

• What does your ideal life look like?
• What do you want to major in?
• What college are you interested in?
• What are your future career plans?
• Where you would move to if you could move anywhere after high school?
• Talk about your BFFs
• What subjects do you love in school?
• Which subjects do you always dread?
• How do you like spending your free time?

Set Goals

Journaling Tips – You can also use journaling as a way of setting goals for yourself and tracking your progress over time. For example, if you want to learn a new skill or get better grades in school, write down what your goal is and then break it down into smaller steps that you need to take in order to achieve it. This will help keep you motivated and focused on reaching your goals. 

Creating Space for Reflection | Journaling Tips

Journaling can also be used as a tool for reflection and self-discovery. Take some time each day (or week) to reflect on what has been happening in your life recently – both the good and the bad – and consider what lessons you can learn from these experiences. You might want to think about how these experiences have impacted your relationships with others or how they have shaped your outlook on life going forward.

Journaling is incredibly powerful tools that can help teens cope with stress, anxiety, and other emotions that they may not be able to express verbally. It provides them with an outlet for their thoughts and feelings while also teaching them useful skills such as goal setting, self-reflection, and creative expression. For parents looking for ways to support their teens during this challenging time in their lives, encouraging them to start a journal is one of the best things that they can do! Check out our shop here.

Therapy in Brandon  

If you find that you’re feeling stuck more than often, or you’re noticing that your anxiety or trauma is especially high during the winter season, know that you’re not alone, we encourage you to reach out. Our counsellor here at Bliss Counselling & Wellness Centre have experience working with anxiety, stress, grief, trauma, depression, and so much more. We offer both in-person and online services. To learn more, reach out to us at 431-302-8803, or go here and fill out an online form!

Holidays and Mental Health: 6 Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas – The holidays can be a time of great joy and cheer, but it can also come with extra stress and anxiety. For those who have mental health concerns, the hustle and bustle of the season can be overwhelming. This holiday season, make sure you’re prepared to care for your mental health by taking some beneficial steps in advance. Here are some tips for having a stress-free Christmas.

Prioritize Self-Care

Setting Boundaries | Holidays and Mental Health: 6 Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas

It is important to set boundaries during the holidays, especially when it comes to managing stress. Don’t feel obligated to attend every party or function you are invited too. Don’t worry if you can’t afford all the gifts you would like to buy your loved ones, or if there is not enough time to bake everyone’s favorite holiday treats. It is OK to say no and set boundaries around what you can reasonably do during this busy time of year.

Creating a Routine

Routines are an important part of staying mentally healthy, especially when your schedule changes drastically due to holidays and vacations. Try incorporating activities that make you feel relaxed into your daily routine – things like yoga, meditation, or reading a book – all great for helping reduce stress levels and promoting relaxation. If possible, establish a sleep schedule and stick with it throughout the holidays so that your body gets used to going to bed at a certain time each night which helps maintain both physical and mental health.

Practicing Gratitude | Holidays and Mental Health: 6 Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas

Set Boundaries

The holidays are often filled with friends and family gathering together for celebrations. While this is certainly enjoyable, it can also be stressful if you feel like there’s too much pressure on you from social obligations or expectations from others. To prevent this kind of overwhelm, set boundaries in advance about how much time and energy you want to dedicate to different activities or events over the course of the Christmas season. This will help ensure that you aren’t feeling overwhelmed or stressed out by all the holiday preparations or events.

Seek Professional Help | Holidays and Mental Health: 6 Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas

If your holiday stress starts to become too overwhelming, there’s no shame in seeking professional help from a mental health specialist. A qualified therapist can offer advice and support on how to manage your feelings during this time while providing valuable insight into any underlying issues that may be causing your distress. Don’t hesitate to reach out if needed; sometimes a few simple conversations with a trained expert can make all the difference in helping you get through trying times like these!                                                                                                                           

Caring for your mental health during the holiday season is just as important as any other time of year—if not more so! Taking small steps like prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries with others, and reaching out for professional help when needed can go a long way towards making sure that this Christmas is one filled with peace and joy instead of stress and anxiety. Be kind to yourself this holiday season!

Therapy in Brandon

If you find that you’re feeling stuck more than often, or you’re noticing that your anxiety is especially high during the fall season, know that you’re not alone, we encourage you to reach out. Our counsellor here at Bliss Counselling & Wellness Centre have experience working with anxiety, stress, grief, trauma, depression, and so much more. We offer both in-person and online services. To learn more, reach out to us at 431-302-8803, or go here and fill out an online form!

6 Holistic Tips For Reducing Holiday Stress  – The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time of year, yet for many people the holidays can be filled with stress and anxiety. From buying presents to traveling and dealing with family dynamics, there are plenty of things that can increase our stress levels during this special time of year. So how can we best cope with holiday stress? Let’s look at some effective strategies for managing our emotions during the holiday season.

1). Identify Your Sources of Stress | 6 Holistic Tips For Reducing Holiday Stress

6 Holistic Tips For Reducing Holiday Stress – One of the first steps in managing holiday stress is identifying the sources that are causing it. It could be something as simple as feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks you have to complete or it could be something more complicated like family dynamics or financial worries. Once you identify your sources of stress, you can then take action to address them.

2). Practice Self-Care | 6 Holistic Tips For Reducing Holiday Stress

3). Take Time for Yourself

The best way to combat stress is to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself first. This means setting aside time each day for yourself—even if it’s just 10 minutes—where you can do something that relaxes you such as reading a book or journaling. Taking a break away from all the hustle and bustle will help give you perspective and allow you to come back refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes next.

4). Set Realistic Expectations | 6 Holistic Tips For Reducing Holiday Stress

5). Set Boundaries

6 Holistic Tips For Reducing Holiday Stress – If certain tasks or interactions are causing too much stress during the holidays, it may be necessary to set boundaries so that you don’t feel overwhelmed or taken advantage of. For example, if spending too much money on gifts is a source of stress for you then set a budget and sticks to it! If planning family dinners is too much work then delegate tasks among other relatives so everyone has an equal share in making sure everything runs smoothly. Setting boundaries will help ensure that your needs are being met while also ensuring that everyone else’s needs are being respected as well.

6). Focus on What You Can Control

Finally, try not to focus too much on things that are out of your control such as other people’s behavior or events beyond your control. Instead, focus on what you can actually control such as planning ahead for events or ensuring that everyone has what they need when they come over for dinner or other festivities. Taking small steps every day towards your goal will help ensure that everything runs more smoothly in the end. 

The holidays should be a happy and enjoyable time but they can often become stressful if we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by all the tasks we have to do and all the expectations we put on ourselves. By taking some proactive steps such as identifying our sources of stress, practicing self-care, and setting boundaries we can better manage our emotions this holiday season so that we can truly enjoy all the festivities without feeling overwhelmed or burnt out! Happy Holidays!

Therapy in Brandon

If you find that you’re feeling stuck more than often, or you’re noticing that your anxiety is especially high during the fall season, know that you’re not alone, we encourage you to reach out. Our counsellor here at Bliss Counselling & Wellness Centre have experience working with anxiety, stress, grief, trauma, depression, and so much more. We offer both in-person and online services. To learn more, reach out to us at 431-302-8803, or go here and fill out an online form!

6 Hacks for Burnout and Overwhelm – Dealing with burnout or being overwhelmed are both consequences of high amounts of stress. With overwhelm, you might be experiencing stress for a long time, which leads you to becoming overwhelmed with everything you are thinking and dealing with at the same time.

Burnout is similar, though it is typically when you become so exhausted mentally and physically, then it can affect your work, motivation, and energy.

Here are some hacks and tips that will help you to overcome both burnout and overwhelm.

1. A Healthy Body Means a Healthy Mind

Getting past your burnout, stress, and overwhelm always starts with your physical health. Not just because stress can affect you physically and actually make you ill, but because when you eat right and exercise, it has a long list of benefits for you.

If you want a healthy mind, you need to start with a healthy body. This means eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains. Get regular exercise and don’t forget to drink your water each day.

These small changes will make a big difference in your physical health, which will in turn help your mental health as well.

2. Stop Focusing on Time | 6 Hacks for Burnout and Overwhelm

Everything is always about time. Making time for your family, making time for work, looking at the clock every few minutes during your workday, trying to get out of the house with enough time to spare. All of this focus on time, whether it is time you feel you wasted, time to get stuff done, and feeling like your time is running out, causes a lot of unnecessary stress.

There are certain aspects of life where time is relevant, such as getting to an appointment or meeting on time, but don’t make your entire life revolve around time. It can be very overwhelming.

3. Stay Mindful of Positive Changes and a Better Outlook

When you have full-on burnout, it can be hard to use standard stress relief methods. By this point, you are having trouble just getting the bare minimum done, especially when you add in stress and overwhelm at the same time.

Instead of putting too much pressure on yourself, just start slow. One excellent “hack” to use is to be mindful during one moment every day. During that moment, give yourself a few minutes to re-focus your energy from a negative thing to a positive thing.

Maybe you are in your office after a meeting that caused you a lot of stress and tension, so you sit for 5 minutes and are mindful about something positive you feel right now.

This could be gratitude for this job you worked so hard for, happiness for your family and friends, or just understanding that the stressful situation is over and now you can appreciate you got through it.

4. Don’t Work Through Lunch | 6 Hacks for Burnout and Overwhelm

Stop working non stop! Working more is NOT going to help you overcome burnout. You need a break. Your body and mind need rest. If you work too much all week long, then when the weekend comes, you have no energy left to live your life.

One small thing you can start doing right now is taking proper lunch breaks. Stop eating lunch at your desk, and stop talking to people on your phone when you’re eating lunch out of the office. Turn off your phone, enjoy this time, be mindful of your meal, and just relax. Work will be there waiting for you when your break is over.

5. Find What Gives You Positive Energy

Look for that thing in each day that makes you feel positive and happy. This is going to encourage more positive energy, which can then help to relieve some of the stress and tension you have been experiencing.

Again, this will be unique to you and your situation. It can be related to your home, your job, people in your life, achieving your goals, having accomplished something you put your mind to, being more physically healthy, losing weight, just about anything. Sky’s the limit on this one.

6. Start Saying No | 6 Hacks for Burnout and Overwhelm

Even if you have always been the person other people can count on to help them, you don’t have to be everything to everyone. You have every right to say no to hosting a party, declining an offer to go out on your only night off this week, to doing an extra project at work.

You need to learn how to say no when you are already overwhelmed with all your own responsibilities.

Therapy in Brandon

If you find that you’re feeling burnout more than often, or you’re noticing that your stress or anxiety is especially high during the fall season, know that you’re not alone, we encourage you to reach out. Our counsellor here at Bliss Counselling & Wellness Centre have experience working with anxiety, stress, grief, trauma, depression, and so much more. We offer both in-person and online services. To learn more, reach out to us at 431-302-8803, or go here and fill out an online form!