Managing Stress and Anxiety

The following tips have been provided by the Client Advisory Committee with Niagara Region Mental Health.

Tips to help manage stress and anxiety

Breathe it out - Deep breathing and other breathing exercises can help you cope and feel more in control
Progressive muscle relaxation - This can help reduce the feelings of muscle tension that often comes with anxiety
Journaling and gratitude - Writing is a time-honoured way of getting in touch with your own thoughts
Have a routine - Try to get up at the same time each day and stick to a routine as much as possible
Challenge your self-talk - How you think affects how you feel
Eat healthy and exercise - Avoid junk food and skipping meals, as it's helpful to maintain good health
Mindfulness / meditation - This encourages you to focus on your feelings, thoughts, or bodily sensations that are happening in the present moment
Listen to music - Listening to music can have a relaxing effect on the body by lowering your blood pressure and slowing down your heart rate

Connect - Strengthening relationships with others and feeling close to and valued by others, including at work, is critical to boosting well-being
Keep learning - Being curious and seeking out new experiences at work, and in life more generally, will positively stimulate the brain
Be active - Being physically active, including at work, improves physical health and can improve mood and well-being and decrease stress, depression and anxiety
Give - Carrying out acts of kindness, whether small or large, can increase happiness, life satisfaction, and general sense of well-being
Take notice - Paying more attention to the present moment, to your thoughts and feelings, and to the world around, will boost your well-being

Learn more about mental well-being.