Let us define these concepts so that we are on the same page:

Stress – Barriers and complications that present in the current moment, the here and now.

Anxiety – Assumed barriers and complications in the near and distant future.

The main difference between the two to be aware of is the time in which the barriers are either taking place or assumed to take place. To make it an easier concept to understand, identify some stressors in the moment and others that aren’t happening now, but that are in the future.

These two concepts are the most common problems the general person faces on a daily basis. This can be induced by the news, deadlines at the job, expectations of the relationship, the demands of the various roles in your life and so on. But, I like to simplify life as much as possible, especially when it comes to problems that we face.

The mind, if uncontrolled can run a way into a rabbit hole of thoughts, expectations, plans and everything in between. To keep stress and anxiety from bubbling into an explosion and becoming overwhelmed, I apply and recommend that we help the brain clear some space.

Thoughts of Self

This is mostly a social dissonance that affects how we view ourselves and how we view other people, viewing us. Anxiety in this realm is caused by voices and assumptions made from other people, that in return get a voice of influence in your head. The help with this, is the mirror activity. It is going to be strange at first, but it will work wonders when you get into a groove about a week or two in.

• Stand in front of a mirror and set a one minute timer at the beginning of your day and at the end of the day.
• Give your self a smile, begin the time and notice yourself. Notice your smile, your eyes, unique features and anything you can.
• At the end of the timer, identify one thing that you enjoy about yourself during that time period.

Give it some time, this is to take back our thoughts of self and push out others thoughts of us.

Write things down at the beginning of the day

I do this one often. When I feel that I am being pushed too hard by deadlines, and overwhelmed with the mix things to do today and things to do later, and taking care of things around the house while also making sure I find time to do that one thing too…my mind became unusable.

I will write out my agenda for the day, while being mindful of what needs to be done now, and what can be done or worked on tomorrow. There is also some reward for your brain when you cross off those things on a checklist. It ALSO promotes focus, in knowing you have an agenda to complete.

Give your brain some space to enjoy the day and allow focus on one item rather than thinking about several.

5 – 5 – 5

Similar to writing things down, this offer a system of when to get items done. Often times, we anticipate items taking more time than they are truly needed to complete. If I believe I can knock something out of my checklist in 5 minutes, I do it immediately.

If it is something that may take 5 hours total, I break it down into smaller tasks over the next 5 days.

If it is not something that needs to be done immediately, I plan out anything that needs to be done in the next five days to be done with the mix of the smaller parts of the big project.

I use the five because this should be done on a Monday, corresponding with a typical 5 day work week. We can utilize the most of the work week and address all of what needs to be done and allow you to mentally relax when the time comes to relax.

Try applying some of these and let me know what you think. There is more than this, but these are some basics! How do you manage your stress and anxiety during the week in any area of life?

-Malique Taylor

Malique@trailblazer-therapy.com