My Stress-Relief Mantra and Daily Coping Strategies - LOHC contest 201.

I’m not sure if this will sound funny, but my stress-relief mantra is distracting myself from the initial stress and focusing on something calm and positive for a moment!

Let me explain.

I wouldn’t say that my day-to-day activities are particularly stressful. As a stay-at-home mom, I follow a routine, and everything usually gets managed quite easily. However, even with a routine life, day-to-day activities can sometimes create stress. For example, when the deadlines for my freelancing work are approaching, or when my son has exams at school, I feel genuinely stressed.

Just about a month ago, I had an experience when I had only three days left to meet a deadline, and guests arrived at our house. In our country and Asia in general, we generally never turn guests away and offer them hospitality beyond our means.

Because of this, after spending the whole day cooking and taking care of them, I realized I would have to stay up all night to work. I was feeling extremely stressed inside. It wasn’t like I could behave very well with them all day, nor was it possible to take them out somewhere, and I was feeling very stressed internally.

In such moments, I try to distract myself for a while. When the brain constantly reminds me, "There’s a deadline, it has to be met," stopping that thought for a while seems to give the brain some rest.

• I usually pick up a book to read, sometimes even re-reading books I’ve already read helps to remove the mind block. Sometimes, I tend to my plants or engage in some creative work like line art or zen art. Occasionally, I do nothing and just spend some quality time with my son, which gives me a lot of positive energy.

It’s not like I do this for hours; it might be just 15-20 minutes or at most an hour. But I feel that it makes my brain much calmer and more peaceful.

Some might think that delaying a deadline might cause more stress, but that’s completely a misconception. I’m proof of that. Giving the brain some rest and distracting it positively actually gives it more energy and increases the motivation to work.

I also sometimes think that I need to do some physical activity to relieve stress. But that thought usually just stays as a thought. Other than maintaining a somewhat healthy diet and walking a bit, I don’t engage in much physical activity or go to the gym. However, it’s on my list. Meditation also helps a lot, but since I regularly pray religiously, that also covers both physical activity and meditation at the same time.

That’s about it. In our daily lives, stress will always come, and we have to deal with everything and move forward. I believe that following some tips, giving yourself some time, or adhering to a mantra can be quite beneficial.

I hope this helps those who are looking for something simple yet beneficial stress reliever tips, especially a lazy introvert home creature like myself!

Thanks @elizabethbit for this thoughtful question.

Have a good day, everyone!