DOODLE, TALK, TWEET

Whatever stress and pressure you’re feeling on the inside, it’s important to get it out. “I keep a Word document on my computer and write in ‘stream of thought’ about everything going on – anything I want to remember, anything that’s weighing on me,” says lifestyle and health writer Daphne Oz. “Sometimes I’ll go back and reread what I’ve written, but usually it’s just an outlet to help me feel refreshed and less stressed – which I always do when I’m finished, even if I spend just five or 10 minutes doing it.”

Daphne’s smart little trick is a twist on a classic strategy therapists recommend to ruminators – people who repeatedly go over stressful situations in their heads. “Women tend to ruminate more than men, and it can increase anxiety, which whips you up even more,” says Dr Reg Williams, who’s counselled patients on stress and depression for almost 30 years. But getting those thoughts out of your head – by talking to a friend or putting them down on paper – can interrupt the cycle.

“Each time you get it out there, you’re moving away from these awful feelings,” Dr Williams says. And once you take that toxic stress blockage away, your mind is free to move on and become productive, so you actually start checking things off your to-do list.

The cherry on top of all this helpful info is this new truth: The more stress you have in your life, the happier you could be. In a study published in the journal Social Indicators Research, people who reported having more eustress – stress they saw as a positive challenge rather than as a negative threat – were more satisfied with their lives than those who had less going on; 11 per cent more content, to be exact. When you consider the fact that stress can make you more productive and more fulfilled, the phrase ‘stressed out’ has a whole new, happy meaning.