SOME QUICK ‘BRAIN CHANGERS’ RECOMMENDED BY FELICIA HOUSTON FOR STRESS REDUCTION
◆ Take 15 minutes to list your daily routine on a time wheel. Most people fill in a big portion of the wheel with the hours they spend working. What about time spent doing something that gives you joy and high energy? What about ‘me’ time?
◆ Take care of yourself – and, by extension, your brain. Dehydration and lack of sleep can contribute to feeling irritable, irrational and unfocused.
◆ Try something new. Research shows it helps minimize stress levels.
◆ Set realistic expectations — for others as well as for yourself. For people who like to keep ‘to do’ lists, stick with 10 items and see if that’s doable.
◆ Learn what you can and cannot control. You cannot control other people. You can control yourself.
◆ Get outside and get fresh air. If there’s a park nearby, swing on the swings or go down the slide.
◆ Keep a journal. Write in an app such as Evernote. Or color with crayons or markers. Adult coloring pages are available online and can be downloaded for print.
◆ Use apps to your benefit. Try searching the “Calm” app for stress relief by topic, such as for kids or for certain times of the day. Search online for recommendations for the best mental-health apps (https:// outsider.ie/lifestyle/best-mental-healthapps/?). The list includes Chicago-based SuperBetter, a game that lets you create an identity and choose a pre-loaded experience, design your own adventure, and complete quests — all aimed at helping you build psychological strength by achieving personal goals, taking committed action and experiencing positive emotions.
Make time for opening and paying bills; scheduling and going to doctors’ and dentists’ appointments, and checking in on your own well-being in a conscious way.
◆ Keep a stress box at work and at home with your favorite go-to stress relievers – bubblegum (research shows it can relieve stress), small bites of chocolate, bags of soothing hot tea, or lavender oil and a diffuser to spread calming scents.