Throughout the day, take “minibreaks.” Sit down and get comfortable, slowly take a deep breath in, hold it, and then exhale very slowly. At the same time, let your shoulder muscles droop, smile, and say something positive like, “I am r-e-l-a-x-e-d.”
To manage stress you can: learn to relax; take a deep breath; practise acceptance; talk rationally to yourself; get organised; exercise; manage your time; have quiet time; watch your habits; know your limits; talk to others about it; practise visualisation.
Laughing makes it easier for you to remember positive thoughts and positive memories. It also has a relaxing effect, and will help to reduce body tension.
When you’re feeling anxious or down, you tend to have a rather grim face, and your thoughts, which are keyed to your emotions, are similarly grim. If you try laughing off your mood, you engage facial and body muscles associated with positive emotions.
To distract yourself from a bad mood, immerse yourself in comedy and humour. Watch a funny movie or TV show. Listen to a favourite comedian’s routine. Read a funny book or magazine. Find something that will make you forget yourself and laugh out loud for a while.
When you are feeling badly, you are also often feeling out of control. Your internal state is often a reflection of your external state; when your environment is messy, you feel messy inside. Time spent organising your space is time spent building up your sense of control and accomplishment.
A good way to distract yourself productively is to do something to better organise your life. Tidy your living or working spaces, your computer, your wardrobe or schedule regular exercise into your life. Cleaning your house can feel incredibly empowering.
Find a personally appropriate balance between dealing directly with negative feelings and moods, and escaping from them, in order to have the best chance of healing.
A certain amount of learning to accept negative emotions is healing. The less you struggle against negative emotions, the less you have to feel badly about. At the same time, sometimes negative emotions can be overwhelming, and you really need a break from them.
“Distraction” goes against normal wisdom – that you have to face your troubling emotions before you can escape them. Distraction is nothing more than a temporary respite from negative moods. It isn’t a permanent fix and shouldn’t be thought of as one.