Examine how you respond when you feel overwhelmed
Do you become tense, distracted, irritable, and/or short with the people around you? Do you have trouble sleeping and constantly feel tired? Your body is talking to you. Listen to it.
Start proactively recognizing the signs before stress causes you to freeze up.
Practice mindfulness
Our ability to control our emotions and attention comes from the grey matter in our brain. Practicing mindfulness allows you to restore grey matter that has been damaged by stress. By simply bringing yourself back to the moment, getting curious about your emotions, letting go of negative or self-defeating thoughts, and controlling your attention, you build self-care from the inside out and change how you respond to stress.
Create a self-care ritual: Make caring for yourself a priority.
It may be exercise, meditation, regular time with a friend or pet, or taking time to read for fun or savor artwork or music. Don’t neglect what brings you joy – make it a ritual.
Anne Grady is not your typical motivational speaker. She is a best-selling author, two-time TEDx speaker, trainer, survivor, optimist, inspirer, and truth-bomb dropper. Anne has a master’s degree in organizational communication and has spent the last 20 years working with some of the largest organizations around the globe.
