We know it too well. Taking an exam, entering the door for a job interview, or opening up a difficult topic in a conversation can cause a good deal of stress.
According to WHO, stress is “a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation”, and “a natural human response” that calls us to tackle everyday challenges. We live in a world where we can’t avoid stress. That’s why it’s important we learn to manage it and lead a quality life.
Otherwise, stress can bring a variety of medical problems such as higher risk of cardiovascular illnesses, trouble concentrating, irritability, and other physical outbreaks. People who ignore stress can also learn unhealthy coping techniques, like smoking, substance abuse, overeating, and other maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Let’s look at 5 tips on how to manage stress in your twenties.
1. Find time for self-care
Let’s begin with the most “trendy” hook, which is, however, truthful and sometimes misunderstood.
Our society is focused on performance, and as twenty-somethings, we often chase after unrealistic goals with no respect for our needs. Do you prioritize yourself? Do you find time to do things you really enjoy? While this might sound selfish, self-care habits are a great tool to deal with stress. Shifting your attention to what you enjoy or need can be truly liberating.
Here’s a list of some self-care ideas put into different categories:
- Physical: exercise, going for a walk,
- Mental: DIY, creative hobbies, activities that make you switch off,
- Social: family time, hanging out with friends,
- Spiritual: prayer, spending time in nature, meditation,
- Emotional: journaling, gratitude, noticing your emotions,
2. Take up some physical activity
Another thing you can do to manage stress is to get active. When talking about physical activity in relation to stress reduction, we talk about chemistry. This concerns three hormones in particular – adrenaline, cortisol, and endorphins.
Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, and releases happiness neurotransmitters, endorphins. A combination of this causes an improvement of mood, and relaxation.
Also, movement helps you distract from responsibilities and worries, allowing your mind to breathe.
Whether it’s walking, jogging, or group exercises, find something you enjoy and watch your stress lose.
3. Break big projects into smaller tasks
Family, work tasks, and other tasks might feel overwhelming. You might have a big project on your plate, that you don’t feel like starting because you know it will take a lot of energy and time to complete. This might as well lead to procrastination (I think we’ve all been there).
Instead of throwing a pity party, try to break your big task into smaller steps. Completing each of these will motivate you to continue, until eventually you’ll climb that mountain up!
Also, learn to prioritize. I believe this is especially important to learn in our twenties, when we disclose the adult us. If you focus all your energy on tasks that don’t matter while ignoring urgent ones, stress about the latter will increase. Prioritizing tasks gives you time to pay attention to things that matter.
It’s also wise to set limits and reminders. Think about how much time you’ll spend on the task, to have an idea about when and how to progress with it. Noting and labelling the deadline in your calendar also helps to release the task from your mind and not to forget about it.
4. Avoid unnecessary screen time
It’s no surprise that screen stimuli trigger stress. And if you work in an office, additional screen time on top of the 8 hours exposing yourself to the monitor won’t help.
On top of that, reducing screen time will allow you to spend more time on self-care, socializing, or just relaxing.
5. Practice mindfulness
Finally, mindfulness is a useful mental exercise that helps reduce stress. The good news is that it can be practiced anytime and anywhere.
The purpose of mindfulness is to stay in the present moment, and accept it as it is. Mindfulness exercises are all based on non-judgmental observation of the surroundings, or sensations of the body.
Pretty much any daily activity can be done mindfully. Next time you’re having a meal, put away your phone, and fully focus on its taste. When you’re having a conversation, listen carefully and notice how you’re feeling. Or even when you’re walking, you can shift your attention to the simplest feelings of your feet landing on the ground, the sounds you hear as you go, the wind, and all that you walk past.
Managing stress in your 20s is important, especially because it fosters health and improves life quality. What you learn now you won’t forget later. Any of the 5 tips will serve you well, but for starters, you can choose one and gradually try to incorporate more of them into your daily routine.