How do you cope with stress?

The pressure’s of life can really take a toll on anyone at the best of times. In current times amidst a global pandemic, it is more important than ever we have healthy coping strategies. I have a list of my own that have really kept me alive. Interpret that as you will because it is ambiguous, but the take-away for me is; being mentally alive is key to being physically alive.

We all mess up and we will never get it right ALL the time.

So you messed up again… So bleepin’ what?!

We are human and it’s ok to mess things up. That’s it…!

And no. There’s no need to emphasise on what happens next, i.e. lessons learned and how to avoid it. Start with understanding why it is ok to mess up. And let that simmer…

The learned lessons and prevention will follow naturally while you continue to work on keeping yourself mentally and physically alive.

Don’t put pressure on yourself to start thinking about the next step. Coping strategies need a strategy and the simplest strategy to success is Your Life, Your Rules. Work at your own pace with one milestone at a time.

Here’s my list of coping strategies that I have used and still use. Hope it’s helpful and welcome you to share your list also.

• Unpack thoughts with a trusted friend i.e. friend, work colleague, mentor, counsellor, spiritual/religious elder.
• Research! Read and understand the theory of a situation to use as a benchmark. Knowing where I go wrong is important to me.
• Facebook support groups. I don’t post, but I read what others share and it helps to normalise my situation.
• Access online mental health support services
• MensLine Australia I used almost daily https://mensline.org.au/
• 3 Mindful Minutes with Cass Dunn https://cassdunn.com/podcast/
• Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown https://www.bialikbreakdown.com/episodes
• Mindset Mentor – Rob Dial https://robdial.com/podcast/