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De-Stress Fest: Resources, Tips, & Tricks

A guide full of information and resources for de-stressing and making life a little easier.

Stressed?

Feeling stressed? There's a lot going on. It's understandable. We all face everyday stressors and high emotions that make us want to pull our hair out. This De-stress Fest LibGuide will hopefully give you a little respite. Here you will find links to funny videos, meditations, games, great YouTube channels and more. Take a few minutes of your day to unwind.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of staying in the moment and focusing on your present self. It is to feel the world around you, be aware of your feelings, and be in tune with your senses without judgment.

Benefits of Mindfulness: Reduced stress, emotion regulation, decreased depression symptoms, lower blood pressure, increased focus, and enhanced spirituality.

To cultivate emotional resilience, start a mindfulness schedule:

  1. Monday- Gratitude: recognizing and being thankful for all blessings, big and small
  2. Tuesday- Compassion: acknowledging others’ suffering and doing something to alleviate it, and acknowledging our own imperfections and loving ourselves despite them
  3. Wednesday- Acceptance: working to control what is controllable and accept what is out of one’s control, and being open to possibilities
  4. Thursday- Higher Meaning: understanding one’s role in and contribution to the world
  5. Friday- Forgiveness: recognizing and respecting each person’s humanness and fallibility, and choosing to forgive as a gift to oneself and to others

Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing reduces stress. When we breathe mindfully, we focus on deepening our breath which reduces the stress-hormone cortisol and improves concentration.

Two exercises:

  1. Sit with your back straight. Place the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth. Exhale through your mouth. Now inhale through your nose for the count of four. Hold for a count of seven. Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight. Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breathes.
  2. Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight and eyes closed. Take a couple deep breathes then breathe naturally. Now as you exhale, count to one. Next time you exhale count up to two. Then three. Do this until you reach five but do not go beyond that. Then begin a new cycle. Do this for ten minutes.