Want a quick stress relief now?
Table of Contents
When you are stressed…really stressed…it can feel like you have a massive pressure inside your head. You need a quick stress relief from all that stuff that is going on.
You may even have a headache!
- Work stuff.
- Family stuff.
- Relationship stuff.
- Getting the garden sorted, clearing the clutter.
- Home stuff.
- Hobby stuff.
Some of it is good stuff, and a lot of it isn’t.
Whatever it is, it leads to pressure and stress.
It stuffs up your brain.
And that can get to the point where the stress is adding to the stuff even more!
It can be hard to know where to begin, and you may find yourself procrastinating, or avoiding, which makes things even harder.
So sometimes the best thing to do is to just empty you brain.
Just dump the stuff.
Some people are keen journal-keepers, and yes, putting your stresses and worries in a journal can be a great stress management tool. But for others, having to journal, just adds to it. It’s just another task. It helps when you do it, but you feel guilty when you don’t.
A brain dump, though…
That’s something you can do any time you want.
You don’t have to do it at a particular time.
You don’t have to do it every day.
But you can do it now!
Or in half an hour.
How to get that quick stress relief from a brain dump
Get a piece of paper and a pen (or if you prefer, get out the laptop or the tablet or even your phone).
I’ve started using an epaper table because it feels like writing on paper. The Boox Go Colour is great.
Dump all of that stress and all of those thoughts and jobs and worries and anxieties.
Pour them onto the paper or the screen.
Just ‘stream of consciousness’.
- Babble.
- Rant.
- Ponder.
- Imagine.
- Use ‘F’ words, ‘S’ words and even ‘Z’ words if you can think of some!
Do anything that comes to mind.
Maybe ideas will come that help.
Perhaps you’ll notice that there are things you are blowing out of proportion.
Or you could start to see a pattern.
Or none of the above.
But the very act of emptying your thoughts onto some media or other will help you get that quick stress relief you need.
It’s worth it.
And if you want to turn that dump into something more practical and solution focused, try reading David Allen’s Getting things Done.
In this book he shows you how to rapidly deal with some of the things that cause you unnecessary stress and overload, and the activity I have just suggested happens to be the first step!
Practical suggestions from David Allen
- ‘do it now’
– a simple approach to help you clear some of the shorter, more manageable tasks straight away. - schedule everything
– an endless todo list can become soul destroying, so schedule the tasks you do want to do, so that you can put them out your mind until that time they need doing - having a ‘someday/maybe’ list
– identifying the things you might want to do at some time but that don’t need to be in your head or your planning right now.
Allen’s book has become a classic in the time management genre. It isn’t a perfect solution for everyone, but it can be a powerful motivator to improve your effectiveness.
And if you don’t think any of this is a good idea then you can always tell me to stuff it!
Or try reading this article instead!
Robert Sanders is highly experienced therapist and coach, supporting people in their present and helping them create their future. He specialises in anxiety, confidence and finding purpose. He has worked with CEOs, Authors, Musicians, Actors and entrepeneurs across the UK and the rest of the world.
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