On your first day of class, you are usually handed a mountain of notes and told to get stuck in and say goodbye to your social life for the next six months.
For the past ten years, Brett Phillips, a psychology teacher from California has been starting his class with a list of 101 ways to cope with stress. It went viral when one of his students tweeted it earlier this month.
My psychology teacher gave us this paper on how to cope with stress and thought I’d share it 😊 pic.twitter.com/tqNIZRiMzM
— lina ⚓️ (@lovelyyy_lina) September 2, 2016
See the full list below (Yes we typed every, single one for you, and underlined our favourites).
- Get up 15 minutes earlier
- Prepare for the morning the night before
- Avoid tight fitting clothing
- Avoid relying on chemical aids
- Set appointments ahead
- Don’t rely on your memory, write it down
- Practice preventative maintenance
- Make duplicate keys
- Say ‘no’ more often
- Set priorities in your life
- Avoid negative people
- Use time wisely
- Simplify meal times
- Always make copied of important papers
- Anticipate your needs
- Repair anything that doesn’t work properly
- Ask for help with the jobs you dislike
- Break large tasks into bite sized portions
- Look at problems as challenges
- Look at challenges differently
- Unclutter your life
- Smile
- Be prepared for rain
- Tickle a baby
- Pet a friendly dog/cat
- Don’t know all the answers
- Look for a silver lining
- Say something nice to someone
- Teach a kid to fly a kite
- Walk in the rain
- Schedule play time every day
- Take a bubble bath
- Be aware of the decisions you make
- Believe in yourself
- Stop saying negative things to yourself
- Visualise yourself winning
- Develop your sense of humour
- Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better today
- Have goals for yourself
- Dance a jig
- Say’ hello to a stranger
- Ask a friend for a hug
- Look up at the stars
- Practice breathing slowly
- Learn to whistle a tune
- Read a poem
- Listen to a symphony
- Watch a ballet
- Read a story curled up in bed
- Do a brand new thing
- Stop a bad habit
- Buy yourself a flower
- Take time to smell the flowers
- Find support from others
- Ask someone to be your ‘vent-partner’
- Do it today
- Work at being cheerful and optimistic
- Put safety first
- Do everything in moderation
- Pay attention to your appearance
- Strive for Excellence NOT perfection
- Stretch your limbs a little every day
- Look at a work of art
- Hum a jingle
- Maintain your weight
- Plant a tree
- Feed the birds
- Practice grace under pressure
- Stand up and stretch
- Always have a plan B
- Learn a new doodle
- Memorize a joke
- Be responsible for your own feelings
- Learn to meet your own needs
- Become a better listener
- Know your limitations and let others know them too
- Tell someone to have a good day in pig latin
- Throw a paper airplane
- Exercise every day
- Learn the words to a new song
- Get to work early
- Clean out one closet
- Play pat-a-cake with a toddler
- Go on a picnic
- Take a different route to work
- Leave work early (with permission)
- Put air freshener in the car
- Watch a movie and eat popcorn
- Write a note to a far away friend
- Go to a ball game and scream
- Cook a meal and eat it by candlelight
- Recognize the importance of unconditional love
- Remember that stress is an attitude
- Keep a journal
- Practice a monster smile
- Remember that you always have options
- Have a support network of people, places and things
- Quit trying to fix other people
- Get enough sleep
- Talk less and listen more
- Freely praise other people
For special bonus stress relief, here’s a seal…
