admin Dr. Magen asks, what happens when you’re not so worried about being bored? And what would it mean to experiment with that?
“Being bored is a lot like the concept of being lost,” he says. “There’s no particular place that you’re at when you’re lost. Instead, being lost is simply not being at the place you should be. But others call that exploring or traveling. What’s different is there’s no particular sense of the need to be somewhere else at that moment. Try this: Remove that sense of ‘should,’ then it doesn’t exactly fit the definition of ‘bored’ anymore. Then, you’ve found the opportunity.”
Eat well. Stress may amplify pain, bloating, nausea, and other stomach discomforts and impact appetite, according to the APA. While it’s always helpful to eat intuitively, it’s especially helpful to exercise this method when you’re stressed. Paying attention to how your body feels after we eat certain things can help us make better choices, says Dr. Magen.
He advises setting yourself up for success by thinking about what you’ll consume ahead of time. Be conscious of what you’re bringing home, and keep things accessible that contribute to an overall sense of satisfaction—both during consumption and afterward.
Exhale. By incorporating breathwork into your day, you’ll be able to operate more from the parasympathetic nervous system—the automatic systems that govern relaxation and recovery. You’ll then be more centered and less reactive to the environment around you.
Adopting a breathwork practice doesn’t need to be an elaborate process. Dr. Dattilo recommends a simple audible exhale for beginners. Simply inhale, then exhale with a deep, rich, sigh. “When you do this, two things happen,” she says. “A recoil, so you’ll inhale pretty deeply, take a much bigger breath than you normally would, and that kicks the breathing into a more paced place. And secondly, you hear the audible sigh, which triggers some biofeedback that you’re in this place of reset.”
Put down the alcohol. We’ve all been there: It’s the end of a rough day, and the first sentence out of your mouth is “I can’t wait to have a drink.” Alcohol consumption can not only make you look older, it’s also one of the things you shouldn’t do when you’re stressed. “Alcohol will interfere with your ability to get good quality sleep, which will likely make you feel worse,” says Dr. Dattilo. “It also can cause inflammation in the body which will feel like pain, and impact the ability to make cortisol.”
Stop “Shoulding” yourself. Dr. Dattilo says that for many, stress isn’t actually the problem—it’s stressing about stress. When we’re stressed about an obligation or a project, we’re often in a “should” mindset, putting pressure on ourselves to do things a certain way. “We don’t feel like we’re doing it good enough or fast enough,” she says. “But what happens when you take the ‘should’ out of it? The reframe is your opportunity, and is something that can be learned.”
