Sometimes it isn’t easy to set healthy social media boundaries, even when you know it’s the right thing to do.
Here are two tips to make this a little easier.
These days, reaching for your smartphone is automatic.
It’s like your phone is an extension of your hand.
This makes it difficult to take a break, even a quick one, when you wish.
Here are a couple of ideas to help you hit the pause button.
The colors on your devices (phones, pads, computers) are like candy to your brain.
Change the color scheme to black and white, if you can, or muted colors that are less rewarding to your stimulation-hungry brain.
Not only that, those red dots in notification messages are stressful.
They alert your brain the way red traffic lights, brake lights, […]
Hanging around optimistic people can help you see the glass as half full rather than half empty.
If your friends have a pessimistic attitude toward life, you’ll tend to see things from their point of view.
It’s not necessary to dump your pessimistic friends; just add optimistic friends to balance out the doom and gloom.
Also, if a […]
When people are stressed and worried, they often try to get their worry thoughts out of their minds.
This never works, but what can work is a little perspective.
There’s no better way to create perspective than humor.
If you have ever taken an improv comedy class, you likely learned the concept of ‘Yes, and …’
In Yes, and […]
Stress and anxiety are all about something bad that could happen that isn’t happening right now.
When you’re tense or anxious, it can help to remind yourself that you’re okay in this moment.
Several times a day, notice that you’re okay.
Relationships can be stressful, even when they’re going well. It doesn’t take much to protect and strengthen relationships but it does take some of your time and caring.
Also, giving to your relationships feels good and encourages others to give to you.
There are many small ways that you can give to others:
In a thunderstorm, you might take shelter from the pelting rain, blowing winds, and deadly lightning strikes.
Taking shelter when you’re stressed, challenged, or upset can help you feel calm and confident that you can safely ride out emotional storms, too.
A refuge from stress can be anything that provides a feeling of safety and comfort: talking […]
Life isn’t fair: you’ve likely heard that before. Life isn’t fair for you, and it isn’t fair for your friends, and it isn’t fair for anyone.
This isn’t a problem unless you expect or insist that life should be fair. This is the fallacy of fairness.
It’s a fallacy because expecting or insisting that life should be […]
When you’re stressed, you tend to get stuck in one worry thought after another. A fun way to get unstuck from a concern is to take the long way around it.
Here’s how to do it.
Describe the stressful thought or worry with a longer, wordier description.
For example, to take the long way around the worry: “What […]