Ways To Regulate Yourself When You’re Stressed (tf) Out

Published on: 20 March, 2025 By: Meera

I have been at the lowest point in my life recently, with big decisions weighing on my mind that could alter the trajectory of my life.

And, I’ve been feeling emotions bigger than my body.

I knew I’d been stressing out, but I was startled when I looked in the mirror and saw an unrecognisable version of myself.

I looked just familiar. That’s all.

My eyes were dark and sunken in my sockets. The bags under them were heavy. The face was puffy and looked swollen. And, the hair loss about the hairline wasn’t helping the image.

Not only did I feel lost, I looked lost.

I decided that I needed to regulate my over-ruffled body, mind, and soul. Since doing these things that I’m sharing with you, I feel much (much) better and look better.

That’s not to say that stress factors have disappeared from around me. It’s just that I’m prioritisng my health and wellness amidst the chaos.

Regulating yourself won’t change your environment, so why do it?

There’s this saying “You cannot pour from an empty cup.” If you’re stressed out, you’ll find it hard to tend to your job, kids, customers, and friends – basically the people you interact with daily. You’ll become emotionally unavailable, and fatigued, and people may limit their interactions with you.

Even worse, your mental and physical health keeps count. Cortisol and ghrelin levels spike, you feel unmotivated to keep going, and you feel may like a walking zombie.

It’s important to intervene and deter stress because not doing so can make the baggage that life handed to you heavier.

Here’s what I do when I’m stressed out:

Watch my favourite series

Especially comedies. I try to watch stuff that will make me laugh and not cry.

Seinfeld, The Office, South Park, and Adventure Time are great for the giggles. But, I enjoy the comfort that comes with Castlevania and Sex and the City.

Watch whatever makes you feel relaxed – comfort vlogs, video game plays on YouTube, or comfort movies.

Taking long showers or baths

Warm showers on cool mornings or nights, and cold showers when it’s hot. The calming sensation of the water on your skin is amazing and deserves some time and attention to savour.

Try scented body washes, shampoos, or bath bombs like lavender, sandalwood, cedar, chamomile, or teakwood for a deeper sense of relaxation.

Take your time. No rush.

Listen to feel-good music

What’re some songs or artists that make you feel seen or you relate to. Or, just make your ear-drums pleased?

I find that instrumental makes me relax more often than not, and Spotify has some great playlists. I like dark academia/ instrumental/ Animal Crossing instrumental/ Chillhop depending on the mood.

Or sometimes, I like Doja Cat (Agora Hills, Streets), and the Weekend (Moth to a Flame, Lust for Life with LDR), and the very, very best – Cigarettes After Sex (Dark Vacay, Pistol, Touch, Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby, ahhhh).

Listen to music that just makes you say “”damn, that’s good.”

Taking long walks

I get transcended to a place that’s light like a feather weighing on my mind. I just pop my headphones in, listen to what feels good and walk it out. It’s good for the body and the mind. I sometimes walk for an hour, sometimes half of that depending on how I feel.

I love walkies.

Write about it

I like to think about writing my feelings as spilling them onto pages. I remove my thoughts and gnarly emotions by discarding them in a notebook or my journal app.

It also helps to talk about it to an available friend.

Sometimes, I feel incredibly relieved when I find the right words to write a poem out of it. Use creative outlets to express yourself – songwriting, painting/ drawing, or video-making. Whatever tickles your pickle :).

Staying hydrated

This is important.

Dehydration can cause dark circles around the eyes, among other factors. Drinking water is wonderful for mental clarity/ concentration, satisfaction, and proper overall functioning.

A great tip is to always keep your water bottle handy (even when you’re not thirsty). Thirst strikes without you even knowing it, so it’s important to ask yourself “Am I thirsty?”

A lot of the time, the answer’s “Yes.”

Please prioritise drinking water. It’s good for you, boo.

Making an effort to eat well

Key phrase: making an effort.

Self-care is giving your body what it needs. And it certainly does not need snacking and grazing here and there as a meal substitute.

I try to have at least three meals a day, preferably on time. I seek out foods that I genuinely enjoy and that make me feel my best.

Curries and roti, toast with peanut butter and tea, protein pancakes, oatmeal with berries, potatoes with peas and corn, and chocolate cake. I LOVE cake.

I also limit my coffee to one a day so I don’t get the jitters.

Avoid mindless scrolling

Scrolling on Instagram, Tik Tok, or YouTube shorts often appears as a form of relaxation, especially after a long day, or just feeling exhausted. But, it often just depletes your already drained battery.

If I had spent 45 minutes scrolling on my phone, I could’ve already showered and cleaned the kitchen in that time. Now, I have to spend the next 45 minutes or so doing those things.

Or, I could’ve watched two episodes of Seinfeld that made me laugh and feel much better afterward.

Affirmations

Words of wisdom can offer a new perspective and inflict a sense of hope. I used to be somewhat pessimistic and shied away from affirmations, but now I see differently. Here are some good ones that make me feel that it’s all gonna be okay:

Everything is happening the way it is supposed to. I may not see it now but it will become clear to me later.
The biggest growth happens through the greatest discomfort. I am growing.
The fact that I’m still moving through each tough day proves that I’m strong and resilient.
It’s okay to cry and feel hard feelings. I am human and I am trying my gosh darn best.
Right now at this very moment, others are going through the exact same thing that I’m going through. I’m not alone.
After this rough phase, good things will come my way.
Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay.

Guided meditation

It just takes 10 minutes. I always had the issue of being still, so naturally, the idea of meditation bummed me out.

I told my sister the other day that it’s kind of crazy how we tend to do less of the things that are great for us, like meditation, and more of the not-so-great things like being on our phones so much.

Meditation is very powerful. It reduces stress and anxiety, grounds you so your head’s not in the clouds, and calms you (tf) down. Guided meditations on YouTube are great. There’s meditation for stress, anxiety, eating problems, sleep problems, and other problems.

It’s great stuff.

Making an effort to avoid unnecessary worrying

I tend to absorb every small negativity that comes my way and put me down, and it’s something I’m still working on improving.

Not everything is worth my time: People who bring me down so they may appear higher? Nope, they’re still uncool.

That one thing that didn’t go my way? Maybe it’s not the right time, and maybe whatever happened was supposed to happen for a future favourable event.

Detering negativity and shifting your perspective relieves you of mental stress. And, we have to make an effort to be resistant and not absorb everything that’s not favourable.

Bonus ideas

Watch Bob Ross painting
Light a candle while you work or take a bath
Get enough sleep – 6 hours won’t cut it. Get some more, hun.
Play some music and dance. Shake it off.
Meet a friend for lunch or coffee.
Wear something that makes you feel confident – we tend to exhibit more confidence and self-esteem. Feeling cute helps the situation (cos low confidence + stress = feeling icky).
Bake something nice – focaccia, brownies, a cake, or baked oatmeal.
Paint something without aiming for perfection. Just enjoy the colours and wherever the brush takes you.
Play a peaceful video game (or even something like GTA if that brings you peace lol).
Wear cozy pajamas.
Stay still a bit longer in someone’s arms when they hug you.
Give yourself/ have someone massage your head, foot, and/or back.

Final Words

When your body indicates that you’re overly stressed – dark circles, hair loss, fatigue, loss of motivation, etc – that’s its way of telling you that you need to slow your roll, tend to yourself, and then to life’s handful.

You deal with life – don’t let it deal with you. And, you have to show up for yourself, otherwise it will be difficult to be there for your loved ones.

Take it easy. Celebrate small wins (like finally going out for a walk, eating a full meal, putting effort into your appearance, or choosing to batch-cook a meal for the next few days instead of scrolling).

Hopefully, you’ve found some help in this post. I wish you the very best. Go get ’em junebug. Bye-bye <3