Especially in stressful phases, when the mental load is high, it is difficult for me to concentrate on a free meditation and not to plan through the whole tanks in my head. On the other hand, it is especially important in these phases to counteract the centrifugal forces of the stressors in order to stay with oneself. Guided meditations help me then. They make it easy to maintain focus and a few minutes are often enough. Currently I use a paid app for this (headspace) but there are also many free offerings on Spotify, etc.
What also fits into the fullest days are adaptogens. These are, for example, plant extracts and micronutrients that increase one's stress tolerance. My favorites are Rhodiola, Ashwanganda and Cordyceps. There are also good complex preparations such as "Anti-
Stress essentials Plus" from Sunday. You can take 2 capsules a day during stressful periods.
In the "rush-hour" of life we are often in a rush and try to "squeeze" everything possible into 24 hours. We have little influence on much of this; appointments have to be kept somehow, bills have to be paid, etc. Nevertheless, there is actually always a part of this stress that we make for ourselves. The demands we make on ourselves are usually higher than the demands we make on others. What we want to avoid at all costs as a "worst case" is usually not the end of the world when we take a closer look. To regain more control over how much stress we want to put on ourselves, I find the technique of "reframing" from cognitive psychology super practical and helpful. Unlike affirmations, this method is super suitable especially for head-strong skeptics. A possible introductory reading for this is e.g. "Feeling great" by Dr. David Burns. What I like about his approach is that our mental symptoms are not seen as an expression of a deficit but as an expression of our actually good qualities. If you know better books or channels about this, I'm always grateful for recommendations.
Another proven method for combating stress is
acupuncture. The biggest challenge is often still scheduling an appointment for it somewhere, but most patients feel a relaxing effect immediately, and if the stress has already caused physical symptoms, these can be treated directly.
What I'm learning, especially from my younger patients, is that they prioritize their own health more highly and see empowering themselves as an integral part of success. This requires deep rethinking and learning, but it seems to me to be one of the most sustainable methods for good stress management.
... and then there are the individual stress killers. Dancing for example :)
