6 Strategies to Self-Soothe When You’re Feeling Irritable

Everyone
has bad days. When your patience wears thin, sometimes it’s the little things
that help you keep it all together. Allowing life’s setbacks affect us to the
point of boiling over can have long-lasting consequences. For those days when
you feel like it’s all too much, you should have some go-to methods for calming
yourself.

Regaining
composure can liberate you from a challenge that’s occupied too much of your attention.
Most of us need a little guidance on how best to begin that process. Here are
six suggestions to break the tension.

1. Take Deep Breaths

Simple
solutions are often the best. The connection between the physical and mental is
more powerful than you might think. Breathing techniques are used in a variety
of different medical and holistic disciplines to reduce anxiety
and relieve stress.

For
you, it might be something as simple as taking five big cleansing breaths. You
might want to experiment with more involved practices if this strategy isn’t
sufficient.

2. Use Soothing Scents

Because
scent is the strongest sense connected to memory, smells you associate with a
relaxing state of mind can help restore your inner calm. You could light some
incense, use some essential oils, make a pot of tea or use an oil-based
diffuser.

This
is a great complementary practice you can do at the same time as practicing
mindfulness, getting organized or using a mantra.

3. Meditate

Meditation
is often misunderstood, but it’s actually quite straightforward. It’s meant to
help you clear your mind. That makes it an excellent method of self-soothing.
The larger conversation around the use of meditation and experiencing life
clear-headed and in the present is called mindfulness.

You
can receive the substantial benefits of mindfulness with only a little work.
It’s something
everyone should try, and a great way to restore some peace during a hectic day. If you
need an introduction, there are plenty of apps to walk you through the basics.

4. Do Some Organizing

When
your physical space is cluttered, it can make your headspace feel the same way.
Sometimes, removing yourself from overwhelming circumstances and just doing
some busywork to feel organized can be a helpful way to reset your head.

It’s
no wonder why so many people make a habit of keeping a clean house. If you’re struggling
and there’s nothing to clean up, you can tackle a larger project like an
overflowing closet.

5. Get Some Exercise

Exercise
can put you in a different state of mind when things are overwhelming. Your brain
releases chemicals during a strenuous or even a moderate workout.

The
neurotransmitters that help us feel safe and relaxed can get low in periods of
high stress, and going out for a jog, lifting some weights or doing yoga could
be the answer to bringing things
back to center.

6. Talk About It

When
life is challenging, you might feel like no one understands or cares to know
what you’re going through. In reality, that’s never the case. As long as you
have friends and family around, you have someone to talk with.

Share
your experiences. Even if there’s no immediate action your friends and family
can take, you’ll be surprised at how much better you feel just vocalizing the
struggles you’re facing. You might get the advice you’ve been needing.

Take a Load Off

It’s important to take a break and breathe when life becomes a little daunting. Use one or all of the strategies above the next time the walls start closing in. You’ll see it’s easy to collect yourself and calm down.